I stood frozen in the courtyard, the weight of everything I’d just learned crashing over me like a wave. My chest tightened as Allyster stormed toward me, his face a mask of fury. His boots echoed sharply against the cobblestones, each step fueling the dread pooling in my stomach.

"What in the world possessed you to do such a reckless thing, Ciara?!" he bellowed, his voice reverberating across the open space. "Riding off to the realm of the dark fae without security—on the back of a shapeshifter! You stupid girl!"

I flinched at his words, guilt striking me like a physical blow. He wasn’t wrong; I had acted impulsively. But I bristled at his tone, the way he spoke to me as if I were a child caught stealing sweets. I raised my hands, palms out, trying to placate him. “I’m sorry, Allyster. I didn’t mean to cause anyone worry.”

“Worry?!” He let out a frustrated breath, his eyes narrowing. “You’re the queen! You can’t just go running off like that! There are consequences, Ciara! Sneaking down to the square to act like a commoner is one thing, but to run off to the dark realm is unacceptable!”

“I know,” I said quietly, my gaze dropping. “But I learned valuable information—”

He cut me off with a sharp gesture, his expression hardening further. “You didn’t learn anything we don’t already know. And even if you had, the risk you took was unforgivable.”

I clenched my fists, the initial guilt giving way to frustration. I had stood before the Dark Lord, faced his taunts and manipulations, and returned with my sanity intact. I had navigated the treacherous undercurrents of the dark realm and endured the tension and danger that came with it. And here was Allyster, berating me like I was some sheltered noblewoman who had stumbled into trouble at a garden party.

“I am the queen,” I said, my voice firm despite the tremor of defiance that ran through it. “I could just order you to stand down.”

Allyster froze, his eyes widening at my audacity. His mouth tightened into a grim line, and for a moment, I thought I had managed to silence him. But then his expression twisted, a mix of anger and disbelief burning in his gaze.

"You forget your place, Your Majesty,” he bit out, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “I am sworn to protect you, and I will not fail in my duty, regardless of your orders.” He stepped closer, his towering presence casting a shadow over me. “Do you understand what you’ve done? How many lives have you endangered by leaving this realm unguarded? Your recklessness could have cost us everything!”

I refused to back down, holding my ground even as his voice rose. “I’m not some fragile doll to be locked away, Allyster! I went because I needed answers and got them—answers you couldn’t get because you’re too busy playing warden!”

That did it. His face darkened, and his hand closed around my arm before I could react. “Enough!” he snarled, his grip firm but not painful as he began to drag me toward the palace.

“What are you doing?!” I demanded, struggling against his hold.

“Taking you back to your room, where you will stay until you remember what it means to act like a queen,” he growled, his voice low and brimming with authority. “Not a rebellious child who thinks she can defy the rules because of her title.”

I tried to yank my arm free, but his grip was unyielding. “You can’t treat me like this!”

“Oh, I can,” he snapped, not even glancing back at me as we passed stunned onlookers in the courtyard. “And I will until you prove that you can be trusted to act with the responsibility your crown demands.”

The heat of humiliation crept up my neck as I realized how many eyes were on us. But beneath the embarrassment, anger simmered. Allyster might have been furious, but so was I.

As Allyster marched me across the courtyard, his grip on my arm unrelenting, I kept pulling and twisting, trying to free myself. "Let go of me, Allyster! I can walk on my own!"

He stopped abruptly, his jaw tight and eyes flashing. “Fine.”

I thought I’d won for a fleeting moment—until he bent down, wrapped an arm around my legs, and hoisted me up like a sack of grain.

"Allyster!" I shrieked, pounding my fists against his back as he slung me over his shoulder. My hair fell into my face, and the blood rushed to my head, making the world spin slightly. “Put me down this instant!”

He didn’t even falter. “Not until you stop acting like a spoiled child!” he barked, his stride steady and purposeful. “Honestly, Ciara, what were you thinking? And what are you wearing?!”

I froze mid-protest. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”

“What’s wrong?” he repeated incredulously, glancing at the midnight-sheen fabric trailing from my body. “You’re wearing their clothes. That’s what’s wrong!” His voice rose with each word, drawing the attention of the guards and courtiers we passed.

I clenched my fists, my embarrassment simmering into full-blown anger. “It’s just a dress!”

“It’s a dark realm dress!” he snapped, his tone dripping with disdain. “Do you have any idea how disrespectful it is to parade around in their colors? You might as well carry a sign saying you’ve allied with them!”

“Oh, for the love of the gods!” I yelled, smacking his back with renewed vigor. “I wasn’t about to wear the rags I showed up in! They gave me this dress because mine was practically destroyed!”

He scoffed, the sound vibrating through his chest. “And you just accepted it without thinking of the implications? Do you even understand the message this sends?”

“I understand that it’s a dress,” I shot back. “And it’s a nice one, at that. Far better than anything you’ve ever let me wear outside these walls!”

“Better?!” He stopped so suddenly that I almost slid off his shoulder. He adjusted his hold on me before glaring over his shoulder. “You think this is better than our traditional attire? Then the gowns woven by our people?”

“At least this one doesn’t itch!” I countered, feeling the heat of his indignation radiating through me.

His hand tightened on my legs as he continued toward the palace, his voice lowering to a dangerous growl. “You’ve been gone for one day, and already you’re defending their ways over ours. Do you have any idea how that makes you look? How it makes me look, as your sworn protector?”

I huffed, crossing my arms awkwardly from my upside-down position. “It makes you look like someone who takes everything way too seriously.”

Allyster let out a noise that was somewhere between a growl and a groan. “You’re impossible, Ciara. Absolutely impossible.”

“And you’re overbearing,” I shot back.

“Good,” he snapped, his pace quickening. “Because I have no intention of letting you out of my sight until you remember how to act like a proper queen.”

I groaned, slumping against his shoulder in defeat. This was going to be a long day.

As Allyster stormed into the palace with me still slung over his shoulder, my anger bubbled over, overtaking the embarrassment of being carried like a misbehaving child.

“Let me go!” I yelled, twisting in his grip. “They want an alliance!”

He froze mid-step, his entire body going rigid. Slowly, deliberately, he turned his head to glance at me over his shoulder. His expression was a mix of disbelief and fury. His jaw clenched so tightly that I thought his teeth might crack.

“What,” he said, his voice low and dangerous, “did you just say?”

“You heard me!” I shot back, wriggling to try and get free again. “An alliance! With the dark fae! And I agree with them. It’s about time we stopped acting like petulant children and started working together instead of constantly being at odds!”

Allyster let out a short, humorless laugh; the sharp sound made me flinch. “You think you can just waltz into the dark realm, spend one day there, and decide what’s best for our people? Do you have any idea what you’re saying, Ciara?”

“Yes, I do!” I retorted, planting my hands on his back to push myself up slightly. “They aren’t all monsters, Allyster. They aren’t what we’ve been taught to fear our entire lives. I’ve seen them and spoken to them! There’s more to them than just their darkness.”

“You’ve been tricked,” he snarled, finally setting me down—but not gently. I stumbled as my feet hit the ground, and he grabbed my arm to steady me, his grip firm and unyielding. “They’re manipulators, Ciara. Masters of deception. Do you honestly think they’re interested in peace? They’d sooner stab you in the back than shake your hand!”

“You don’t know that!” I shouted, wrenching my arm from his grasp. “You weren’t there! You didn’t see the way they live, the way they care for their own!”

“They care for their own and no one else!” Allyster barked, his face inches from mine now. “You’re a fool if you think they’ll ever see you as anything other than an enemy—or worse, a pawn!”

“I’m a fool?” I scoffed, my voice trembling with frustration. “You’re the one who refuses even to consider the possibility that we’ve been wrong about them. You cling to your hatred like it’s a shield, and it’s blinding you to the truth!”

Allyster’s eyes narrowed, his anger radiating off him in waves. “The truth? The truth, Ciara, is that they’re dangerous. They’ve always been dangerous. And if you think for one second that I’ll let you drag our people into an alliance with those creatures, you’re delusional.”

“Well, guess what, Allyster,” I said, shaking but resolute. “I’m the queen. And I’ll decide what’s best for our people—not you.”

For a moment, there was silence. The air between us crackled with tension, and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. Allyster’s expression darkened, his lips pressing into a thin line.

“You may be the queen,” he said, his voice cold and controlled, “but you are far from ready to lead.”

And with that, he grabbed my arm again and began dragging me toward my room, his grip like iron. “If you’re so determined to play queen,” he growled, “then you’ll do it from the safety of these walls. Starting now.”

I struggled against him, my frustration boiling over. “You can’t just lock me away, Allyster!”

“Watch me,” he snapped, his tone brooking no argument.

Allyster stormed into my private chambers, his grip still tight on my arm as he practically threw me into the room. I stumbled forward, its sudden force nearly sending me crashing into the far wall. I managed to right myself just in time, only to hear the unmistakable click of the lock as the door slammed shut behind me.

I spun around, ready to yell at him, but he was already gone. My breath came in ragged gasps, a mix of rage and helplessness coursing through me. I wasn’t a child. I wasn’t someone to be locked away like some petulant little thing.