Chapter 23
The servants waved large goose-feather fans in a hopeless attempt to offer even the slightest relief from the heat as we stepped out of the palace.
The afternoon sun scorched my skin, and I could already feel the fabric clinging to my back.
One glance at Meera was enough to tell she was suffering just as much, but unlike me, she hid it flawlessly behind an unreadable expression.
Even so, I could hardly imagine how Lys and Corian endured it beneath layers of steel.
As we descended the great staircase, a man's voice rang out from the balcony high above us. As though it had all been rehearsed, we stopped and waited.
"Honor our Good King and Queen." He paused until the thousands gathered below us, who, from where I stood, looked no bigger than a sea of ants, finished their greetings.
"And honor our Crown Prince." I was certain the cheers that followed were even louder, warmer, more heartfelt.
"It is my honor to present Princess Meeralay and her Blood Knight, Ser Corian of Raeste." Meera smiled and lifted a graceful hand toward the crowd.
"And of course... allow me to present our Little Princess, beloved of our Good King and Prince Sanadea... Princess Isolde."
Although I had expected silence, it never came.
The applause was nowhere near as loud as Meera's, but it was there.
Smiles appeared among the crowd, hesitant yet genuine.
I turned slightly and glanced back at Lys, who watched everything in silence.
When he noticed me looking at him, his eyes flickered toward mine for the briefest moment before he gave the smallest nod.
Meera gently slipped her fingers around my hand and pulled me into a quick embrace. She held me tightly before leaning close enough to whisper, "Now it's time to win their favour back, my sister."
I took a deep breath and stepped down another stair. Behind me, I heard everyone else follow.
With every step, my heartbeat grew lighter until the moment my foot touched the final stair; it finally settled.
Dozens of guards lined themselves several yards ahead of us, forcing the crowd back whenever anyone tried to push closer. I felt Lysande approach from behind, stopping so close that if I had taken even a single step backward, I would have collided with his chest.
"Princesses!" voices echoed from every direction. Meera refused to steal the attention from me. She simply walked quietly a few steps behind, answering none of the calls. She knew they would never resent her for it. I, however, had a great deal of work ahead if I ever hoped they would love me.
"Move back!" Several guards stepped forward, shoving commoners aside as they forced a path through the crowd. From the corner of my eye, I saw Lys tighten his grip around the hilt of his sword. Whether from concern for my safety or anger at the way the guards treated the people, I couldn't tell.
"Easy." Even I surprised myself with how sharp my voice sounded. "Ease down, soldiers, show some restraint," I repeated more firmly and stepped forward.
At first I had kept my hands folded behind my back, but after watching Meera let hers rest naturally at her sides, occasionally lifting one to wave at a child, I lowered mine as well and copied her.
"Be gentler with them," I called again. The guards reluctantly spread out, leaving more space between the people and us.
The smell of thousands gathered beneath the blazing summer sun was far from pleasant, but I forced myself not to think about it.
Instead, I tried to push away the rigid royal dignity I had worn for so many years.
I waved. I greeted them. And when Lysande handed me the first pouch of gold coins he had been entrusted with for this very tradition, I began tossing them into the crowd.
People scrambled to catch them, shouting my name, begging me to look their way. Yet something about it left a bitter taste in my mouth. I saw the same discomfort glistening across Meera's sweat-covered forehead. She hated this part of the tradition too.
Even so, neither of us could simply change it.
If I placed an entire pouch into one person's hands, or even gave the coins directly to a child, the crowd could descend into uncontrollable chaos.
And now that we were already hundreds of feet away from the safety of the palace, there was every chance they would tear us apart in the panic.
So we completed the full circuit around the main square on foot, scattering hundreds of gold coins. Hours later, soaked through with sweat, exhausted and flushed from the heat, we finally returned to the palace.
I stopped Meera before she disappeared down the corridor.
"Where can I give more," I asked quietly, "so the money actually reaches the people who need it?"
All those years I had spent disguised as a commoner suddenly felt meaningless.
I had walked their streets, but I had never truly seen their hardships.
I had never known where those hardships were actually eased.
Meera, the Princess of the People, answered without hesitation. She listed the names of every orphanage and every hospital she had built or supported herself.
That very night, I handed over my ruby necklace and every ring from my fingers, giving them away to those who needed them more. Only Sando's wooden bracelet remained around my wrist.
The one carved with a single dark bird.