Chapter 203 - Trial Day 2

Chapter 203 - Trial Day 2
Rhiannan POV

The sun wasn't even fully awake yet, and my entire fucking kingdom was vibrating. Literally.

Magic pulsed through the castle walls beneath my feet as shields strengthened around the Trial Grounds. Dragons cut across the sky. Soldiers poured through enchanted gates. Command crystals flashed from every direction. Every single bitch in Andopeer had a job. And apparently mine was being transported like extremely valuable cargo. “I can walk.”

Neither Liam nor Elisha acknowledged me.

“I said I can fucking walk.”

“You can waddle,” Liam corrected. He had one arm beneath my knees while Elisha supported my upper body. I glared at him. “I will bite you.”

“You threaten me with that constantly, yet never deliver.”

“Keep talking.”

My enormous triplet bump led our procession through the arena entrance while guards pretended not to smile. Elisha kissed my temple. “We aren't letting you exhaust yourself before Trial Two begins.”

“I am six months pregnant, not dying.”

“With three babies.”

“Yes, Elisha. I'm aware. They're currently reorganizing my internal organs.”

One kicked, and I winced. Liam looked down at my stomach. “See? Rattling around like snacks in a box.”

My mouth fell open. “Did you just call me a snack box?”

“A divine snack box.”

“Put me down.”

“No.”

“Liam.”

“No.”

Fucking men. Ahead of us, the Trial Grounds were already alive. Kaleb stood in the center of the command platform with a war tablet in one hand, barking orders while troop positions flashed around him. “Reinforcements to eastern perimeter. Double the aerial patrol above sectors six through nine. Nobody enters without a verified crystal.”

Arwen moved beside him with his sword unsheathed, checking every gate personally. “Perimeter sweep clear,” he snapped. “Reinforce sector seven and seal the underground traps. I don't want another surprise flame-pit incident.”

Kaleb glanced over. “It was one gnome.”

“His eyebrows didn't survive.”

“He did.”

“That's not the standard we're aiming for.”

I laughed. Above them, enormous shadows swept across the field. Sable, Azarion and Elisha's dragon guard. They circled the Trial Grounds like a living storm front, wings cutting through the clouds while ash and magical residue streamed behind them.
The sight should have made me feel safe. Mostly, it did. But I knew why they were there. Veltherion.

After the little magical tongue-fuck he'd given our shield last night, nobody was taking chances. Sable's voice came through my comm crystal. “They're watching.”

Azarion answered. “He's watching.”

My stomach tightened. Sable's growl rolled through the channel. “Let him. We're ready to return the favor.”
That was my mate. Sweet as sunshine. Liam and Elisha finally deposited me onto the ridiculous platform that had been built specifically for my pregnant ass. Someone had upgraded it overnight. Ten pillows. Velvet cushions. Enchanted shade. Cooling runes. A hovering footrest. Two magical fans.
And a curved table containing enough food to survive a siege. Bacon. Chocolate-stuffed crepes. Mango.
Gingerroot cookies. Spicy pickled dragon cucumbers.
Grapes. Peanut butter. And an entire goblet of whipped cream. I looked at Liam. “Did you do this?”

He placed one hand over his chest. “Do you truly believe I would serve my pregnant goddess queen from anything less?”

“Yes.”

“Rude.”

I grabbed a dragon cucumber. “If anyone mocks my cravings, I'll hex your genitals.”

Kaleb's voice came through the comm. “Yesterday you threatened to turn our balls into blueberries.”

I frowned. “I did?”

“Yes.”

“Huh.”

Liam handed me mango. “She's evolving.”

Elisha settled beside me and immediately started massaging my ankles. Then he leaned forward and kissed my stomach. One of the babies kicked beneath his mouth. His entire expression changed. That always got me. These enormous, terrifying men could burn armies and tear monsters apart, but one tiny kick from inside me turned them into mush. My chest squeezed. “Okay, don't get emotional,” I warned.

Elisha looked up. “You're already emotional.”

“Pregnancy. Doesn't count.”

A roar rose from the front stage. Mo. Of fucking course. “WELCOME BACK TO THE VALOR GAMES!”

His magically amplified voice blasted across the arena. “DAY TWO, BITCHES!”

The crowd screamed. Mela stood beside him holding a glittering microphone. “Three hundred twenty-five thousand contestants remain!”

“LAST ONE NOT BLEEDING WINS!” Mo screamed.

Sasha immediately cut in. “That is factually incorrect.”

“BORING!”

Riven was interviewing a centaur wearing full fire armor. He stared thoughtfully at the flaming plates covering the man's horse half. “So, serious question.”

The centaur nodded.

“How do you poop in that?”

I spit mango across the table. Faenet detonated.

#MoForPresident

Absolutely fucking not.

#RhiannanLooksLikeWarriorBeyoncé

I didn't know what a Beyoncé was, but Sasha informed me it was favorable.

#TeamFeralDaddy

That could refer to at least four men in my household.

#LiamCanFeedMeNext

“No,” I said.

Liam looked pleased. Yesterday, three hundred seventy-five thousand warriors had survived Trial One.
Today, fifty thousand were missing from the field. Not because they'd failed. They'd chosen to stop. Some had accepted placements as initiate soldiers. Others joined the castle guard. Thousands entered Tier One army support. At first, I'd worried people would see leaving the Trials as quitting. Then I watched those fifty thousand standing along the arena perimeter in their new uniforms. Proud. Useful. Needed.

And I realized something. Knowing when you'd reached the place you belonged took its own kind of courage. Not everyone needed a fucking crown. Not everyone needed to lead. Sometimes the person holding the gate mattered more than the asshole sitting on the throne. Those fifty thousand? They were our walls. Our backbone. The sturdy fucking fence between our people and chaos. That left three hundred twenty-five thousand. They stood below us now. Swords drawn. Armor tightened. Magic pulsing beneath skin.

The noise faded. Kaleb stepped forward. His voice rolled across the arena. “Trial One tested whether you could survive.” Silence. “Trial Two will test something harder.” He looked across them. “Your purpose.”

My skin prickled.

“Can you serve when nobody applauds you?”

Nobody moved.

“Can you lead when there is no good answer?”

A few shoulders straightened.

“Can you choose what is right when doing wrong would be easier?”

Yes. That. That was exactly what I wanted. Arwen stepped beside him and raised his sword. “No mercy. No excuses.” His voice carried across the stone. “You are not here to prove you are the strongest.” He pointed toward the gates. “You are here to prove you can become the shield this kingdom needs.” The gates began opening. Slowly. Stone grinding against stone. The sound seemed to roll through my bones.
Then three hundred twenty-five thousand warriors roared. Holy fuck. The arena shook. Magic erupted into the air. Weapons slammed against shields.
Dragons screamed overhead. People in the stands rose. For one impossible second, all those voices became one. Hope. Anger. Determination. Dreams.

Everything we'd been fighting for. I forgot my swollen ankles. Forgot Veltherion. Forgot the babies trying to rearrange my intestines. I stared at them. “Look at them.”

Elisha's hand stilled around my ankle. Every single crazy bastard down there was choosing us. Choosing this kingdom. Choosing something that barely existed yet. My throat tightened. Fuck. No. Not crying. Absolutely not. I pushed myself upright. Elisha immediately looked alarmed. “What are you doing?”

“Standing.”

“You need to sit.”

“Shut it, dragon boy. Let me have this.”

Liam reached for me, but I slapped his hand away.
“I swear to the gods, if either of you carries me right now, I will actually commit murder.”

I waddled toward the edge of the platform. Graceful?
No. Majestic? Debatable. Determined Absofuckinglutely. Three hundred twenty-five thousand contestants waited below. I raised my hand.
Then blew the biggest fucking kiss I could toward the arena. “I LOVE YOU PSYCHOS!”

The roar nearly knocked me backward. “GO FUCK SHIT UP!”

Chaos. Absolute chaos. People screamed. Someone shifted into a dragon. A group of dwarves started banging weapons together. Faenet exploded.

💬SHE BLEW ME A KISS I'M NEVER BATHING AGAIN.

Please bathe.

💬LONG LIVE QUEEN RHIANNAN!

💬DID ELISHA JUST GROWL AT ME THROUGH THE CAMERA???

I turned. Elisha stood directly behind me. Golden eyes blazing. Smoke curled from his nostrils. Oh, for fuck's sake.

“She is mine.”

Three Faenet crystals immediately whipped toward him. I covered my face. “Baby.” He continued glaring at approximately half the kingdom. Liam burst out laughing. “Sit your ass down before your mates start a riot.”

He guided me backward and shoved a pickle-stuffed pastry into my mouth. I bit it. Actually fucking delicious. The Royal Council had gathered in the new Skywatch Pavilion behind my viewing platform.
Sasha's physical projection floated at its center, glowing circuitry moving beneath translucent skin.
“Trial field stabilized,” she announced. “Shields holding. Sky perimeter clear.”

Her glowing eyes turned toward me. “And for the record, Rhiannan, if you blow additional kisses at strangers, I may activate the jealousy protocol in your mates' neural links.”

I stopped chewing. “You have a jealousy protocol?”

“No.”

“Make one.”

“No.”

“I want to see Azarion go full thunder dick in public.”

Sasha stared at me. “I regret achieving sentience.”

Mo, Mela, and Riven came barreling into the pavilion carrying cinnamon sticks, enchanted popcorn, and approximately zero dignity. “DID YOU SEE NIPPLE ARMOR?” Mo screamed.

Riven dropped into a chair. “I interviewed him.”

Mela looked horrified. “Why?”

“Journalistic integrity.”

“What was his name?”

“Chad.”

Mela stared at him. “Oh.” She nodded slowly. “Of course it fucking was.”

I laughed and lowered myself deeper into my pillows.
Then the arena changed. The humor faded. Trial Two began. The field fractured into hundreds of separate paths. Lava erupted. Bridges rose. Illusion forests appeared. Walls shifted. Contestants were divided into pods of fifty. But the danger wasn't the point. The choices were. One group reached a bridge with fifty people and only forty enchanted stones capable of carrying someone across. Immediately, they started arguing. Interesting. Another pod encountered injured illusion civilians while a timer counted toward their objective. Some ran past. Others stopped. I watched everything. This was what mattered. Not who could punch hardest.

Who turned back? Who shared resources? Who protected the weakest person when doing so cost them time? A pod of fox shifters became trapped inside living vines. Every wrong answer tightened the vines around their throats. One shouted an answer.
Wrong. The vines constricted. “Stop guessing!” another screamed. “Listen to each other!”

Good. Another group reached a bridge demanding sacrifice. A man immediately drew his sword. My stomach dropped. Then he sliced his own palm. Blood struck the stone. The bridge lowered. I exhaled. “Smart bastard.”

Hours passed. Contestants fell. Others rose. Arguments became alliances. Strangers carried strangers. Then I saw her. A young witch. Tiny thing.
Couldn't have been more than sixteen. She was staggering through mud with a full-grown ogre across her back. The ogre's leg was injured. She could have left him. The objective marker was less than fifty yards away. Her pod screamed at her to hurry. She kept going.

“Put me down!” the ogre shouted.

“No!”

“You'll fail!”

“I DON'T FUCKING CARE!”

My chest tightened. The girl stumbled. Fell to one knee. Got back up. “I'M NOT LEAVING MY BATTLE BUDDY BEHIND!”

Fuck. My eyes burned. I grabbed Elisha's hand. Hard.
“I don't even know her name.” My voice cracked. “And I'm so fucking proud of her.” Elisha wrapped an arm around me. He kissed the top of my head. “You made this.”

I watched the witch drag that ogre another step. “No.”

Around me stood my mates. My council. My family.
Sasha monitored every heartbeat. Kaleb and Arwen commanded the field. Mo, Mela, and Riven somehow turned chaos into community. Thousands of soldiers protected the walls. Hundreds of thousands of people were choosing what this kingdom would become. “We did.”

Below, the little witch finally crossed the marker. The ogre collapsed beside her. Then wrapped both enormous arms around her. The crowd erupted. I cried. Fine. Whatever. Pregnancy. The Trial continued.
Blood spilled. Bridges collapsed. People failed. People surprised me.

And all around us, hidden beneath the spectacle, something bigger was happening.