The order came at dawn.
No warning.
No discussion.
No room to refuse.
Elira was awake when the knock came.
She hadn't slept much.
Not after the council
meeting Mira reported.
Not after the pattern she
had started to see.
Everything had been
moving too quickly.
Too deliberately.
Still—
When the knock sounded,
something in her chest tightened.
"…Enter."
The door opened.
Not a servant.
Not Cassian.
Imperial guards.
Three of them.
Fully armed.
Fully armored.
And behind them—
An official.
Elira didn't move from where she sat beside the
cradle.
But her gaze sharpened
instantly.
"…This is early."
The official bowed slightly.
Not deeply.
Not respectfully.
Just enough.
"Your Highness," he said,
voice formal and flat. "I bring orders from His Majesty."
Of course he did.
Elira's fingers tightened slightly around the edge of
the cradle.
"…Speak."
A pause.
Then—
"The Third Prince will
be relocated."
Silence.
Not shock.
Not confusion.
Confirmation.
Elira had expected something like this.
But not—
So soon.
"…On what grounds?" she asked calmly.
The official didn't hesitate.
"Containment."
The word landed exactly as Mira had predicted.
Elira's gaze didn't waver.
"…He is under my
responsibility."
"That remains unchanged," the official replied.
A pause.
"But His Majesty has
determined that your current residence is… insufficient."
Insufficient.
Too exposed.
Too uncontrolled.
Too close to her.
Elira stood slowly.
Her small frame
straightened, but there was nothing small about the tension in the air.
"…Where is he being
taken?"
"A secured wing."
Not an answer.
Not a real one.
"…Who will be overseeing him?"
Another pause.
"Imperial supervision."
Meaning—
Not her.
Elira's expression hardened slightly.
"…And me?"
"You will remain here."
Simple.
Final.
Separation.
There it was.
Elira's mind moved instantly.
Faster than her body.
Faster than the room.
This wasn't just containment.
This was isolation.
Remove her influence.
Remove his control.
Let the power grow
unstable.
Let it become a problem.
Let it justify elimination.
Seraphine.
"…No."
The word slipped out before she could stop it.
The room stilled.
The official's expression didn't change.
"…Your Highness?"
Elira stepped forward.
Between them.
Between the cradle.
"He stays with me."
Not a request.
The guards shifted slightly.
Hands tightening on
their weapons.
The official's gaze
sharpened.
"That is not your
decision."
"It is," Elira said.
A lie.
But one she was willing
to stand on.
Silence stretched.
Tense.
Unstable.
Then—
Footsteps.
Heavy.
Measured.
The door opened again.
Cassian.
His presence cut through the tension immediately.
"What is happening?" he asked.
The official turned slightly.
"Orders from His
Majesty," he said. "The Third Prince is to be relocated."
Cassian's jaw tightened.
"…Without
consultation?"
"The decision has been made."
Of course it had.
Cassian's gaze flickered briefly to Elira.
A silent exchange.
He understood.
This wasn't protection.
This was control.
"…I will escort them," Cassian said.
The official paused.
"…That is not
required."
"It wasn't a request."
Silence.
Then—
"…Very well."
A concession.
But a small one.
Elira didn't move.
Didn't step aside.
Didn't lower her gaze.
"…You're making a mistake," she said quietly.
The official didn't respond.
Because it didn't
matter.
The guards stepped forward.
And that—
Was when Kael woke.
Not slowly.
Not gently.
Suddenly.
His small body tensed, his fingers curling tightly as
his eyes snapped open.
Dark.
Too dark.
The air shifted instantly.
Cold.
Heavy.
"No—" Elira whispered.
Not here.
Not now.
But it was already happening.
The shadows stirred.
Subtle at first—
Then sharper.
They crept along the floor, stretching unnaturally,
twisting toward the nearest presence.
The guards froze.
They had seen this before.
And they were afraid.
"Stand back—!" one of them shouted.
Too late.
The shadows surged.
Not violently.
Not yet.
But enough.
Enough to make the air feel wrong.
Enough to make
breathing harder.
Enough to remind
everyone—
What Kael was.
Elira moved instantly.
She dropped beside the
cradle, her hands reaching for him, pulling him close.
"Kael—look at me."
His gaze didn't focus.
The shadows twitched.
Unstable.
He was reacting—
To the room.
To the tension.
To the intent.
They were taking him.
And he knew.
"…It's okay," Elira said quickly, her voice softer
now. "I'm here."
For a moment—
Nothing changed.
Then—
His eyes shifted.
To her.
The shadows stilled.
Not gone.
But restrained.
Barely.
Elira tightened her hold.
"…You see?" she said,
her voice low but sharp. "He stabilizes with me."
She looked up.
Directly at the
official.
"You remove me—"
A pause.
"And you lose control."
Silence.
Because that—
Was not a guess.
It was a fact.
The official hesitated.
Just for a second.
Cassian stepped forward.
"…She's right."
Another pause.
"This is a risk," Cassian continued. "If he loses
control in a secured wing—"
He didn't finish.
He didn't need to.
The implication was clear.
The official's jaw tightened.
He hadn't expected this.
Hadn't planned for resistance.
Hadn't planned for—
Reality.
"…The order stands," he said finally.
Of course it did.
Elira closed her eyes briefly.
Thinking.
Calculating.
If she resisted—
They would force it.
If she complied—
She lost control.
Either way—
She lost.
Unless—
Her eyes opened.
"…Then I'm going with him."
The room stilled.
"That is not permitted."
"It is now."
Elira stood, still holding Kael tightly.
"If I am responsible for him," she said calmly, "then
I go where he goes."
Silence.
The official hesitated again.
Longer this time.
Because this—
Wasn't covered in the
order.
Cassian didn't speak.
But his silence—
Supported her.
A long pause.
Then—
"…Very well."
A compromise.
A necessary one.
"You will be relocated with the Third Prince."
Not ideal.
Not safe.
But better.
Elira exhaled slowly.
"…Good."
The guards stepped back slightly.
The tension eased.
But only slightly.
Because nothing about this—
Was over.
As they prepared to move—
Elira's grip on Kael
tightened.
"…It's starting," she whispered.
Not just a plan.
A war.
And this—
Was the first move—
They couldn't avoid.