Chapter track: I will be one of the greatest by YLL GRIM

"You do know that you just challenged the entire council, and you have no plan whatsoever to protect yourself against them." Pariah sat on Eliza's bed, straightening the edges of the sheets.

"Pariah, you're no longer a maid, and you're no longer responsible for the sheets." Eliza sat by the only person that had her back in all this. Gently rubbing the back of Pariah's hand with her thumb.

"Force of habit. You can't blame me, Eliza; I'm new to all this. My whole life I was looking after people; you can't expect me to just move on so fast." Pariah chuckled.

"Well, I'm not saying you should just move on. It would take time, but I'll be here to guide you through it."

Pariah raised a'seriously' brow at Eliza.

"Good game, your highness, using my own words with me."

"Well, I did learn from the best." Eliza laughed.

"That behind, what are you going to do about the council and their fake god?"

Eliza scoffed, pacing her room.

"We both know that was their biggest bluff in the history of The Sands! They didn't have anything else to hold me down with, so they came up with a fake god."

"We both know that those people would go through anything to ensure that you bend to their will, even if it means creating a false god to force you into submission." Pariah sounded worried, more like scared that Eliza wasn't taking this threat seriously enough.

"Well, you do have a point, Pariah; these people might go make a deal with the devil, just to bend me to their will; if that's the case, I'm going to make the most of what God has given me, my powers. You always said that I just needed to grow them; I guess this is the perfect opportunity to do that!" Eliza seemed happy, which scared Pariah even more. Why was the young queen happy at going to war and fighting a god that might kill her? Had she inherited Queen Ashanti's battle spirit?

"Eliza, you do realize that this could lead to your death?"

"Pariah, if my purpose is to die fighting the corrupt system in my kingdom, then I'm more than glad to do it." Eliza stood confident in her decision.

"Well, since you have decided to throw your life away, against my better judgment, I know someone who can help you train. He was your mother's trainer. He should be able to turn your abilities into something good."

Pariah took Eliza to another part of The Sands, a part Eliza hadn't been to before or heard about. Pariah took the queen to be molded into someone better.

"Come in, Pariah. You can't hide your presence, especially not from me." A man's voice came from inside the tent.

"It's nice to meet you, Jaral." Pariah smiled, walking into the tent, Eliza behind her.

"I can't remember the last time I saw you here, Pariah. To what do I owe this great pleasure?" Jabarl sat on the floor of his tent, his muscular upper body exposed and his legs covered with a fine red cloth.

"I've brought the queen of The Sands so that you can train her; the council seeks to overthrow her and make her reign as queen miserable and short. I figured you could be the best person to prepare her for what is to come."

"I see." Jabarl smiled, his white eyes never leaving Eliza. "Leave her here with me; come back in a month and seven days; the queen would be ready for this false god by the time you're back," Jabarl spoke with a firm voice.

Five weeks later, Pariah stood by the entrance of Jabarl's tent, eager to see her, Eliza. She was more scared than expectant. She hadn't been away from Eliza for that long, and she feared that Eliza had been broken without her. Though the person that emerged from the tent didn't look like she was broken, she looked like a warrior!

"Eliza?" Pariah smiled; she didn't believe it was her little princess that she had in front of her.

"If it's war these gods want, I'm more than capable of giving it to them and giving it to them hard." Eliza's voice echoed with authority.

Jabarl came jumping out of the tent with a smile on his face.

"The queen of the sands is ready for war!" Jabarl smiled, hitting his chest with his hands like a drum as he stomped around with excitement. "If it is battle they speak, the queen speaks battle too!"