I woke up with sunlight burning my face. When I opened my eyes, I saw that I was on the commander’s horse; his strong arms were around me, guiding the animal down a road.

“Good thing you woke up, princess,” he said behind me.

“Where are we going?”

“To the palace, of course. Don’t worry, nobody knows you ran away. Your stepmother, Hera, the queen, found your letter and banned the floor of your room, saying that you caught a very contagious virus and that only ...