Chapter Four
Orionn pushed open the heavy doors and stepped into the corridor, the tension from yet another grueling council meeting clinging to him like a second skin. His shoulders were stiff, his jaw set. He longed for silence, until, of course, Nathan found him.
"You're awfully quiet for someone who's getting married tomorrow," Nathan drawled as he fell into step beside him, a grin tugging at his lips.
Orionn let out a low groan. "Not this again."
Nathan chuckled, unbothered. "Just saying. You should probably care what your bride is like. Or at least pretend to."
"I don't care," Orionn said flatly. "This marriage is a political move. That's it."
Nathan raised a brow. "I can't imagine you being married. The same Orionn who nearly broke Lord Malric's arm last week during a training match? You're about as romantic as a battlefield."
Orionn shot him a glare. "That's not funny."
"I wasn't joking," Nathan said with a smirk. "You're infamous, you know. 'The devil's spawn.' That's what people call you."
"I should banish you for saying that."
Nathan lifted his hands in mock surrender. "Relax. I'm just curious to see how she handles you. I bet she's picturing some savage beast with horns and claws."
Orionn's lips twitched, almost a smile, but not quite. "Let them think what they will. I am what I need to be."
As Nathan turned down another hall, still laughing, Orionn stopped beside a tall arched window. Below him stretched the dark forests and jagged mountains of Tharenos. His kingdom. His responsibility.
Tomorrow marked both his coronation and his marriage to the fae princess. Two burdens on the same day.
She was a tool, nothing more than a bridge between kingdoms. Her feelings were irrelevant. He had no room for softness, not with enemies watching and allies waiting to turn.
He turned from the window, resolve firm.
He would rule with strength. She would adapt, or she would break.
Melody hadn't slept.
Morning light crept through the window like a quiet reminder of what lay ahead. She sat on the edge of her bed, still dressed in her nightgown, staring at the folded note she had written the night before. She needed to remember this day. Every detail of it.
Amah, her personal maid and most trusted confidante, burst into the room with urgency.
"Princess, we must begin. The ferry wheel is nearly ready."
Melody nodded mutely, allowing Amah to help her dress. She wore a simple travel gown. Her wedding dress, one she had not even seen, was already waiting for her in Tharenos. The thought of wearing it for a stranger made her stomach twist.
"You're sure you want to come with me?" Melody asked softly, meeting Amah's reflection in the mirror.
They had discussed it the night before. Amah had already decided.
"I swore to serve you," Amah replied. "And I always will."
They left Melody's room in silence, the palace unusually still. As they neared the royal landing platform, the ferry wheel came into view, majestic, its glassy wings shimmering in the morning sun.
Her father stood beside it, tall and austere, his golden robes rippling in the breeze.
"Good morning, Your Majesty," Melody said, lowering into a graceful curtsy.
"Good morning," he replied coolly. "Did you sleep well?"
"Of course," she lied with a polite smile.
"Good. Then let us go. We must not keep your groom waiting."
Groom, she thought bitterly. More like jailer.
She followed him in silence, Amah close behind. Her father's instructions echoed in her mind. Be obedient. Be graceful. Hide your defiance like a blade beneath silk.
She would obey.
For now.
The journey was swift, the wind cold as they soared over the lands separating the fae from the wolves. When the ferry wheel finally dipped low over Tharenos, Melody's breath caught.
Gone were the warm hills and glowing flora of Lyrius.
Below stretched towering black pines, jagged cliffs, and mist-covered mountains. The scent of snow and damp earth filled the air as the ferry wheel opened.
Tharenos was beautiful, but not in the way she was used to. It was harsh and unyielding, a kingdom forged in ice and shadow.
The kind of place where secrets did not stay buried, and softness was a weakness.
Melody stepped onto foreign soil, spine straight, chin lifted. Whatever awaited her within those stone walls, she would face it with fire behind her eyes.
Even if her new husband truly was the monster everyone claimed.