The heavy doors swung open with a resounding noise, revealing a vast throne room filled with darkness and flickering light. My breath instantly caught in my throat.
It was more magnificent than I could imagine but more terrifying.
With a higher ceiling arched above me, adorned with complex carvings of mythical creatures locked in combat. Torches shone brightly on the walls, their flames casting shadows that terrified me.
At the far end of the room stood a platform, with the throne upon it.
His throne.
Prince Caspian Drayveil sat there, with his sharp profile more vivid in the light. He was impossibly beautiful, like a dark angel woven from the night itself. His long black hair slicked backwards, a face well defined with sharp angles, and those beautiful stormy eyes, dark and unreadable. He looked at me with an intensity that made my heart race.
A shiver raced down my spine.
I had heard whispers about him, tales spoken in hushed tones. The cursed. The powerful. The deadly. And yet here he was, leaning casually against the armrest like a composed predator.
"Leave us," he commanded, his voice smooth and hard at once, I couldn't quite explain it.
The woman who had guided me bowed her head and exited swiftly, leaving me alone in the vastness of the throne room.
"Lyra Velinor," he said, as he stood upright. "Welcome to Virehelm."
His voice wrapped around me, both inviting and threatening. I swallowed hard, fighting the urge to step back.
"Your highness," I managed to say, my voice trembling slightly.
He took a step forward, and I instinctively stepped back. "You don't need to be afraid of me."
"Are you being sarcastic?" I shot back, my courage rising despite my pounding heart.
Caspian smirked, the corner of his mouth rising up just slightly, a hint of amusement in his stormy gaze. "Ah, I see you have spirit. But that's not what I meant.
"What did you mean?" I asked, crossing my arms to hide my trembling hands.
"You don't need to keep your distance, moreover you're the first bride to ever look me in the eye," he said with a low voice laced with mischief. "The others tremble before me."
"I'm not the others," I replied with every bit of defiance I could muster.
"Indeed," he replied, his gaze darkening. "But you should be."
He stepped closer, the air between us tight with unspoken tension. I could feel the heat radiating from him, the very opposite of the chilling room.
"Your blood binds you to me now," he said, his voice barely more than a whisper, yet it echoed through the silence like a promise and a threat. "You are here by a blood contract between our two kingdoms. But you should know... I am dangerous."
I held my breath. "So I've heard."
"What have they told you?"
"Enough," I said, forcing my gaze to hold his. "They say your kiss can kill."
Caspian's expression changed, something unreadable flickered in his eyes, a glimpse of the pain hidden beneath the surface. "It can. But that's only half the truth."
He stepped back, creating space between us, as if trying to shield me from something I couldn't see. "It means I have a curse. One that ties my fate against love. Just a kiss from me awakens something dark."
I sensed the weight of his words, the gravity of his burden. But I was not afraid, at least not yet. "So you simply refuse to love anyone?"
"Let's just say, it's not worth it," he replied, a hint of bitterness in his tone.
"Then why am I here?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
He looked at me for a while, as if trying to read my soul.
"You are just a pawn in a game much larger than you. A political alliance."
"What if I refuse to play?" I asked, trying to sound as defiant as possible.
His eyes darkened, and for a second, I saw the predator within. "You have no choice, Princess. Not anymore."
I felt intense fear pass through me. He was right. I had signed my fate away with a single stroke of my father's pen.
But I wouldn't give in so easily. I straightened my back, to stay poised. "I may not have a choice, but I won't be your puppet."
His lips curled into a wicked smile. "Oh, Princess. That fire is exactly what I need."
Thick silence stretched between us, as we stared at each other, I felt the tension between us, hoping I didn't snap or break at any moment.
But then his expression shifted, his eyes flickered with buried desire, a mixture of rage and pain.
"I don't want to hurt you," he said softly, the guard he put up almost cracking. "But you should understand the danger you're in. My world is full of darkness."
"I want to understand your world," I replied with a hint of desperation in my voice. "I have to survive."
His gaze flickered with tiny surprise, as if he hadn't expected my request. "You're brave. Most would run."
"Running won't save me," I said firmly. "I'll face whatever is in store for me."
His expression hardened, the storm inside him slowly forming once more. "Do you really believe you can handle it? Handle me?"
"I have to try," I answered, meeting his gaze. "Or I'm as good as dead."
But before he could respond, a shadow moved at a corner of the room, and a figure stepped out. My heart raced as I turned, recognising the woman who had guided me here.
"Your highness," she said with a shaky voice. "The council has summoned you."
Caspian's expression shifted as irritation flashed across his beautiful features. "They can wait. "
The woman hesitated, glancing between us. "They will not be pleased. You know how they feel about...her."
I sensed something and immediately understood the weight of her last word.
"Let's try not to test their patience, your highness." she pressed further.
Caspian clenched his jaw tightly before he gave in. "Whatever they have to say, better be important."
He looked at me with narrowed eyes, and for a second, I saw a flicker of vulnerability in his expression.
"Lyra," he said in a low voice. "You should stay here until I return."
Before I could respond, he stormed out of the throne room, leaving me with the handmaid and a swirl of different emotions.
"Welcome to Virehelm, Princess," she said, her voice laced with something I couldn't quite name, sympathy or fear, maybe both.
I didn't respond.
I simply turned to face the empty throne, my heart heavy with the weight of everything I couldn't predict.
Praying that the fear of the unknown wouldn't be the thing to break me.