I hovered near the edge of the group, my eyes scanning the strangers surrounding Alex. Their stances were sharp, disciplined—soldiers, not wanderers. And though none of them raised a weapon, their tension hummed like a taut bowstring ready to snap.
One of them, a tall woman with braided silver hair and a jagged scar across her cheek, narrowed her eyes at me. "That her?" she asked in a low, clipped voice.
Alex gave a casual nod. "That's her."
The woman's eyes flicked back to me, sharper now. "You sure she's not a threat?"
Alex's mouth curled into a smirk as he stepped in front of me slightly, like he was shielding me—or claiming me. "She's not just not a threat," he said coolly. "She's my wife."
My breath caught in my throat. "What?"
I shot him a sharp look, but he didn't glance back. He kept his posture relaxed, confident, his emerald eyes fixed on his sentinels.
"Orders stay the same," Alex continued smoothly. "You protect her like you would me. Anyone even looks at her wrong, you answer to me."
The scarred woman raised an eyebrow but didn't challenge him. A few of the others exchanged glances but nodded.
I stepped beside him and hissed under my breath, "What the hell was that?"
He finally turned to me, his voice low enough for only me to hear. "Relax, Princess. It's just easier this way. These people don't trust outsiders—but they trust loyalty. If they think you're mine, they'll protect you without question."
"I'm not yours," I snapped quietly, trying to ignore the heat rising in my cheeks.
"No," he murmured, leaning in just slightly, "but you're not Kai's anymore either."
My pulse spiked at that, and I glared at him—but I didn't say anything.
Because deep down… part of me feared he might be right.
Without another word, the scarred woman gave a sharp nod and turned, gesturing for the others to move. The Ash Sentinels fell into formation like shadows stretching beneath the trees—silent, swift, and deliberate.
Alex touched my elbow lightly. "Stay close. They don't stop for stragglers."
I jerked my arm away from his touch but followed nonetheless, my boots crunching softly over moss and pine needles as we slipped deeper into the forest.
The path they led us through was nearly invisible to the untrained eye—no trail, no markers, just a natural maze of ancient trees and overgrown roots. The deeper we went, the darker it became, as if even the sunlight was wary of this place.
"How far is it?" I asked quietly, trying to keep my voice steady.
Alex didn't look back. "Far enough that no one stumbles across it by accident. Close enough that you'll see things you weren't supposed to see."
Comforting.
Branches whipped past my shoulders, and the air grew colder, heavier. The Sentinels didn't speak. They moved in eerie silence, communicating only through glances and subtle gestures. I could feel their eyes flick toward me every so often—measuring, questioning, maybe even judging.
Eventually, the trees parted just slightly, revealing a sloped hill covered in thick brush and jagged rock. One of the Sentinels stepped forward and placed their hand against a tree trunk, pressing a hidden notch.
A low click echoed through the forest, and a piece of the hill shifted.
A narrow passage opened in the earth, hidden behind the brush—a tunnel, reinforced with old stone and masked with ancient magic.
I stared in disbelief. "You're kidding."
Alex grinned over his shoulder. "Welcome to the Ash."
Then he ducked inside.
I hesitated for just a second, casting one last glance behind me, toward the path we came from—toward where Kai had once stood.
Then I turned and followed Alex into the shadows, unsure of what I was about to uncover… but knowing there was no turning back now.
The tunnel twisted and sloped downward, lit only by faint glimmers of crystal embedded in the stone walls—pale blue veins of light that pulsed gently like the heartbeat of the earth itself. The air smelled of damp stone and smoke, tinged faintly with something herbal.
We finally emerged into a vast underground chamber—an entire hidden stronghold carved beneath the forest. The walls were lined with old weapon racks, maps, and books. There were corridors leading off into the dark, with Sentinels moving quietly through them like wraiths.
The scarred woman from earlier stepped forward, her sharp eyes sweeping over me once more before she addressed Alex directly.
"We've prepared a room for you and your wife," she said, voice clipped and formal. "Privacy is yours for the night. We'll debrief in the morning."
My mouth opened. "Wait—what?"
Before I could protest, she turned and led us down one of the quieter passageways, stopping at a thick wooden door reinforced with iron. She opened it and motioned us inside.
It was simple, but not unkind. A small fire crackled in a stone hearth, casting flickering light across the room. There was a modest table, a set of fresh clothes laid out on the bench, and—of course—a single large bed draped in dark green linens.
I blinked.
The woman gave a short bow. "Rest well. The Ash stands watch."
And just like that, she shut the door behind us, the sound echoing with finality.
I turned slowly to face Alex. "A room for married couples?"
He had the nerve to smirk. "Would you rather sleep on the floor in the map room with twenty other warriors watching your every move?"
I glared at him. "I'd rather you stop calling me your wife."
Alex leaned casually against the edge of the table, folding his arms. "Too late for that now, dear." He gave a playful wink, though there was something more serious behind his gaze. "You want to stay protected in here? That lie just earned you safe passage. You're welcome."
I shook my head, jaw tight. "One bed. Of course."
Alex gestured toward it. "It's yours. I'll take the chair."
"Good," I muttered, turning away before he could see the heat rising to my face—whether from anger or something else, I wasn't sure.
Behind me, I heard him chuckle softly, and I hated that part of me was already listening for the sound of his voice again.
I turned my back to him, pretending to focus on the fire, but the silence in the room pressed in like fog. The crackle of the flames wasn't enough to drown out the storm still turning inside me.
I crossed my arms and, after a long pause, spoke without looking at him.
"What do you think your brother is doing right now?"
The question hung in the air between us, heavier than I expected.
Alex didn't answer right away. I heard the creak of the chair as he sat down, and for once, his voice didn't come with a smirk or a clever remark.
"Knowing Kai?" he said quietly. "He's probably pacing. Blaming himself. Maybe punching something."
I finally turned to glance at him. He was staring into the fire now, one leg crossed over the other, his expression unreadable.
"He doesn't do well with losing control," Alex added. "Especially when it comes to people he cares about."
The words struck something deep in me. I looked down, my fingers curling slightly against my side.
"I didn't mean to hurt him," I said, softer now.
Alex looked up at me then, something flickering in his emerald eyes. "I know. But that doesn't mean you didn't."
Silence again.
Then he leaned back, folding his hands behind his head. "And you asking about him? That tells me you're not as done with him as you pretend to be."
I didn't respond. I just turned back toward the fire, letting the guilt settle in with the heat on my face.
Because no matter how far I walked, I still carried Kai with me.
And no matter how loudly I told myself I chose duty over love… my heart hadn't caught up yet.
The fire crackled, casting shifting shadows on the stone walls. I tried to hold onto the silence, to let the heat distract me from everything inside me that still ached. But Alex wasn't done.
He stood from the chair slowly and walked toward me, stopping just behind my shoulder.
"You know," he said quietly, "for someone who talks a lot about duty, you sure ask a lot of questions about the man you left behind."
I didn't turn around. "That doesn't mean anything."
"Doesn't it?" he challenged gently. "Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you're trying to convince yourself more than anyone else."
I closed my eyes. "I made the choice I had to make."
"And maybe that's true," he said. "Maybe you're right to put the world first. To carry your crown and chase a forgotten weapon and act like it's the only thing that matters. But don't lie to yourself about what you left behind. Don't pretend it didn't mean anything."
His voice lowered, almost a whisper behind me. "Because I saw the way you looked at him. And I saw the way he looked at you. That wasn't pretend, Anna. That wasn't some cover story."
I turned around slowly, our eyes meeting. "Why are you pushing this?"
Alex tilted his head slightly, his gaze steady. "Because I want to know who you really are when you're not pretending to be the princess. When you're not running from your own heart."
He stepped a little closer, his voice softer now. "Was it all just duty with Kai? Or were you scared of what it meant… to love someone who might burn the world just to keep you?"
My breath hitched, and I hated that the question rattled me more than it should've.
He studied my silence, then added, "Because if it wasn't real—if you really feel nothing—then looking me in the eye and saying so should be easy."
I swallowed hard, caught in the weight of his challenge, the intensity of his stare.
But no words came out.
Because deep down… I wasn't sure I could say it.
I held his stare, my chest tightening. His words cut too close, peeled back walls I wasn't ready to let fall.
"You think you know me," I said, my voice quiet but sharp, "because you watched me walk away. You think that means I don't feel anything? That I'm cold? That I'm lying to myself?"
I took a step toward him now, the fire casting gold across my skin. "Do you even understand what it cost me to leave him? To choose a path where I might never see him again? I didn't do it because I felt nothing. I did it because I felt too much."
Alex's smirk faltered, his eyes narrowing as I continued.
"You want me to say I'm scared? Fine—I am. I'm terrified. Not just of losing him, but of losing myself. Of failing the kingdom my mother entrusted to me. Of being remembered as a girl who chose love and let the world burn."
My voice trembled slightly, but I pushed through it. "You keep pressing me like you want to break me open, like you want to see me. But what are you really looking for, Alex? Some proof that I'm not just Kai's? Or do you want to find the cracks so you can slip through them yourself?"
His lips parted slightly, but I didn't give him the chance to answer.
"You hide behind charm and riddles, acting like nothing touches you. But I see it—the way you watch your brother, the way you watch me. You don't just want the Blade of Time, or to protect me, or play the loyal soldier."
I stepped even closer, my voice lowering. "You want something you're too afraid to admit, too. And maybe it's easier for you to chase pieces of me than face the fact that I was never yours to chase."
The silence that followed was thick with unspoken truths. His expression darkened—not with anger, but something deeper. Something unguarded.
I turned away, heart hammering in my chest, and moved toward the bed.
"You can have your chair," I muttered. "I'm done talking tonight."
Behind me, I didn't hear a clever reply. No smug remark. Just silence.
And for once… that said everything.
The fire had dimmed to a faint orange glow, casting soft shadows across the stone walls. I lay on the bed, my back to Alex, clutching the thin blanket around me more for protection than warmth.
Sleep crept in slowly, despite the whirlwind of thoughts still clawing at the edges of my mind. But exhaustion always wins.
And then—
Darkness shifted.
I was no longer in the room. The air had changed. Warmer. Still.
I stood in a wide open field beneath a blood-red sky. Wind whipped around me, carrying the scent of fire and steel. Blades clashed in the distance, and shadows danced across the scorched earth.
Before me stood two figures.
Queen Lisa—her pink hair wild and glowing like a halo in the dying light, her blade raised high. Her eyes were filled with fury and grief.
Across from her… Valor.
His once-noble expression was twisted by desperation, dark energy coiling around his hands as he reached for the blade between them—the Blade of Time.
"I loved you!" Lisa shouted, her voice trembling with pain. "And you would destroy everything we fought to protect!"
"I did it for you!" Valor roared. "For us! With the blade, we could've rewritten time—rewritten fate. You were just too afraid to see it."
Their blades struck, colliding with a burst of light that forced me to shield my eyes.
When I looked again, they had vanished—and in their place stood me.
I was holding the Blade of Time.
Its surface shimmered, reflecting fragments of memory and possibility—Kai's face, the forest, Alex's smirk, my mother's tearful goodbye.
But the blade grew hot in my hand, pulsing wildly.
The sky above cracked like glass, and a voice—not Lisa's, not Valor's, not mine—echoed through the air.
"You cannot run from destiny, Princess. The blade will always find its bearer… and it demands a choice."
The earth split beneath me, and I fell—spiraling through shards of time, pieces of lives I hadn't lived… or maybe had yet to live.
Then—
I woke with a gasp.
My chest heaved as I sat up, covered in sweat, the room still dim from the dying firelight. My heart thundered against my ribs.
Across the room, Alex stirred in the chair, eyes narrowing as he looked at me.
"Bad dream?" he asked, voice groggy but cautious.
I didn't answer right away.
Because I wasn't sure it was a dream at all.