The council chamber was empty except for the five of them.
Aeron sat at the head of the table, his expression unreadable. Kael stood by the window, arms crossed, watching the door. Theron lounged in a chair, but his eyes were sharp, calculating. Seren sat beside Aeron, her hand resting on his under the table.
Elowen stood before them like a prisoner before a court. But her posture was not defeated. It was defiant.
"Say that again," Aeron said quietly.
"I said there is a plot to kill you." Elowen’s voice was steady. "Minor nobles. Discontented with the charter. They’ve been eting in secret for weeks. Their plan is to strike during the harvest festival, when security is stretched thin."
Kael turned from the window. "And did you know about this?"
"I have my own intelligence network. You knew that." Elowen’s lip curled. "Or did you think I spent all my ti in the east twiddling my thumbs?"
Theron leaned forward. "Who is involved?"
"Lord Halden is the ringleader. Roran’s father. He’s been recruiting others—minor lords who lost status after the war, nobles who bla the triplets for their diminished power." Elowen pulled a parchnt from her sleeve and tossed it onto the table. "Fifteen nas. All confird. Another twenty suspected."
Seren picked up the parchnt. The nas ant little to her, but the quantity was alarming. "This is almost a third of the minor nobility."
"Enough to cause chaos," Elowen agreed. "Not enough to win. But they don’t need to win. They just need to kill Aeron. After that, the succession becos... complicated."
Aeron’s jaw tightened. "You could have let them try. Let them succeed. With dead, you’d have a clearer path to power."
The room went silent.
Elowen t his eyes. "Yes."
"Then why are you here?"
She was quiet for a long mont. When she spoke, her voice was different. Softer. Almost vulnerable.
"Do you rember when Father died?"
Aeron’s expression flickered. "Of course."
"I was in the garden. They ca to tell , and I..." Elowen stopped. Swallowed. "I laughed. Not because I was happy. Because I didn’t know what else to do. He was our father. He was cruel and cold and he never looked at the way he looked at you three. But he was still *father*."
Kael’s arms uncrossed. "Elowen—"
"Let finish." She held up a hand. "After he died, I told myself I didn’t care. That I would take what I wanted because no one had ever given anything. Power. Territory. Respect. I deserved it all."
She looked at Aeron.
"But you’re my brother. All three of you. And I have spent years telling myself that I hate you, that you stole what should have been mine, that I would destroy you if I could." Her voice cracked. "Then I watched you almost die on that battlefield. And I realized..."
She closed her eyes.
"I realized I don’t want you dead. I want you to *see* . To respect . To treat as an equal instead of a threat to be managed."
The silence stretched.
Theron spoke first. "You could have told us about the plot without revealing your network. Without putting yourself in this position. Why take the risk?"
"Because trust goes both ways." Elowen opened her eyes. "I’ve given you nothing but sches and hostility since Seren arrived. If I want sothing different, I have to *be* sothing different."
She stepped closer to the table.
"I’m not saying I’ve changed completely. I still want power. I still think I could rule better than any of you. But I don’t want it over your graves." She looked at Seren. "Our father made this family a battlefield. I won’t continue his war."
Aeron stood. He walked around the table until he faced his sister.
"You nad fifteen conspirators. How many have already been approached by our own intelligence?"
Elowen blinked. "What?"
"Theron’s network picked up whispers three days ago. We knew soone was planning sothing. We didn’t know who or when." Aeron studied her face. "You just filled in the gaps."
"You knew?" Elowen’s composure cracked. "You knew and you let co here and..."
"We knew there was a plot. We didn’t know your role in it." Aeron’s voice was calm. "Now we do."
Elowen’s hands trembled. "I’m not part of the plot. I’m stopping it."
"And we believe you." Seren stood and moved to Elowen’s side. "We believe you because you ca to us. Because you gave us nas. Because you could have done nothing and let your enemies remove your brother for you."
She took Elowen’s hands.
"Thank you."
Elowen stared at her. "You’re... thanking ?"
"You saved our lives. Yes, I’m thanking you." Seren squeezed her hands. "It doesn’t erase the past. It doesn’t make us friends. But it’s a start."
Kael walked over. He didn’t speak. He just put a hand on Elowen’s shoulder and held it there.
Theron remained in his chair, but his smile was genuine for once. "I suppose I’ll have to update my list of people trying to kill us. Remove one na, add fifteen."
Aeron nodded. "We’ll need to move quickly. The harvest festival is in two weeks. If Halden is planning to strike then, we need to either arrest them all before or set a trap."
"A trap," Elowen said. "Let them think they have a chance. Let them commit. Then take them all at once."
"You’d be willing to help with that? To play along?"
Elowen t Aeron’s eyes. "I told you. I want power. But not through your death. If helping you crush these conspirators earns a place at the table, then yes. I’ll help."
Aeron was silent for a long mont.
Then he nodded. "Welco to the table, sister."
Later that night, Seren found Elowen in the garden.
The princess sat on a stone bench, staring at the moon. She didn’t look up when Seren approached.
"You don’t have to keep company," Elowen said.
"I know." Seren sat beside her. "I wanted to."
"Sentintal."
"Maybe." Seren looked up at the stars. "You ant what you said. About your father. About not wanting to continue his war."
Elowen was quiet for a mont. "I ant every word. That’s what scares ."
"Why?"
"Because now I have sothing to lose." She turned to Seren. "Before, I was fighting alone. Scheming alone. If I lost, it was just . But now... now I’ve done sothing good. Sothing *right*. And if I fail now, I fail as soone who tried to be better. That’s worse."
Seren took her hand. "Then don’t fail."
Elowen almost smiled. "Easy for you to say. You’re the one with three mates who worship the ground you walk on."
"They don’t worship . They annoy constantly."
"That’s love, apparently."
They sat in silence for a while.
Finally, Elowen stood. "I should go. We have conspirators to catch."
Seren stood as well. "Elowen."
The princess turned.
"Welco to the family. Officially."
Elowen stared at her. Then she nodded once and walked away into the darkness as Seren watched her go.
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