once we reached the entrance to dismount. As I listened to the sounds of the raging battle down in the village—the clashing of swords, masculine shouts, and the clomping of horse hooves—I stopped and glanced around at the empty courtyard.
The platform that had once been there was gone, apparently dismantled and taken away, but something more than the fact that this was where I'd nearly died made this place feel off to me. I shivered and rubbed my arms with my hands as Nellie and Ash stepped up to Roan and me.
"Where's the throne room?" Ash asked.
Roan and Nellie both looked to me and I realized that I was the only one who'd ever been there. Despite my circumstances of having been there, I could still recall the general layout of the castle when I'd been dragged before the King. I sighed and moved across the stones towards the entrance.
"This way," I called.
Roan moved ahead of me, his sword at the ready. He paused at the entrance, looking inside before conjuring a globe of fire and sending it down the first corridor. This ball of flame wasn’t so much destructive as it just hovered in mid-air, giving off enough of a glow for us to see ahead and behind us. It fluttered along the hallway, illuminating the dark path and the drawn drapes on all of the windows that would have let in light had they been open. Nellie fell behind me, walking with unsure footsteps that faltered every once in a while. Ash was to the back.
"I'm not so sure about this," Nellie said quietly.
I glanced back at her. "About killing the King or about taking the throne?" I asked.
"Both," she said. "I'm not a fighter, Cress. I'm not a ruler."
I sighed and took her hand. I didn't know what to say to reassure her. To be fair, there was nothing I could say that would leave her with no doubts. She would always have them. Even if—Gods willing—this whole plan worked out and she was placed on the throne and the Kingdom of Amnestia finally ended the war with the Fae, she would still have them.
So, I said the only thing I could think of. "You care," I whispered in the shadows of the corridor. "You love. You believe. All of these things make you a great person, Nellie, and they will make you a wonderful Queen."
Even in the dark, I could hear the swish of her hair as she shook her head. "I'm not brave like you, Cress."
I wanted to stop and turn around and stare at her. The urge was there, fast and so very consuming, but I forced my feet to keep moving. We didn't have time. Instead, I just pushed as much of my emotions into my tone as possible. How could she think she wasn't brave?
"You are one of the bravest souls I know," I whispered harshly. "You gave up your life at the convent for me. Entered a Fae castle, even knowing what happened to your parents. You didn't reject me when you found out what I was. You still loved me."
She huffed out a breath. "Because it doesn't change who you are," she snapped.
I laughed, a low, quiet breathy sound. "Exactly," I replied. "And you realize that. You won't hold someone's abilities against them. You're not the type to see only what lies on the surface, but you hold what's underneath to the light. Someone's character, their actions, their intelligence." I shook my head. "Being willing to admit mistakes and working to correct them makes you brave. Not just holding a sword and cutting down enemies. Besides, I can't even do that."
"But you have magic," she said.
"A little," I admitted, "but I'm still weak by Fae standards. I'm not this great and powerful being, Nellie. I'm just me. Cress the orphan. Cress the Changeling. I'm stubborn"—I didn't have to see her to know she was grinning at that—"a little insane at times—"
"A little?" she countered.
"Hush when I'm complimenting you and telling you how amazing you are," I said.
"You're right, please continue."
"No," Roan said, stopping. I bumped into him and brought the three of us at his back to a halt. "There's no time."
He was right. We were here. The flickering of yellow candlelight beyond the throne room was visible in the darkened hallway. It was time to face King Felix. My hand squeezed Nellie's tightly. It was time to bring this Gods forsaken war to an end.