Summary:
The reincarnated Hawk is gone. Falconia is in ruins. The Princess of Midland has been chosen as a sacrifice by the people in an attempt to appease the armored Beast terrorizing the land.
(Mature [rating subject to change], for @tortured-griffith)
Chapter 1 Snippet:
One last kiss to the faceless lodestone king, a final apology sent to the winds that she hoped would reach him, and the sign of the Hawk to seal her fate.
The older woman squeezed her hands and nodded at one of the servants near the door.
“Thank you for your sacrifice, your highness,” she whispered, plucking the last ties to her beloved from Charlotte’s shaky hands. “The kingdom is forever in your debt.”
You left me no choice.
Of course, her upbringing had taught her better than to point to the inherent unfairness of being traded like cattle.
Charlotte knew better than to cry about the cruelty of having the last illusion of freedom torn away from her, like the lodestone king she was begging heaven to rescue her.
“It is an honour to serve my people,” she managed to whisper through tears, unable to keep her voice from cracking at the end. “The kingdom comes first.”