Chapter 28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
LEUKOS
Leukos stood in one of the palace’s inner courtyards, surrounded by the tranquil beauty of night. The moon hung high, casting a soft glow over the silver leaves of olive trees swaying in the breeze. Jasmine perfumed the air, mingling with the gentle murmur of rustling branches.
Before him, a fountain’s waters trickled over the marble figure of a naked woman rising gracefully from the sea. Moonlight traced delicate shadows across the rippling surface, illuminating the statue’s polished pedestal.
The goddess depicted was the Cyprian, born from the sea.
The irony wasn’t lost on him.
Closing his eyes the way Alena had shown him, Leukos focused on the rhythm of his breathing.
Each inhale and exhale was deliberate, an attempt to centre himself.
He visualised his magic—once a cool, fluid river, now a violent torrent that refused his command.
The control he’d painstakingly honed slipped further from his grasp with every attempt to reclaim it.
Frustration gnawed at him. Theo and Nik urged him to be patient, but patience had never been his strength.
All day he had worked through each limb—left leg, right leg, left arm, right hand, left shoulder—over and over, willing the North Wind’s power to become familiar again.
Yet the weight of his family’s legacy pressed down like a suffocating shroud.
If his father and brother could see him now, they’d be ashamed.
Gifted never lost control; for a prince of Megara, such weakness was practically a curse.
King Pandion had demanded perfection from his sons, an expectation Leukos had felt deeply all his life.
He could almost hear King Pandion’s sharp voice—disappointment that always cut deepest when turned on Galen, his brother born without a Gift.
Weakness was not tolerated.
His father had wielded his Gift with iron control. Aegeus, the golden child, had commanded water as effortlessly as breathing—a Gift from the Sea God woven into his very being. By comparison, Leukos felt like an impostor, wrestling with magic that resisted him at every turn.
“Practice makes perfect.” Aegeus’ calm voice blended with Alena’s gentle encouragement in his mind. Both urged him on, pushing him to wrestle this wild magic into submission and rise above the doubt threatening to drown him.
But he’d already hurt an innocent servant—and Alena herself—when she insisted on helping him. He couldn’t risk losing control again.
While the palace revelled in the continued celebrations of Charis and Danaos late into the night, Leukos trained alone. The fountain’s trickling rhythm steadied his focus.
He plunged his hand into the water, feeling its gentle current slip over his skin, then released his Gift.
The temperature plummeted, freezing into a sheath of ice around his fingers.
Counting to three, he exhaled, forcing the magic to obey.
It resisted, thrumming against his will, but with enough effort, he managed to steady it.
His frustration mounted. It had taken too long, too much energy.
Refusing to relent, he repeated the process again and again, each attempt more demanding than the last.
By the time he finished, much of the basin had frozen solid, the air grown sharp with cold. Exhaustion pulled at his limbs, but satisfaction tempered it. Progress, however small, was still progress.
“The Cyprian might take offence if you destroy her fountain.”
Theo stepped into the garden, a deep blue cloak wrapped around his shoulders. The Tirynthian nights were still cold, though Leukos hardly noticed.
“I didn’t destroy it. The ice will thaw soon.” He turned to his friend, wiping the sweat from his face. “How were the celebrations?”
Theo scowled, looking rather sober despite all the wine that flowed in the Great Hall. “Excessive. As if the Tirynthians are overjoyed that Charis doesn’t have to marry a Megarian after all.”
Leukos’ brow furrowed, his expression mirroring Theo’s unease. “You think the alliance could be in jeopardy?”
“With the Omega on our side, I doubt it.” Theo ran a hand over the short-cropped hair at his temple.
When his gaze flicked back to Leukos, his eyes held a quiet intensity, reflecting the wisdom Gifted to him by the Maiden.
Moonlight caught the inside of his upper arm, revealing the greyish-blue Mark of an olive branch—a Gift from the Maiden.
Like his ancestor Andromeda, Theo had been granted wisdom, making him an unparalleled strategist.
People often underestimated him because his Gift wasn’t as flashy as elemental magic, but Leukos knew better. Theo’s counsel had been vital to the rebellion, from concealing their growing numbers to managing supply lines. Leukos trusted his judgement implicitly.
“The Tirynthians may act proud,” Theo continued evenly, “but with the siege, they need allies more than ever. Our arrival has given hope to their people and the surrounding kingdoms. Once word of the Omega spreads, rebels from across Achaea will flock to the gates.”
Tiryns’ army numbered three thousand strong, and since arriving in the city, Leukos had made it a priority to train with them daily. As the rebellion’s leader, it was crucial the men knew him, understood his strategies, and respected his command.
Trust had to be built not only with the soldiers but with the council as well. While Pelagios oversaw drills and Nik focused on integrating new recruits, Theo and Xanthos handled negotiations with Charis and her court.
No matter their preparations, the Twelfth Legion remained camped outside the city. And the Rasennans would stop any Achaeans who tried to slip into Tiryns to join the rebellion.
Leukos’ thoughts churned. “We need to do something about the enemy currently camped outside.”
“And we will,” Theo replied, stifling a yawn. The hour was already late. “Let’s gather the others in the morning. The wedding rituals will be over, and the guests will have left.”
The last notes of music from the Great Hall faded, signalling the end of the celebrations. Soon the prayers to the Mother and Hearth would begin, and then Charis and Danaos would retire to their chambers as husband and wife.
Without Alena’s sudden arrival, it could have been Leukos by Charis’ side.
And now, by some twist of fate, he had a second chance.
But what use was it, when the magic tearing through his body made him a danger to everyone?
What if it hurt Alena?
The thought of standing beside her—not as a burden, not as a prince struggling with a Gift he should have mastered, but as a man who had earned his strength—felt impossibly distant.
Still, hope clung to him like a bruise: if he could master this power, if he could be something more than a liability, then maybe…
Maybe he hadn’t lost everything. Not yet.
“I’m happy for Charis,” Leukos admitted, glancing towards the Great Hall. “Danaos’ feelings seem genuine, and as her soulmate, he’ll always protect her.”
Theo mulled this over before speaking. “They are blessed indeed. Alena had no idea what she set in motion when she blasted that gate open. She forced the gods’ hand and gave us all hope.
The Twelve aren’t gone. The Sea God might have been angry, but he’s still with us.
And he confirmed not just one bond, but two. ”
Leukos stilled, tension coiling inside his chest. “It didn’t mean anything.”
Theo’s brows shot up. “Didn’t mean anything? Leukos, the Sea God declared another pair of soulmates, and—”
“There were dozens of guests in the courtyard,” he snapped, fists tightening at his sides. “He could have meant anyone.”
Theo stared, incredulous. “If you want Nik to stop calling you ‘the idiot prince,’ then stop behaving like one.” His words were sharp, concern softened his gaze. “You told me you once glimpsed Alena in your mind, training with sword and shield. That she appeared in your dreams—”
Leukos clenched his fists, the visions resurfacing with painful clarity. All winter Alena had haunted his mind—dreams that felt too real to dismiss. Soulmates were said to meet in dreams, to find each other across any distance. Still, he refused to believe it.
Because accepting Alena as his soulmate meant more than acknowledging the bond. It meant confronting the fear that his Gift would forever keep them apart—and that the bond itself might drive them to madness if they couldn’t touch.
“She has more important things to worry about,” Leukos muttered, more to himself than to Theo. “I can’t—won’t—be another burden for her.”
A servant had already been injured because of him. Every time he lost control, Nik suffered the consequences. The thought of Alena enduring the same pain filled his stomach with a deep, gnawing dread.
Theo leaned in, voice low but firm. “You’re not a burden, Leukos.
If she truly is your soulmate, that’s not something you can just push aside.
The bond isn’t a myth. The pull to be near her, to touch her, will only grow stronger the more you resist it.
” He paused. “Besides, she’s probably had similar dreams. Unlike us, she won’t have realised their significance—”
“I’ll talk to her,” Leukos cut in, eager to end the subject.
“When?” Theo pressed.
Leukos ground his teeth. “When my Gift is under control.”
Alena was focused on her sister and still grieving San’s death. Whatever the Sea God had declared, it seemed insignificant compared to the chaos surrounding them.
Theo shook his head, moonlight catching the concern etched in his features. “With the amount of power you’ve been given, that could take years. But she could help you control it, she—”
“No,” Leukos snapped, the word echoing through the quiet courtyard, then added more softly, “I won’t risk her life.”