“Peasant to princess to queen to empress.
To spring from the first to the second was an act of God. To leap all four in a single year--- it was impossible.
And yet here she was, living her impossible life, Briar Rose the peasant bard, Aurora the princess, some new furious woman the queen.
What version of her would rise up once she became empress?
How many different versions of one person could she hold within her body until she broke from the strain?”