Chapter 54: Chapter-54

“Boats approaching! Three of them!”

She looked up. Three small, fast river boats were cutting through the water toward them. Men stood on the decks—armed men with weapons drawn.

“Pirates,” Kael said grimly, appearing beside her. “Or hired thugs. Either way, not friendly.”

Elara set down her papers and stepped back to give the fighters room. Practical. The merchant crew grabbed weapons. The beast knights emerged from below deck.

The transformation was immediate.

These were the same warriors who’d been falling over buckets three days ago. Who’d gotten tangled in ropes. Who’d looked clumsy navigating the deck.

In combat, they were something else entirely.

The fox knight assessed angles and distance with cold precision. Captain Lyra barked orders and the beast knights spread into perfect formation—no wasted movement, no hesitation. The hawk knight scaled the mast like gravity was optional.

“Your Highness, below deck,” the fox knight said. His voice had changed—cold, focused, lethal.

“I want to observe.”

“Now.” Not a request.

Elara calculated. Arguing would waste time and distract him. She stepped back toward the cabin entrance but stayed where she could see.

The first boat reached them. Grappling hooks. Men climbing aboard.

What happened next took maybe thirty seconds.

The wolf knight moved—one fluid motion and a man was unconscious before he cleared the rail. The fox knight flowed into combat like choreographed violence. Two attackers down in heartbeats.

The hawk knight dropped from above, landing behind three boarders. They went down before they registered his presence.

The bear knights became walls of armored muscle. One caught a sword on his forearm without flinching and responded with a punch that sent the attacker overboard.

Elara watched with analytical interest. Fifteen attackers against twenty-five trained warriors. The mathematics were clear. The outcome predictable.

Within two minutes, it was over. Attackers disarmed, unconscious, or fleeing. The three river boats turned and retreated at speed.

The beast knights regrouped, breathing barely elevated.

Then they went back to being slightly awkward on the moving deck. Captain Lyra checked her warriors, nodded, then stepped wrong on a coiled rope and stumbled. The hawk knight steadied her and nearly tripped over the same rope.

Interesting. Deadly in combat. Clumsy in peace.

“Clear!” Lyra called. “Threat neutralized!”

Dimitri appeared beside Elara, face pale and breathing hard. “That was… gods, that was…”

“Efficient,” Elara supplied.

He stared at her. “Efficient. Right.” His hands were shaking slightly. “Are you—you’re very calm.”

“They handled it well.” She picked up her dropped papers, checking them for water damage. One corner was wet. Annoying. “We should question the captured attackers. Determine if they were random pirates or hired specifically.”

“Your Highness.” Dimitri’s voice was strained. “We were just attacked. By armed men. Who wanted to kill us.”

“Yes. And the beast knights stopped them. The situation resolved favorably.” She looked at him. “Is there a problem?”

He opened his mouth. Closed it. Looked at her like he was seeing something unfamiliar. “No. No problem.”

The fox knight returned, back to his usual composed expression. “Your Highness. You’re safe.”

“Thank you. That was well executed.” She gestured to the deck where unconscious attackers lay. “Can we question them?”

“We’ll begin shortly.” He studied her face. “You’re not disturbed.”

“The threat was neutralized. You protected me effectively. I have no complaints.”

Something shifted in his expression. Not quite concern. More like… realization.

“Most people would need a moment after something like that,” he said carefully.

“I don’t need a moment. I need information about who sent them.” She met his gaze directly. “Is that a problem for you?”

A pause. “No. It’s tactically advantageous, actually. Clear thinking under pressure.”

“Then let’s use it.” She turned to Dimitri. “Get Mira and Soren. We’ll need detailed records of the interrogation.”

As she walked toward the cabin where they’d hold the prisoners, she heard Dimitri mutter to the fox knight: “Is she always like this?”

“Lately, yes.”

Elara ignored them. There was work to do. Questions to ask. Information to extract. Standing around processing emotions—or the lack thereof—wouldn’t accomplish anything.

The captured attackers were river thugs. Low-level criminals hired by someone in a dark cloak who’d paid well for “the princess not to reach Port Crestfall alive.” No names. No specifics. Dead end, but at least confirmation that someone was still trying.

“Eleana or someone else?” Dimitri asked later as they reviewed the information.

“Does it matter? Someone wants me dead. We already knew that.” Elara made notes. “What matters is they now know we have functional protection and won’t fall for simple river ambushes.”

“You’re very… practical about this.”

“Would being impractical help?”

“No, but—” He stopped. Tried again. “Never mind.”

That evening, as the sun set on their second-to-last day on the river, Elara stood at the rail watching the water.

Tomorrow they’d reach Port Crestfall. New city. New complications. New threats.

Somewhere behind her, beast knights who’d demolished fifteen attackers were carefully navigating wet deck planks like they were deadly obstacles.

The duality was absurd. But useful to know.

She filed the information away: her protection detail could handle combat. Maritime navigation required more practice.

One more day.

Then everything would change again.

She watched the darkening water and planned her next moves with cold, clear logic.

It was all she had.

It was enough.

.

.

.

Elara gave up on sleep around midnight. The cabin was comfortable enough, but her mind wouldn’t stop running calculations about Port Crestfall. Logistics. Threats. Contingencies.

She dressed and went on deck.

The night was clear after days of storms and violence. Stars reflected on the dark river. The barge moved steadily, peacefully. Tomorrow they’d arrive.

Someone was already at the rail. The fox knight, on watch.

“Can’t sleep?” he asked without turning.

“Too much to think about.” She joined him at the railing. “You’re on watch duty?”

“We rotate. This is my shift.” He glanced at her. “You should rest. Tomorrow will be complicated.”

“Resting isn’t happening. Too many variables to plan for.”

They stood in silence for a while. The river flowed past. Somewhere in the distance, a night bird called.

“Can I ask you something?” the fox knight said finally.

“You’re going to anyway.”

“When did it happen? The change.”

Elara considered lying. Deflecting. But he’d been protecting her for weeks now, had noticed things others hadn’t. “When I woke up. When I stopped being the dying princess.”

“You stopped feeling things.”

“I stopped feeling most things,” she corrected. “Pain still registers. Hunger. Physical sensations. But emotions…” She gestured vaguely. “They’re not there. Or they’re muted to the point of irrelevance.”

“That sounds lonely.”

“Does it?” She looked at him. “I wouldn’t know. I can’t feel loneliness either.”

He was quiet for a moment. “Do you want to feel them? Emotions?”

That was a better question than she’d expected. “I don’t know. Logically, emotions seem inefficient. They cloud judgment. Make people act irrationally. But I observe others and I’m aware I’m missing something. Context. Depth. Connection.”

“But you don’t miss it.”

“I can’t miss what I don’t remember having.” She leaned against the rail. “The previous Elara—the original princess—she probably felt things. I have her memories, vague ones, but I don’t have her emotional responses. It’s like reading about someone else’s life in a book.”

“That’s why you’re so calm under pressure.”

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