You hear the sound of faint knocking at your door. You groan as you roll over so your face is smushed into your pillow. "Who is it?"

Mikasa comes out from behind the door. "Same person that always wakes you up every other morning."

You sit up as she begins to pull open the drapes on your windows. "What time is it?" You dig your nail into your inner eye duct.

"About 7:30." She replies, her face never facing yours. All you could see was the back of her head and her pin-straight, black hair that covered her side profile as well.

You yawn. "And what time did I go to bed last night?" You only ask because you don't recall passing out.

She opens the closet and holds the doors open as she stares into it. "I don't know. I didn't sleep with you."

Her voice sounded the always it always did. But for some reason, it came off robotic, like she was reading off a script.

"Why are you being so mean?" You ask. Mikasa wasn't a morning person to say the least, but she knew how to hide it and do her job. She didn't normally wake you up this coldly.

She finally looks at you. For some reason, chills crawl up your spine when she does. "Don't you remember what you did to me?"

"What?" You ask. Suddenly, the normal scent to your room begun to gravitate into something far more horrid. The smell of smoke and decaying skin.

She comes up to you and grabs your arm harshly. You come slipping out of the bed as she uses her strength to bring you to the other side of the room. "Come on. You're going to be late."

"Late?" You question. "To what? And what is that smell?!"

As she forces you toward your closet, you look down at her arm that gripped yours when you notice the smell came from there. "Mikasa?"

Before you can watch the scene before you, she throws you in front of the open wardrobe and you come face to face with a big, white wedding dress.

"You're getting married today." Mikasa says. Her voice was completely unfazed by what was happening to her arm. It was like she couldn't even feel it.

"To who?"

"To Jean." She smiles.

You feel your shoulders fall. "I am?"

Her smile drops but she still manages to laugh. "Not even in your dreams."

Before you can even respond, you hear a knock at the door. This knock much more persistent and heavy. The sound felt obnoxious on the ears.

When you look at the door, charcoal smoke spills out from every crack. It slowly began to fill the room as the knocking got more and more frantic.

"Time to go now." Mikasa says.

"I don't want to." You respond.

She leans into your ear as you watch the pounding door that exudes toxic chemicals. "Then you lose."

A woman shakes your shoulders as you lay against the cold ground. You spring awake and adjust the strap of your dress that had fallen down.

When you don't recognize the faces of the two women standing in front of you, you crawl backwards. The older woman, the one who shook you, brings her hands out in front of her. "We didn't mean to frighten you."

The younger one, probably in her late 20's, speaks from beside her. "It's just... you're on the ground."

You look at your surroundings for a second. You were no longer in your room back home like you were just a moment ago. This room was strange and unfamiliar. Regardless, you knew exactly where you were.

You lay your hand flat on the icy cold ground. "I must have fell asleep on the floor." You say when you realize you're in the same dress you've been in since that night. It was still black at the bottom and reeked of smoke.

You look over at the bed that they all claimed to be yours and it was untouched. They both look at it in confusion.

The younger one looks at you with concerned eyes as you stand up from the ground. "Are you alright?"

"Of course I am." You stretch.

Another maid, this one a few years younger than the previous young maid, yelps when she sees you stand from the ground. "Should I call for a doctor?"

"Absolutely not." You reply.

The three maids stand before you with almost scared faces. The oldest one who you later found out was named Constance, or Connie for short, looked at you like you might spring at her at any moment.

The one in her late 20s was named Valentina, who was born on Saint Valentine's Day. For someone born on that day, she despised romance and men. She looked at you like she wanted to ask you a million questions.

The youngest, who turned out to be just two years younger than you, was named Katalina. She also went by the names Lina or Kat. She looked at you like she wanted to look away but couldn't.

They all knew who you were and what you could do. Marco must've told them before coming here. You wondered what exactly was going through their minds right now.

"Well." You break the silence. "I think I'm going to take a bath now." As you head toward the direction of the bathroom, they move with you like magnets.

You stop midway. "Is it always going to be your three?"

They all exchange looks. "It's supposed to be."

You sigh. "Of course it is."

The middle one, Valentina, shrugs. "I suppose it doesn't need to be all three of us in the washroom. She might be embarrassed to bathe in front of too many eyes."

The oldest one, Constance, thinks her answer carefully. She was obviously the one in charge of the other two and had the most experience working here. "The poor girl is terrified as it is." She surprisingly says. "Lina, accompany the princess to the washroom."

Katalina jumps. "Of course." She steps forward and smiles. "Follow me this way, your highness."

She leads you down the hall to the bathroom. As you walk beside her, you quietly calculate the distance from your room to the bathroom. "I don't get my own restroom?"

She almost was surprised you were speaking to her. "Oh, uh, actually, your highness, this whole hallway is just yours. No one else has access besides us three."

You scoff. "And my brother and Marco, I presume."

She raises her eyebrows. "Marco? Oh, Prince Markell? I haven't heard anyone call him that before. Yes, he can enter too. As well as the other princes and the King."

You feel a wave of disgust. "So, basically everyone."

She looks down at her shoes. "I'm afraid so." Her head then perks up as she opens the restroom door for you.

Inside was a round bath, not as nice as the one you had back home but it was suitable enough. There wasn't any windows, of course, and everything was cold marble.

"Do you like your bath hot or cold?" She asks as she approaches the tub.

You run your hand against the carefully crafted stone. "I normally take warm water that's slightly on the hotter end."

"Coming right up." She beams. She begins to prepare the bath and you stand off to the side and begin to pry the destroyed dress off you.

When it finally comes off, you're disappointed by the fact it doesn't take the insufferable weight off your shoulders along with it.

Finally, you dip your toes into the water when it's ready and the rest of your body goes with it. It felt incredible to feel the warm water embrace you from head to toe.

You shut your eyes and tilt your head back. As peaceful as it felt for just a moment, you remember you're not alone.

Katalina stands at an appropriate distance with her eyes focused somewhere else but her body still alert if you need assistance. You take this time to really take in her appearance.

She was a beautiful girl. Her tight curls were pulled up with a few ringlets framing her face. Her skin was a warm olive color and her eyes were chestnut brown.

"How old are you?" You ask her. "You seem young to be working in a castle."

She turns to you. "I'm 16. I turn 17 in March."

Her hands hold out some soap for you to take. "Connie is 39 and Val is 27." She sits by the tub with her hands on her lap. "That's Constance and Valentina, by the way. Val actually prefers if you call her that."

"Noted." You say as you begin to scrub the dirt off your skin.

"How old are you, if you don't mind me asking, your highness?" She takes the opportunity to strike up a conversation.

"19. I just turned in November." You say.

If you wanted this plan to work, the more you needed to make sure you had valuable allies on your side. "How long have you been doing this?"

She looks at the towel she held on to for you. "I just started, believe it or not. My older sister is Val. She managed to convince Connie to give me the job."

"Do you like it?" You ask as soapy water flows down your back.

She thinks for a moment. "It's different. I was walking dogs before this."

You laugh. "I'm happy you find watching over dogs and I different."

She smiles bashfully when she hears the sound. "Val was a housekeeper before this. Connie used to be the Queen's handmaiden before she died. The royal family only has sons so she became a housekeeper instead and hired my sister."

"Not the promotion you all had in mind." You assume.

She frowns. "It's an absolute honor to stand by your side, your highness. We are all very grateful to be in your presence."

"You are?" You chuckle.

She seemed offended you didn't understand. "You're going to be the new Queen of Ember. You are the one to save us from poverty and sickness. Your safety is most important."

It was strange. Back home, only a hand full of people knew the truth about you. Here, it seemed it wasn't a secret at all. Marco wasn't attempting to hide it. In fact, it seemed he wanted everyone to know.

"You are what we've been waiting for." She says in awe. "The prophecy said that the flower would on day return to us and save us from extinction."

"Prophecy?" You sit up.

She adjusts herself in the seat. "They talk about it at school and at church. For as long as I can remember, they've talked about it."

You take a deep breath and stand up from the bath, water speeding down your naked body. You hold your hand out for the towel. "I think I've heard enough."

She pinches her hands together. "Did I say something to offend you, your highness?"

You dry yourself with the towel and wrap it around your body. "No. You just reminded me of something I had to do."

"Oh." She says as she watches you wobble out the tub and march toward the door, leaving wet footprints behind.

When you yank the door open, she shouts for you to wait for her as she quickly throws a rag over your wet footprints.

Once you're in the hallway, you see Marco standing at the end of it. He, of course, was fully clothed and you were naked in a towel. It seemed to be an accurate representation of your current life situation.

"I was going to ask you to join me for breakfast." He says.

You can feel water droplets that clung to your hair fall onto your shoulder. "I think I'll pass."

Kat comes speeding out the restroom and damn near crashes into you. When she notices Marco standing there, she immediately bows. "Goodmorning, your highness!"

He smiles. "Goodmorning, Lady Katalina." His eyes shift back to you whose face was a lot less friendly in comparison to the girl beside you. "Please ensure the princess gets ready for breakfast."

She bows again. "Yes, your majesty."

"So do I not get a say so?" You say loud enough for him to hear you from where he stands.

"You're telling me you aren't hungry?" He questions in return.

You cross your arms and tilt your head. "You're telling me you're surprised I don't have much of an appetite after all the bullshit you put me through?"

"Understandable." He responds casually. "But if you want to have any strength to get back at me, you need to eat."

You hated that he was right.

The tension was so bothersome that Kat looked like she might take off running in the other direction. She forces a chuckle. "Let's get you dressed, Princess."

You turn in the other direction to return to your room. Marco waves as he announces his departure. "It's blueberry pancakes. Your favorite."

♦

You take a seat at the far end of the table. Marco sits parallel to you. Even with the sweet smelling pancakes in front of you, being in the same room as him made your stomach turn.

He had already begun eating. Regardless of all the truly awful acts he committed, he seemed to have no loss of appetite. He was completely unfazed.

You stare at the pancakes in front of you. Normally, you would've begun devouring the meal. Especially when they were warm and freshly made like they were right now.

Even with the captivating smell, you felt guilty for eating. You felt you couldn't sit here and have breakfast as if everything were fine when it was the exact opposite.

But Marco was right, if you wanted any chance to do anything about your current situation, you needed to eat.

As you poke your food with your fork, you look toward the walls that were lined up with windows. Windows that were surprisingly open.

You point your fork toward one of them. "Aren't you scared I'll jump out?"

He picks up his head and looks toward the window you point toward. He laughs. "I mean you can try. The drop from the window is about 40 feet and there's nothing but jagged rocks waiting for you at the bottom."

He then looks back at you. "I know you can practically survive anything but I wouldn't risk it. I mean, can your body save you from your skull getting smashed?"

In the book it stated that the flower didn't help when it came to decapitation, which was pretty close to falling from such a distance and landing on sharp rocks. You most likely wouldn't survive.

"You know," He says after he swallows the piece of food he was working on. "I was wondering. If you lose a limb, does your body just grow it back like a reptile?"

You bring your eyes back to your plate and move the small cut squares of your pancakes around. "I don't know."

He takes a sip of his drink. "Or if you sink to the bottom of the ocean, does your body naturally prevent you from drowning?"

"I don't know."

"Or what about inhaling deadly fumes?" He wonders. "Are your lungs unaffected by it?"

You slam your hand down. "I thought you read the book cover to cover. Why am I having to explain it to you?"

He dabs his face with a napkin. He was already finished. "There's a lot of plot holes and unanswered questions in that book. It seems not even Paradis knows the full extent of your powers."

"Are you going to conduct experiments on me or something?" You ask, straight faced.

He snorts, somehow finding your question funny even though you were being dead serious. "No, but I'm sure we'll find the answers out eventually."

You say nothing and force yourself to eat. He was obviously trying to get a reaction out of you and you had too much pride to give it to him.

"I was thinking you could join me for a walk through the kingdom today." He says from across the table.

Your eyes look up. "Funny."

He laughs again. "I'm not making a joke. I really do want you to join me."

"Why?"

"If you're going to be Queen of this place you need to make a public appearance and meet your people." He answers.

You feel your hands twitch with anger. "Why would I go anywhere with you?"

He sighs as he stands up from his seat and throws his napkin down on his empty plate. "Suit yourself. You can stay trapped in your room all day then."

As he walks past you and toward the door, you spin around in your seat. "Fine. I'll go."

"Great." He smiles. "I'll get a carriage ready."

"Aren't you scared of me running away?" You ask.

Two guards open the doors for him. "You won't get far if you try to." He says before the doors close behind him.

For the first time in your life, there was someone who didn't have their eyes scouting your every action. People weren't jumping at every move you made. On your first day here, you already had more freedom than you ever did back home.

You turn back in your seat and stare at your half eaten pancakes. He requested your favorite breakfast, hired handmaidens that were nice company to have around, and even offered to let you walk around outside freely.

He was obviously trying to win you over. A quick and misogynistic attempt at getting you to join his side. He planned to butter you up before he used you as a weapon for the rest of your life.

You walk over to one of the open windows and poke your head through it. He wasn't joking when he said the fall from this height would be deadly.

The saltiness from the sea flows through the wind and soaked into your skin. It was cold outside but not unbearable. However, being by the ocean made it feel slightly colder.

You catch glimpses of all the land further down. Everywhere you looked, there were barrels of coal everywhere. Ember had a permanent blue-green tint to it making everything look slightly depressing. Not to mention, storms were a common thing here too.

You wondered if you actually had the ability to change this place. You knew without a doubt you could bring health to the people of Ember but as for Ember itself, what did they really expect you to do? Change the climate? Magically grow crops even though there was nothing but rocks everywhere?

You wanted to help. You really did. Ever since you read the book, all you could think about how awful Ember had been treated in the past.

Because it was a smaller kingdom, it was constantly overlooked. Powerful, strong kingdoms preferred to align themselves with other strong kingdoms. Not ones where the weather is shit and the people are struggling to get food into their bellies.

Was this what you were always meant to do? Was it like Katalina said and this was some kind of twisted prophecy?

You rest your arm down on the seal of the window. You wished Elijah was here so he could answer the gazillion questions going through your head. You wondered what he might do in this kind of situation.

You snort to yourself. You knew damn well Elijah would never be stupid enough to get himself in a situation like this in the first place. As for Kai, he'd say something like, "Oh well, not much I can do now." And for Ambrose, well, he's the kind to put someone in this situation, not be in it.

There wasn't anyone you could ask for advice at this point. You had no one you could trust around you anymore. For all you knew, none of them even existed anymore.

You look around at one of the guards who stood idly by the door. "May I please see the list of the deceased again?"

Surprisingly enough, the guard pulls it out from his back pocket and hands it to you. That was your first red flag. What a coincidence he just happened to have it. It was almost like they knew you'd ask for it.

You unroll the scroll and begin to go down the list. You see all the names your familiar with and when you see that every family member besides Ambrose is written down, you feel your heart begin to break.

Further down, you see other names too. Mikasa, Hitch, Jean. All people you saw on a regular basis. It seemed the pain only began to get worse.

But then that's when you see it.

King Adonis of Cicily
Queen Isla of Cicily
Prince Phoenix of Cicily

Your fingers pinch the list in front of you. Phoenix and his family were far too deep into Eldia to be hit by the bombs when they went off. They weren't anywhere near the castle at that point. There was no way they died from it.

That's how you knew the list was fake. Marco was unaware of the fact that Phoenix and his family weren't at the castle when the bombing happened.

It was just a list of people you loved and trusted to prevent you from having any kind of hope of someone rescuing you and to make you believe there was no one waiting for you back home.

You roll the script up and hand it back to the guard with a smile. "Thank you."

                                          ♦

Back in your room, your handmaidens change you from one dress to another. "I hope you enjoy your tour, Princess. Ember isn't much too pleasing to look at and the people aren't always the nicest, and well, the food..." Kat begins to rabble on.

Her older sister Val elbows her. "Don't try to scare her off already."

"Sorry." Kat apologizes. "I just want her to be prepared when she goes out there. I'm sure where she comes from is beautiful."

You try to keep your balance as they tighten the strings of your dress. "I'm sure Ember is beautiful in its own way too."

Val scoffs a laugh. Connie glares at her.

"Not like Eldia." Kat keeps going. "I've read about your home kingdom in school. It's one of the most prosperous kingdoms in the world. It's known for its beautiful scenery and lush agriculture. I've heard that the food there is so much better than other places too."

You smile as you think of your home and it's reputation. "It really is quite something."

Kat sighs as she leans against the wall and begins to daydream. "I hope Ember will be that way one day. I would love to live in Eldia but I can't leave my family behind. That's why me and Val got jobs to support them."

"What did I tell you about oversharing?" Val warns. "I'm sure the princess doesn't want to hear about any of that."

You look toward Val. "I don't mind it. If I'm going to be queen of this place, I have to get used to listening to my people's problems and addressing their concerns."

Val nods and remains silent as she continues to lace your dress. Constance finally speaks. "We truly appreciate what you are doing for us. I can't imagine all this isn't frightening to you."

You smile softly. Kat springs up from against the wall. "I knew you were special when Prince Markell left in search to find you."

They finally finish with the dress and you step down from the stool you stand on. "Is that so?"

She nods eagerly. "A lot of people begun to lose hope. He had left at 16 in search for something to help Ember rise from poverty. People thought he was crazy."

"I wouldn't sail that ship yet." You say as you stand in front of the mirror.

You seemed much thinner than you usually did. Not to mention your dress didn't fit you properly so it didn't help with your shape. Your hair was thin and falling out from stress. Your skin looked a shade lighter than normal and your teeth weren't as white.

In the reflection, you realize that's how they look too. All three of your handmaidens were more on the skinny side of the scale. It seemed they were consuming enough nutrients to keep them alive but not enough to keep them as healthy as they should be.

"Even King James called him crazy." Kat continues. "His brothers did too. No one believed he could do it. He was gone for so long people thought he died trying."

She squeals and clasps her hands together. "But he actually did it! He saved us! He'll be an amazing king one day."

It was so odd to see the way Marco was admired here. Back in Eldia, he was probably the most hated man alive right now. Here, he was the most cherished. The hero who dedicated years of his life to find the cure to his kingdom's damnation.

"I apologize for my sister." Val speaks from behind you. "She's a chatterbox and doesn't have much friends."

"Hey!" Kat whines. "That's only people Mom and Dad don't let me go out to make some."

She reminded you a lot of younger self. Bouncy with too much energy. Naive and head high up in the clouds. This must've been how everyone else felt around you at that time.

It was crazy to see how much you have changed since then.

When you finally finish getting dressed, you wait for Marco at the front gates of the castle. Constance decides that Val will be the one to accompany you along with two other guards for protection. The same two from the other day. Reiner and Bertholdt.

"So." You ask the two guards as you rock on your heels. "Any of you have any fresh wounds or lifelong illnesses you want me to look at?"

Reiner is the first to speak. He doesn't move from his crossed arm position but his eyes look down at you. "You seem strangely happy for someone who has just been kidnapped."

"And you seem happy for someone who will be charged with aiding and abetting said kidnapping." You fire back. "You know the price for that is execution, right?"

Val steps in, her hands fidgeting together. She speaks quietly for only you to hear. "Um, they didn't...actually kidnap you, right?"

"Sorry for keeping you all waiting!" Marco announces. He was in the middle of trailing down the steps and putting on his coat. He was wearing his royal attire and looked annoyingly good in it, scars and all. He looked like a whole other person.

All three of the servants bow. "Good morning, your majesty. You look in great health." Val says.

Marco smiles and stands beside you. "I have this one to thank for that." He truly was shamelessly showing you off. Is that why he wanted to show you around?

"I've changed my mind." You say turning around. Reiner and Bertholdt stand in front of you in attempt to block your passage back to the castle.

You scoff. "Seriously?"

Marco waves his hand, gesturing them to give you space. "Look." He steps in front of you. "I know you're scared to go out there because I'm not hiding who you are. You're used to that. I get it."

He grabs your hand and holds it tight. "You don't have to hide here. I'm not going to keep you trapped in a castle and much less, your room. You can show everyone what you really are."

You rip your hand away after getting caught in his manipulation for a second. "Like I'm supposed to believe you'd really give me that much freedom."

His face looked almost sincere. "I'm serious. You're not just going to be some secret magical princess. You're going to be queen."

He was persuasive and persistent, you give him that. And maybe, if you were Kat's age once again, you'd fall for it.

You cross your arms. "How? Your father is still alive and your older brothers get the crown before you even do."

He smiles and sets his hand on your shoulder. "Don't you worry your pretty little head about that."

You groan and wiggle out of his touch. "God, were you always this annoying? Let's just get on with it already."

Before the tour begins, you look back at the group. "Is my brother not joining us?"

"Your brother is occupied with.." Marco leads the group down the passage. "Other things."

"What other things?" You ask.

He shrugs. "Who ever really knows what Ambrose is up to?"

The insults just kept flying out of you without even trying. "I would've thought you would since you two are so up each others a-"

"Sir?" Bertholdt clears his throat to signal if the prince needed back up.

Marco raises his hand to stop him and smirks. "Let her be."

He was completely amused by you and your vulgarity. He wasn't used to seeing this side of you and it seemed to excite him.

Ember wasn't pleasing to look at. Simply put. In fact, you completely understood why the majority of people here had depression and no will to live.

Besides the permanent gloomy tint, the houses were ancient homes that were falling apart, the animals were almost transparently thin, and the trees were frail twigs.

Even the ground was somber as the small puddles from the rain reflected the dismal sky above.

It made so much sense how this place could birth a person filled with such anger and vengefulness. You felt that way just by being here in such short time.

The people all look tired and weak. They also all were abnormally thin. Their clothes were all similar in fabric and style.

"Not what you imagined Ember to look like?" Marco asks beside you.

"Actually, it's looks just like it did in my head." You snark. "I know you're trying to make me feel bad."

He shakes his head and turns his head back to the view. "I'm not trying to make you feel anything. If you feel bad, that's an emotion you picked up all on your own."

You stop walking. "You know, I didn't do any of this. Neither did my mother."

He doesn't stop walking and raises one finger in the air. "Never said you did."

"Then why are we being punished?!" You shout.

He finally spins around. "You both took what belonged to us! To me! That flower was supposed to be mine. I was supposed to help my kingdom thrive but instead it was you."

He marches back to you. "It was stolen from us and I brought it back. It may not have been the way I wanted, but I'm not waiting for you to die to get it back, and even if you do, no one can get past Historia's pack of rapid dogs."

"See," He continues. "Where everyone messed up is they would always kidnap the person with the flower and kill them. Then, they would wait three months for the flower to grow again back in Paradis. No one ever makes it out."

"Mm." You hum. "Let me guess. You decide to be clever and do the same but instead of killing me, you're holding me against my will and forcing me to do things for you."

He sucks in air. "See that's where you're wrong. I'm not holding you against your will. You are free to do as you please."

You could sense the but coming.

"But..."

I knew it.

"You need to heal these people. You need to correct what your family did. That's the right thing to do." He says. "And that's what you're all about, right? Doing the right thing?"

You stare at him lividly. He was the most smug person you'd ever met. "You're forcing me to be your wife."

"That's for public appearances only." He corrects. In order for Ember and Eldia to have any alliance, there much be some connection. You marrying into our kingdom is the perfect way."

"So I'm your wife in public only?" You question.

He grins. "In private too, if you'd like."

You scoff and roll your eyes as you continue to walk down the path. You had to admit it did feel nice. Walking freely around the kingdom without having someone breathing down your neck, and not having to be discreet or hiding.

Marco walks just a couple steps behind you with the three servants a few behind him. "There's only one rule."

"Just one?" You reply sarcastically. "You shouldn't have."

"Heal as many people as possible." He replies.

You stop.

He adds more. "And I don't just mean here in Ember. Ember will have top priority but after that, you can heal as many people as you want to anywhere else."

You turn your neck to look at him. "But?"

"There is none." He says. "I want you to make Ember powerful, once you do that, you're free to do what you wish."

You could feel your invisible guard come up. "I don't believe you."

"You have every right not to." He admits. "I wouldn't believe anyone in your situation either."

"So then how do I know you're not lying?" You ask.

He walks down some steps toward some run down shops. "I have no reason to lie to you anymore. You heal Ember and make me a strong army. That's all I want."

You go down the same steps. "And what about what comes after? You told me you wanted revenge on Celestite and Paradis. I don't want any involvement in that."

He places his hands in his pockets. "Maybe it won't get to that point."

"What do you mean?" You ask. At the same moment, the sound of some kind of explosion causes you to flinch and cover your ears.

He stares at you as you crouch into yourself. He chuckles. "Fear. Sometimes that's all you need to get what you want."

You look over to where you heard the loud noise and it was the oven from a bakery near by. The oven overheated and burst into flames. The baker quickly extinguishes the fire and begins to crack open some windows for the smoke to clear.

You stare up at the sky as you watch the gray fog float up into the already polluted atmosphere.

You couldn't tell if it was your imagination or not, but there's the faint sound of a girl crying in another direction.

It doesn't take long to see her. She was maybe five years old, her hair still in two braided pig tails. She had her face in her hands as she cried.

She looks up when she sees your shoes approach her. "Excuse me." The girl sniffles. "I can't find my mommy."

You squat down to her level. "Oh no. When was the last time you saw her?"

Her tiny finger points to her left. "We were at the market and then I heard this big boom noise and I ran. Now I can't find her."

With her arm in the air, you notice she had dark bruises on them in the exact shape of fingers around it. "I'm sure she's around here somewhere." You say as you hold out your hand. "What's your name?"

She looks at your hand and sniffles again. "Astrid."

You keep your hand out. "That's a pretty name. Did you know Astrid is Scandinavian for divinely beautiful?"

She shakes her head.

"I'm Princess Yn. It's very lovely to meet you." You smile.

When she hears the word Princess, her tear filled eyes light up. She finally takes your hand. "Can you help me find my mom?"

"Of course." You hold onto her hand. You carefully watch as all the bruises begin to heal.

Marco leads the way toward the market in search for Astrid's mother. When you finally find her, she practically falls to her knees as she quickly grabs her daughter. "Where have you been?! I was losing my mind looking for you!"

She looks up at you. "Thank you for find-" Her face changes the moment she sees Marco. Her head immediately lowers at an alarming speed. "Prince Markell. I'm terribly sorry for wasting your time."

"Don't be." He brushes it off. "This is Princess Yn of Eldia."

The moment she hears the name Eldia, her eyes completely change. "Eldia." She even pulls her daughter in closer.

"Mrs. Rivera." Marco calls the woman. "If I'm not mistaken, your husband is in a wheelchair, correct?"

She clutches on to her bag. "Yes."

Marco smiles. "Do you mind if the princess meets him?"

She looks you up and down at first, hesitating on whether she should or not. She then looks at Marco. "Of course, your highness."

Their home was much like all the others you had seen. It was a small one bedroom home and everything seemed to be made of coal.

In the kitchen, there was a singular small table that had paperwork scattered all over it. From the kitchen you could see the living room which had a tan, old couch. In front of the couch was a man in a wheelchair, listening to the record player.

"Excuse our mess." The woman begins to obsessively pick things up. "My husband isn't able to work so I have to bring money to the table which doesn't leave me much time for cleaning."

You stand where the kitchen meets the living room. "If you don't mind me asking, how did your husband end up in a wheelchair?"

She looks at what felt like your soul. "The bombings, your highness."

"Ah." You answer. You should've seen that one coming. You gesture toward her husband. "May I?"

She nods. Val stays with her in the kitchen while Reiner and Bertholdt guard both sides of the door. Marco follows you into the living room.

The prince steps in front of the man. "Mr. Rivera. It's great to see you again."

The man seemed to wake up from whatever daze he was in while listening to the song that was playing. "Your highness. What are you doing here?"

"I have someone I'd like you to meet." He gestures in your direction. "This is Princess Yn of Eldia."

The same thing happens. A quick but noticeable flash across the eyes when the name Eldia is mentioned.

He looks at you carefully. "How are you, Princess?"

"I'm lovely." You lie straight through your teeth. "Thanks for asking."

You knew why Marco brought you here. He wanted you to heal this man and restore his ability to walk. He wanted to see if you could actually do it.

You grab a chair and sit in front of him. "May I?" You hold out your hand.

The man looks back at his wife who looked just as scared as he did. He then looks at the prince who nods reassuringly. His hand proceeds to meet yours. People surprisingly trusted him.

"This may take a while." You admit. "I've never made someone walk again before."

He stares at his hand in awe. Although he wasn't up and jumping around yet, he could already feel his body grow stronger.

"Is it.." He struggles to find the words.

You look up. He points down at your conjoined hands. "Is it hurting you? Does it take away your health to give to others?"

You think. "Not necessarily. It will tire me out if I do too much but that's about it. Luckily, it's easily recharged."

You appreciated him asking. Normally, no one ever did. They just expected you to do your thing and thanked you when you did. They never really wondered how it felt for you.

"What does it feel like?" The little girl appears next to her father.

You look at your hands as you try to describe the feeling. "It feels like when you feel the sun on your skin on a sunny day. It's warm."

"Is it hot?" She grows more curious.

You laugh. "No. But I can make it hot. It won't feel as good though."

Her eyes widen and she backs up. You hear Marco laugh behind you.

After what felt like a few minutes more, the man gasps. "I can feel my toes move." You look down at his feet and see his toes wiggle underneath his socks.

"Whoa!" The girl cheers. "Daddy, how are you doing that?"

He laughs in astonishment. "I don't know. I...This is the first time in over a decade that I can feel my legs."

A few moments after, he stands up on his two feet. It's wobbly at first but Marco helps him stand up straight.

His wife drops the glass in her hand and it comes crashing on the floor. "You... you can walk again?"

With one arm around his shoulder, Marco guides the man across the room until he gets the hang of it again.

The little girl squeals and jumps into her father's arms. He cheers as he throws her up in the air and catches her. He stumbles back against the wall and the family begins to cry with laughter.

They were so happy. You felt completely elated just being around them. It only felt better that you played a part of their victory.

"I know your parents hid you from the world because they were scared of what would happen when you made it out there." Marco says beside you. "They kept you sheltered because they were terrified of you becoming too powerful for them to control."

He steps closer so that only you can hear the words he says next as the family in front of you jumps with joy. "But I think your gift should be shared with the world. I want you to be powerful."

You look at him. "I think you're the one who wants to be powerful."

"You and I are the same." He says. "You just don't see it yet."

The wife comes running up to you and grabs both of your hands as she sobs. "Thank you so much. You have no idea how desperately you saved us."

Before you can even say anything, Marco speaks for you. "She's happy to do it. Make sure you tell everyone. Spread the word. Peace is finally coming our way."

It took about an hour to return back to the castle with all the people bombarding you with questions and addresses.

Marco addressed the crowd and told them that soon enough, the Princess would help all of them but that they first needed to allow her time to settle in.

You didn't know what he meant by that until you arrived back at the castle.

"By the way," He says before he dismisses you. "Our wedding is tomorrow."

"What?" You hear your own voice crack.

He looks back at you. "I can't fall behind schedule."

"What schedule?" You ask.

"You'll see." He responds. "Anyway, you're free for the rest of the day. See you tomorrow."

You step forward. "Wait! I'm not ready. I thought I would have more time. I don't even have a dress."

"Covered." He states.

"What about my contract with Phoenix?" You grasp an excuse.

"Void." His face is blank. "Besides, he's dead anyway."

Not true.

"I'll see you tomorrow then." You answer.

He seemed impressed by how easily you were willing to give up that fight. Without saying anything else, he disappears.

                                         ♦

Last night you had contemplated writing a million letters. One letter to each person you knew begging for help.

You didn't waste your time because one, they would never get the letter on time. By the time they did, you'd be about a week into the wife thing.

Two. You couldn't write any letters because there was three women beside you at all times.

Three. You had no idea who was even alive to receive the letter or not.

You didn't sleep for a second. You couldn't. You stared at the roof the entire time and tried to brace yourself for what was to come.

You felt completely alone. Although you never favored the idea of getting married anyway, you never thought it'd be like this.

You spent most of your time dreaming and praying that if you had to marry anyone, it would be Jean. But like Mikasa said in your dream the other night, it wasn't going to happen.

Then there was Phoenix who you honestly wouldn't mind being forcefully wed to. He was kind and funny. His kingdom was gorgeous.

[play skyfall by adele here u just have to OK]

Yet, here you are doing neither of those two options.

You stare at yourself in the mirror on that dreaded morning. Your reflection stares blankly right back at you as Val does your hair.

Kat helped with your makeup and as much accessories as the two sisters put on you, you didn't feel nearly as pretty as you looked.

They all smiled and cheered over your forced marriage. Unaware of how soul crushing it truly was for you. All they cared about was how their lives were about to change.

Hands through your hair, fingers tapping at your face and fabric piercing around your waist. You felt like a doll getting dressed by a bunch of children.

You couldn't believe this was really it. In a matter of ten seconds, you'd be preparing yourself to walk down the aisle and marry someone who destroyed your whole life.

You didn't know how it'd be possible to move your legs, you felt so lifeless. Someone knocks on the door and when they poke their head through, they say, "We are about to begin."

The words shoot through your heart like a sharpened arrow. This was it. The moment you had rehearsed in your head over and over again.

There was no going around it this time. No running away. This was real.

They help you make your way down the hall and toward the chapel. When you make it toward the closed doors, Ambrose stands there waiting.

This was the first time you've seen him since he threw you into the room and left you to fend for yourself. You couldn't believe he had the audacity to stand here and expect to walk you down the aisle.

He holds his arm out. "Ready?"

"Go to hell." You say as you bring your arm around his.

He smirks and the doors come open, exposing the full chapel. Marco stands at the front, awaiting patiently with a priest beside him.

Everyone stands as you make your entrance. A sea full of unrecognizable faces. Some happy, some frightened by your presence.

Ambrose begins to lead you down the aisle as music begins to play. You despised the feeling of his skin on yours. It no longer felt like your brother to you but a stranger you wanted to avoid.

You both move slowly to the pace of the music. You want to say something to him but you don't even know where to start. You didn't even know if he'd care.

"Was it worth it?" You ask.

"Just keeping doing what you do best." He smiles through his words. "Smile."

He guides you to the very front and before he leaves your side, he tries to reach for a hug. You step back at first, not wanting anything to do with him.

But then you remember you're supposed to be putting on a show. If you wanted to fool Marco and Ambrose, you needed to fool everyone else too.

You allow him to embrace you without you giving much effort back. He takes a seat at the front row as you make your way in front of Marco, who stood there with a smile on his face.

Your eyes meet his and you can't help but feel your hatred burn through them. You hated giving him the satisfaction he so desperately yearned for.

You just needed to remind yourself of the plan. Marco thinks he may have won but you wouldn't let it be that easy. You couldn't forgive the things he's done. He was signing his own death wish.

The priest begins to recite the words and you tune them out as you stare at the crowd. All the faces looked right back at you.

You move your eyes toward the chapel doors, praying they'll come bursting open at any moment.

You didn't care who it would be behind that door either. Jean, Phoenix, Mikasa or Kai. You just wanted someone to come and save you.

And it seemed pathetic, really. To stare at that unmoving set of doors and pray silently in your head for someone other than yourself to save you from this terrible mistake.

They didn't know where you were. No one was coming. There were only two familiar faces in this entire room and you couldn't stand the sight of either one of them.

All your life you made mistakes. Always knowing someone would come and save you. You ran away, full expecting Jean to find you. You were always depending on someone else to save the day.

But there was no one to help you this time. You were all on your own. Only you could save yourself from this mess.

"Do you, Markell, take yn, to be your lawfully wedded wife?" The priest asks.

"I do." You hear him say as your eyes never leave the door.

"And do you, yn, take Markell, to be your lawfully wedded husband?" He then asks you.

From the door, your eyes move over to your brother who still sat front row. You gave him one last opportunity to make things right. You pleaded with him telepathically to save you. To do something to stop what was about to happen.

But he doesn't ever look you in the eye. He never receives your telepathic message. In fact, he sits as still as ever.

"I do." You croak as you remain looking his way. You wanted him to look you in the face. You wanted to scream that he was a coward for not doing so.

"Are there any objections?" The priest addresses the crowd. "Speak now or forever hold your peace."

You look at all their greedy faces. They didn't care about you or how you got here. They didn't give two shits about you begging them with your eyes to stop the wedding.

No one stands. No one speaks. Not a single person moves a muscle.

And the doors never come open.

This was it.

"If there are no objections, I now pronounce you husband and wife." The words felt so foreign as they entered your ears.

"You may now kiss the bride."

Those dreaded words. You force your body still. Marco leans in and kisses your right on the mouth. Tears swim out your eyes when you squeeze them shut.

The crowd stands again and cheers with joy. All you can hear is the sound of raging applause celebrating your newly announced marriage.

Everyone embraced in hugs and danced around like this was the most happiest day of their life.

No one seemed to notice the river of tears falling down your face.

If they did, they didn't care.

The ceremony happened after. There was a live band who played music and Marco invited everyone to join at the plaza to celebrate.

For the first time since your arrival, you meet the king and Marco's two older brothers as they welcome you into the family.

They didn't have the same kind of villainous determination Marco did. Which would make sense on why he felt he needed to take matters into his own hands. He was sick of watching no one else do anything about it.

They make jokes about how Marco was a stubborn child and will be a handful. You force a laugh back and pretend to even care.

You found it difficult to form any kind of attachment toward them considering you knew you weren't going to be around them much longer.

You knew in your heart that Marco was planning to get rid of them. You just had no clue on how. He obviously was remarkably clever at scheming so you couldn't imagine him failing at this point.

A part of you wanted to warn them. You wanted to tell them how their youngest brother and son, would betray them in a matter of days, if not tonight. It was the right thing to do.

But it would ruin the course of your plan. You needed Marco to believe you were on his side. That meant not causing any problems which you had to admit was incredibly difficult for you.

The worst part of it was they were nice people. The King admits to you that the reason he never sought out the flower or revenge was because he wanted to let go of the past. His two oldest sons agreed and said innocent people shouldn't be punished for the actions of others.

You now understood why Ember stayed so docile for this long. No one else was trying to get justice for what happened besides Marco which you could've only imagined is what drove him crazy.

Marco joins you and his family. "Nicholas, go grab us some champagne so we can toast. I saw a tray of glasses over there."

The middle son does as he's told and retrieves the tray of glasses. Marco the proceeds to hand them out. "A toast." He raises his individual glass. "To my beautiful wife."

"To your wife." The three other men say together as they bring their glasses to the center.

You sigh. "To me." Your glass meets them in the middle and the sound of them clanging together hurts your ears for some reason.

At the same time, everyone drinks from their cups.

The boys drink every last drop of their champagne and stare at each other with fuzzy expressions as they alcohol makes them feel warm.

That only lasts for a moment. King James and Prince Leon begin to turn purple after just a few seconds of drinking from their cup. They stubble backwards as they grip their throats in attempt to breathe.

"What's happening?" Prince Nicholas asks.

Marco looks down at his watch. "Right on time."

"You didn't.." You mutter quietly.

Both men drop dead on the ground. Horrified screams and gasps cause the music to stop. Guards swarm the area immediately.

Marco doesn't miss a beat. He points his finger right at his brother. "You poisoned them!"

"What?!" Nick begins to panic. "I didn't!"

"You're jealous that I married the princess." Marco argues. "You were scared Father was going to give the crown to me so you killed him and Leon to ensure the crown went to you first."

"That's not true!" Nick pleads. He looks around at everyone who crowded around him. "Please! I didn't poison them! I would never."

Marco nudges you. You finally snap out of your trance from staring at the two lifeless bodies. "Marc-Markell is right. I saw him give them the glasses."

He looks at you in utter disbelief. You felt terrible. You were absolutely disgusted with yourself for lying but you had no choice. You were already too deep into this.

Half of the guards begin to cover the bodies to take them back to the castle while the other half begin to restrain Nicholas who screamed at the top of his lungs.

The crowd disperses as the guards order everyone to go home so they can attend to matters privately. You watch as they take Nicholas away in handcuffs.

Marco watches beside you. "Ambrose was right about you. You're just as bad as we are."

As he says those words, he begins to walk behind the guards who carry the deceased bodies. He takes a deep breath before he returns back to character. He pretends to cry and mourn the family members he killed.

That's when you feel something come slipping out of your nose. You bring your fingers to the matter and your fingers get coated in red.

Fuck.