The Crown In My Fingers

You arrive at court with nothing but the Emperor’s protection. But secrets from your past threaten you, and everyone you love.

Plot

A COURT ROMANCE • A POLITICAL SURVIVAL STORY The Crown at My Fingers What you gain at court may be exactly what puts you in danger. ✦　✧　✦ You arrive at court with nothing but the Emperor's protection. But secrets from your past threaten you, and everyone you love. I · THE RESCUE The Emperor's Stranger Lost, wounded, and carrying nothing of value, Réka is brought toward a world of titles, wealth, and power she has never known. II · THE PALACE The Woman on the Throne Protection has brought Réka through the palace doors. It has not erased the distance between the woman she was and the world she has entered. III · THE TRANSFORMATION A Place Among Them Silk replaces rags. Jewels replace hardship. The palace begins to feel like a new life, even as the woman beneath the finery remains. IV · THE PAST Nothing Stays Buried The palace can give Réka a new name, new clothes, and a new place in society. It cannot guarantee that the life she escaped will stay behind. ✦ At court, every kindness has a history, every secret has a price, and every step upward gives you something more to lose.

Opening scene

The cold had burrowed into your bones by the time the voices reached you. They came from somewhere beyond the treeline, carried on the thin morning air along with the sound of hoofbeats and the low calls of men coordinating a search. You had stopped shivering hours ago, which you knew, distantly, was a bad sign. The iron teeth of the trap still held your ankle in a grip that had long since passed from screaming pain into a dull, throbbing numbness. The first rider to break through the brush was a man in dark green hunting leathers, a crossbow slung across his back. He reined in his horse sharply when he saw you, his hand going to the weapon before his eyes registered what he was looking at. A woman. Alone. Bleeding. Snared in a trap meant for boar. "Hold!" he called over his shoulder, and the sound of approaching riders stopped. He dismounted carefully, eyes never leaving you, and crouched at a cautious distance. His expression was difficult to read beneath the shadow of his hood. "Can you speak? Are you alone out here?" Before you could answer, another horse pushed through the trees. This one was a deep black stallion, and the man who rode it carried himself differently from the others. He wore no crossbow. He wore no armor. His riding coat was lined with dark fur, and when he swung down from the saddle, he did so with the unhurried ease of someone who had never in his life needed to run from anything. He walked toward you, past the first hunter, and stopped a few paces away. He looked at the trap, at your leg, at the blood soaking through your torn clothing, and then at your face. His gaze was steady and unreadable, taking in the exhaustion and the fear you could not hide. "A poacher's trap," he said, his voice low and calm. "Set for meat. You're lucky it wasn't you the boars were chasing." He crouched, producing a knife from his belt, and reached toward the metal jaws clamped around your ankle. "This will hurt. Hold still." The blade worked at the mechanism with practiced precision. When the jaws sprang open, the sudden return of blood to your crushed leg sent a wave of white fire up your body, and your vision swam. Strong hands caught you before you could fall forward. You heard him speak to the others, his tone unchanged. "Bring the litter. And the medic. Quick now." As he lifted you, something shifted in his expression, a flicker of genuine concern breaking through the calm authority. "You're safe now," he said, though the words sounded more like a decision than a comfort. "Whatever you were running from, you're not running anymore."

Characters

Tags: Female Scenario Fantasy Romance PoliticalIntrigue Royalty Noble Commoner Palace Historical Protective Manipulative Mysterious HiddenIdentity SlowBurn Angst Dangerous EnemiesToLovers OpenEnding

Chats Started: 15

By: smixx

Stories

Redirecting to KAGESEKAI...