The great hall of the Dragon Kingdom was unlike anything Daya had ever seen.
Columns carved like coiled dragons towered toward the vaulted ceiling, their stone mouths dripping fire into golden braziers. Nobles filled the chamber, their robes embroidered with firestones, their eyes sharp with suspicion. The weight of their gazes pressed on her until she wished the floor would swallow her whole.
Vanda strode ahead, his every step echoing authority. The murmurs hushed as he approached the throne — his throne, though he had yet to ascend it officially. At the far end sat his father's vacant seat, looming as though reminding him of the crown's burden.
"Your Highness," a nobleman with a jeweled collar spoke first, bowing with a flourish. "We rejoice at your safe return from Arven. But…" His eyes slid toward Daya. "…some matters require clarification."
The words rippled through the court like sparks in dry wood.
Another voice chimed in, colder. "Indeed. Whispers have reached us already. That you bring… a maid into the Dragon Palace. Is this true?"
Daya's heart stuttered. The hall seemed to close in on her.
Vanda did not so much as blink. "It is true."
Gasps filled the chamber.
The noble with the jeweled collar recovered first, lips curving in disdain. "Forgive me, Your Highness, but it is beneath the dignity of your bloodline. The dragons do not bow to peasants."
A murmur of agreement spread.
Daya shrank back, wishing she could vanish. Her cheeks burned with shame, though she had done nothing. She wanted to apologize, to defend herself — but words stuck in her throat.
And then—
CRACK!
The sound echoed like a whip. Vanda's hand had struck the arm of his chair, splitting the carved wood beneath his fingers. Flames flickered in his eyes, a warning more deadly than steel.
"Do you question me?" His voice rumbled through the hall, deep as thunder.
Silence fell instantly. No one dared breathe.
Vanda rose slowly, towering over them all. "This woman is under my protection. Any tongue that insults her, insults me. And I do not forgive insults."
The nobles trembled. Some lowered their gazes, others paled. The weight of his authority crushed their arrogance like ash.
For the first time since entering the hall, Daya lifted her eyes. Her chest tightened as she saw him — standing unshaken, unyielding, as if he alone could shield her from an entire kingdom.
And in that moment, despite the fear, something inside her shifted.
She did not feel like a maid.
She felt like someone who mattered.