1. Chapter 1 #2
I tried not to listen to the rumors as I walked around the town that day. I had my own reasons to be anxious for their return, because before he left, Malik Dures and I were promised to one another, bound to marry as the future leaders of Sorrel.
But so much had changed since then.
I looked over at the empty seat at the head of the table to the left of me, thankful my husband wasn't present in the council room for the Dures' arrival.
The news of my marriage would no doubt be a shock, even if marrying another man wasn't something I had wanted.
But I had duties to fulfill as a daughter of the Lord of Sorrel, so I did what had to be done, and married Therian.
As much as I did not want to contend with the reality of Malik and Therian interacting, Therian's absence at least offered me a reprieve from having to pretend to be someone I was not when the Dures finally made their appearance.
I had learned to put on a mask these past ten years, suffocating the girl I had once been, the girl the Dures had once known.
But try as I might, I couldn't help but wonder if I would become that girl from all those years ago once more upon seeing them, or if I would stay the woman I had been forced to become—an unwavering Mother Blessed whose Divine had abandoned her.
The creak of the doors opening broke me from my thoughts, and together we all stood as the Dures paraded in, a gust of the crisp winter air rustling the banners that hung on the walls.
First to enter was Malik's father, Roswell Dures. Time had not changed him much, the familiarity of someone I had once known still there, with some added signs of age.
I watched as my father leveled his stare at Roswell, years of contempt towards his old ally who had abandoned him bubbling to the surface.
Only Roswell held no emotion on his face but grief, and it was then I realized that there was no sign of Selene—Malik's mother.
I looked at Roswell again, closer now, noticing his sunken eyes and a heaviness that only grief could paint.
I heard my brother suck in a breath next to me, the realization rolling over him as it did me. Surely word would have made it back to Sorrel if Selene had passed, but their grief looked new, and the thought that maybe they were the messengers of such news struck me.
My gaze flittered around the room, the shock of the truth hollowing out my chest until my eyes caught something light brown—the color of freshly chopped wood—in the form of eyes already trained on me.
I don't know when Malik entered the room, but looking at him, I became aware of every part of my body—my fingers trembling at my sides, my heart thumping in my chest, my mouth running dry, the scratch of the fabric over my skin.
My entire being came alive at the sight of him, whether from fear, excitement, or dread, I did not know.
It was odd, feeling this way about Malik. Growing up, he was my solace, my peace, but I felt neither of those in that moment. Maybe it was because I was suddenly alight with the woman I had become since he left, because standing before me, I saw just how much he had changed too.
Gone was the lanky boy I once knew, always too tall for his own body.
In front of me was a man honed by hours of training with his father's men, the contours of his clothes hugging every inch of him.
He had no doubt seen parts of this world that I could not even begin to imagine, as he held an air of someone well-traveled, someone who had sailed near and far.
He wore leathers that showed his high rank, with a fur cloak thrown over his shoulders and a sword at his hip.
His black hair was no longer cropped in the boyish short cut he always had when we were kids.
It now fell to his shoulders, giving him a wild, untamed look.
Paired with the scar he received on his lip during the Shroud, there was a roughness to his otherwise kind face.
He looked every bit of the powerful ruler I knew his father wanted him to be. An imposing look, yet he carried the air of someone you could trust.
I held his gaze, even if only for a moment.
It was the first time we had looked at each other in ten years, and there were so many things I had planned on saying to him when I first saw him again, my throat tightening as they all rushed to the surface.
I had played the conversation in my head over and over all these years, but I didn't get a chance to say anything before Malik's father began to speak.
"I do not want to waste time, as I know you all are angry with us, and diplomatic relations can be sorted later.
We come as allies, with word from the mainland of Yllsora that has found itself in my camps.
The rulers of Dellwyn wish to gain total rule over all nations of Yllsora, to establish a time of kings.
They wish to burn Rida and to eradicate all Mother Blessed and anyone who claims to have a connection with the Divine.
Until then, they are dealing with the Mother Blessed themselves. "
A thick silence fell over the room as we all took in his words and the weight they held.