Zoran squeezed my hand and dropped it, moving away. The cold weather swept in, cooling the blush staining my cheeks as Zoran's palpable heat vanished. The snowstorm picked up, pelting snow and hail at me in the whipping winds. 

I lifted an arm to shield my face from the icy assault just as he raised his palm to the sky, light blue glow illuminating his hand as he concentrated. The gray clouds broke apart and snowflakes and chunks of ice paused in midair. He closed his fist and the ice and snow melted around us, softening the sand underfoot with the innumerable drops. 

I was at a loss for words as I repeated Zoran's in my head. He believed I had heart even after I'd killed one of my best friends and two other innocent Draconians. 

"Well, if that wasn't the most encouraging and confrontational compliment I'd ever received," I groused. 

"I wasn't trying to flatter you, princess. It was a warning – one you must not take lightly. You are going to be my Champion, so you are my responsibility to deal with. You need to understand just how dire our situation is in the midst of this war." 

"You're speaking as if I'm some burden or liability you have to take care of in order to save your own skin." 

Zoran deadpanned, "That's exactly what I'm saying. Once we are bonded as Champions, the death of one of us results in the fatality of the other. I've already had to come to your aid too many times as it stands. To say I'm concerned is an understatement." 

"I'm going to go speak to my father. I'm sure he'll be able to bypass Hyrule's decision and pair us with other Champions," I said, turning away from him as I gestured Serene to come over. 

The young, white dragon leapt up and padded over to me, lowering her neck once she reached me. Grabbing her horns, I hefted myself onto her neck and saluted Zoran as I was lifted higher than his tall stature. He shook his head and clicked his tongue, saying, "I am not saying I don't want to be your Champion. It's going to be a challenge, but the Test of Talons will determine whether we're as appropriate for each other as Hyrule seems to expect. And one last thing." 

"Yes?" 

"Be sure to tell the emperor his daughter has found her bond for life, and that bond is not going to be with Shade Cross," he said, watching as Serene took a few running steps and launched herself above his head. "It'll be with Zoran Masters." 

Serene beat her wings and carried us away from Clear Water, heading up the mountain towards the Nyrial Castle as I clenched my jaw. Zoran confused me with his frosty attitude toward me only to heat up the fiery manner he regarded me with just moments later. I shook my head to clear my thoughts as the ice castle came into view twenty minutes later. 

"Thanks, Serene," I said, patting the fuzzy spot between her horns as I slid off her neck and planted my feet on the slippery stairs. Rubbing her iridescent scale, I recalled her to the dragon realm to rest and rejuvenate her essence as I climbed the steps with two other scales in my pocket. The guards nodded at me in recognition and their dragons kept their snouts pointed outwards without acknowledging me. Ipursed my lips, wondering just how grim the war was for the ice sculpturesto be replaced by actual dragons now. I slipped by them and opened the heavy double doors of the castle as my heart picked up speed. 

I entered the flashy entranceway and scrunched my nose at the gaudy chandelier and tacky picture frames of past famous Draconians lining the walls along each staircase spiraling on both sides of the foyer. With a deep breath, I made my way up the four flights of stairs to my father's office and stopped at the door to calm down. 

I clasped the ring hanging from the doorknocker of the dragon's jaw against the wood to signal my arrival. The door swung open with a gust of wind as it had the first time I'd been to his office. My father sat at his desk with an expectant look on his face as I stepped inside and took a seat in front of him. Swirling his hand, he closed the door behind me and leaned back, assessing me with his cold blue eyes. 

"You did not speak to me after your visit with the Wielder," he scolded as his way of greeting me. 

Nice to see you, too. Sike. 

"I know, I was busy practicing for the challenges leading up to our midterm – final – evaluations," I lied, removing my power-blocking glove to show him my naked palm, "and he didn't grant me a power, so I figured it would have been a waste of your time." 

His eyes narrowed on the space my Insignia should have been two years prior. 

"Then why are you here now?" He demanded, tone lowering several degrees. "The Wielder is dead and he has taken the answer to your ineffectiveness out with him." 

The news of his death shouldn't have surprised me. The Wielder was ancient, but he'd shown me patience and allowed me to see every power in existence. My heart swelled at the thought of him dying alone and I felt bad for the old man. 

I decided to keep the mysterious vial I'd received from the Wielder a secret from the emperor. He'd make me consume the liquid as soon as he found out it was meant to kickstart my power despite the Wielder cautioning against using it prematurely. And now that he was no longer alive, I had to figure out when to use the vial and hope it granted me a power because there was no going back to the Wielder for help. 

"I have something else to tell you," I said, clasping the glove back over my hand. "I've been selected to join the Force." 

He didn't answer for several moments, but the muscle ticked in his jaw. 

I rushed on before he could refute it. "Hyrule chose me as the winner in the final challenge, and he also chose Zoran. He paired us as Champions in the Force instead of letting us decide our Duty for ourselves like we were supposed to be allowed to for winning the competition." 

"Your Duty is to be the Ravos Prince's wife. I will not have you tarnish any of my Elemental Forces with your futile weakness." 

I wanted nothing more than to knock the obsidian crown off his head and remove each colorful gemstone. I found my smaller crown without the red stone of the Fire Force like I'd requested should I return from the Wielder on the corner of his desk and drew my lips together in a thin line. I knew I'd end up in the Ice Force since Zoran was my Champion and he'd already been told he would join that Elemental Force, but the premise still stood. 

"Yeah, well tell that to Zoran. He wanted to make sure I told you, and I quote, 'Be sure to tell the emperor his daughter has found her bond for life, and that bond is not going to be with Shade Cross'," I said, confident I'd repeated Zoran's command word for word. "'It'll be with Zoran Masters'." 

Emperor Nepheus leaned back in his chair, amusement flickering across his stern face. "What a shame," he said, a hostile sneer lifting his full lips in a smirk, "I thought my Ice Force Commander's son was smarter and more respectful than that. He was the most promising out of your class and now you'll be the death of him. You're already sullying his promising potential." 

Iground my teeth, having had enough of his constant scorn. I stood up, flattened my hands on his desk, and leaned forward. 

"I will survive the Test of Talons and prove I'm cut out to be Zoran's Champion in the Force. And when I do, you'll realize you need me more than I've ever needed you," I stated, eyeing my crown. "You need me to fight in this war we're losing, and you need me to marry the Ravos Prince to end it once my power emerges. The only thing I need from you is to keep telling me just how worthless you think I am. The desire to prove the emperor wrong outweighs any other motivator." 

I snatched my crown from his desk and placed it on my head, bowing deep with my arms spread wide as I kept my eyes pinned on his. "I'll see you at graduation where you'll be the one to announce my place in your Force." 

Straightening, I tipped my crown at him and spun on my heel as I waited for him to fire back with an enraged retort. I pulled open the monstrous door and exited as the emperor remained silent. I drew the door shut behind me without looking back. 

Just as it was about to fully close, his glacial voice flowed through the thin crevice. 

"For the sake of our entire empire's fate, I hope you are right."

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