Chapter 2 The Day It All Began

The morning sun spilled across the room like golden silk, soft and warm - a cruel contrast to the storm roaring in Thalia's chest.

She sat on the edge of her bed, bare feet pressed to the cold stone floor, hands clasped tightly in her lap. A thousand memories blurred behind her eyes: the courtroom, the sword, Alaric's silence, the queen's smirk.

And now-this.

She was seventeen again.

Too early for the engagement announcement. Weeks before the queen's inner circle began turning the court against her. Months before the hunting trip where her uncle would plant the first seed of betrayal.

This is where it begins, she realized. This is where I lost before I even knew I was playing.

A soft knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts.

"My lady?" came the voice of her maid - young, loyal Miriam, who would one day be executed for a crime she didn't commit.

Thalia's chest tightened. "Come in."

Miriam peeked inside, bright-eyed and breathless. "Good morning! You overslept again. Lady Geneva has been waiting for you in the rose garden since sunrise-she said something about a riding lesson?"

Geneva. Her "friend." The one who smiled the widest and twisted the dagger deepest.

Thalia forced a smile. "Tell her I'll be there shortly."

As Miriam disappeared, Thalia stood and walked to the wardrobe. Her gowns were all still here - soft pastels, delicate silks, perfect for the girl she used to be.

She chose deep green instead.

In the mirror, she tied her hair higher than usual, pinned back with a silver clasp. Not a girl. Not anymore.

She was preparing for war.

In the rose garden, Lady Geneva stood beneath the trellis, idly plucking petals from a rose. She turned as Thalia approached, flashing a too-sweet smile.

"There you are," she said. "I thought you might have melted in your sleep."

Thalia smiled politely, the way she used to.

"I woke remembering a dream," she said.

"Oh?" Geneva asked, amused. "And what was it?"

Thalia stepped closer, her smile never faltering.

"I dreamed you stabbed me in the back," she said. "But I suppose that's what dreams are for - giving us fair warning."

Geneva laughed, but her eyes flickered.

Just enough.

And Thalia knew:

The game had already started.