Chapter 28
Irose early the next morning, dressed in silence, and slipped out before Cora woke. My feet traced the steps through the hall, down to the garden. I needed to find Thalen—to discuss Agan’s letter.
“I thought I might find you here.” Fyn stepped in front of me as I entered the walled garden. “Don’t do this.” His eyes pleaded as his fingers wrapped around my shoulder.
I struggled to get free of his grasp. “Why? So, you won’t have to report back to him again?”
“He deserved to know. You were in Thalen’s arms.” His voice was a low roar.
“It doesn’t concern you, Fyn. It doesn’t concern Lioran, either.”
“He loves you.” Fyn grimaced. “I thought I knew you—knew what you stood for. Maybe I don’t.”
“I deserve a future. I’m not going to sit and wallow while Lioran does whatever is best for him.”
Fyn shifted his weight, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. “How easy was it for you to forgive him for what he ordered his men to do? I still picture Lioran’s blood on my hands, but you…you’ve forgotten entirely.”
Flashes of crimson crossed my vision as I held an inhale. “I will never forget, or forgive him for it.” Tears pooled in my eyes as my heart thundered.
“But you’ll choose to marry him anyway?”
“There is no way out of this,” I snapped.
“You can tell yourself that all you want…” Fyn’s tone went flat. “But it still doesn’t explain why you just let him hold you. You weren’t being forced—you let him.”
“Lioran didn’t stand up for me in the throne room. When I was broken from it all—he didn’t come for me afterwards. He abandoned me.”
“He hasn’t.” He leaned in closer to me. “The king and queen have been keeping him busy with endless meetings and introductions.”
“Introductions?” My blood went cold. “To find his bride?”
Fyn winced—it gave me all the answers I needed.
Whatever we were was over.
“He will do as he must, and I will do the same.” I pushed past Fyn, but he circled in front of me again.
“Lioran’s been trying to find a way out of your arrangement with Thalen. Trying to pave a future for you.”
“He said nothing of the sort when he came into my chambers and berated me. If Lioran cared to do anything for my future, he’d tell me himself. I don’t see him anywhere. Do you?”
For a moment I thought I felt Lioran’s warmth again, but I knew better than to turn around and find an empty space.
Fyn’s eyes darted well above my head.
Lioran’s voice cracked behind me, “My heart is still yours. It never stopped being yours. But as long as it is, you’re in danger. If I care too much—too deeply—they’ll force you to marry Thalen. You won’t have a choice, Aelira. I won’t be able to stop it.”
I pivoted to face him.
He braced his arms across his chest. “It turned out none of it mattered. No amount of fighting will reverse your decision. Do you need help finding your betrothed?”
“The rebellion—King Ardyn—they killed him.” The parchment shook in my hands as I shoved it into his chest. “Agan is on the throne.” My breath caught, and for a moment I couldn’t speak. “Ashlyn is in danger.”
The corner of Lioran’s lips slipped as he carefully read each word. “You would give your freedom to help them? Agan did nothing to help you. He tried to—” He seethed.
“I’m not going for him.” I tore the letter from his grasp. “I have to protect my sister.”
“Thalen can’t help Bailoc.”
“You would hate to think he could,” I said.
Fyn’s boots scraped the dirt. “Lioran.”
“Leave, Fyn,” he scolded.
“Don’t you dare go anywhere,” I commanded.
“Enough,” Fyn’s voice sharpened. “Figure this out—both of you. I will stand here so you two are not seen alone together, but I have nothing more to say.” He became a silent wall beside me.
“Thalen’s supplies come from Pyrran. Pyrran gets shipments from Lythira that he disperses to every territory under our protection—shipments I can’t keep up with because of the blight,” Lioran explained. “Without those shipments he will barely have enough food to feed Kybar, let alone the Vale.”
“Thalen knows this?” I asked.
“I’m not sure how much he knows yet. There is a process that Pyrran maintains as Guardian of Kybar—his merchants prepare everything in advance. Our territories are now just starting to see the impact.”
“He lied to me.” I knew he would, but I was desperate to believe him.
“If you go with him, you may be able to protect Ashlyn. I will send whatever I can to the Vale, I can’t promise the same for Bailoc.” His gaze hardened and I felt my heart sever.
Tears streaked my vision. “You must have found your perfect match.”
“I have.” Lioran glanced the other way. “But I can’t keep you.”
Lioran left as quickly as he arrived.
Rough bark greeted my fingertips, as I braced a tree in the walled garden. I felt it hum just as I had in Lythira, but it was different here—a steady marching beat, that echoed my heart.
Ladies and lords walked throughout the walled gardens; their voices elevated above the winds.
My fingernails settled into the grooves of the tree and the onyx warmed against my skin as my eyes shut. Humming vibrations resounded in my chest, poured into the tree from my fingertips. The murmurs faded—rustling leaves and birdsong echoed above it all.
Footsteps struck the dirt, not one set of feet, but two—their cadence stilled before me.
The queen’s cold gaze greeted mine as my eyes opened, followed by Calyth’s. Dozens of newly formed white blooms danced around the tree. The queen’s lips pursed.
The silky petals slid beneath my quaking fingers. My fingernails pinched the stem, freeing the foreign bloom. I presented it to the queen.
She let the bloom fall between us. “Moonflowers? What an unusual choice. I hope you can remove them as easily as you make them grow.”
Calyth held his mother’s arm as he assessed the fresh blooms. He looked so much like Lioran—the same silver eyes and dark locks.
“Perhaps you can convince your brother to pick a bride. He can’t reject them all.” The queen’s tone was flat. “I’ve finally found a proper lady who will entice him. He was never going to choose you, Aelira. My son will always prioritize the crown.”
Lioran’s future was sealed. Soon, mine would be, too.
“I need a word with Princess Aelira.” Calyth bowed his head toward his mother.
“You will be expected in the throne room shortly, for the remaining introductions. We can’t keep Lioran’s future wife waiting.” The queen left us without another word.
“Will you walk with me?” Calyth extended his arm, but my grip tightened around the tree. “I fear Pyrran has given you the worst impression of us.”
“Pyrran is…unforgettable.”
Calyth chuckled. We passed the rows of neatly arranged tulips, they swayed in time with the breeze—I breathed in their scent, savoring their sweetness.
“My mother sees you as a threat—one she must control.”
“I’m well aware.” My eyes met his only for a moment.
“They will not entertain his wish.”
“They haven’t sent me off to marry Thalen.” The words escaped my lips without thought. I had no idea what Calyth was capable of, or if I could even trust him.
“They haven’t. Which works in our favor. Your magic is too powerful to be silenced in the Vale.”
“Our favor?”
“I would like for you to return to Eyrsea with me.” He tilted his head toward me.
I didn’t know why he would offer it. “Why would you want that?”
“My parents may be blind to what you have to offer… but I am not.” He shielded his eyes from the blinding sun. “The sea is mine to command—the land is yours. Together, we would be powerful. Eyrsea would thrive and you would be protected.”
My hand fell from his. “Protected how?”
“As my wife, Aelira.”
A pit formed in my stomach with his words. Lioran couldn’t know about this—he would never accept it. I couldn’t accept it.
“And Lioran…does he know what you propose?”
“He has enlisted my help in giving you a future you deserve.”
This was his plan. This was how he would alter my fate?
Nausea ripped through me. I almost reached for Calyth to brace me, but my body instinctively recoiled.
“Think it over. I leave to return to my territory in a couple of days—I think you’d love Eyrsea as much as I do.” He bowed his head to me.
I would be passed around and traded for the sake of Nythrel—Lioran approved of it.
“Your offer is generous…I will think it over.” I could barely say the words.
Calyth could free me from a life with Thalen, but every day I would look at him and I would only ever see Lioran.
I was resigned to accept my fate with Thalen, but Lioran never would. He would rather I bond with his brother.
If I went with Thalen and shipments stopped coming from Pyrran, I wouldn’t have power to change Ashlyn’s fate. Going with him wouldn’t reverse the blight. I thought of Thalen’s hands around my waist—the way his eyes searched mine as if he was uncovering every truth hidden behind them.
Thalen wouldn’t leave without me, not unless I made a choice that made it impossible for him to take me from Nythrel.
I gripped the bodice, unlacing the ties that crushed my chest and waist—the pain was unbearable.
Calyth promised me a future. A life with him may grant me peace and freedom, but I would be his wife—bound to him for the rest of my days.
It wouldn’t protect Ashlyn—the divide wouldn’t allow her to pass through.
The velvet curtain curled beneath my fingertips as the wind rapped on the window.
Each day since we arrived, I watched people come and go through the garden—all admired a perfectly arranged display of flowers contained within stone walls.
Every bit monotonous and organized, except the tree that bore my flowers—a complete outlier.
I crossed the divide, defied all logic, broke every rule—held magic that only the heir to the throne should have possessed.
Footsteps echoed beyond my chamber walls. Life would continue here without me—but my life, my choice still mattered.
The cold metal latch released beneath my fingers. A whisper of wind caressed my cheek, carrying a familiar melody. The song of the land simmered inside me; my magic responded to it. It settled within me, pulsing and beating in time with it all.
It had to be what certainty felt like.
There was only one place I ever felt I belonged, only one home I longed for even still—Lythira.
It needed me, called to me even here. Cora had a vision that I could restore the land and bring it back to life.
If her vision was right—if I was capable—I wouldn’t need Thalen or Calyth to determine my fate.
I could create my own.
It was time to seal it in a way they couldn’t reverse.
I would make a bargain with the king to reverse the destruction my legacy created.
To heal the lands—I would give a part of myself that I loved most.
Myrwood Grove would take my magic, I would give it freely—until only pieces of me remained.
The door handle turned. Lioran peered around the door.
“You spoke with Calyth…” His words were hesitant.
I had hoped he didn’t know what Calyth had planned, but he did.
My hands settled on my waist. “I tried to make sense of your absence—of your plans. But I can’t.”
His eyes widened. “Please. Let me explain.”
“There is nothing you could say that would justify it. Telling Calyth...to take me to Eyrsea—to bond with me.”
“He offered what?”
“To bring me to Eyrsea as his wife. He said you came to him—”
“We discussed him offering you a place in Eyrsea—a life that could give you a future without Thalen.” His nostrils flared. “I didn’t know he expected to bond with you.”
They were all making plans for me, without me. Lioran didn’t even know what he was asking—he was just desperate to find a solution.
“Did you agree to it?”
I stumbled gripping the back of the sofa. “I thought…” He braced me as I slipped again. I collided with his chest, but I pulled myself from him the moment I felt his warmth again.
“Whatever future you decided—is yours, even if you choose to be with him.” He cleared his throat. “At least you would be safe.”
“Lioran…" He slid a finger over my lip, silencing me.
“I should have come here sooner, to be with you while I still could.” He kissed me. This time I didn’t pull away. The warmth of his lips lingered on mine.
“You weren’t here at all.” I swallowed hard.
“I was trying to secure a future for you—trying to show my parents that you weren’t a threat.”
I backed away from him. “This whole time I thought you were done with me.”
“No, I never will be. You are the only one I could ever love. I’ve refused every match. I will not bond with anyone else.” His breath lingered on me. His words were exactly what I wanted to hear, but I couldn’t allow myself to have hope.
I lost him. It was already too painful.
“Be with me. At least for tonight, then tomorrow, the decision is yours,” he said.
Part of me wanted to resist, but I let his lips sink into mine.
“I’ve been breaking in the silence…” I tried to finish my thought, but it was lost as he pulled me closer.
“I should have been there for you, and I wasn’t.” He lifted me up and placed me on the bed.
Footsteps trailed down the hall. He twisted the key in the lock, sealing us in for our stolen moment.
“What about…” My words escaped me as he pressed his lips into my neck and trailed down my shoulder.
“I don’t want to know. Don’t tell me anything at all. I want out last night together to be only about us.”
I wanted to tell him I made my choice, but I didn’t.
He would accept me marrying Calyth, or maybe even Thalen, before he’d accept me choosing this fate. Despite every warning sign my heart gave with its thundering beat, I would allow myself to have this final moment with him—knowing it would destroy me in the morning.
Pure desire shone in his gaze as he unlaced my gown, pulling the fabric from me. Heat filled my body as he leaned into me fully.