Chapter 5 The Real Princess

Elara’s POV

I chase after Princess Celestia.

“Wait!” I call, my footsteps echoing sharply down the long marble hallway. “What did you mean? What plan?”

She doesn’t slow. Her skirts whisper against the floor as she walks faster, heels clicking in a steady, irritated rhythm. The sound feels deliberate, like she wants me to hear how little she cares.

“Celestia!” I run to catch up. “Please!”

She keeps going.

I reach out and grab her arm.

She spins around so fast I nearly stumble, fury blazing in her eyes. “Don’t touch me, peasant!”

“Tell me what you meant,” I say, my fingers tightening around her sleeve. “You said your mother’s plan would take care of me. What does that mean?”

Celestia jerks her arm free as if my touch burns. She glances down the corridor, then back at me. Her jaw tightens. Without warning, she grabs my wrist and yanks me into a nearby empty room, slamming the door shut behind us.

The sound echoes like a gunshot.

“You really are stupid, aren’t you?” she says, crossing her arms. “Did you honestly think my mother would let you walk away from this? That you’d marry the Dragon King, play your little role, and then go back to your miserable cottage like nothing happened?”

My stomach twists painfully. “She promised if I cooperated...”

“She lied,” Celestia snaps. “My mother lies to everyone. She always has.”

I shake my head. “Then why go through all this? Why not just kill me now?”

Celestia turns toward the window, staring out at the palace grounds. “Because she needs you first. This plan didn’t start with you, Elara. It started years ago.”

“I don’t understand.”

“My mother hates magical creatures,” Celestia says. “Dragons. Faeries. Elves. Anything that isn’t human. She thinks they’re animals pretending to be people. Abominations that should be wiped out.”

“But she agreed to the peace treaty.”

“Only to get close to them,” Celestia cuts in. “The marriage was never about peace. It was about access.”

The truth hits me slowly, like cold water poured down my spine. “She’s using me to spy.”

“Yes.” Celestia turns back to me. “You’ll live among them. Learn their weaknesses. Their routines. Their secrets. And once she has what she needs…” She smiles faintly. “You’ll be disposed of.”

The room tilts. I press my hand against the wall to steady myself.

“She’s going to kill me,” I whisper.

Celestia tilts her head. “Of course she is.”

My breath comes out in shallow gasps. “And Lily?”

Celestia’s eyes harden. “Once you’re gone, there’s no reason to keep her alive. Or your sick mother. My mother doesn’t leave witnesses.”

I slide down the wall until I’m sitting on the floor. My heart pounds so hard it hurts.

“Why are you telling me this?” I ask, barely able to speak.

Celestia steps closer. “Because I want you to understand something. This isn’t personal. I don’t hate you. I actually pity you.” She pauses. “But I love Edmund.”

The name lands heavier than I expect.

“He’s a knight in my mother’s guard,” she continues. “Kind. Brave. Loyal. We want to marry. And the only way that happens is if you take my place.”

“So you’re willing to let me and my family die,” I say slowly, “just so you can marry the man you love.”

“Yes.” She doesn’t hesitate.

I stare at her. At my own face twisted into something cruel and selfish. “How can you live with yourself?”

“Quite comfortably,” she says. She unlocks the door. “Don’t bother trying to escape. Guards everywhere. If you run, they’ll catch you within the hour. And then your sister will suffer for your disobedience.”

She leaves without looking back.

I stay on the floor long after she’s gone.

Everything I feared is true. Worse than true. The queen never intended to let me live. Lily is just leverage. Mama is collateral damage.

Unless I find a way out.

I stand on shaking legs. If I’m going to die anyway, I won’t die without trying to save Lily.

I leave the room and walk through the palace, forcing myself to look calm. Servants pass me without question. Maybe they think I’m Princess Celestia. The thought makes me sick.

Room after room yields nothing. Storage closets. Guest chambers. Empty sitting rooms.

Then I see a narrow stairway leading down.

The basement.

I glance around. No guards. I slip through the door.

The air grows colder with each step. Torches flicker weakly along damp stone walls. I hear water dripping. And then crying.

“Lily?” I whisper.

The crying stops.

“Elara?” Her voice comes from behind a heavy wooden door.

I run to it and press my palms against the wood. “Yes! It’s me. Are you okay?”

“I’m scared,” she sobs. “It’s dark. When can I come out?”

“Soon,” I lie. “Very soon.”

I try the handle. Locked.

“Lily, listen to me,” I say softly. “No matter what happens, you need to be brave.”

Footsteps thunder on the stairs.

Guards.

Three of them block my escape.

“What are you doing here?” the captain demands. “You’re not allowed near the prisoner.”

“She’s my sister!” I back against the door. “Please. Just five minutes!”

“Absolutely not.” He grabs my arm. “The queen’s orders were clear.”

“Elara!” Lily screams, pounding on the door.

I fight. Kick. Claw. It doesn’t matter.

“I’ll come back for you!” I scream as they drag me away. “I promise!”

Her cries echo behind me, tearing my heart apart.

They throw me into my room and lock the door.

Tomorrow, I marry the Dragon King.

Unless I can change everything.

That night, Martha comes. Her hands tremble.

“The queen is furious,” she whispers. “The wedding has been moved up.”

“When?” I ask.

“Tomorrow morning. At dawn.”

I don’t sleep.

At sunrise, servants dress me in silk and jewels. I barely recognize myself in the mirror.

A princess stares back.

Inside, I’m still Elara Moonstone. Terrified. Trapped.

As they lead me through the palace, I stop. “Please. Let me see my sister one last time.”

After a moment, the captain sighs. “Five minutes.”

They take me back to the basement.

Lily runs into my arms.

“You came back!” she sobs.

“I have to go away,” I whisper. “Very far north.”

“When will you come back?”

I can’t promise.

“Time’s up,” the guard says.

“Elara! Promise!” Lily screams as the door slams shut.

I can’t.

I let them drag me away while her cries echo through the stone halls.