Isla's POV
I can't breathe.
Three days. Three days until I marry Draeven and seal this lie with magic that will never let me go.
"Isla?" Draeven's voice sounds distant. "Are you alright? You've gone very pale."
I realize I've been staring at him without speaking for too long. My hands grip the balcony railing so hard my knuckles turn white.
"I'm fine," I lie. "Just surprised. Three days is very soon."
"Too soon?" Draeven steps closer, concern crossing his face. "I can delay the ceremony if you need more time to"
"No!" The word comes out too sharp. Too desperate. "I mean no, three days is fine. Perfect. I just I need to prepare. Learn the customs. Make sure everything is proper."
Draeven's gray eyes study my face. "You don't need to be nervous. The ceremony is straightforward. We'll say our vows, the magic will seal our bond, and then we celebrate with the kingdom."
The magic will seal our bond. The words echo in my head like a death sentence.
"Of course," I manage. "I should return to my chambers now. It's getting late."
"Let me escort you back."
We walk through the corridors in silence. Every step feels heavier than the last. Three days. Seventy-two hours. Then everything changes forever.
At my door, Draeven takes my hand and kisses it gently. "Sleep well, Princess. Tomorrow we'll discuss the ceremony details together."
I nod because words won't come.
He leaves, and I stumble into my chambers. The moment the door closes, my legs give out. I slide down the wall and sit on the floor, gasping for air.
Three days.
How am I supposed to survive three days of preparation while hiding my terror? How can I stand on that Sky Platform surrounded by dragons and lie to everyone with magic witnessing every word?
A soft knock interrupts my panic.
"Your Highness?" Lyra's voice. "May I come in? I brought you tea."
I drag myself up and open the door. Lyra enters with a tray holding a steaming cup that smells like flowers and something calming.
"Lady Seraphine thought you might need this," Lyra says, setting the tray down. "She said first-time brides often have trouble sleeping before the ceremony."
I take the cup with shaking hands and drink. The warmth spreads through my chest, easing the tight panic slightly.
"Lyra," I say quietly. "What do you know about dragon weddings?"
"Oh!" Her face lights up. "They're beautiful, Your Highness. The whole kingdom celebrates for three days. There's feasting, dancing, and when the couple says their vows, magic surrounds them like starlight."
"What kind of magic?"
"The marriage bond, of course." Lyra sits on the edge of my bed, eager to share. "It's ancient dragon magic that connects husband and wife forever. Once it forms, nothing can break it except death."
My cup trembles in my hands. "Forever?"
"Forever," Lyra confirms happily. "Isn't it romantic? You'll be connected to King Draeven for your entire life. Some people say it's the purest form of love twoll souls bound together by magic itself."
I set the cup down before I drop it. "What exactly does this bond do?"
"Well, you'll always be able to find each other, no matter how far apart you are. The bond pulls you together like magnets." Lyra's eyes go dreamy. "And you'll sense each other's strong emotions. If he's in danger, you'll feel it. If you're scared, he'll know."
The room spins around me.
If I'm scared, he'll know.
Draeven will feel every moment of terror. Every spike of panic when someone almost discovers the truth. Every surge of guilt when I lie to his face.
The bond will expose everything.
"Your Highness? You look ill." Lyra rushes to my side. "Should I call the healer?"
"No." I force myself to breathe slowly. "I'm just overwhelmed. It's a lot to take in."
"Of course it is." Lyra pats my hand sympathetically. "But don't worry. The bond only shows strong emotions. Your everyday thoughts and feelings stay private. It's not like he can read your mind or anything."
Small comfort. My fear is strong every single second.
"What else should I know about the ceremony?" I ask, trying to focus on practical details instead of panic.
"Oh, so much!" Lyra counts on her fingers. "You'll wear a special wedding dress the seamstresses are already working on it. You'll walk up to the Sky Platform while dragons circle overhead. When you reach King Draeven, you'll both say the ancient vows in the old dragon language don't worry, Lady Seraphine will teach you the words. Then you'll place your hands together, and the magic will activate."
"What does the magic feel like?"
"I've never experienced it personally," Lyra admits. "But people say it's like lightning and warmth all at once. Like your heart recognizes its other half."
My heart's other half is currently sleeping in a stable in Lumaria, sick and scared and thinking his sister abandoned him.
"After the magic seals the bond, there's a huge feast," Lyra continues. "Then you and King Draeven retire to the royal chambers together as husband and wife."
The royal chambers. Together. With a magical bond letting him feel my emotions.
I'm going to be sick.
"I think I need to rest now," I say weakly.
"Of course, Your Highness." Lyra stands and curtsies. "I'll come wake you early tomorrow. The preparations start at dawn. You'll meet with the seamstresses first, then Lady Seraphine for language lessons, then"
"Thank you, Lyra. That's enough for tonight."
She leaves, still chattering about flower arrangements and menu selections.
I change into a nightgown and climb into bed, but sleep won't come. My mind spins with everything I learned.
A bond that lasts forever.
Magic that reveals strong emotions.
No escape once the ceremony is complete.
I pull out my mother's fairy tale book and flip through the pages, looking for comfort. I find the story about the girl who made a deal with a monster.
The monster ate her in the end.
I close the book and stare at the ceiling.
Maybe that's my fate too. Maybe I'll stand on that Sky Platform in three days, say vows in a language I don't understand, and the magic will tear through my lies like paper. Maybe Draeven will feel my terror through the bond and realize immediately that I'm not who I claim to be.
And then what? Will he have me executed for deceiving a king? Will he send assassins after Thomas to punish the Queen's betrayal? Will he
A sound outside my window makes me freeze.
Wings. Large wings beating against the night air.
I creep to the window and look out.
A silver dragon lands on a balcony several floors below mine. I watch as it transform scales melting into skin, wings folding into shoulders until Draeven stands there in human form.
He's not alone.
Lady Seraphine appears from inside, joining him on the balcony. They're too far away for me to hear their conversation, but their body language is intense. Serious.
Seraphine gestures wildly. Draeven shakes his head. She points up toward my window.
They're talking about me.
I duck back quickly, my heart racing. Do they suspect something? Has Seraphine told Draeven her suspicions about my freckles and callused hands?
I press myself against the wall beside the window, listening hard. The wind carries fragments of their conversation up to me.
"not who she claims" Seraphine's voice.
"I know" Draeven's response.
"dangerous to proceed with the wedding"
"have no choice"
"the bond will reveal everything"
My blood turns to ice.
They know. Draeven knows I'm not Princess Celeste, and he's marrying me anyway.
But why? What game is he playing? What does he want from me?
I risk another glance out the window. Draeven and Seraphine are still talking, their expressions grave. Then Draeven looks up suddenly, directly at my window.
I jerk back, my heart pounding so hard I think it might explode.
Did he see me? Does he know I was listening?
I stand frozen in the darkness, barely breathing, waiting for guards to come crashing through my door.
But nothing happens.
Minutes pass. Then more minutes.
Finally, I hear the sound of wings again. Draeven flying away.
I crawl back into bed and pull the covers up to my chin, shaking uncontrollably.
He knows. He knows I'm fake, and he's still going through with the wedding.
Which means he wants something. Needs something from me that's more important than having a real princess as his wife.
Or maybe and this thought is even more terrifying maybe he's planning to expose me during the ceremony itself. To humiliate me publicly in front of the entire dragon kingdom as punishment for trying to deceive him.
I squeeze my eyes shut and think of Thomas. His smile. His terrible jokes. The way he shares his bread even when he's starving.
I'm doing this for him. Whatever Draeven is planning, whatever trap he's setting, I'll walk into it willingly if it keeps my brother safe.
Three days.
Three days until I discover whether the Dragon King is my salvation or my destruction.
Three days until the magical bond forms and exposes every secret I've ever tried to hide.
Outside my window, dragons circle in the darkness, their scales reflecting moonlight like a thousand watching eyes.
And somewhere in the palace below, Draeven and Seraphine continue plotting something I don't understand.
Something that involves me.
Something that terrifies them almost as much as it terrifies me.