Loyalty to Royalty

Even before I was born, the blue guards belonged to the princess alone. The red served the prince, and the purple bowed only to the king.

And long before I ever opened my eyes, blue and red were already at war.

In a kingdom where power was claimed through strength and loyalty was written in blood, Princess Kaelira had grown into something more than a warrior, she was working to get the throne. Cold, unyielding, and dangerously precise, she ruled her men and her lands with a quiet authority that left even her enemies watching their steps.

So when eight prisoners from a rival kingdom were thrown into the arena during the Annual Guard Ceremony, she should have seen nothing more than another display of violence. She should have felt nothing but boredom.
But she didn't.

There, in chains and rags, stood eight familiar faces-men she had once known, trained with, trusted. Now prisoners. Now forced to fight for their lives like animals beneath the eyes of the crown.
Eight men. Eight old friends.

That had been the moment everything shifted.

Kaelira had spent years playing the game, letting them believe she was only what they feared.
Now, she would remind them of who she was, of her abilities and her will.

Because crowns weren't given.
They were taken by force-
and she had more than enough power to win.