Chapter 38
The news came days after we found out about the baby, days where we lived with love and hope for the future. The divide was crumbling—all that separated our two worlds fading. Unrest lay on the other side. A rebellion, Bailoc, my brother, the Vale—all those would not accept my choice.
“Can it be reconstructed?” The teacup rattled in my hands.
“I don’t know.” Lioran ran his hands over a map on his desk. “It should have only fallen when my parents removed it.”
“The king and queen are coming to see it for themselves.” Fyn’s voice cracked into the silence. He assessed me cautiously as he spoke—tension lingered between us ever since the Grove.
I knew why he had done what he had. But something quiet shifted between us. He didn’t push. He didn’t pry. Fyn knew it, too.
Cora sat across from him, assessing me as I sipped my tea.
“They’re coming here?” I knew it wouldn’t last, the peace—the stillness.
“When they see her transformed…” Her voice trailed off.
Lioran stared at the fire—the flicker illuminated the outline of his clenched jaw. “I will handle it. Before they get here, I will need to see the divide.”
“I’m coming with you,” Fyn interjected.
“So am I.” I stood, setting my teacup beside me.
Lioran gripped my hand in his. “It’s too dangerous. We don’t know what we will encounter.” His eyes pleaded with mine. I wouldn’t be silent. I wouldn’t stay behind.
“Our numbers are strong. She will be safe.” Fyn’s hand shifted under his chin. “I will stand at her side.”
“I can handle it. The tea works well.” I smirked at him.
“Care to fill the rest of us in? Why does Aelira need tea?” Fyn chuckled.
Cora sat in silence, watching me—waiting. She knew.
“We’ve been waiting to tell you.” Lioran wrapped his arms around me. “Aelira is pregnant.”
A smile spread across my lips. I lowered Lioran’s hand over my stomach—letting him feel the whirl. It quickly became our favorite sensation.
“That is why you asked…” Fyn went still, his smirk fell flat. “You wanted to save them both. You could have told me… You…” He stopped.
“He didn’t even tell me,” I said, looking at Fyn for the first time since the Grove. I felt his pain. I felt mine. It wouldn’t fix everything, but for now it had to be enough.
“Then how did you know, Lioran?” Cora asked.
“I felt the baby’s magic the night we bonded.” Lioran swallowed hard.
Fyn shook his head as a smirk danced across his face. “You two waste no time…”
“It is wonderful news,” Cora said, but still, something lingered unsaid.
“You knew?” I whispered as she hugged me.
“I just figured it out,” she said. “All of my visions had been of the Grove. Until just yesterday…when I saw something new.”
“Aelira, I need you to stay here,” Lioran interjected.
“Lythira is my home. These are my people. I am going,” I insisted. “I refuse to live my life in fear.”
I felt his muscles bulge under my fingertips. “Our united front is more important now than ever. I will be there beside you, protecting you every step of the way,” Lioran said.
“Princess Aelira, you have my sword now and always.” Fyn bowed his head. “If someone so much as looks at you the wrong way…”
I laughed—it felt so good to laugh.
“The sentiment is nice, Fyn, but keep the sword sheathed,” I said.
“The two of you…” Lioran chuckled.
Cora smirked. “Who will keep an eye on Fyn?”
The energetic hum of the divide rolled toward us. The sound was unmistakable. The grand tree in Myrwood Grove seemed as if it stood taller than before.
A chill darted down my spine. The Grove was green, it was lush, and fragrant with the sweet smell that graced me in the Heart. Still the memories haunted me. It hung over me still with every beat of Gaia’s hooves.
The stars meant for me to break. So that I could rebuild, but I still didn’t know if I had. My humanity was gone, never to return, and the rest felt changed beyond recognition.
Tiny flutters.
A steady beat sounded within me.
I smiled even as my eyes watered.
Our horses carried us closer to the divide. The beat of nearly a hundred horses sounded around us.
“We will dismount and approach on foot.” Lioran commanded Lythira’s warriors. He lifted me down from Gaia. For a moment, only the two of us stood in the Grove. A wave of nausea overcame me. It caught in my throat. I clutched his biceps.
“I will wait with you,” he whispered. “It will be over soon.” He held me close to his chest.
My eyes shut. I breathed through it, until only the flutters greeted me again.
“My love, do not push yourself. Fyn can take you back.”
“I’m going to see it with you.” I opened my eyes. He offered his arm to me, his free hand rested on the hilt of his sword. Fyn fell in place beside us.
“They say it only continues to crumble.” Cora’s voice trailed up to us.
The divide bellowed—a desperate warning leached through the air.
Through the wave of glittering gold, I saw it—it wasn’t just a crack.
A hole had formed. A sea of knights lined the divide.
They wouldn’t all be able to pass through, the hole wasn’t big enough, but we could see them.
As I studied their armor, I knew what army we were facing.
“It’s Bailoc,” I said.
“I don’t like the look of this,” Fyn warned, but my husband needed no warning. He nudged me back, and with a single gesture, the entire band of warriors closed in tight formation around us.
“If anything happens, take her back,” Lioran commanded to Fyn. He only nodded. Lioran squeezed my hand in his.
Barren, rotten trees and dried out soil spread as far as I could see. The stench of rot wafted toward me on the wind. I gripped Lioran’s arm harder.
On our side of the wall, everything was lush and on theirs, everything was dead.
“My magic didn’t reverse it,” I whispered.
“Assess the damage,” a voice commanded. I was no stranger to that voice. I knew it as well as I knew my own.
The knights parted and Agan stepped to the forefront of the crowd. A gem studded crown nestled into his golden braid. He wore King Ardyn’s cloak, with a golden clasp. His hand held his sword outward. The engraved blade shone brightly. King Ardyn’s sword.
“Agan,” I murmured. It wasn’t loud enough for him to hear, but I was desperate for him to sheath his sword, for him to look at me.
Lioran gripped the hilt of his sword.
Agan studied me, his eyes flickered with something new as he looked at my ears. His lips pursed in disgust.
“King Agan of Bailoc,” I called.
He mouthed my name as horror darkened his gaze.
“I’ve come with my husband, Prince Lioran of Lythira.”
“We are here to assess the damage at the divide and restoration beyond.” Lioran’s voice carried majestically on the wind. He was calm and sure. “We mean you no harm.”
Agan’s glare pelted him. “Aelira…” He ran his fingers across his jaw.
I knew that glare—knew the tone he had taken. Diplomatic negotiations wouldn’t happen.
“She is Princess Aelira of Lythira. We address you with your given title, and you will address her with hers,” Lioran roared.
“The Princess of Lythira? How curious.” Thalen’s voice echoed and the bile burned in my chest. He walked through the crowd of knights until he stood beside my brother.
They exchanged a knowing glance. “There will be unrest, your majesty. A most fortuitous situation for our realm has been foreseen. The divide won’t be the only thing to crumble—the crown will, too. ”
My breath caught. A hunter doesn’t just pounce on its prey—Thalen was only ever waiting for an opportune moment to strike.
“You stole the Princess of Bailoc. Claimed her as your wife—whatever that means to the fae…” Agan’s words hissed through gritted teeth.
Ice seeped from the gemstone straight into my veins.
He couldn’t imply such a thing. Lioran and I were husband and wife, in every realm. Our bond transcended his threat.
“He didn’t just steal her from Bailoc, Your Majesty.” Thalen crossed his arms over his chest. “She’s been carrying his child for some time. Even before—” Thalen’s voice held steady.
“That’s enough!” Lioran hollered. His color drained.
Thalen knew.
His words at the High Court. The way his hands lingered over my waist. Had he known the entire time?
My vision blurred as my fury took hold—my magic thrashed with it. Blades of grass rose around my boots, too subtle for most to see, but Lioran watched it. He extended his hand out to me. I placed my hand in his and my magic surged through him. It collided with his. A muffled groan escaped his lips.
Calm washed over me, as if Lioran pulled away part of my fear. His warmth pulsated through me and suddenly I could breathe again.
For a moment, we only looked at each other—it was new.
Agan's lip grated over his teeth. “I hope the fae magic is strong enough to protect her and your child.”
“She is your sister. A princess of both realms. And yet you speak as if you intend to harm her.” Lioran’s arm held stiff in front of me.
Fyn shifted toward me. My throat dried.
“You’ve ruined her,” Agan said to Lioran, his eyes avoided mine.
He discarded me in front of everyone. Heat seared under my skin.
Lioran’s nostrils flared. He steadied his breath. Restraint was held, but his fury was rising.
The fae stood beside us still—none dropped their formation. Fyn hovered beside me still. “His words mean nothing,” Fyn whispered to me. “We all stand with you.”
They threaten my child. My husband. My kind.
Agan was hungry for war.
We would be ready for it.
I would fight for my home.
“You will no longer address my wife at all,” Lioran commanded. “Thalen, I hope you’ve no business left in Nythrel.” He waited for Thalen to simmer in his words.
Even as the wind thrashed against him, Thalen only raised a brow.
“You are hereby banned from entering Lythira again,” Lioran commanded.
Thalen watched me. There was a glimmer in his eye and then he smirked.
“The war only ended when you hid behind the divide!” Agan yelled. “But now it crumbles beyond your control. Bailoc will show no mercy to Nythrel.”
Lioran’s magic flickered. With its pulse, he dropped my hand.
A roar descended. I had heard it before. An inky flash raced in front of us—the creature from the Grove. It stalked the border. The knights held their armed stance.
I clung to Lioran, but his calm didn’t falter even as the creature turned toward us.
“Do not fear it, my love.” Lioran’s low voice spoke only to me as it stalked closer. “The land only seeks to protect us.”
The creature settled beside him. Its black, bulging eyes held my gaze. As Lioran drew his sword the mighty beast roared. Its dripping fangs were illuminated by the sun’s rays.
I stood proudly behind my husband’s blade.