Then I focused on my people.

The unnaturally bad sandstorms that had been plaguing the kingdom started to dwindle, and caravans were coming and going once more.

Latia was the first one to claim a place in the caravan across the desert. She’d only remained after her mother left because she wanted revenge against my father for forcing her mother to flee all those years ago. Now that he was dead, she wanted to reunite with her mother. And she needed time to heal. So while I wished she would stay, wished for a chance to get to know the brave girl she’d hidden for so long, I respected her decision to go.

A handful of the Desert Boys elected to go with her, but most decided to stay. Many had joined my newly created soldier training program. If we were going to open our gates to the world, we’d need to be prepared to defend them.

I lifted the ban on only having two children, and I removed the water restrictions. That made Dimic the happiest of all. On most days, Cion had to drag him out of the bathtub, which surprised me since Dimic had recounted how he’d been sucked into one of the wells like we had when the dam exploded. Except he’d managed to grab a shard of wood from the dam, and when the wave took him, he used the wood just like he was used to doing on the desert hills. He surfed his way along until the force of the water shot him straight out of the well closest to the palace. He kept claiming it was the greatest moment of his life. He was the only Desert Boy who’d surfed on water and not just sand.

As for Cion and me, we spent most of our nights watching sunsets from the palace. He called me his Achran Flower, and I grew to love the nickname just as I did him. And I already knew no matter if we had sons or daughters someday, there’d be no more fighting in the arena. Because my mother was right. While I was sure all our children would learn to fight, they would also be taught that it takes more than just skill with a blade to rule a country. We needed to band together in order to survive, in order to grow stronger.

Hopefully all the generations to come would learn from my example, from my legend, as I was told my story was quickly becoming. For I may not have been able to make it across Scorpion Hill without being stung, but I’d survived.

In some ways, that made me stronger than Tamlin ever was, for I knew the poison the desert held. I had it flowing in my veins, making me part of the desert itself. And for now, the desert had chosen me to lead these people. That was enough for me.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Once again, I give all glory and honor to God, Jesus, Mother Mary, and the angels and saints, who have all guided me along this path. A special shout out to Saint Kateri for inspiring me and for letting me borrow her name to inspire my character.