The castle transformed over the next three days into something unrecognizable. Corridors I'd walked through countless times were now barricaded at strategic points. Windows were reinforced or completely sealed. Every courtyard had archers positioned on surrounding walls, and every entrance had multiple layers of defense.
The evacuations proceeded with surprising efficiency. Families with children left first, followed by elderly servants and anyone who couldn't or wouldn't fight. Some nobles protested being sent away—their pride wounded at the suggestion they needed protection—but most recognized the gravity of the situation and complied.
I watched wagons rolling out of the castle gates each morning, carrying people to safety in the surrounding countryside. Each departure felt like both relief and loss. Relief that they'd be safe if we failed. Loss because their absence made the stakes feel even more real.
"That's the last of the voluntary evacuations," Mira reported on the third day. "We're down to approximately eight hundred people in the castle. Two hundred fighting forces, six hundred support staff, nobles who refused to leave, and essential personnel."
"Eight hundred." I marked it on my roster. "Against three hundred soldiers and fifty shadow beasts. The numbers favor us, but the shadow beasts are force multipliers. They're worth ten ordinary soldiers each."
"Which means we're actually outnumbered if you calculate it that way." Mira's face was grim. "My Lady, have you considered evacuating yourself? You're pregnant. You don't need to be here for this battle."
I'd been waiting for this conversation. I was actually surprised it took three days for someone to bring it up directly.
"I'm staying. This is my home now. These are my people. And Kael needs me here." I touched my still-flat abdomen, where our child grew invisibly. "Besides, if we lose this battle, nowhere will be safe. Daemon won't stop at the castle. He'll burn through the entire kingdom."
"I know. I just had to ask." Mira managed a smile. "Stubborn as ever."
"You wouldn't love me if I wasn't."
"True. Now come on. Prince Theron wants to review the guard rotations with you, and then Captain Thorne has questions about fallback positions."
The work never stopped. Every hour brought new decisions to make, new problems to solve, new contingencies to plan for. I fell into bed exhausted each night and woke before dawn to start again.
Kael was handling his own responsibilities—drilling soldiers, coordinating with the few High Lords who'd arrived early with reinforcements, and working with Elena on magical defenses that didn't require him to risk his life.
We passed each other in hallways, exchanged information in the war room, but we hadn't had a real conversation in days. Both of us were too focused on preparation, too aware that every moment not spent planning could mean death when Daemon arrived.
On the fourth day, I was reviewing supply manifests when Kael found me in the war room, alone for once.
"When did you last eat?" he asked without preamble.
"This morning. I think. What time is it now?"
"Nearly sunset. You've been working for twelve hours straight." He set down a plate of food in front of me. "Eat. That's an order from your husband and your prince."
"I'm busy—"
"You're exhausted and running yourself into the ground. Eat the food, Elara. For once, just listen without arguing."
His tone was sharp, more frustrated than I'd heard in weeks. I looked up to find him stressed and tired too, dark circles under his eyes, his jaw tight with tension.
"You're not doing any better," I pointed out. "When did you last sleep more than four hours?"
"I don't remember. Which is exactly my point. We're both pushing too hard, and it's going to make us useless when the actual battle comes." He sat down heavily. "We need to stop. Just for a few hours. Rest. Eat. Remember why we're fighting so hard to survive."
He was right. I could feel my judgment getting cloudy, my reactions slowing, my thoughts becoming circular and unproductive. Classic signs of exhaustion I'd been ignoring because there was always something more urgent to handle.
"All right. A few hours." I took a bite of the food, barely tasting it. "But then we need to finalize the evacuation routes from the inner keep. And check on the magical wards Elena is placing. And—"
"And none of that matters if we're too tired to function when Daemon arrives." Kael reached across the table, taking my hand. "I need you sharp. I need you at your best. Which means you need rest."
"I need you sharp too. Which means you're following the same orders." I squeezed his hand. "Deal?"
"Deal."
We ate together in companionable silence, the first real moment of peace we'd shared in days. Just sitting together, not rushing, not planning, just being.
"Kael?" I said after a while. "If things go badly. If Daemon wins. Promise me you'll get out. Take whoever you can and run. Don't stay to die just because you think you should protect everyone."
"I could say the same to you."
"I'm serious. You're the heir. The kingdom needs you alive more than it needs you dead and martyred."
"And I need you alive more than I need anything else. So if things go badly, we both get out or neither of us does. Those are the only options I'll accept."
"Stubborn prince."
"Stubborn princess."
We smiled at each other, a moment of lightness in the darkness. Then the door burst open and Captain Thorne rushed in, his face pale.
"Your Highness, Princess. The scouts are reporting movement. Daemon's forces are marching. They're coming early."
My stomach dropped. "How early?"
"They left the fortress yesterday. Moving at forced march speed. They'll be here tomorrow afternoon instead of in three days."
Tomorrow. Not three more days to prepare. Not time to finish our defenses or rest or complete Elena's wards.
Tomorrow.
"Gather the command staff," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. "We need to accelerate everything. Finish the most critical preparations tonight and pray we can complete the rest before they arrive."
"We're not ready," Kael said, but he was already moving toward the door. "We needed those extra days."
"Then we make do without them. This is what we have." I grabbed my cloak and followed him. "We work through the night, we finish what we can, and tomorrow we fight with what we've built. It has to be enough."
The castle erupted into controlled chaos as word spread. The final preparations that were supposed to take three days had to be compressed into hours. Soldiers worked by torchlight positioning the last barricades. Elena and her people rushed to complete the magical wards. Supplies that were still being inventoried were distributed immediately.
I moved through it all, making decisions, solving problems, keeping panic at bay through sheer force of will. Beside me, Kael did the same, his presence both comforting and terrifying because if he was worried—and he was, I could see it—then we were truly in desperate circumstances.
Dawn came too quickly. I'd worked through the entire night without realizing it until sunlight suddenly streamed through the windows. Around me, the war room was full of exhausted staff, all of us running on nothing but adrenaline and desperation.
"Status report," King Aldric demanded, entering with Theron behind him. The King looked as tired as the rest of us, but his voice was firm with command. "How prepared are we?"
"As ready as we can be in the time we had," I answered. "Major defenses are in place. Soldiers are positioned. Supplies are distributed. Elena's wards are operational, though she says they're not as strong as she wanted given the rushed timeline."
"And the magical defense options we discussed? The shadow beast binding?"
"Still being researched. Elena needs more time to perfect the ritual, and we don't have anyone willing to volunteer for it anyway." I didn't mention that both King Aldric and Kael were potential candidates. We'd decided to keep that option quiet unless absolutely necessary.
"Then we fight conventionally and hope it's enough." The King moved to the maps. "Daemon's forces will approach from the north. We'll meet them at the outer walls, try to break their momentum before they reach the castle proper. If they breach the outer defenses, we fall back to the inner keep and make them pay for every corridor."
"What about the shadow beasts?" Theron asked. "We have no effective counter for them."
"Actually, we might," Elena said, entering with scrolls under her arm. She looked even more exhausted than the rest of us, if that was possible. "I finished the binding ritual. It's not perfect, but it should work. We just need someone willing to host the connection."
Everyone turned to look at Kael. He stood straighter, his expression hardening.
"No," I said immediately. "We discussed this. The binding would change you permanently. You'd never be fully human again."
"Neither would I be dead, which is what happens if those fifty shadow beasts tear through our defenses unopposed." He looked at his father. "If I do this, if I bind myself to Daemon's beasts and turn them against him, we have a real chance at winning. Otherwise, we're just hoping we can kill enough of his soldiers fast enough to compensate for the beasts slaughtering our people."
"The binding is dangerous," Elena warned. "You could lose yourself entirely to the shadow magic. Become something worse than Daemon's beasts. We've never tested this ritual on someone with your level of curse already present. The interaction could be catastrophic."
"Or it could work perfectly. My curse might actually make the binding stronger, give me more control over the beasts." Kael's voice was calm, decided. "It's a risk either way. But at least this risk gives us a fighting chance."
"There has to be another way," I insisted, looking around the room desperately. "Someone else who could perform the binding. Theron, you share bloodline with Daemon—"
"But I don't have the curse. Elena said that makes the binding impossible or fatal for me. I'd die and accomplish nothing." Theron looked at his brother with something like pride. "Kael is right. He's the only viable option."