Fireborn

41 ¦ Captain Alaria

I fidgeted with my armor backstage and glared at Prime Minister Adair, who gave me a reassuring nod.

"Are you sure this is really necessary?" I asked with a grimace.

"The troops need someone to bolster their spirits," she replied. "They won't listen to me, and your father needs to remain mysterious and ethereal. They need someone real."

I took a deep breath. "But changing my name...what good does that do?"

"The Warriors need to aspire to their leader. In Risan dialect, Alaria means power, strength, and completeness. That's what your people need right now. A name that commands obedience."

"Does it have to be Alaria?"

My final vision flashed inside my mind, relentless. Bragda standing over me, poised with her ax, ready to strike. And she'd called me Alaria.

I wanted nothing to do with that name.

"Captain Alaria von Tollen. Listen to it as it rolls off the tongue. Regal. Powerful. Strong." The Minister's eyes glinted like steel in the torchlight. "The day you decided to go to that tavern, you left Liselle Alta behind. Embrace the new Alaria and revel in your true identity."

"Revel in it?" I scoffed. "I feel like a fraud."

"This is your time to stand up and grasp the reins of power," Minister Adair insisted, closing her hand into a fist. "You are their Captain. We've trained you for weeks. You're ready for this."

"Wouldn't it be better if I stood among them, not above them?"

"Fireborn Warriors must know that they're giving their lives for a cause, something greater than any of their lives." The Minister shrugged. "Warriors can give in to fear, tuck tail, and run."

"Some of this speech is blatant lies!" I hit the parchment with the back of my hand. "I didn't lose my family in the Massacre. I lost them long ago."

"Speeches aren't about giving the facts," the Prime Minister replied. "It's about making people feel strong and secure. It's about giving them an anchor to grasp when they're lost at sea."

"How many of your speeches are filled with lies?"

"Oh, honey." She gave my arm a reassuring pat. "You have no idea."

The Great Hall echoed with the sound of marching Fireborn pouring into the giant amphitheater, reminding me of the first day at university. Back then, the enemy's arrows pierced my naive innocence. Their attack pushed me towards the world of the Fireborn, to this very moment.

Fate told me I could hide as a Risa or take control of my own destiny. I grasped it with both hands. And I never looked back.

I had no regrets.

A tiny part of me was still Risa, though. These past few weeks, I could walk into a lava flow without cringing and march through a river of flame without flinching. I could plunge a sword into the heart of a man and confront a Dragonborn in my dreams without hesitation.

But speaking in front of an audience still made the snakes of fear wriggle in my belly.

"It's now or never," I muttered as the Fireborn yelled and cheered for me.

The Prime Minister nodded. "It's now or never."

"Wish me luck."

"You don't need luck, Captain Alaria. You got this."

When I strode onto the obsidian dais, the crowd exploded in thunderous applause. Soon the Fireborn Warriors began to chant, pumping their giant fists or massive broadswords in the air.