The nerves rolled through me as Soren walked us through the empty palace halls. I was having a weird moment of déjà vu, as this was remarkably similar to when Soren delivered me to the ballroom for my homecoming ball. And now here I was on my way to be coronated Queen of Erivale.

I couldn't help the sick sensation in my body and mind that I was hopelessly unprepared to take on this role. Of course, what made me feel even worse was the thought of what was to come after the coronation. Not only would I be retaining my status of Queen of Erivale, but I would be defecting to the rebels and likely starting a war against the same hands who crowned me queen.

A small squeeze on my arm pulled me from my thoughts, and I looked up to Soren's kind face. The wrinkles around his eyes from many years of smiling showed no concern about the events that will happen tonight. His confidence soothed me marginally.

"Are you ready, you know the plan?"

"Yes, of course, we've all been over the plan many times."

"You can do this, Amberleigh."

We paused in front of the doors, my last barrier before the events of the night would soon unfold.

As the doors opened to the screams and cheers of the citizens below, I focused on step one of the plan – be coronated, queen.

With every stair that led me down to the ballroom floor, the force of the cheers pressed harder upon my body. The same nervous energy from standing in front of crowds resumed, but that fear seemed minuscule in the grand scheme of everything. I ignored the anxiety I felt from the eyes of the crowd and ascended the steps to get to the stage.

It was the same platform from the homecoming ball, except instead of being laden in tables and food for the council, it held a large throne in the middle and two off to the side. A pedestal on the far left surrounded by guards held the crown of a queen. The same crown my mother had been wearing just this morning.

King Heinrich and Luciana stood at center stage, their broad smiles looked just like how I hoped any proud parents would, but it was all a lie. They beckoned me forward and held me in their arms before addressing the crowd.

"We gather here today in celebration of our crown princess becoming a queen." Heinrich's voice boomed throughout the room.

"Our dear daughter whom we once thought lost from us returned just in time to take on her rightful duty as Queen of Ithica and ruler of the Unified Nations of Erivale. She stands here before you to take the oath of the monarchy."

The crowd cheered once again, and I tried to offer them a smile as I knew I should from etiquette lessons. I hoped that they couldn't see just how nervous I was.

Heinrich and Luciana moved to sit in the two thrones off to the side, I noticed Renatus standing behind them. He was easy to lose amongst the shadows on the edge of the platform. He eyed me carefully.

A man in the light blue and gold of Ithica's formal service attire came to stand before me. I had talked with him a few times in court before and recognized him to be the Chief of the Court.

He was an older Elf, and his voice wavered with the intensity he needed to for everyone to hear. "Crown Princess Amberleigh Eerika Helle Aumont, do you vow to always hold the interests of the citizens of Ithica at heart? Do you swear to uphold our laws and values of justice? Will you work for the betterment of your country and strive for greatness so that we may all flourish?"

"Yes, I do."

"Then, I stand before you with the royal crown that marks you our loving queen." The guards surrounding the crown stepped forward. One of the guards held the crown sat atop a dark, red velvet pillow. The Chief of the Court picked up the crown in his elderly hands.

I leaned forward as he set the large piece of metal overtop my temples. As I straightened, I was very aware of the weight of the crown pressing down on my head, and suddenly a new weight burrowed its way onto my shoulders. I really was doing this, I really was becoming the queen, and the lives of everyone in Ithica were indeed in my hands.

"Witnessed by the former king and queen, the royal court, the Unified council, and the citizens of Ithica, you are now pronounced Queen of Ithica." The Chief of the Court turned to the crowd. "The Lost princess had become our queen!"

The crowd erupted into such raucous applause that I thought I would be knocked off my feet from the sheer force of the noise. I knew I would now have to make a speech, and with it would begin step number two of our plan.

I stared at everyone before me, they felt like strangers, but I also knew that these were my subjects. My decisions and my choices would affect them in ways I could never imagine. They stared up at me with happiness and hope in their eyes, and I hoped that they would trust and believe in me. I hoped that with my actions tonight, they would know that my only intention is to give them all a better life.

I was silent as I stared at everyone, merely taking it all in. My eyes caught onto one face in particular, Guinevere's. She was in the crowd, and her blue eyes held mine. The usual aggressive nature was gone, and with a slight nod of her head, she encouraged me to go on. Guinevere was a smart woman, she knew what was about to happen. I offered her a small nod back in thanks and then steeled my courage to change the lives of everyone within this room.

"Many of you know me as the Lost Princess," I began. "I spent most of my life growing up in the human realm learning their customs and ways of life. Coming here so suddenly and so close to the coronation meant that I had much to learn, and learn I did.

I want to be fully transparent with you all and usher in a new relationship with the monarchy. One of truth and honesty and respect." I could already hear the crowd's whispers as their curiosity was peaked. I continued with my speech, and forcefully ignored the tingling sensation in my mind. Renatus was trying to look inside to see what I was going to say. "I want you to know of the injustices that the monarchy has enacted against you. I have received messages from the gods, and my eyes have been opened to the unjust truths underpinning the monarchy."

Now the crowd was starting to grow restless, and I could see the king and queen furiously ordering guards to come and get me. Ulric and Soren melted from the sides of the stage to hold a firm line of separation between any guards and myself. I didn't have much time to finish my speech now.

"The king and queen have manipulated everyone, even the Unified Council, to turn a blind eye to their grab for power. The first unified nations council meeting the non-Elven members were influenced by powerful sorcery to grant the Elves rulership over all of Erivale. Their choices were forced in the interest of the Elves. Racism and inequality run rampant now, the Fauns and Satyrs are continually sold in the underground slave trade, and the magical schools are being stunted to keep magical knowledge only amongst the Elves. And potentially worst of all, the king and queen planned to sacrifice their own daughter. They planned to sacrifice me after my coronation to steal my power so that no one may challenge them ever again."

The crowd gasped as I finished, and I felt strong arms grab onto me and pull me away from the center of the stage. Ulric and Soren were being restrained on the other side of the platform from me, and the king and queen were frantically trying to speak to quell the nerves of everyone in the room.

I struggled against the guard, holding me still. Queen Luciana stood before the crowd and began to speak of calmness, and my falsities, the power of her persuasive tongue could be felt in every corner of the room. Even I felt the tug, and it infuriated me. She couldn't just speak a few magical words and weasel her way out of this.

I struggled even more against the soldier holding me and remembered the dagger strapped to my leg. If I could only find a way to get the knife.

Whimpering in pain, I faked an injury and crumpled to the ground where I grabbed at my leg. The guard seemed confused and concerned about my apparent distress. I tried not to grin in satisfaction as my hand wrapped around the sturdy handle of the dagger. Before the guard even knew what happened, I had struck him on the temple with my fist knocking him unconscious and ran to the stage with my dagger in hand. I pointed it at Luciana's chest, pausing her mid-speech. The spell she had everyone under suddenly stopped.

"Feel the magic around you!" I yelled. "Queen Luciana has been blessed with a persuasive tongue, and she can infiltrate your mind with magical words. Take everything she utters with suspicion and ask yourself just how much she has lied to you?"

"This is just absurd, Amberleigh, this is not how we raised you to be," Luciana said.

"You didn't raise me at all." I sneered. I looked towards the guards who were holding a disgruntled looking Soren and Ulric. "I am the queen, and I command you to let them go."

The guards shared a look with one another, I could tell that they were fighting with the decision. "I am your queen," I repeated. "Let them go now."

I gave Soren and Ulric a small smile as they were released. I expected one back but was confused when Ulric's face morphed into one of fear. I felt an intense pressure against my side, my danger intuition was kicking in, and before I knew it, a blow was struck against my side, knocking me back and down onto the stage. I lay looking up at King Heinrich, who held a drawn sword in his hand. He looked momentarily shocked, and I was too.

Had he struck me? I didn't feel any sharp pain like a cut. Maybe a small bruise from where I was hit. I looked down at my torso, trying to inspect any damage. A long scratch on the surface of the corset could be seen on my left side, but other than that, I was fine.

I finally understood why Jae had used metal in the design of my dress. It wasn't just for looks; it was supposed to be armor to help protect me tonight. Jae must have been a rebel too.

I didn't have much time to marvel at the fact of another secret rebel spy within the palace as I felt a pressure growing on the skin just above the neckline of the armored corset. King Heinrich was aiming the tip of the sword ready to plunge into my body. I quickly rolled away and stood clumsily to my feet. Fighting in a ball gown was not easy.

Soren and Ulric were also engaged in battle on the stage. Chaos was erupting everywhere. The crowd was screaming in fear, unsure of what was happening. The citizens were running desperately for the exits in massive hordes. The armored guards and soldiers of the palace were marching towards us. The only anomalies were a few individuals within the crowd who could pass off being everyday citizens, but instead of fleeing, I noticed that they were running towards us with swords and weapons in their hands. They were the rebel reinforcements that Soren had told me about.

The last body that was unaccounted for was Gerard. He would have been amongst the crowd, and my eyes furiously scanned the crowd and surrounding area. I left Heinrich up on the stage, looking bewildered with his sword drawn.

A few guards chased after me, and I clutched tightly onto the dagger, ready to use it if I had to.

"Gerard!" I called, hoping he would reply. "Gerard, where are you?"

I heard a nervous bleat to my right and ran off in that direction. There were still quite a few citizens, and I melted into the crowd hoping that the guards would lose me amongst the commotion.

My eyes followed the tops of heads, looking for the curly locks of Gerard and his horns. Where could he be?

Another scared bleat, and I heard my name, "Amberleigh!" Following the sound, I found Gerard hiding behind a towering stone statue by the exit of the ballroom.

"Gerard, are you okay? Are you safe?"

"Yes, I'm okay."

"Good, good." My words died out as I looked around, and my eyes caught on something familiar. Attached to the hip of the sculpture was a leather scabbard that contrasted greatly with the white stone. The exposed pommel was pressed with symbols. Vhitia's words came back to me: "I have placed the sword in the palace to be found by you, and only you. You will see it in due time."

This was it, this was my sword. I quickly stashed the dagger back under my dress and unbuckled the belt around the statue's waist. Buckling it around my own, I felt the comforting weight of a sword now attached to my hip. As I pulled the blade out and held it before me, I felt a small tingle of magic move through my palm.

The sounds of the battle soon engulfed my ears, the screams and shouts of anger and pain echoed around the room. I peered around the statue and saw that Heinrich and Luciana had been safely removed from the ballroom, but the rebels and Ulric were engaged in a heavy battle against an extensive collection of guards.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to remember everything Ulric had once taught me. I grabbed Gerard's hand and began running towards the battle. With every step, I tried to pull in as much magical energy as I could to increase my strength and speed.

Before me, I could see Ulric was engaged in a ferocious battle with two guards. They went back and forth, blow for blow until Ulric was able to cut one and send him to the ground. The other guard, enraged by the death of his friends, upped his volley of attacks. I could see that Ulric was struggling, and I pushed harder to run to him.

Just as I saw a heavy blow come down, my body began to act on its own instinct. The same sense of danger I had for myself come forward to protect Ulric, and I stuck my blade out just above Ulric's face preventing him from dying at the hands of the guard.

Ulric's pale blue eyes flashed to me, showing some surprise before he smirked at me. "How nice of you to join us, princess. Or should I say queen?"

"Look, we're even. I saved your life."

Ulric kicked at the ankles of the guard, taking him to the ground and quickly slit his throat, rendering him dead, "That you did, Amberleigh, thank you." I noticed the way his eyes looked at the sword in my hand with curiosity.

"Amberleigh, we can't take much more! We need to portal." Soren's voice yelled, and I looked at the way the guards were rapidly closing in on the rebels.

This was it, time for step three – escape. All of my training with Ulric to open portals would be coming to fruition now, but more importantly, it was the messages I had received from the gods. Taking a deep breath, I focused on pushing my magic outward to pull at the space around us. I pushed against the friction of space and time until a hole three bodies wide appeared. This portal was different from my others in that you could actually see all the way through to the other side.

"It's open, go!" I shouted, and one by one, the rebels began disengaging from their individual battles to jump through the portal. Soren pulled Gerard through with him, and then it was just Ulric and I. Ulric was keeping any soldiers at bay while I focused on the portal.

"Ulric, come on, we have to go!"

"You go, Amberleigh. They will kill you if I go through."

"Ulric this is not the time to be a hero," I shouted.

"Amberleigh, I'm trying to save you, let me save you."

"Don't be a dumbass." I grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled, practically throwing him through the portal and diving in after. The second I felt my body cross through, I closed the portal.