Chapter 43 - A Kingdom in the Shadows
The rain did not stop for hours.
It roared like a beast outside the tower, flooding the earth, hammering against the walls, making even the stone groan under its weight. Inside, the fire sputtered weakly, casting flickering shadows across the cold floor where Zara sat, legs drawn to her chest.
Lucien hadn't spoken in over an hour. He stood at the window, his silhouette framed by stormlight, eyes fixed on something distant and silent.
Zara broke the silence first.
"How long will we stay here?"
Lucien didn't answer right away. When he finally turned, there was a weariness in his expression that she'd never seen before.
"As long as it takes."
"For what?"
"For them to show their hand."
Zara swallowed. "You want them to attack?"
"I want them to believe I've gone soft. That you're my weakness." His voice darkened. "So they'll make their move. And when they do, I'll be ready."
Zara stared at him, heart beating hard. "You're using me as bait."
Lucien's jaw clenched. "I'm protecting you. And yes... using you. Both can be true."
She stood slowly, walking closer to him. Her voice trembled with something between fear and fury.
"You brought me here to keep me safe. And now you're dangling me like a target?"
"I brought you here because I trust myself more than I trust anyone in that castle."
"And what if they kill me first? What if your plan fails?"
Lucien stepped forward, suddenly too close. The storm outside echoed his intensity.
"They won't touch you."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because I will kill every single one of them before they get close enough to try."
There was a madness in his voice. A rage born from fear.
Zara exhaled shakily. "You don't own me, Lucien."
"But you're mine," he said, barely above a whisper. "Whether you accept it or not."
Silence. Thick. Tense.
But this time, it was Zara who broke it.
"Then protect me. Not like a weapon. Not like a pawn. But like a person."
Lucien didn't respond right away. He just stared at her. And for the first time in days, she saw the storm in his eyes match the one outside.
"I don't know how," he said quietly. "But I'll try."
---
The next day, the rain had stopped. Mist clung to the ground like smoke as dawn painted the sky in gray and silver.
Lucien prepared for departure. Their stay at the tower had served its purpose—he'd sent a raven in secret the night before, baiting the trap with the lie that Zara had been left behind and unguarded.
If betrayal was coming, it would come now.
Zara helped saddle the horses, her fingers cold and clumsy. But she said nothing. Not because she agreed with Lucien's plan, but because she finally understood the danger wrapped around him.
This was war.
And she was already inside it.
---
As they mounted the horses, a sharp whistle pierced the morning fog.
Lucien froze.
"Down!" he shouted, grabbing Zara and pulling her from the saddle just as an arrow flew past, embedding itself into the wood behind them.
Zara hit the ground with a thud, breath knocked from her lungs.
Lucien was already on his feet, sword drawn.
Figures emerged from the mist—hooded, masked, fast.
Three of them.
"Stay down!" Lucien shouted again, voice fierce.
But Zara saw it—one of the attackers breaking off from the others, rushing toward her with a short blade gleaming.
She scrambled backward, heart thudding.
Lucien turned to block the other two—but the third was closing in fast.
Zara looked around, grabbed a broken branch from the wet ground, and as the masked man lunged, she swung.
The stick cracked against his arm. Not enough to stop him—but enough to throw him off balance.
Lucien spun, eyes wide, and hurled a dagger into the man's chest without hesitation.
Blood sprayed.
The attacker collapsed at Zara's feet, twitching once before going still.
Lucien crossed the space in seconds, grabbing her by the shoulders, checking for wounds.
"You're not hurt?"
She shook her head, trembling. "No. I'm okay."
He pulled her into his chest, holding her tighter than he ever had.
"You disobeyed me," he growled.
"You're welcome," she whispered.
He almost laughed.
Almost.
---
When the dust settled, the bodies were burned. Their faces were never revealed. But the message was clear:
**Someone close had sent them.**
Zara sat beside Lucien by the fire that night, her hand resting lightly on his knee. Neither of them spoke, but the silence between them had changed. It wasn't cold. It wasn't afraid.
It was the silence of two people learning how to survive… together.
Lucien looked at her finally, eyes softer than they'd ever been.
"You fought for yourself today," he said.
She nodded. "I learned from the best."
"And you disobeyed me."
"I'm not sorry."
He smirked, the ghost of the tyrant returning.
"Good."
He pulled her closer, pressing a slow, grounding kiss to her temple.
And for once, she didn't flinch.