The children were pushed toward a second carriage, a smaller one that trailed behind the prince's. The guards herded them forward with curt shouts, ignoring Skylar's trembling or July's tears. Jakie tried to resist, his small hand clutching mine, but a soldier pried his fingers away.
"Go on," the guard growled, shoving him inside.
The door slammed, shutting them away from me. My chest squeezed so tight I could hardly breathe. I wanted to run to them, to throw myself between them and the guards, but the prince's voice cut through the air like a blade.
"You," he said, his sharp eyes locking on me. "You ride with me."
I froze. "What?"
The soldiers didn't give me time to argue. Two of them grabbed my arms, not roughly, but firmly enough that resistance would have been useless, and led me to the larger black carriage. Its polished wood gleamed even in the dimming light, the golden crest shining like a warning.
The door swung open, and I stumbled inside. Across from me, the prince sat, his blue hair catching the last rays of the sun. His posture was perfect, his cloak draped elegantly over his shoulders, and his eyes never left me. The door shut behind me with a thud, cutting off the world outside.
The carriage lurched forward. Silence fell, broken only by the steady clop of the horses' hooves. My hands clenched tightly in my lap. I could still feel Jakie's small fingers slipping from mine, and my chest ached.
Finally, he spoke.
"How old are you?"
"Fourteen," I whispered.
"Fourteen, and already stealing from the market?" His voice was calm, but heavy, as if weighing every word I would say.
I flushed. "I had to. We hadn't eaten in days. There was nothing else I could do."
His gaze sharpened. "And your parents? Do you remember them?"
I shook my head. "No. I was abandoned as a baby. I don't remember them. I've always been alone… except for the children."
His eyes flicked down briefly, then back to me. "And the others? You've kept them alive?"
"Yes." My voice cracked. "Jakie, Skylar, June, and July. They're all I have. I do whatever I can for them."
"Stealing… going hungry yourself…" he murmured, almost to himself. "You've carried more than anyone your age should."
"I've had to," I said quietly.
The carriage rattled over uneven stones. Outside, the lower town faded, replaced by wider, emptier roads that led toward the castle. My stomach twisted as I saw the walls rising ahead, massive and cold against the darkening sky.
He studied me in silence for several minutes, then asked, "What is it you want? For them? For yourself?"
I blinked. No one had ever asked me that. My chest tightened. "I just… I want them safe. Fed. Warm. I want them to sleep without fear. To laugh without looking over their shoulders."
"And you?" His piercing blue eyes searched mine.
"I… I want to stop being afraid," I admitted.
For a long moment, he said nothing. Then he leaned back, watching me.
The carriage jolted as the horses left the rough cobblestones behind. I glanced out the small window at the walls of the castle, already lit by torches against the twilight.
The silence in the carriage pressed heavy against my chest until I finally forced the words out.
"What… what's going to happen to the children?"
The prince didn't hesitate. "The girls will be placed with the servants. They'll be cared for, trained for housework or crafts. They will not go hungry again." His gaze hardened. "The boy—Jakie—he'll be sent to the barracks. I saw the way he tried to protect the others. Courage like that doesn't belong in kitchens. The guards will make something of him."
A small knot of tension in my chest loosened. They wouldn't be with me, but at least they would live, safe and fed.
"And me?" I asked, my voice smaller than I intended.
The prince's sharp blue eyes turned back to me, lingering on the strands of red that caught the flicker of torchlight through the window. He studied me as if weighing a blade in his hand.
"You," he said at last, "are not so simple." His tone was heavy, deliberate. "The Fire Country no longer exists. Its royal line was thought to be dead." His eyes narrowed, the weight of his words falling over me like stone. "And yet… here you are. Red hair, clear as blood in the snow. A boy carrying the mark of fire's royalty."
My throat tightened. "I-I don't—"
He raised a hand, silencing me. "I am not the one who decides. That will fall to my father, the king. He will judge whether you are a threat… or not."
The carriage jolted as it hit a stone in the road, but his words struck harder. A threat. That's what I was to them. A boy with fire in his blood, sitting in the heart of the Water Kingdom.
The prince leaned back, his cloak shifting with the motion. "Understand this. The mere idea of a surviving prince from the Fire Kingdom could stir unrest. Old loyalties might resurface. Rebellions could rise. My father will not take such risks lightly."
A cold shiver spread through me. He still thought I was a boy—he didn't know the truth. But would that matter? Fire was fire. Blood was blood.
I lowered my gaze, my hands trembling in my lap. For the children, there was safety. But for me… only the king's judgment awaited.