CROWNED BY BLOOD
When I spoke, my voice rang clear and certain despite the chaos churning in my heart.
"I was born to a crown forged by others," I called to them, watching torchlight flicker in thousands of eyes. "But I earned the right to wear it through blood, through fire, through losses that would have broken lesser souls. What comes with dawn is not a war of vengeance though vengeance will be served. It is not a war of conquest though we will claim victory. This is a war of renewal, of rebirth. The world we create in the crucible of this conflict will echo through generations yet unborn."
They roared their answer, ten thousand voices raised as one, blades lifted toward stars that seemed to burn brighter