Chapter 37 #2
She squeezes gently, offering me a small smile. “You are not Dasmyrin, anymore. And I cannot expect you to be.”
We sit in silence for a while, the kind that settles softly despite the heaviness hanging over us. Both of us have been so irrevocably changed by grief. And every single part of our pain, Korithax’s pain, Aran’s pain, everyone around us… it’s all down to one group of celestial assholes.
“I missed him,” I murmur at last. “My soul physically hurt without him. And now he’s back… but he’s not.”
“It is fresh,” Elyistria says, her thumb brushing over my knuckles. “Things cannot return to what they were. But together, you are still unstoppable.”
She rises gracefully, smoothing her robes, and offering me a smile so warm it comforts a long-lost part of me. “Do not let change ruin your love, Daisy. Embrace the new.”
And then she leaves, and I’m left alone in the training hall, surrounded by scorch marks, broken steel, and a sword that remembers a life, a woman, a goddess… that I do not.
The room feels too large without voices in it.
But despite everything Elyistria said, a terrifying thought still races through my mind.
Loving Korithax again might be harder than losing him ever was.
But nothing has ever been easy for us. Not love, not life.
So how can I expect anything different now?
He is still my husband. He is still my mate. For better or for worse… right?
I don’t stay in the training hall long after Elyistria leaves.
The silence presses in too tightly, my brain screaming at me with words I don’t want to hear. The sword rests against the bench where I left it, the ruby still faintly glowing with residual power. I can’t bring myself to touch it again, not right now anyway.
I exit through the doors and turn to one of the guards. “Can you place my sword in my chambers, please? It’s the one with the ruby.” The guard nods and I go to leave before glancing over my shoulder. “Just my chambers. Not mine and Korithax’s.”
He pauses, a small look of confusion flickering over his face before he schools his emotions and nods once.
The halls of Zeriavoss feel different today. Not hostile, just… watchful. Whispers follow me from every turn, sliding between pillars and rippling tapestries as I pass. Heads bow, eyes lift, footsteps hesitate. They know. Or at least they think they do.
Their king has returned. My chest tightens at the thought.
I don’t know where Korithax went after everything. I didn’t return to our chambers, I couldn’t. It didn’t feel like mine anymore. That room held a life I no longer recognised, no longer remembered. It held a life that didn’t belong to either of us anymore.
I follow instinct more than logic, letting my feet carry me through corridors I now know as well as my own heartbeat. Somewhere between the inner halls, a soft voice calls my name.
“Daisy?” A hand touches my shoulder.
I stop short, her familiar presence making my heart skip. “Lyvia,” I say, turning fully. “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you.”
She smiles softly. “I thought that might be the case.”
Her eyes flick over my face, lingering just a fraction too long, as if searching for something beneath the surface. Then, carefully—
“Is it true?” she asks quietly. “That King Korithax has returned?”
The question hits harder than it should. Though, I’m not actually sure why, and it causes my body to stiffen. “Who told you that?”
As far as I was aware, only a handful of guards knew about his return, as well as my inner circle here at the castle. Even the other leaders, except Sariya and Elyistria, didn’t know he was back.
Lyvia blinks, clearly startled by my tone, but recovers almost instantly.
“Oh—well. I was sent, actually.” She gestures vaguely upwards.
“Someone higher up in Sovarith heard rumours spreading through the scribes. They wanted confirmation. And… well,” a small, apologetic smile spreads across her face, her lavender eyes sparkling, “given my friendship with you, they thought I’d be the least intrusive. ”
I exhale slowly, the tension wracking my body easing just a notch. Of course. Sovarith thrives on knowledge. Their records need to be constantly updated, every event, every life, death… you name it, it’s there.
“He’s back,” I say quietly. “But he’s not ready to speak to anyone. Neither am I.”
Lyvia nods immediately. No surprise, no disappointment. Just understanding. “That makes sense,” she says gently, gesturing with her hands. “After everything.”
We fall into step together, our pace unhurried as we stroll through the halls together.
The quiet between us isn’t uncomfortable, but it’s heavy with things neither of us can say aloud.
I tell her the basics when my brain gets too loud in the silence—that Korithax has returned through means I don’t fully understand yet, that the bond is real, that he’s here but… changed.
“I don’t think he knows how to exist in this place anymore,” I admit softly as we near my old chambers. “Or maybe he just doesn’t know how to exist with me.”
Lyvia glances at me, her brow furrowing. “That doesn’t sound like him.”
“No,” I agree. “It doesn’t.”
We stop outside the chamber door. For a moment, neither of us move. Then Lyvia steps forwards and wraps her arms around me in a gentle, grounding hug. I freeze at first, then melt into it, clutching the fabric of her robes like an anchor.
“I’m glad you’re no longer alone in all of this,” she murmurs. “No matter how fractured things feel right now.”
“Thank you,” I whisper. “For being the one to do this.”
She pulls back, smoothing her expression into something professional once more. “I’ll tell the High Scribes that the rumours are true, but that both the King and Queen are not receiving visitors at this time.”
I offer her a grateful smile. “Thank you, Lyvia. And I’m proud of how far you’ve come.”
Her face lights up, her smile genuine. “Of course, Daisy. Thank you.”
She turns to leave just as I open the door. The moment it swings inwards, I feel it. Korithax is there. Standing near the far wall, arms crossed, smoke-like shadows coiling around him restlessly. His head snaps up sharply, and for once jarring heartbeat, his gaze isn’t on me. It’s on Lyvia.
Something flickers across his face. Confusion. A sharp, unsettling focus that sends a prickle of unease racing up my spine. His eyes narrow slightly, as if trying to see through her rather than at her.
I glance at Lyvia and notice she’s frozen in place. She frowns, just barely, her brows drawing together as if she can feel whatever he’s feeling as well. I brace myself for some form of altercation, not knowing how to appropriately react to Korithax anymore.
But just as abruptly, Korithax looks away. He turns and strides past me without a word, pushing open the balcony doors and stepping out into the open air, the doors clicking shut behind him.
I swallow hard and glance back at Lyvia. “I’m sorry,” I say quietly. “He’s… not himself.”
Lyvia blinks, the tension smoothing from her face as she regains control. “Oh. Of course.” She straightens, offering me a composed smile though her words come out flushed and stuttered. “No worries at all. I’ll take my leave.” She slips away from the hall, footsteps light but hurried.