I sit on my bed, staring at the half-packed bag beside me, fingers curled around the worn strap.
The room is dim, the only source of light coming from the small lantern by the bedside table.
Shadows dance along the stone walls, flickering like ghosts of my past. My mind is restless, jumping from thought to thought like a frenzied bird trapped in a cage.
I’m going back to Moonhaven.
The thought alone sends a shiver through me, though I’m not sure if it’s dread or something else entirely.
What will it be like to return after everything? After leaving as a prisoner and coming back as... what? Caspian’s guest? His companion? His pet?
I swallow hard. No. I won’t let them define me.
But still, I wonder—how will they see me now? Will they whisper behind my back? Will they sneer? Will they look at me with pity, assuming I’ve been claimed by the prince as a prize?
And then there’s Darius.