Many months had passed since Wayden last set foot on his father's land.
When he entered the grand dining hall, the room fell silent. Conversations died mid-sentence, and all eyes turned to him. His presence hit them like a cold wind sharp, composed, and distant. The once-familiar warmth in his gaze had been replaced by something unreadable.
The king looked up from his seat at the head of the long table. His jovial face twitched with surprise.
"Well, look who decided to show up," he said with a chuckle, though the edge in his voice was clear. "I'm surprised you could make it for your brother's wedding."
Wayden stopped mid-step, his hands loosely at his sides. "I wouldn't miss it for the world," he replied, though his tone betrayed a quiet disinterest.
There was an awkward pause. His mother, ever the graceful queen, stood and approached him with open arms.
"Wayden," she said gently, her voice layered with affection. "Welcome home."
She embraced him, and for a moment, the air softened. But it didn't last.
Moments later, the grand doors opened again, and Zelda entered.
Wayden turned at the sound, and the sight of her hit him like a blow to the chest. Just as the first time he saw her, her presence radiated—like a torch cutting through the fog. She was elegance and warmth, wrapped in confidence.
She floated into the room, greeting family members with grace and humility, completely unaware or pretending not to notice the turmoil flickering behind Wayden's eyes.
Wayden's jaw tightened. He looked away, jaw clenched, and after a tense silence, rose from his seat and left the room without a word.
A few gasps escaped. The king narrowed his eyes. But no one said anything.
Zelda, visibly puzzled, turned to the queen. "Forgive me, Your Grace. I haven't seen Oden today. Where might he be?"
The queen's expression shifted slightly. "Oden is likely in his chambers," she said carefully. "It's nothing to worry about. He may be feeling… under the weather."
From the far end of the table, Wayden's young cousin, Mirinda, piped up mischievously, "Hope he's not getting cold feet!"
"Mirinda!" The Queen shot her a warning look and tapped her lightly on the wrist. Mirinda giggled nervously but shrugged.
"I'm sure it's nothing," the Queen said, recovering her smile. "I'll send someone to check on him."
But Zelda gently placed a hand on the Queen's arm. "Please, allow me. I'd like to see him myself."
The Queen hesitated, but Zelda's calm insistence left little room for refusal. "Very well," she said at last. "Take the north corridor, then the second stairway up. His chambers are at the end."
Zelda curtsied. "Thank you, your Grace."
Zelda nodded her thanks and left, but the castle was vast and unfamiliar. She soon found herself wandering through long hallways and confusing turns.
She exited with quiet footsteps, the echo of the dining room dimming behind her. But the castle's corridors were vast and winding. Tapestries lined the stone walls, and flickering torches threw uncertain shadows.
She turned one corner, then another. Doors, staircases, archways, it all looked the same.
She was lost.
Then she heard footsteps. Calm. Measured.
She turned, and found Wayden, standing just ahead beneath an archway, half-shrouded in firelight.
His arms were crossed over his chest, his posture tense, jaw tight.
"Lost already?" he asked, his voice a calm blade.
Zelda straightened, surprised. "I was looking for Oden's chambers."
He didn't move. "So I heard."
"Would you… show me the way?" she asked carefully.
Wayden stepped into full view. The light caught the sharp lines of his face, his eyes—piercing, unreadable.
He studied her for a long moment.
"I will," he said. Then, after a pause, his voice dropped. "But first… tell me something."
Zelda tilted her head.
He took a step closer.
"Are you always this good at pretending?" he asked.
She blinked. "Pretending?"
His eyes didn't waver. "That we've never met. That none of it ever happened."
There was silence. Even the flames seemed to hold their breath.
Zelda looked at him then not past him, not through him. At him.
And something flickered across her face.
Then it vanished.
"Perhaps you're mistaken," she said softly.
Wayden gave a humorless chuckle. "Right."
He turned without another word and walked ahead, his cloak trailing behind him like a shadow.
Zelda stood there for a moment, unsure of what had just cracked inside her.
Then she followed.
Not because she was still lost.
But because, for the first time since she arrived, she didn't know where she was going anymore.