City of Belfire, Grezeit Castle Courtyard, Present day.
Sara stepped through the large doors that led to the castle's main gate.
The black stone courtyard was covered in a blanket of snow. It was somewhat quiet, although upon seeing their heiress appear, the crowd that was flocked on the other side of the courtyard gate roared. Each of them wore smiles and furs to stay the cold. Cheers and chants of adoration increased into an echo.
"It's the princess!" came a voice.
"Lady Sara, we adore you!" said another.
A familiar voice came from her flank. "It would seem the people are happy to see their princess reach another year."
Sara turned to find the culprit of the shadow that loomed over her shoulder; General Svarga. "Why are you here, Svarga?" she tilted her head.
Myn appeared from the darkness of the castle interior. He let out a low growl as he glared at the general.
Svarga may have been a man of formidable height and mass, though even he resembled a child when standing next to her Queen's Shield. He chuckled. "Easy, Kasaber. I am only here at the request of his majesty." He put up his hands defensively.
Sara smiled. "Good. Then you are about witness true loyalty." She walked down the stone stairs. Her footsteps were overshadowed by those of her brawny companions behind her. A man of the royal guard stood beside the stone path every few feet.
The chants grew louder at she neared the gate.
"I do hate such gatherings." Svarga tapped on her shoulder and pointed to the crowd. "A congregation of this size may be a bit much, don't you agree?"
"I don't, General. These people having nothing but adoration for me." Her eyes bounced from man to woman to the children they held in their arms. "They wouldn't do anything to—" Suddenly she sensed something within the crowd. Could it be? No. Of course not. She shook her head and cleared her throat. "Open the gates."
The black steel groaned louder than the people. One could hear the hinges grind against the layer of ice that had formed on them.
The people resembled water as they overflowed through the half-opened gate.
The royal guards took a stance in every direction in front of her then held their lances horizontally, forming a U-shaped perimeter.
The crowd crashed into the men though they remained rooted to the ground. Each and every one of them reached their arms over in desperate attempts to gain her attention.
Sara raised one hand. "People of Belfire. I thank you all for coming on my day of celebration. But I have plenty of sunlight left so please, calm yourselves."
Almost immediately the people took a step back but remained chanting her name and waving.
Sara looked back at Svarga with a grin.
He applauded and shook his head in disbelief.
"Every year I've organized the festival that is open to all. I have food and entertainment brought from Ara'koh and many other regions when I can. Afterwards, I have the cooks gather any spare crops and ingredients and divide them to the less fortunate."
Svarga nodded back at her. "Oh, The Gatherer's Festival, that was you? I knew of it though with my time out of the capitol I didn't know you were the one that organized it."
Sara lingered on his words before letting loose another truth. She couldn't take all of the acclaim when she knew she wasn't the one that originally orchestrated it. "It was Prince Rames that initially fashioned the idea. He thought it was a good way to both help the people of Zuland while building trust between his people—the people of Ara'koh and Zuland. He'd often jest about how it was only a rehearsal for the festival that would have been held for our wedding someday."
"I've heard nothing but good things of his repute—it often came from own brother."
Sara nodded. "This is how I'll try to honor his memory." She moved up towards her people and started her greeting with an elder woman at her far right that wore a light green tunic and skirt.
The woman clasped both her hands around hers, they were as cold as ice. She must have been out in the snow a long while awaiting her. A true woman of loyalty.
Sara felt breathless all of sudden. She had met with the people may times, but something in her gut made this encounter different. "Thank you for coming."
The woman gave a mother's smile. "Oh, you precious thing. I've lived in Belfire ever since I was a little girl. I grew up adoring King Eshlon, such an amazing man. I'm glad my grandchildren will grow up with an equally as prodigious queen."
A man behind the woman yelled aloud. "May she reign forever!"
One by one, Sara walked down the line of people and took their hand, each hand as cold as the next. Her heart showed no sign of slowing as each spoke their piece of adulation. She was three-fourths of the way through the crowd when she reached a man in a thick fur rope.
"Many salutations to you, my queen." He scratched at his scruffy beard, a dirty nest of brown and yellow. He reached out for her hand. "You do much honor."
Sara hid her hesitance as she caught the man's hand, unlike the rest, it was warm.
"You have such beautiful golden hair, lady—just like my daughter. Her name was Linphel…she was a knightess for the king, you know." He leaned in, the stench of ale in his breath. "I know what your father did to her…" His voice raspy.
Sara blinked rapidly as she recoiled away. "What?" Then she felt it again, the sensation from before. She now recognized the sense, it was her aura, she could feel the iron beneath the man's coat. Don't…
He reached into his cloak. "He took my daughter from me! Now I'll take his!" He drew a dagger and brought it down on her.
Sara's heart froze. She took a step back and caught the man's wrist, the blade was inches from her face. A second later she with her free hand she liquified the iron. It floated into her hand. She reversed the attack as she turned the liquid back into a solid blade and drove it into the man abdomen. She felt his muscles tense up.
Sudden gasps and screams erupted from the crowd.
The man's wrist went limp. "D…damn you. You took her from—"
A loud growl rang in her ears as Myn pushed passed her and dug his claws into the man's throat. He pulled back, leaving a gaping hole in the man's throat.
Warm blood splat on her cheek as her stomach churned.
The crowd went silent as the guards immediately pushed everyone away.
Sara eyes were wide with shock, everything muffled as all she could hear was her own heartbeat thumping in her head.
"…get back!" Svarga's heavy hand landed on her shoulder and pulled her behind him.
All the sound came back to her as she shook her head.
"Are you ok, Sara?" said Svarga, genuine worry in his emerald eyes.
"I'm fine," she answered abruptly, attempting to mask her uncertainty.
Svarga had his sword in-hand, though she didn't see when he had drawn it.
The man's corpse lay face-down on the stone. The lake of blood under him soaked the snow and leaked into the creases between the path.
Sara breathed in slowly, through her nose and out her mouth, her breath visible in the cold air. She raised her hand halfway before realizing it was trembling then brought it back down.
Svarga pointed a demanding finger towards the royal guards. "Get these people out of here. I'll personally see that the princess—"
He was cut silent as a sudden gurgle came from the body on the floor. It twitched before it let out a vicious growl.