Thalia Thornbreak's Arc

Chapter 3 of 9

The dragon was gone, and Thalia sat alone in the ruined hall. Wisteria blossoms drifted through the broken roof and settled on the stone floor. The objection was airborne. Her parents would know she meant to fight. But knowing was not enough. If she walked into the coronation as only a runaway daughter, the court would see a spoiled girl, not a queen. She needed proof of her worth. She had no army, no allies, no plan. She turned her jeweled sword over in her hands and watched the amethyst catch the light. A branch snapped outside. Thalia rose and pressed against the cold wall. A young man crept through the fractured doorway. He wore a travel-stained jacket and heavy boots. A worn bag hung across his chest. He did not see her. His eyes were fixed on a small creature ahead of him, a red panda with a bushy striped tail. It padded across the rubble, calm, watching him back. "Easy," the man whispered to the animal. "I've followed you two days. You could at least hold still." Thalia stepped from the shadow, sword raised. "This is my ground. Name yourself." The man stopped. He looked at the blade, then at her face. He did not run. "Marcus," he said. "A traveler. I'm hunting that panda, not you." He nodded at the creature. "Though I'm starting to think it's hunting me." The red panda climbed onto a fallen beam. It looked from Marcus to Thalia and back, its gaze steady and knowing. Then it settled, as if it had chosen to stay. Thalia lowered the sword. "You're no elf. You don't know these woods. Yet you tracked a beast across them for two days and didn't quit." An idea sparked. "That's a hunter's patience. I need eyes the court doesn't own." Marcus frowned. "Court? What court?" "I'm Thalia Thornbreak. My parents want to crown me and hand me a husband I never chose. I mean to take the crown my own way, by proving I earned it." She stepped closer. "But I have nothing to show. No deed. No victory. Only a title I was born to." Marcus glanced at the panda, then back at her. "Then find a deed. You've got a sword and a spine. Most people only manage one." The words struck her hard. She had been waiting for the court to grant her worth. She had been begging a priestess, chasing proof from others. No one would hand it to her. She had to go and earn it in the open, before the coronation, where the court could not deny what they saw. Thalia sheathed the blade. "Then help me. Two days on the road, and you tracked a ghost. Track this with me instead." Marcus studied her. The red panda chirped softly. He sighed. "I never could resist a strange trail." She had no proof yet. But she had a partner, a purpose, and a plan taking shape. She would ride out and win her worth by her own hand.