Chapter 23 The Assassination Attempt
Elara's POV
The dungeon stairs spiral down into darkness.
Drakon leads the way, his scales still visible on his arms. Thorne follows behind me, silent and grim. Guards with torches light our path.
"Has he said anything?" Drakon asks the dungeon keeper.
"Not a word, Your Majesty. Just keeps staring at the wall."
We reach a cell at the bottom. The archer sits on a stone bench, hands chained. He's young, maybe twenty five. I recognize him. I've seen him patrolling the castle hallways.
Drakon steps to the bars. "Why did you try to kill the queen?"
The archer doesn't look up. Doesn't speak.
"Answer your king," Thorne growls.
Still nothing.
Drakon's eyes glow brighter. "I can make this very unpleasant for you. Dragon fire burns hotter than anything you can imagine. Talk now, and we'll be merciful."
"Mercy?" The archer finally looks up. His eyes are cold. Hard. "There's no mercy for traitors."
"I'm not the traitor here," Drakon says. "You tried to murder your queen."
"She's not my queen." The archer's voice fills with venom. "She's a fake. An imposter. I saw through her lies from the beginning."
My blood turns to ice.
"What lies?" Drakon demands.
"The way she moves. The way she talks. Real princesses don't act like that." The archer stands, chains rattling. "She's been fooling everyone. But not me. I know what she is."
"And what is she?" Thorne asks.
The archer smiles. "A commoner pretending to be royalty. And she needs to die before she destroys this kingdom."
Drakon grabs the bars so hard they bend. "Who told you this? Who put you up to this?"
"No one told me. I figured it out myself." The archer looks directly at me. "I've served noble families my whole life. I know how real nobles act. And you're not one of them."
"You're mistaken," I say, but my voice shakes.
"Am I? Then explain why you flinch every time someone calls you 'Your Majesty.' Why you don't know basic royal protocols. Why your hands have calluses that no princess should have."
He's been watching me. Studying me. Noticing everything.
"That's enough," Drakon snaps. "Did anyone help you plan this attack?"
"I worked alone. This kingdom deserves a real queen, not some peasant in a crown."
"You'll be executed for treason," Thorne says.
The archer shrugs. "Then I die knowing I tried to save Drakenmoor from a liar."
Drakon turns away from the cell. "Keep him here. No visitors. I want guards on him at all times."
We climb back up the stairs. My legs feel weak. My mind spins.
"He figured it out on his own," I say quietly. "Just by watching me."
"One paranoid guard figured it out," Drakon corrects. "That doesn't mean everyone will."
"But what if others are watching too? What if more people suspect?"
"Then we need to be more careful." Drakon stops at the top of the stairs. "From now on, you'll have personal guards. Thorne will assign his most trusted warriors."
"I don't need guards"
"Yes, you do." His voice is firm. "Someone just tried to kill you. I won't risk your life again."
Back in the castle, Thorne assigns four guards to follow me everywhere. They're all dragon shifters, loyal to Drakon personally.
"They'll protect you," Thorne says, though he sounds reluctant. "Even if I still don't trust you."
"I know. Thank you anyway."
The rest of the day passes in a blur. I can't stop thinking about the archer's words. How many others have noticed? How many are watching, waiting, gathering evidence?
That evening, Faye brings dinner to my chambers. The guards check the food before letting her in.
"This is so exciting!" Faye says cheerfully. "You have your own protection detail now. Like a real queen!"
"I am a real queen," I say automatically.
"Of course you are." But Faye's smile falters slightly. "Elara, can I ask you something?"
"What?"
"That guard who tried to hurt you. He said things. About you being... different. Not like other princesses." She fidgets with her hands. "Is any of that true?"
My heart pounds. "You think I'm a fake?"
"No! I just... I've been thinking. About how you act. How kind you are to everyone, even servants, how you seem uncomfortable with all the royal ceremonies." Faye sits beside me. "You're not like Princess Celestia at all. You're better, warmer, real."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying I don't care if you're a princess or not." Faye takes my hand. "I care that you're a good person. That you treat me like a friend instead of a servant. That you're making King Drakon happier than I've seen him in years."
Tears sting my eyes. "You really mean that?"
"Yes. Whatever secrets you're hiding, I'm on your side." She squeezes my hand. "Always."
After she leaves, I feel a tiny bit lighter. At least one person knows the truth and accepts me anyway.
But that feeling doesn't last long.
Around midnight, I hear something slide under my door. A piece of paper.
I pick it up with shaking hands. Another note. Different handwriting than the archer's message.
"I know what you are. Meet me in the east tower at midnight, or I'll tell the king everything."
My stomach drops. Someone else knows. Someone who wants to meet me. Alone.
It could be a trap. Could be Sir Marcus, manipulating me again. Could be another assassin.
But what if it's someone who can help? Someone with information about who's targeting me?
I look at the guards stationed outside my door. If I try to leave, they'll follow. They'll ask questions. They'll tell Drakon.
I need to go alone.
I wait until the guards change shifts. In that brief moment of transition, I slip out a side door they don't know about. I move through servant passages, staying in the shadows.
The east tower is old and rarely used. Storage for forgotten things. The stairs creak as I climb.
At the top, a figure waits in the darkness.
"You came," a male voice says.
"Who are you?" I demand. "What do you want?"
The figure steps into the moonlight coming through the window.
I gasp.
It's the real Princess Celestia's personal guard. A man I saw briefly at the Southern Kingdom palace. What's he doing here?
"My name is Captain Reeves," he says. "I've been in Drakenmoor for three weeks. Watching you, gathering proof."
"Proof of what?"
"That you're not Princess Celestia." He pulls out papers. "I know who you really are, Elara Moonstone. Seamstress from a poor village. Forced to impersonate the princess."
My world tilts. "How...?"
"Queen Morgana sent me. She wants to make sure you're doing your job. Gathering information. Following orders." He steps closer. "But I've been watching you with the Dragon King. I've seen how you look at him. How you protect him. How you're falling in love with him."
"I'm not."
"Don't lie. I can see it." Captain Reeves hands me the papers. "These are reports I was supposed to send to the queen. Detailed accounts of your every move. Your every conversation with King Drakon. Every moment you spent together."
I stare at the papers; Dates, times, descriptions of private moments I thought were secret.
"Why are you showing me this?"
"Because I'm giving you a choice." His voice is grave. "I can send these reports to Queen Morgana. She'll know you're compromised. She'll hurt your sister. She'll accelerate her attack plans." He pauses. "Or you can help me. And I'll destroy these reports. Pretend I saw nothing."
"Help you do what?"
Captain Reeves leans closer. His next words make my blood run cold.
"Help me kill the Dragon King. Tonight. Before he discovers the truth about everything."