Chapter 95 Chapter 95

Chapter 95 Chapter 95
Mirelle’s POV
‘Please stand up, don’t bow,’ Corlin said, addressing all of them.
Some of them started to sob heavily.
“I am so sorry you are going through this. I put the blame on us—the royal family—for allowing a snake in our midst. I mourn with you. We have all lost, and I will not rest until we get our home back. I am so sorry for this pain.”
Corlin said as he helped most of them stand.
“They would not have burned this place down if you had stopped fighting.”
It was the blacksmith.
“Regal!” the village head snapped.
“No, it's okay...” Corlin said, walking towards him. “Tell me, Regal. Do you like the way things are currently? Do you like the way this tyrant has enslaved us? Do you like our sons and young men being carted away to dig for enhancers?”
“Of course not... but there has to be another way.”
“The tyrant wants us eliminated. He hates us to the core of his being. Your queen—my mother—and your prince, my brother. Their bodies were strung up like animals. The Prince Consort was beheaded. He has chosen a path, and we will reply with one thing and one thing only—violence.
“If you think I am going to let this tyrant treat my people like animals, like the lowest of the low, then you have got to be delusional. I am not a coward. I will fight.
“Now, if you don't want to, that's up to you. And yes, we will lose many along the way. But when we eventually win back our freedom, it will have been worth it. The lives we lost will not have been for nothing.”
Corlin left Regal, who looked a little bewildered, and faced everyone.
“If you want to join us and make this tyrant pay, then stay with us. But if not, no problem. We will treat the wounded and release you to go somewhere safe.”
Nobody said anything for a while.
Then one of the villagers spoke.
“We have nowhere else to go. Nowhere is safe anymore. We are with you, Prince,” he said.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
“Alright.” He turned to Eragon and me. “Let's get everyone settled.”
I moved closer to him.
“What about the dryads, Corlin? We can't stay in there for much longer.”
“The dryads are on their way,” he said.
I hoped they would get here faster.
We all moved back to the hideout, every one of us on alert. The Goldies could attack at any moment.
When we got there, the villagers were assigned places to stay, and people were appointed to watch over them and make sure they were okay.
I took Isolde to my room.
She was still in shock.
She had not said a word since we left the village.
“Isolde... Isolde,” I called softly.
She didn't respond.
I didn't know when she would get over this grief. I just hoped she would.
I laid her down gently on the bed and covered her with a blanket. I grazed her cheek with my knuckles, looked at her for a moment, then stepped out of my room.
I needed to wash the soot off her face.
I went in search of a towel and a bowl of water.
The villagers had been gathered together and meals were being prepared for them.
When I spotted Draven, he was with his father.
“Hey, Draven!” I called.
He turned, saw me, and walked over.
“Hey.”
His tone was sad.
“How are you holding up?”
“To be honest? Not okay. My friends were taken by the Goldies to dig for enhancers. I barely escaped.”
My chest tightened.
Another young boy enslaved for power.
“I am sorry.”
He shrugged, shoved his hands into his pockets, rocked back and forth on his feet, and glanced around.
“So, you're with the rebels,” he said curiously.
“I guess so. I wanted to fight for what I believe in and help end the tyrant's cruelty. That's why I joined them.”
I obviously couldn't tell him I was the princess reincarnated as Mirelle and that I was fighting for my home.
“Didn't peg you as a fighter,” he said.
Well I was sure Mirelle was not. Silence stretched between us.
“I guess I'll see you later. I've got to help Isolde freshen up,” I said, breaking the silence.
“How is she? I heard about Francine.”
“Not okay.”
Draven looked down at the ground.
“I don't think anyone would be okay after seeing something like that.”
I nodded.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
The air felt heavy, weighed down by grief and exhaustion.
Around us, villagers sat in small groups eating quietly.
Some cried.
Some stared blankly into space.
Others simply sat in silence, as though they were still trying to process everything that had happened.
“Francine was sweet,” Draven said suddenly. “She always had a smile for everyone, even on her bad days.”
A small smile touched his lips before disappearing.
I smiled faintly.
“That sounds like her.”
His eyes became distant.
“She didn't deserve that.”
“No,” I agreed softly. “She didn't.”
Draven cleared his throat.
“None of us did.”
My gaze swept over the hideout. None of them deserved this.
Yet Eliath had brought death to every corner of our kingdom.
The thought made my blood boil.
“We'll stop him,” I found myself saying.
Draven looked at me.
“What?”
“We'll stop him.”
For the first time since I had met him, determination flashed across his face.
“I hope you're right.”
I gave him a small nod before continuing on my way.
After finding a bowl of water and a clean cloth, I returned to my room.
Isolde hadn't moved. She was still staring at the ceiling.Her eyes were red and swollen.
My heart broke for her.
I sat beside her and dipped the cloth into the water. Gently, I began wiping the soot from her face.
She didn't react. She didn't even seem to notice I was there.
“Francine wouldn't want this,” I said quietly.
No response.
“She would want you to keep going.”
Nothing.
I sighed.
Grief was a terrible thing. It swallowed people whole. Sometimes it felt impossible to escape.
After cleaning her face, I brushed a few strands of hair away from her forehead.
“You aren't alone, Isolde.”
Tears slipped from her eyes. She cried quietly. I held her hands and sat with her through it.
A few minutes later, she fell asleep.
I carefully laid her back on the bed and tucked the blanket around her.
Then I quietly left the room.
The moment I stepped outside, I saw Fiona running towards me.
“What is it?” I asked, panic immediately gripping me.
For a second, I thought Eliath and his soldiers had found us.
And the only reason that terrified me was because we weren't ready.
Not even close.
“It's the dryads,” Fiona said breathlessly.
“They're here.”