Morning arrived over Ivanova beneath a sky the color of cold steel.
The kingdom had survived.
That was what everyone kept saying.
The servants whispered it.
The nobles repeated it.
The soldiers clung to it like a prayer.
Ivanova had survived.
Yet as Ariana stood beside the tall window of her chamber and looked down upon the city she had loved her entire life, survival felt suspiciously similar to defeat.
Draco banners fluttered from towers that once carried Ivanova's crest.
Draco soldiers patrolled streets where Ivanovan guards had once stood proudly.
Even the palace gates now bore the mark of the dragon.
Everything had changed.
Everything.
A sharp knock sounded at her door.
Ariana didn't turn.
"Enter."
The door opened.
Serena stepped inside.
The maid's expression was unusually tense.
"Princess."
Ariana continued staring out the window.
"What is it?"
"A royal summons has been issued."
That immediately caught her attention.
Ariana turned.
"A summons?"
