CHAPTER FIFTEEN
IRIS
The morning light spilled through my window as I tied the pink headband into place.
It sat neatly over my hair, soft against my skin.
The dress I wore was white, patterned with pale pink flowers and tied with pink lace down the front.
The skirt brushed my knees when I moved, light and easy to walk in.
The short sleeves left my shoulders bare to the sunlight.
Raven had not been pleased when I asked her to cover for me again. I had to promise her I would buy her the finest jewels I could find once I was able to. She sighed, muttering that I was a troublemaker, but she agreed all the same.
I went to the healer’s wing soon after. At the far end of the corridor was the same door I always used, the one hidden behind the old shelf of herbs. It opened straight into the forest, far from the guards’ patrols. The hinges creaked softly as I pushed it open.
Behind me, Raven’s voice carried faintly through the hall. “Try not to get caught.”
I didn’t answer. My pace quickened instead.
The air outside was warm, the sky bright and clear. I followed the narrow path through the trees, the grass brushing my skirts as I walked. The sound of birds rose and fell above me. Each footstep felt louder than it should have.
I knew I shouldn’t be doing this. I knew it even as I kept walking.
If Father ever found out I’d left the castle again, his temper would turn sharp enough to draw blood.
But still, I went.
I didn’t know what I expected to find, or why I needed to find it. Only that I did.
We hadn’t planned to meet today. There had been no promise between us, no word at all. But some part of me hoped he might still be there, waiting by the riverbank like before.
And if he wasn’t, I told myself I would turn back. I would return to the healer’s wing, pretend none of this had happened, and help Raven with her work.
But I didn’t turn back.
The path curved ahead, sunlight spilling through the leaves in quiet, golden lines. The sound of the river reached me before I saw it. My heartbeat quickened.
Through the trees, a figure came into view. He stood by the water’s edge, still and quiet beneath the branches.
William.
He wasn’t wearing armor this time. The black tunic he wore fit close around his chest, the fabric tied loosely at the neck. A dark belt crossed his waist, and his sleeves were rolled to his elbows.
The light caught the muscles beneath his skin, strong and
well-shaped. When he shifted, I saw the curve of his biceps and the way the fabric strained faintly at his shoulders.
For a moment, I just watched him. He was facing the water, quiet and still, one hand resting at his side. He looked nothing like the knight I’d met in the healer’s wing, but more like the man I met at the theatre. So calm and unburdened.
My heart started beating faster.
When his eyes met mine, a grin tugged at his lips. “I didn’t expect you to come.”
The sound of his voice caught me off guard. “I—” I hesitated for a moment, then looked down. “Neither did I expect you.”
He smiled, that small, teasing kind of smile. “I’m on night duty today. So I’m free all morning.” He paused, his tone softer. “And you?”
“The same as always,” I said, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. “I still have work in the healer’s wing. But Raven decided to cover for me again.”
His brow lifted slightly, amusement flickering in his eyes. “So you ditched your duty. To see me, or should I assume, since we didn’t plan anything, you came to see the river?”
Heat rose to my cheeks before I could stop it. I looked away quickly, pretending to focus on the ripples in the water. His quiet laugh reached me, low and rough, and it only made my heart beat faster.
“Maybe both,” I said softly. My voice didn’t sound steady, not even to me.
He chuckled again, the sound deep and easy. “Then I’ll count that as a victory.”
I bit back a smile and looked down at my hands. The air felt warmer now, softer somehow. The river moved quietly beside us, carrying the light across its surface.
Then he said, “You didn’t bring the book.”
I looked down at my hands.. “No. I think I forgot it in my bedchamber.”
He nodded once, the faintest smile still playing on his lips. “Good. It suits you better than it ever did me.”
The words settled in my chest, warm and confusing. I didn’t know how to answer, so I only watched him as he moved toward the nearest tree. He lowered himself to the ground, his movements unhurried, the sunlight catching his dark hair.
I hesitated before sitting too. The grass was cool beneath my palms, damp from the morning. My dress gathered around my knees as I sank down beside him. The space between us felt small but certain, the kind of space that made it hard to think about anything else.
For a while, we didn’t speak. The sound of the river filled the quiet between us, steady and low. I could feel the warmth of him at my side, close enough that it brushed against my sleeve. Every
small shift he made seemed louder than it should have been
He turned his head slightly, and when our eyes met, he didn’t look right away. Something flickered there, hesitation maybe, or the kind of courage that comes before a choice.
Then, slowly, he reached out.
His hand found my waist, light at first, as if waiting to see if I’d pull away. I didn’t. His fingers lingered there, unsure, and I saw the faint tremor in his hand, the smallest sign that he was nervous too.
My breath caught. My pulse stumbled against my ribs. He looked as though he might pull back, and for a moment, I almost let him. But before I could think better of it, I leaned closer.
My shoulder brushed his arm, and then my head found his shoulder. The movement was instinct, quiet and thoughtless, but the warmth of him under my cheek made something inside me flutter. The butterflies came quickly, wild and restless.
He didn’t move. His arm stayed where it was, steady now, no longer trembling. I felt him exhale slowly, the rise and fall of his chest beneath me. When I looked up, there was a faint smile on his lips. Almost disbelieving, like he couldn’t quite believe I’d stayed this close.
The quiet stretched between us, soft and unhurried. The air smelled faintly of grass and the river water, the kind of calm that made the rest of the world feel far away. I could hear the steady rhythm of his heart through his tunic, each beat strong and mimicking my own.
I tried to focus on something else, anything else. “What did the captain announce yesterday?” I asked quietly. “You left so early I didn’t get the chance to ask.”
He shifted slightly, his hand brushing my waist as he pulled me a little closer. My breath caught, but I didn’t move away. His arm stayed there, steady, and I let myself lean closer against him. My head stayed resting on his shoulder, and he smiled faintly at the gesture.
“Nothing too serious,” he said. His voice rumbled low beneath my ear.
“The captain said they’ve got small threats along the borders.
Nothing dangerous yet, but it could turn.
The king’s planning to marry off his daughter soon, to one of the neighboring kingdoms. Says it’ll strengthen ties. Build an alliance if war breaks.”
The words struck like ice.
For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. The stillness that had settled around us shattered at once. The air that had felt warm now felt sharp, heavy, wrong.
He kept talking, unaware. “He asked for volunteers to join the trip, but I didn’t sign up.”
I didn’t hear the rest. My heartbeat filled my ears, drowning everything else out. Marriage. My father was already arranging it.
He was deciding my life in the same tone he used for border threats and alliances.
My body went still. Then, without thinking, I stood.
“I have to go,” I said, my voice tight.
He rose halfway, confusion flashing across his face. “Elara, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I said, forcing the word out. “I just need to go.”
Before I could move, his hand caught my wrist. The touch wasn’t rough, but it stopped me. His voice was quiet, steady. “Something’s wrong. You don’t look like someone who’s just ‘has to go’.”
My breath hitched. His eyes searched mine, and for a moment I almost told him. Almost. But I couldn’t. Not now.
“I just remembered,” I said quickly, trying to steady my tone. “Raven said she needed extra help. One of the soldiers lost too much blood. I promised her I’d come back if she needed me.”
He hesitated, still holding my wrist, then finally let go. The warmth of his touch lingered even after his hand dropped away.
“I see,” he said, his voice lower now. “Then you should go. Be careful.”
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. “I will.”
I turned and ran, the sound of my footsteps swallowed by the forest. The wind caught my hair as branches brushed against my arms, but I didn’t slow. My pulse thundered in my ears. Every
thought tangled into the words: marry off his daughter.
By the time the castle walls came into view, my breath was ragged. I slipped through the back entrance that led into the healer’s wing, the same one I always used to sneak out.
Raven looked up from where she was tending to a guard’s arm, her sleeves rolled to her elbows. “Woah, you look—”
I didn’t let her finish. I rushed past her, nearly knocking over a
stool. “I’ll be back,” I muttered, though I didn’t even know if I would.
I pushed through the next door and into the corridor. My steps echoed against the stone as I moved, faster with every turn. The hall stretched long and endless, sunlight spilling through the tall windows in bright streaks across the floor.
When I reached the throne room, the guards straightened at the doors. Their eyes flicked to me before they bowed and stepped aside. The heavy doors opened with a low groan.
I stepped inside, the doors closing behind me with a heavy thud. The air felt colder here, sharper somehow.
“Father,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt.
He didn’t look surprised to see me. His gaze lifted from the parchment in his hands, slow and measured. “You’re supposed to
be helping Raven in the healer’s wing,” he said.
I took a step forward, my hands curling into fists at my sides. “You’re marrying me away?” The words came out louder than I intended, thick with disbelief. “You said we’d wait until I was 18!”
His expression hardened, the faintest crease forming between his brows. “Where did you hear this from?”
“That’s not important!” I snapped. “Explain it. Now!”
He exhaled through his nose, setting the parchment aside with deliberate calm. “I said,” he began, “that you would be married
within the next month if the threats from our borders grow worse.”
My heart pounded in my chest. “What threats?”
“None you should concern yourself with,” he said, his tone clipped.
“That’s not fair,” I said, my voice rising. “You can’t just decide my life for me. I should have a say in who I marry.”
“If it secures the safety of our kingdom,” he said, rising slightly from his throne, “then yes. I will gladly do it.”
The words hit harder than I expected. My chest tightened. “So all you care about is the kingdom? Not me?”
He looked down at me, his face carved from stone. “You are a princess before you are my daughter.”
Something inside me broke. I stumbled back, trying to breathe, but the air felt too thin. Tears gathered behind my eyes, hot and sharp, but I forced them down. I would not let him see me cry.
He saw anyway. His jaw tightened. “Get out.”
I turned and walked away, my steps quick, uneven. The guards
lowered their heads as I passed. The servants drew back, startled, their voices falling silent until only my footsteps filled the corridor.
When I reached my chambers, I shut the door behind me and leaned against it. The sound echoed through the room. The fire had burned low, the faint glow flickering over the walls.
He would marry me off within a month. Not when I was eighteen. Not when I was ready. Within a month.
Anger rose sharp in my chest. He didn’t see me as his daughter. Only as a piece to trade. A means to strengthen his throne.
The tears came then, no matter how hard I tried to stop them. I pressed my palms to my eyes, breathing hard, until the room blurred.
When I lowered my hands, the firelight caught the tears still clinging to my lashes. The anger in my chest gave way to something heavier, something that ached.
William.
I thought of the way he looked at me, the softness in his voice, the way his smile always seemed unsure at first, as if he wasn’t used to smiling.
Somewhere between those quiet moments, something had changed. I cared for him. And he, in his own quiet way, cared for me. There was no denying it anymore.
But the thought that followed made my chest tighten until it
hurt.
Would he still look at me that way if he knew?
If he found out I wasn’t Elara the healer, but Princess Iris, the king’s daughter, the girl being bargained away like a coin traded for pace?
The question wouldn’t leave me. It sank deep, cold and
unrelenting. My throat felt tight just imagining his face when he learned the truth. The trust in his eyes. The way it would fade.
I pressed a hand to my chest, trying to steady my breathing, but the ache only grew sharper. Still, beneath the fear, the truth waited quiet and insisted.
He deserved to know.
I turned toward the window. The last light of the day stretched across the sky, turning the glass to gold. The castle was still, the halls hushed in that soft, waiting silence that came before night.
I breathed in, slow and careful.
No matter what it cost me, I had to tell him.