Emerald stepped into the muddy clearing and unrolled her audition flyer against a tree. She came to Damperglow to build a kingdom, a dance troupe so sharp the whole planet would copy its shape. But the lord's new rule hung over every village: no gatherings, no crowds, no exceptions. A poster nailed beside hers promised iron shackles for anyone who dared. She tore her flyer down and smiled. If she could not call dancers to her, she would become the spectacle herself. Emerald set her small pink dinosaur companion on a stump, pressed play on a tinny speaker, and danced alone on the forest road. Travelers slowed. A child mimicked her footwork. By dusk, three strangers had followed her deeper into the trees, asking where she would dance next — and a rider in the lord's colors had seen her face.