ELARA'S POV
I didn't sleep that night.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Kaedan's face inches from mine. Felt his breath. Heard his voice saying my name like a promise and a threat.
You wanted me to touch you.
No. I didn't. I couldn't.
He killed my father. He conquered my kingdom. He forced me into marriage.
So why did my traitorous heart race when he came near? Why did some broken part of me respond to the darkness in his eyes?
I hated him. I had to hate him.
But hating him was getting more complicated.
The next morning, Mira brought breakfast. I'd calmed down enough not to throw things at her.
The General asks if you'd like a tour of the fortress, she said carefully.
So I can see all the exits I can't use?
So you can understand where you are. Know the layout. Mira set down the tray. He said knowledge is power, even for prisoners.
Despite myself, curiosity stirred. Understanding the fortress meant understanding potential escape routes.
Fine. Show me.
We walked through cold stone corridors. Mira pointed out the kitchens, the armory, the training yards far below. Everywhere we went, soldiers bowed to me.
To me. The conquered princess.
Why do they bow? I asked.
You're the General's wife. That makes you important. Mira lowered her voice. Some of them were at the wedding. They saw what you did—spitting in his face, refusing to submit. They respect that.
They respect defiance against their own general?
They respect courage. She smiled slightly. And between you and me, Your Highness? Many of them don't love the Emperor. They follow General Kaedan because he's a better man than most in this empire.
He killed my father.
I know. Mira's expression turned sad. War makes monsters of good men. And the General... he's been at war since he was eight years old.
Eight. The same age I was when Father first taught me to read.
I shoved down the sympathy trying to take root. I didn't care about Kaedan's past. Didn't care what made him into what he was.
But the question lingered: what turned a child into someone so cold?
That evening, I went to dinner. Not because he commanded it, because I chose to. I needed to learn more about him, about this fortress, about the Emperor.
Know your enemy, Father always said.
Kaedan stood when I entered. Tonight he wore dark green instead of black. It made his silver eyes more striking.
I hated that I noticed.
You came. He sounded pleased.
Don't get used to it.
I wouldn't dream of it. His almost-smile appeared. Sit, Princess. I promise not to make you throw wine at me tonight.
The night is young.
He actually laughed—a real laugh, low and genuine. The sound did something strange to my chest.
We ate in less tense silence than before. I studied him when he wasn't looking. The way he cut his food precisely. The way he listened when servants spoke, treating them like people, not furniture.
The way his eyes found mine repeatedly throughout the meal.
You're staring, he said without looking up from his plate.
I'm studying my enemy.
And what have you learned?
That you're left-handed. That you don't like rich sauces. That you say thank you to servants even though you don't have to. I leaned back. That you're not what I expected.
What did you expect?
A mindless brute. A monster who enjoys killing.
His expression darkened. I never said I don't kill, Princess. I'm very good at it.
But you don't enjoy it.
He set down his fork slowly. How do you know that?
Your eyes. When you killed my father, after it was done—you looked sick. Just for a second. I held his gaze. Monsters don't feel sick after killing.
Kaedan was silent for a long time. Then: You're more perceptive than I gave you credit for.
You're more human than you pretend to be.
Don't mistake necessity for choice, Elara. I do what I must to survive.
Don't we all?
Something passed between us then—understanding, maybe. Recognition. Two people in different cages, both trying to survive.
The Emperor arrives in one week, Kaedan said quietly. We need to discuss the Vault.
I told you, I don't
You're lying. He leaned forward. I can see it in your eyes. Your father told you something. Maybe not everything, but something.
I looked away, trapped between my father's final command and the reality of my situation.
If I tell you, I betray him.
He's gone, Elara. The betrayal already happened—from your sister, your prince, the Empire. Protecting a secret now won't bring him back.
The truth of it hurt. Then what will it do?
Keep you alive. Give me leverage with the Emperor. Buy us time. His silver eyes held mine. Trust me. Just this once.
Trust you? I laughed bitterly. You killed my father!
Yes. I did. No apology. No excuse. Just truth. And now I'm the only thing standing between you and men who'll do far worse. So choose, Princess. Risk trusting me, or guarantee suffering with the Emperor.
I stared at him—this complex, cold, strangely honest man who'd destroyed my world.
He was right about one thing: I had no other choice.
My father said the Vault was bound to our bloodline, I said finally. That only the royal heir could access it through some kind of ritual. He made me swear never to seek it, never to speak of it. Said it contained magic too dangerous for anyone to control.
Kaedan absorbed this. A ritual. What kind?
He didn't say. Only that it required... I hesitated. Someone I trusted completely.
His eyes sharpened. A blood oath? Soul binding?
Maybe. I don't know. I met his gaze. But Father said attempting it without true trust would mean death.
Then we have a problem. Kaedan leaned back. The Emperor won't accept 'I don't know' as an answer. We need to find this Vault, or at least enough information about it to satisfy him.
We?
Yes. His tone was firm. I'm not handing you over to be tortured, Elara. Which means we work together on this. Research partners.
I don't want to be your partner in anything.
Want doesn't matter. Reality does. He stood and extended his hand. Come with me. There's something I want to show you.
I stared at his offered hand, scarred, strong, deadly. The hand that had killed my father.
I won't bite, Princess. Unless you ask nicely.
Heat flooded my cheeks. You're insufferable.
Yes. Come anyway.
Against all logic, I took his hand.
His fingers closed around mine, warm, careful, possessive. He pulled me to my feet but didn't release my hand immediately.
We stood there, too close, his silver eyes searching my face.
You're starting to trust me, he said softly. Just a little.
I'm starting to realize I have no choice.
That's a beginning. He released my hand and turned toward the door. Follow me.
He led me through corridors to a heavy wooden door. Beyond it, a staircase spiraled upward.
At the top, another door opened onto a balcony overlooking the mountains.
The view was breathtaking. Snow-covered peaks touched the stars. The moon painted everything silver.
Why did you bring me here? I asked.
Kaedan leaned against the railing, his profile sharp against the night sky. Because you've been in that room for two days seeing nothing but walls. I thought you might like to remember the world is bigger than your cage.
Something in my chest tightened. That's... almost kind.
Don't get used to it. But his tone was softer than usual. I'm not a kind man, Elara. But I'm not needlessly cruel either.
We stood in silence, watching the stars. Despite everything, there was something peaceful about this moment.
Tell me something, I said quietly. If you hate what you do, why do you do it? You're powerful enough to refuse the Emperor. To run.
And go where? The Empire spans half the continent. He turned to face me. Besides, running means leaving my soldiers. Men who've followed me for years. The Emperor would execute them all for my desertion.
So you stay for them.
I stay because leaving would make me the monster you think I am. His silver eyes caught the moonlight. At least this way, I can control how the killing happens. Make it quick. Spare civilians when I can. It's not redemption, but it's something.
I saw him then—really saw him. Not the cold general, but the man trapped by choices made when he was too young to understand their cost.
How old were you? When it started?
His jaw tightened. Eight.
The same age Mira had said. What happened?
For a long moment, I thought he wouldn't answer. Then:
My mother was murdered. Court politics. The Emperor's family wanted her dead because her son was becoming too popular. They killed her and threw me into the military. Made me a weapon.
The Emperor's family? You mean
Emperor Valtor is my half-brother. We share a father. Bitter smile. He uses me because I'm useful and fears me because I'm a threat. I'm trapped just as thoroughly as you are, Princess. Different cage, same prison.
Understanding crashed through me. We were both prisoners. Both surviving the only way we knew how.
I'm sorry, I said before I could stop myself.
He looked surprised. For what?
For what they did to you. For what they made you become.
Don't. His voice turned harsh. Don't pity me. I've made my choices. Your father died because of them. That's not something that deserves sympathy.
No. But the boy who was thrown into war at eight, he didn't deserve what happened to him either.
Kaedan stared at me for a long moment. Then he turned away, gripping the railing.
You should hate me completely. It would be easier.
Easier for who?
Both of us. He didn't look at me. Go back inside, Elara. It's cold.
But I didn't move. Is that why you have nightmares? Because of what they made you do?
His shoulders tensed. How do you know about—
I heard you last night. Through the wall.
He turned then, and his expression was raw. Vulnerable in a way I'd never seen.
You should have ignored it.
I tried. I met his eyes. Who is she? The woman in your dreams?
My mother. His voice was barely above a whisper. I dream about the night she died. About not being strong enough to save her. About all the people I've killed since.
My throat tightened. That's not your fault. You were a child.
Tell that to the families of the men I've killed. He ran a hand through his silver hair. I'm not looking for absolution, Princess. There isn't any. I just... I keep the library because someone should remember what we've destroyed. I have the nightmares because someone should carry the weight.
In that moment, I saw the truth: Kaedan Drakmir wasn't a monster. He was a man drowning in guilt, trying to salvage something good from horror.
It didn't excuse what he'd done. But it made him human.
Before I could think better of it, I stepped closer. For what it's worth? Remembering them, preserving their knowledge, it matters. It doesn't fix what happened, but it's something.
He looked at me with such intensity I forgot to breathe.
You're too good for this world, Elara Ashwyn.
And you're not as bad as you think you are, Kaedan Drakmir.
The space between us felt charged with something dangerous. His eyes dropped to my lips. My heart raced.
Then he stepped back abruptly.
Go inside. Sleep. Tomorrow we start researching the Vault in earnest.
Kaedan
Go. Please. His voice was strained. Before I do something we'll both regret.
I fled back to my room, heart pounding.
What was happening to me? How could I feel sympathy for the man who'd destroyed everything?
How could standing close to him feel like standing near fire—dangerous, but warm?
Around midnight, sounds from Kaedan's room woke me again. Gasping, broken words.
Another nightmare.
I should have ignored it. Should have let him suffer.
Instead, I found myself in his doorway.
He thrashed in his sleep, face twisted in pain. Sweat dampened his silver hair. He looked young, vulnerable, lost in whatever horror haunted him.
Before I could think better of it, I approached his bed. Reached out. Touched his shoulder gently.
Kaedan, wake
His eyes snapped open—wild, unfocused. His hand shot out, grabbing my wrist. In one fluid motion, he flipped me onto the bed, and suddenly a knife was pressed against my throat.
He didn't recognize me.
Kaedan, I whispered, frozen. It's me. It's Elara.
Recognition flooded his face. Horror followed.
He released me immediately, scrambling off the bed like I'd burned him. The knife clattered to the floor.
God. His voice shook. I could have killed you. What were you thinking?
My heart hammered. You were having a nightmare. I wanted to help.
Help? He looked at me like I'd lost my mind. I could have slit your throat before recognizing you! Never, NEVER wake me like that again!
We stared at each other across the dark room—him trembling against the wall, me still on his bed where he'd pinned me.
I'm sorry, I whispered. I didn't think
Exactly. You didn't think. He ran shaking hands through his hair. I react on instinct when woken suddenly. Pure survival reflex. You could have died.
But I hadn't. Some part of him had recognized me even in sleep.
Who were you dreaming about? I asked softly.
His face closed off. Leave. Now.
Kaedan
I said LEAVE! The raw pain in his voice was worse than anger.
I stood on shaking legs and walked to the door. Paused. Looked back.
He stood alone in the darkness, looking more broken than I'd ever seen him.
For what it's worth, I said quietly, I don't think you would have killed me. Some part of you knew. Even asleep, you knew.
I left before he could respond.
Back in my room, I pressed my hands against my racing heart.
I'd seen Kaedan completely vulnerable. Seen past every defense, every wall.
Seen the scared boy beneath the cold general.
And God help me, it made me want to understand him. Want to know what happened to turn that boy into this man.
Want to believe that maybe, just maybe, monsters could become human again.
If someone cared enough to see them.