Far away, inside the palace, the council hall was dark.
The mysterious man stood alone at the long table.
A messenger knelt before him.
"The riders delivered the message," the messenger said.
The man nodded slowly.
"And?"
"They resisted."
The man smiled faintly."Of course they did."
He walked toward the great window overlooking the kingdom.
The city looked peaceful.
Too peaceful.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he asked quietly,
"Do you know why the council fears Princess Aria?"
The messenger shook his head.
The man turned.
His eyes were cold.
"Because she carries something they cannot control."He picked up an ancient book lying on the table.
The cover was old.
The symbol on it matched the royal crest.
But older.
Much older.
"Her bloodline," the man said softly, "was never meant to rule just one kingdom."
He closed the book slowly.
"It was meant to rule all of them."
The messenger looked shocked.
"What should we do now?"
The man smiled."Nothing."
He turned back toward the window.
"Let her run."
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"She is walking exactly where I need her to go."