As the guildmaster’s words boomed through the square, Ellie felt the weight of expectation settle on her shoulders like a mantle too heavy to bear. The crowd surged closer, hungry for reassurance that their hero—the woman who had stared down Kael Thorne—was as invincible as they imagined. But Ellie felt anything but invincible.

Her pulse quickened. She was trapped here. Trapped by their belief in her. By their faith.

“Ellie, come on,” the guildmaster grinned, oblivious to her discomfort as his grip on her shoulder tightened. “You should be celebrating with us! You gave that dark sorcerer a lesson he won’t forget.”

Ellie tried to nod, but her throat constricted. “I didn’t... I mean, I didn’t do anything.” The words fell from her mouth before she could stop them, a quiet protest buried under the crowd’s roar.

But no one heard her. Or they didn’t want to. The guildmaster’s booming laugh drowned her out. “Nonsense! We all saw it. He was about to unleash his fury, but one look at you—and he knew. He knew he couldn’t win.”

Ellie blinked, her chest tight, words sticking to the back of her throat. Couldn’t win. That wasn’t what had happened. She hadn’t defeated Kael. She hadn’t even fought him. He’d simply... left. His eyes had locked with hers, dark and unreadable, and then he had vanished like smoke into the horizon. No magic, no threats. Just that chilling promise: I will return.

The crowd swarmed closer, the villagers’ faces awash with admiration, pressing in, eager to touch their hero. “Ellie! Ellie!” they chanted, and each time they said her name, it felt like a tether tightening around her, pulling her deeper into the role they’d cast her in.

A hero.

A lie.

Her breath came shallow, panic bubbling under her skin, but she couldn’t let them see it. She forced herself to stand taller, to smile like they expected her to. Her eyes scanned the sea of faces, looking for a way out.

Fen moved toward her again, cutting through the throng with the ease of someone used to navigating the crowd. He was quiet—always had been—but right now, his presence was a lifeline. His brow furrowed as he approached, his eyes dark with concern. He didn’t cheer like the others. Didn’t grin or clap her on the back.

Instead, he stopped just short of her, his gaze searching. “Ellie,” he murmured, voice low enough that only she could hear. “You don’t have to stay out here. Let’s get away from all this, yeah?”

Her eyes flicked to him, her relief almost palpable. But before she could respond, a young woman darted forward, her face alight with breathless excitement. “Ellie, you were amazing!” she gasped. “We’re going to have a feast in your honor—everyone’s already talking about it! You’ve saved us all!”

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Ellie’s stomach churned. “I... I didn’t...”

The girl’s face shone with admiration. “You stood up to him. That’s more than anyone’s ever done.”

“I didn’t fight him,” Ellie muttered, though her voice was drowned out by the crowd’s rising clamor.

Fen’s hand hovered near her arm, but it didn’t quite reach her. “Ellie, you need to get out of here,” he said again, his voice more urgent now. “Come on.”

But the crowd pressed in tighter, eager to wrap her in their gratitude. She could feel their hands brushing against her arms, feel their eyes on her, bright with hope and expectation. Her heart hammered in her chest. She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think.

And over it all, Kael’s voice echoed in her mind, chilling and unshakable.

I will return.

Her vision blurred as she took another step back, trying to escape the suffocating wave of adoration. They wouldn’t let her go. Not now. Not ever. Not until she was exactly what they needed her to be.

A hero.

A protector.

Someone stronger than Ellie Liddell could ever hope to be.

Her gaze flickered to the horizon again, where Kael had disappeared. The fear gnawed at her insides, sharp and relentless. He wasn’t gone. Not for good. She could feel it, a dark presence lurking just beyond the edges of her consciousness. He’d be back.

And next time, she wouldn’t be able to fake it. Next time, there’d be no escaping the truth.

“Ellie?”

Fen’s voice snapped her back to the present. He was closer now, standing right in front of her, blocking her view of the crowd, his expression taut with concern. He reached for her hand, his touch light but steady. “We need to get you out of here.”

She looked at him, trying to find the words, but her voice failed her. All she could do was nod, her heart hammering in her chest.

The guildmaster was still laughing, still celebrating, oblivious to the panic clawing at her insides. “Our Ellie,” he shouted to the crowd, raising his arms. “The pride of Greymire! No one can stand against her!”

The cheers rose again, deafening, drowning out everything else.

Ellie couldn’t hold back the tremble in her hands anymore. She clenched them into fists, her nails biting into her palms, trying to anchor herself, to keep herself from falling apart. But the more she fought it, the worse it became. The weight of their expectations, their blind faith, was crushing her.

“Ellie,” Fen said, his voice firm now, cutting through the noise. “We’re leaving. Now.”

She looked at him, her breath hitching in her throat. For a moment, she considered refusing. Considered staying and playing the part they wanted her to play.

But then she felt it again. That cold, dark presence, lurking just out of sight. Kael’s voice, whispering through her mind.

I will return.

She couldn’t stay. Not here. Not with them.

Not when she knew the truth.

Without another word, she turned and followed Fen, pushing through the crowd as quickly as she could, her heart thudding in her chest. She didn’t stop. Didn’t look back.

But even as they slipped away from the square, the weight of their eyes stayed with her, heavy and suffocating.

And deep down, she knew that no matter how far she ran, she’d never outrun their expectations.

Or the storm that was coming.