My mother and aunts stand in a line beneath the throne. They stand straight and proud as the doors open. Prince Hanlon, Lady Esmee and their son Leander Drake, who is our current councilman of the military, all walk in. Followed shyly by my father.

He wears extremely fine clothes. A jacket of purple silk lined with silver is the main feature of his attire. It makes him look a lot older than the thirteen years I have guessed he is.

"So, this is the boy?" King Orion asks.

"Yes," Prince Hanlon replies with an awkward smile as he pushes my father forward. My father walks to the foot of the throne and bows deeply. My grandfather raises an eyebrow. "Strange that you would endorse a Baylon, brother," the King says. "Especially when it was the Drakes who stole their position and aided with the Baylon downfall," he says as he leans back in the throne. "What makes this one so special?" he asks.

"The boy is an excellent swordsman and has a good aim with distance weapons..."

"As do most of the young nobles across Vivelle," the king replies. Prince Hanlon clears his throat.

"He is a well mannered young man and as you can tell by his features, he will grow to be very handsome..." The king sighs.

"Again, there is nothing special about him..." he sighs.

"Well," Prince Hanlon says. "Let him live here and learn the ways of the nobles for a while. Give him a chance to show his true self. I think you will be impressed," Hanlon smiles. The King takes a deep breath and his eyes fall straight onto my father.

"Do you want to be the King, boy?" My father gulps and bows again.

"Of course, your majesty," he replies as he keeps his voice even and calm. The King raises an eyebrow.

"Of course you do," he sighs. "They all do." He stands up and walks over to my father.

"An invite here does not mean much," he tells my father as he puts a hand on his shoulder. "There are plenty of young nobles whose families are much more powerful and wealthy than yours. It is going to take a lot for you to even get noticed." He doesn't look at my father as he walks down the steps toward his brother.

"I'll give the boy a chance. I trust in your judgement brother, even though I think the reason behind your choice has much more to it than you are letting on. Though I suggest the Drake family take him personally under their wing and teach him the ways of the court to their fullest. It would be embarrassing if the Drake family were wrong with their choice, wouldn't it?" he asks.

"Yes, your majesty," Prince Hanlon says and bows his head. The King doesn't look at his brother again as he walks out of the room.

"Come, girls," he calls back. My mother and aunts walk delicately down the stairs. My mother stops at my father.

"Hello, Lord Matthias," she says before giggling and running off behind her sisters. My father turns and watches her as she runs. He smiles softly. Leander spots this.

"One day, one of those pretty little princesses will be all yours," he grins and slings his arm over my father's shoulder. The smile falls off my fathers face.

"If I am chosen," he replies.

"You do not need to worry about that," Leander chuckles.

For the second time in the last two days, I wake up in pain. Though this time there is a much more innocent explanation behind the pain. I groan, roll over and try to bury my head under my blanket. I definitely had too much to drink last night.
"Wake up, Princess," Odelia says next to me and I groan again before sitting up. She hands me a glass of water and I begin to sip it. "Here, this will help with the pain," she chuckles as she passes me another liquid. I add it to the water and begin to drink some more. It has a nasty, bitter taste but I get it down. I hand back the mug and stand up slowly and stretch.
"I can't be the only one," I say as I see her amused expression. She laughs.
"Why don't you come and see for yourself?" she asks and leads me from my small cavern room. My eyes widen and I can't help but laugh as I enter the main cavern.
"Holy shit," I chuckle. The cavern is a mess and sleeping bodies lying all over the floor. My eyes go to Wyatt who is lying on top of Zoran. I smile as an evil plan forms in my mind.
"Do you want to grab a bucket too?" I ask Odelia. Merissa, Jack and Stefan appear next to us. They had stayed on guard and did not drink last night. They click on to my plan straight away.

We all walk over to the river that runs around the edge of the cavern and fill up our buckets. We then walk over to Wyatt. On the count of three, all five of us throw the cold water all over him and Zoran. He wakes up with a shriek and jumps out off the floor. Zoran opens his eyes slowly and groans. His skin rippling with his golden scales as the water touches them.
"What the fuck?!" Wyatt shouts loud enough to stir some of the other sleeping creatures in the cavern. Myself, Odelia, Merissa, Jack and Stefan are all wetting ourselves laughing. My stomach hurts and I have to sit on the floor. Every time I think I am about to stop laughing, one look at a drenched, angry Wyatt sets me off again. He sighs and sits back down before muttering to himself. Zoran laughs and I don't miss the way his eyes look over Wyatt's muscular chest now visible beneath the drenched white shirt that clings to him. Wyatt sees the look too and smirks.

Whilst I am still laughing, Odelia has gone to one of the large gongs around the room and is ringing it, waking everyone up. I stand up and look at Wyatt and Zoran.
"We have a big day today, hurry up," I tell them before walking off with a grin still on my face. I hear him mutter behind me.
"Have you seen Nianzu?" I ask Merissa. She points over to the corner of the cavern where he is still asleep on the floor. Even after the loud gong sounded that caused everyone to groan and stir.  "I will go and wake him," I sigh and walk over to him. I touch his shoulder and give him a shake.
"Nianzu, get up," I tell him as I shake him a little harder. He tries to brush my hand away but I shake him again before his eyes open. He sees me and groans.

I give him water and the same liquid that Odelia gave me which has managed to ease the headache and other aches. He drinks them quickly and I help him stand up.
"What a night," I chuckle as I remember the massive party and drunken antics.
"Messy" Nianzu shudders and I laugh. I don't remember a huge amount, but what I do remember does make me chuckle. I know that at some point in the night, Nianzu and I had a competition of our own where I outdrank him. Though he hasn't drunk for over a thousand years so it isn't really a surprise. Being a Demi-God perhaps aided him a little, it was a close competition. That is how he ended up in this corner. I at least managed to stumble back to my bed. Or Merissa helped me. I can't remember. What I do remember is a lot of dancing on the table, jokes, laughing and singing. I remember dancing on the table with Wyatt at some point whilst being watched by everyone else whilst they were singing. I smile as a few memories return.

We spend the next hour cleaning up all the mess we made. Putting the tables right, cleaning up the tankards and mopping away all the spilt alcohol that was making the floors sticky.
"I didn't realise our next queen was so good at partying," a deep voice says behind me. I turn to see a few centaurs. I smile.
"Please don't tell me I embarrassed myself," I chuckle. He laughs.
"Not too badly, Princess. No more than the rest of us, anyway."
"Few," I reply.
"It has been a long time since we have been able to party like that," he sighs. "I was taken when I was a boy. Before that, our herd would party almost every night. I was too young back then, but watching the adults make a mess of themselves was much better anyway. Our heard used to make the very best alcohol. Very strong. I think it would kill a human," he laughs. I smile softly.
"Do you have a heard to go back too?" I ask, my voice going slightly dry as I feel as though I already know the answer. He looks down.
"No, princess," he replies. "Your father's men slaughtered most of the herd on the day we were taken," he gulps. I close my eyes and look down.
"I am sorry," I say softly. "I will try and make all of this right."
"Most of us do not blame you, princess. You were just a toddler when most of us were taken. The orders were not yours. Plus, we understood that even the life of a princess of Vivelle was a painful and hard one. We understood that centaurs are not alone in their suffering. I was speaking to some of your Waterfolk friends," he says and gestures to Tida and the group we rescued from the brothel.
"They told me of where they were being kept," he sighs. He shakes his head and looks down.
"This world is cruel, princess. Last night we could all forget about it for a few hours. But soon, we have to go back to reality. We have to think about what will happen to the rest of the centaurs in all the other mines once the King gets word of what has happened here. Myself and all the others you have freed are going to have to live with the fact that the cost of our freedom is very high." I nod my head.
"Do not think of it that way," I say to him. "You are free and just that. My father is a cruel man. He could kill the rest of your kind at any time if he wanted. Even if I freed you or not. It is like you said to me. You are not responsible for his orders." He gulps. "What is your name?" I ask.
"Taron," he replies. I look over him. His skin is muddy still from the mine. His body and back especially are covered in scars from whips and bruises from the labour.
"A group of centaurs will be arriving soon to take you and the Waterfolk back to a safe place where you can recover. I want you to enjoy your freedom. Do not think of the price of it, should there be one. If anything happens to any of your kind in the other mines, then it is my burden to bear as it is your leaders. It was our decisions to free the mines and we knew the consequences and the risks. It will be on our heads. Please, enjoy your freedom. Because if you don't, you are still his slave," I tell him softly as I take his hand. He smiles.
"Okay, Princess. I will try," he tells me softly.
"Good," I say. "Now, we need to get ready for you to go," I tell him. He nods and walks off. I close my eyes and sigh. Nianzu appears behind me and gently touches my shoulder. I press my hand on top of his.
"Rebellion is hard and there are a lot of casualties. I remember that from Visara's uprising. Your mind needs to be strong, Ana," he warns. I nod my head.
"I know," I whisper. Though I can't help but feel horrible for what is undoubtedly going to happen to the rest of the centaurs in the mines once my father finds out. It makes my eyes sting with tears but I don't let them fall. I take a deep breath and push those feelings down.
"Come on, we have work to do."

We all stand about twenty miles out of the city with the rest of the centaurs we rescued. There is an odd silence as we wait for the centaur group from Tarlon to arrive. The Red Guard are hidden just out of sight further back, keeping an eye out for any guards. Nianzu is currently flying above us in his crow form.
Zoran holds Tida's hand and they mutter in their language. It almost sounds like they are aguing.
"They are here," Nianzu says in my head. My heart rate picks up and I nudge Odelia. From over one of the grassy hills, the large group of centaurs appear. The excitement picks up suddenly in our camp as the slave centaurs begin to race toward the newcomers. I grin as I watch the reunion. The leader of the new group comes over to me.
"I do not want to hang around princess," she says as she looks around wearily. "We are too exposed here and I want to get us back to Tarlon without being tracked," she warns. I nod my head.
"Can you take some of the Waterfolk with you on your backs?" I ask and gesture to the Mer and Sirens. She smiles.
"Of course," she replies before shouting orders. A large group of centaurs walk over to the Waterfolk and help them onto their backs. Zoran and Tida still argue in their language. He then takes her and puts her on the back of a centaur. She shouts at him and he shouts back before trying to get off the back of the centaur. He forces her back on. I don't understand what they are arguing about. Though I guess she wants to come with us but he is saying no. I hear the word "Seraphina" and she stops struggling. She angrily agrees to something and closes her eyes. She speaks to him again, softer this time. Almost as though she is telling him to be careful. He nods his head and gives her a hug.
The leader shouts out more orders and the group of centaurs and Waterfolk begin to race off. In only a few seconds, they are all gone leaving one centaur behind. He begins to murmur odd words and stretches out his hands. I watch in awe as the hoof prints disappear out of the ground, leaving no trace that they had run across these parts. He begins to run after the group and as he runs the prints disappear. I smile, remembering my lessons on centaur magic. How occasionally, a centaur was born that could slightly move the earth. In this case, moving the soil that had been crushed by hoves so there are no traces of their prints. We all watch in silence for a few moments.

The Red Guard appear next to us and we turn to the Knights of the Pheonix.
"Thank you," I say to Odelia. She smiles.

"Thank you, princess and I am sorry for how I treated you when you arrived. I made judgements against you that were unfair," she smiles. I give her a hug.

"That is perfectly fair and understandable. I am just glad we could put our judgements aside and do something to help others."

"Me too. You can bet that the Knights of the Pheonix are on your side from now on. I will ensure that your sisters are aided and helped as much as we can." I hug her tighter and feel a sense of relief.

"Thank you," I whisper to her. She hugs me tighter too. I step back.

"Can you get this to them?" I ask as I give her a letter.

"Of course," she replies. I smile and my hand slightly shakes as I give it to her.

"Have you heard much more about them other than the fact that they made contact?" I ask.

"No, but I can enquire and perhaps I will be able to get a message to you. You are going to the Lupine next, correct?" she asks. I nod my head.

"Ana's going to see her Lupine lover," Merissa smirks. I sigh and slap her shoulder. She giggles.

"Lupine lover?" Nianzu asks with a laugh, raising his eyebrow. I let out a long sigh.

"Now you've started it..." she grumbles.

"Wait, are you talking about that Lupine trip that I was sent away during?" Wyatt asks.

"Yeah," Merissa replies. "Ana and a certain, hunky Lupine got on very well," she smirks at me. 

"Okay," I say, "Stop," I say, a blush heating my cheeks.

"You did not tell me you had a fling with a Lupine..." Nianzu laughs. I groan.

"It wasn't a..."

"It definitely was," Merissa interrupts. I close my eyes and groan. I have been pushing those memories down a lot. Though I have to admit, now that we are about to make our way into the Lupine lands, they do begin to stir again. This bubble of hope and excitement has my belly fluttering. Still, I can't get my hopes up. A lot can change in three years.

"Can we just drop it, please?" I ask them and look at Odelia. She has grown used to our banter by now and easily slips back into her conversation before we interrupted her.

"Well, you should be safe from your father. From them, however, I'm not so sure. Though..." she begins, smiling. "If you have someone waiting for you..."

"We have a plan," I tell her with a sigh. She smiles.

"You always do," she grins. "If I hear word that you are successful with the Lupine, I will try and get a message across the border. We do have a few connections with them that I could use."

"Thank you," I say again and smile.

"Meanwhile, I am sending out word to the other groups. We are going to work on freeing the other mines. I have already spoken to your other allies to ready them to collect any of the free centaurs and they have agreed,' she tells me.

"Really?" I ask with wide eyes. She nods her head.

"Yep," she grins. "This success has inspired a lot of our members. They are beginning to remember why this group was formed to begin with." I grin with excitement. If they could free more of the mines, that would be incredible.

"Plus, your appearance in the city has given us more recruits than ever," she replies. I frown.

"You can trust them all?" I ask. She smiles and holds up her sleeve. The phoenix bird, the same as the pin they wear is tattooed into her skin.

"Blood promises and blood oaths are not as much of a dead magic as everyone believes. To enter our group, you have to make certain promises," she tells me. I nod my head, feeling overwhelmed at all the support and the progress I am making. Odelia must sense what I am thinking. "Your bravery has given courage to a lot of people," she says. "Even if you fail, your father's rule will probably not last long. Vivelle is angry and soon the king will feel it. If he manages to get you or you die, you will be a martyr. Of course, we would prefer that not to happen and for you to be our queen. But just know that you cannot fail now because the change you dream of will come one way or another." I shake as she tells me this and the smile is wide on my face. I am doing it. I really am helping my people. "Now, you had best be on your way. You have a lot of charming to do. If you thought I was stubborn, well, you really have a lot of work to do with the savages," she chuckles. I nod my head.

"It should be good fun," I tell her as I climb on top of one of the horses.

"Goodluck, princesses and goodbye. I hope we meet again," she tells me. I nod my head.

"Yes, I hope so too," I reply and we all begin our travels again.

"The True Queen will rise! Down with the False King!" A chorus of voices sing behind me.