Kassian's POV
My wife is walking away from me, and I can't stop her.
Aria! I chase after her, but she moves faster than should be possible. Her eyes glow with that terrible mix of green and red her Old magic corrupted by the Duke's blood magic.
I can't stop she gasps, fighting against the invisible force pulling her. Kassian, please
I grab her arm, and pain explodes through the marriage bond. It feels like fire in my chest, burning through my veins. I stumble but don't let go.
Fight it! I order. You're stronger than his magic. You're an Old One!
He's using the bond Aria's voice breaks. He's pulling me through our connection. If you hold on, it'll kill you too!
She's right. I can feel it now the Duke's blood magic like poison, flowing through the marriage bond that connects us. Every second I hold onto Aria, more poison seeps into me.
I don't care.
Theron! I shout. Get Elder Mira! Now!
Guards rush after us as Aria keeps walking, fighting every step but unable to stop. We're heading for the gates. Once she's outside the palace walls, I won't be able to protect her.
Elder Mira appears, running despite her age. She takes one look at Aria and goes pale.
He's summoning her. Using the marriage bond as a leash. Mira grabs my arm. My lord, you need to let her go. If you stay connected while he pulls, the bond will tear. It could kill you both.
Then break the connection! I snap. Temporarily. Just long enough to stop the summoning.
I can't break a Northern marriage bond. No one can. It's permanent. Mira's face is desperate. Unless
Unless what?
Unless you go with her. Willingly. If you both go to the Duke together, the pulling stops. The bond won't tear because you're not resisting.
Absolutely not, Theron says. That's exactly what the Duke wants. Both of you walking into his trap.
But Aria has reached the gates. Guards try to hold her back, but her corrupted magic throws them aside like toys. She's crying, fighting, but still walking.
I have another option, Mira says quickly. I can put her to sleep. Force her body to shut down. The summoning can't work if she's unconscious.
Do it, I order.
Mira raises her staff and begins chanting in the old Northern language. Silver light flows toward Aria.
But the moment it touches her, the Duke's voice echoes through the courtyard carried by blood magic, booming and terrible:
SLEEP WON'T SAVE HER, WARLORD. I'LL JUST KILL ANOTHER HOSTAGE EVERY HOUR UNTIL SHE WAKES UP. STARTING WITH THE GIRL. WHAT WAS HER NAME? LYRA?
No! Aria screams. The sound is anguished, breaking. Please, not Lyra! I'll come! I'll come willingly, just don't hurt her!
The summoning magic releases her. Aria collapses to her knees, gasping.
I run to her, pulling her into my arms. She's shaking, crying into my chest.
He has Lyra, she sobs. My only friend. He'll kill her, Kassian. He'll kill all of them the hostages, the people who need those supplies. I have to go. I have to surrender.
No. I hold her tighter. We find another way.
There is no other way! Aria pulls back to look at me, her eyes red and desperate. Seven days. Seven days until the blood moon. He'll kill someone every day until then. And then he'll kill thousands more when the supplies run out. How many people have to die because I'm too scared to face him?
You're not scared, I say firmly. You're smart. Walking into his trap isn't brave. It's suicide.
Then come with me, Aria says. You and your soldiers. We go to the ruins together. We fight him together. maybe we can win if we're all there.
Theron steps forward. My lady, the ruins are in the Forbidden Zone. It's protected by ancient magic. No army can enter. Only individuals with Old magic in their blood.
Which means only Aria can go, Mira says quietly. The Duke chose his location perfectly.
Aria's face crumples. So I go alone. I fight him alone. And I probably die alone.
No. I stand, pulling her up with me. If you're going, I'm going. Bond or no bond, magic barrier or no magic barrier, I'm not letting you face him alone.
The barrier will kill you, Mira warns. You don't have Old magic. The moment you try to enter the Forbidden Zone, the wards will
I don't care. I look at Aria. We're married. We're bonded. Where you go, I go. That's the promise I made when I put that iron chain on our hands.
Aria's eyes fill with tears. Kassian
No arguments. I turn to Theron. Get fifty of our best fighters. Have them ready to travel by dawn. We'll go as far as we can with Aria. Maybe the marriage bond will let me through the barrier. If not I swallow hard. If not, she goes in with weapons, supplies, and a plan.
Seven days, Aria whispers. We have seven days to prepare.
Then we start now, I say.
For the next six days, we prepare for war.
Elder Mira teaches Aria everything she knows about blood magic how to recognize it, how to counter it, how to survive it. They practice from dawn until late at night, and I watch Aria grow stronger every day.
Theron trains her in knife work, teaching her to fight when magic fails. She's clumsy at first, but she learns fast.
I teach her strategy. The Duke will have traps, I tell her. He'll have backup plans. Never assume you've won until he stops breathing.
On the fifth day, Aria finds an old greenhouse behind the palace. It's abandoned, full of dead plants and broken glass.
Can I fix this? she asks me. I need somewhere to practice my magic. Somewhere peaceful.
It's yours, I tell her. Do whatever you want with it.
For two days, she works in that greenhouse. She uses her magic to repair the broken glass, to bring dead plants back to life. She creates a garden more beautiful than anything I've ever seen flowers that glow softly, vines that move like they're dancing, trees that hum with magic.
It's where she goes to escape the fear and pressure. Where she can be herself.
On the last evening before we leave, I find her there. She's covered in dirt, with flowers braided into her brown hair, laughing as she makes butterflies out of pure light magic.
She looks happy. Actually, truly happy.
And I realize something that hits me like a war hammer to the chest:
I'm in love with her.
Not just protective of her. Not just attracted to her. In love with her.
It's beautiful, I say from the doorway.
Aria jumps, surprised. A butterfly made of light lands on her nose, and she giggles, trying to blow it away.
Oh! I didn't hear you. She wipes dirt off her face, making it worse. Do you want to see? I made all these grow today, and I'm trying to create a fountain but the water keeps going everywhere, and
She stops talking because I'm looking at her differently now. Not like a political ally or a magical weapon.
Like someone I love.
Have dinner with me, I say. Tonight. Just us. No guards, no advisors, no talk of battles or Dukes. Just dinner.
Aria's cheeks turn pink. Here? In the greenhouse?
If you want.
She smiles that real smile I've only seen a few times. I'd like that.
That night, we eat together surrounded by glowing flowers and magical butterflies. Servants bring food, then leave us alone.
At first, we're both awkward. We talk about small things favorite foods, childhood memories, silly stories. But slowly, we relax.
Aria tells me about the first time she made a flower grow, when she was five. I was so scared someone would see. But it was so beautiful. I couldn't help it.
I tell her about my sister, Elara. She was ten when she died. She loved flowers too. She would have liked you.
The words surprise me. I never talk about Elara. But with Aria, it feels natural.
I wish I could have met her, Aria says softly.
She would have adored you. I reach across the table and take Aria's hand. You make me smile, Aria. Really smile. I haven't done that in years.
You make me feel safe, she admits. I've never felt safe before. Not once in my whole life until you.
We sit in comfortable silence for a while. The greenhouse glows softly around us, peaceful and perfect.
Tomorrow we leave for the ruins, Aria finally says. Tomorrow everything changes.
Then tonight, let's not think about tomorrow. I stand and offer her my hand. Dance with me.
There's no music.
We don't need music.
She takes my hand, and I pull her close. We sway gently among the flowers, and I realize this might be the last peaceful moment we ever have.
Kassian, Aria whispers. If something happens tomorrow if the Duke wins
He won't.
But if he does She looks up at me with those big brown eyes. I want you to know that these past days with you have been the happiest of my life. You made me feel like I mattered. Like I was worth something.
You matter more than you know, I tell her. You're brave, powerful, kind. You're everything I didn't know I needed.
I lean down and kiss her. Soft at first, then deeper. The marriage bond flares between us warm and bright and good, free of the Duke's corruption for this one perfect moment.
When we finally pull apart, both breathing hard, Aria smiles. Thank you for tonight.
Thank you for every night, I say.
We walk back to our rooms together, hands intertwined. When we reach her door, I kiss her forehead like I did at our wedding. But this time, it means something different.
This time, it means I love you.
Dawn comes too quickly.
We gather in the courtyard me, Aria, Theron, Elder Mira, and fifty of my best soldiers. Everyone is armed and armored. Everyone knows this might be a one-way trip.
The ruins are three hours north, Theron says, checking the map. Once we're close, Lady Aria will have to go in alone.
We don't know that for certain, I argue. The marriage bond might
My lord. Mira touches my arm gently. The bond won't protect you from ancient wards. Only Old magic can pass through.
I know she's right. But I hate it.
Aria stands beside me, wearing light armor Theron had made for her. She looks so small, so young. But her eyes are determined.
Let's go, she says. Before I lose my nerve.
We ride north through the burned districts, past the damaged gates. The city is quiet, watchful. Everyone knows where we're going. What we're trying to do.
Three hours later, we reach the edge of the Forbidden Zone.
The ruins rise before us ancient stone structures covered in vines and moss, crumbling towers that pierce the sky. The air feels heavy with old magic.
And surrounding everything is a wall of shimmering green light. The ward. The barrier that only those with Old magic can pass.
This is as far as we go, Mira says quietly.
I dismount and help Aria down. She's shaking slightly, but she holds her head high.
Remember everything we taught you, Theron says. Keep your guard up. Trust your instincts.
And don't try to be a hero, I add. If you get a chance to escape, take it. We'll regroup and
Kassian. Aria touches my face. I'm not running. Not this time. Too many people are counting on me.
Then I'm coming with you. I take her hand and step toward the barrier.
The moment my boot touches the green light, pain explodes through my entire body. It feels like being struck by lightning and burned alive at the same time.
I hear Aria screaming my name. Feel her pulling me back. Then nothing.
I wake up on the ground, gasping. Aria is crying, her hands glowing green as she heals the burns covering my chest.
You almost died! she sobs. The ward rejected you so violently it stopped your heart. I had toI had to restart it with my magic.
I sit up slowly, pain radiating through every nerve. Then we find another way in.
There is no other way! Aria stands, fists clenched. Don't you understand? This is what the Duke planned. I have to face him alone. That's the only way this ends.
No
Kassian, please. She kneels beside me. I need you to let me do this. I need you to trust that I'm strong enough.
I want to argue. Want to find some loophole, some way to protect her.
But then I see her face. Not scared. Not weak. Strong. Determined. Ready.
This is who she's become. Not the scared servant girl from the cellar. A powerful sorceress. A queen. My equal.
Come back to me, I say roughly. Whatever happens in there, you come back to me. That's an order.
She almost smiles. Yes, my lord.
She stands and turns toward the barrier. Takes a deep breath. Steps through.
The green light accepts her instantly, parting like water. She walks into the ruins, into the Duke's trap, and I can't follow.
The last thing I see is her looking back once, her expression saying everything we don't have time to say out loud.
Then she's gone, swallowed by ancient magic and crumbling stone.
And all I can do is wait.
Wait and pray she survives.
Inside the ruins, Aria walks deeper into the darkness. Her magic lights the way, casting green shadows on broken walls.
She can feel the Duke's presence ahead. Strong. Waiting. Ready.
And then she hears it: Lyra's voice, screaming.
Aria! Help! Please, he's
The scream cuts off abruptly.
Aria runs toward the sound, heart pounding, magic blazing around her.
She rounds a corner and stops dead.
There's Lyra, chained to a stone altar. Alive but terrified.
And standing beside her, smiling that cold, terrible smile, is Duke Malachai.
But he's not alone.
Princess Celeste stands on his other side, her hands glowing with red blood magic.
And behind them, arranged in a circle, are twenty robed figures. All chanting. All channeling magic into a massive ritual circle carved into the floor.
The ritual has already started.
Welcome, little flower, the Duke says. Right on time. The blood moon rises in one hour. And by the time it sets, I'll be immortal.
He gestures, and the chanting grows louder.
The ground beneath Aria begins to glow red.
She tries to move, to run, to fight.
But her feet won't move.
She looks down and gasps.
She's standing in the center of a blood magic circle. Trapped.
Did you really think I'd let you walk in here freely? the Duke asks, laughing. Did you think this was a fair fight?
Celeste smiles cruelly. Foolish servant girl. You never had a chance.
The ritual circle flares brighter.
And Aria realizes with absolute horror: the trap wasn't just in the ruins.
It was in the summoning.
The Duke never needed to capture her.
He just needed her to walk into the circle willingly.
And she did.