The capital cheered for her alone.
Their voices rang with joy as they blessed her name. Beneath the balcony from which she waved, a great crowd thronged the palace courtyard. Every face beamed with unreserved happiness. Every eye was bright with optimism. Every gaze was fixed on her.
Not so long ago, their nation had teetered on the brink of destruction. They had spent their days consumed by fear about what the future held. Now, however, the threat had passed, and the world knew them once again as the conquerors of Soleil. It was all thanks to her—she who had stood firm in times of doubt and despair, who had guided her armies to victory in countless battles—and for it, they showered her with praise. She was their proud ruler. The defender of their homes. Their Crimson Empress.
Countless voices roared her name aloud—not merely a handful, but many as one. She raised one hand in acknowledgment and retreated from the balcony. Behind her, the roar of the crowd continued unabated.
The city would not sleep tonight, nor in the nights to come. Drunkards would swap anecdotes about the Crimson Empress across tavern tables. Bards would sing songs of her valor. The commonfolk would tell tales of her deeds. In time, she would become a figure of legend, and then, at last, pass into myth. After accomplishing the unprecedented, she had earned that much.
She made her way back inside the palace, along the passage linking the balcony and throne room. A springy carpet of deep-red fabric ran the length of the corridor, hemmed in on either side by spotless walls of white stone. As she walked on in silence, a black-haired boy appeared to block her path.
“Congratulations.”
She hesitated a moment but finally nodded. “To be honest, it still doesn’t feel quite real...but thank you.”
“The empire’s troubles are far from over. But I’m sure you’ll be ready, whatever the future holds.”
Of all the people of Soleil, he was the first and last to address her so casually. Anyone else would have been harshly punished for their impertinence, if not executed outright. But they had shared much pain and joy, and they trusted each other implicitly. Indeed, from the glance and the smile they exchanged, anyone could see how deeply they cared for each other.
“Now you’ll be the one to lead the people,” the boy said. “You’ll have to be the sun that lights their way.”
She grinned impishly. “You say that like you won’t be right there beside me.”
He looked down bashfully as her eyes bored into him. “Don’t I get a choice in the matter?”
“You’re the one who brought me this far. The least you can do is stay.”
“That’s not how I remember it.”
He smiled ruefully as he cast his mind back over the past few years. He had saddled her with many burdens and caused her no small number of tears. Yet she had stubbornly chased after him even so. Right to the bitter end, she had never given up hope. She was his comrade-in-arms, his friend, his family—and the person he held most dear.
“Come on,” she said. “We have our whole lives ahead of us.”
She held out a hand. A fierce will burned in her eyes. No matter how many years passed, no matter what hardships lay ahead, that flame would never fade. She smiled like the sun, and with a smile of his own, he took her hand.
✦ ✦ ✦
