The council chamber thrummed with alarm when Vanda entered. Torches hissed against the stone walls, throwing jittering shadows over a hastily gathered circle of generals and advisors. King Osric sat rigid on his iron throne, the night's tension etched into the deep lines of his face.
"Your Highness," a scout reported, voice tight. "Patrols at the northern ridge spotted strange lights—green fire across the snowfields. No banners, no signal flares. Just… movement."
"Green fire?" Vanda repeated, golden eyes narrowing. "That is no ordinary enemy."
A murmur rippled through the chamber.
General Coren slammed a fist on the table. "We should march immediately—show strength before these intruders reach our borders."
"And risk walking into a trap?" barked another commander. "We know nothing of their numbers or purpose."
Vanda let the debate rage for a heartbeat. He tasted the air, subtle and acrid, as if the north wind itself carried a warning. Something ancient stirred in his blood—a distant echo of dragon senses rarely wrong.
"This is no common raiding party," he said, his voice cutting through the noise. "I smell old magic."
The council fell silent. Even Osric leaned forward. "Old magic?"
"Something older than your wars," Vanda said. "And far more dangerous. A reckless charge would only feed it."
From the shadow of a side archway, a small movement caught his eye. Daya.
She stood half-hidden behind a carved pillar, her dark dress blending into the stone. Her eyes met his, wide with worry. He almost smiled despite the tension—of course she would come.
"Prince Vanda," Coren pressed, oblivious. "What do you propose?"
"I will go to the border myself," Vanda declared. "I can travel faster than an army and sense what no scout can."
The room erupted in protest. Osric raised a hand. "Alone? You would risk your life for a phantom?"
"I risk it to prevent a war," Vanda said evenly. "Give me one night. If I find nothing, you lose nothing. If I find the truth, we may avoid bloodshed."
Osric studied him for a long, uneasy moment. "Very well. But you leave before dawn."
When the council finally adjourned, Vanda turned immediately toward the pillar where Daya hid. She stepped out, lips pressed tight.
"You shouldn't have followed me," he said, though his voice softened at the sight of her.
"You shouldn't go alone," she shot back. "You don't know what waits beyond the ridge."
"I know enough to keep you safe by staying here," he replied. "What lies ahead is not for you."
Her chin lifted stubbornly. "And who decides that? You swore to protect me, not to cage me."
The words struck him harder than he expected. He moved closer until the torchlight glinted off the faint golden flecks in his eyes. "It isn't a cage if I'm trying to keep you alive."
"I won't be locked away while you fight monsters," she said, voice trembling but steady. "You need someone who sees the world as more than fire and war."
For a moment, silence stretched between them, thick as the northern fog. Vanda reached out and cupped her cheek, the calloused warmth of his palm gentler than words.
"You have no idea what you mean to me," he murmured. "That is why I can't risk you."
Her heartbeat hammered beneath his touch. "Then trust me enough to stand beside you."
The dragon within him roared in quiet conflict. At last he exhaled a slow, heated breath. "If you come, you follow my every command. One misstep and I will carry you back myself."
A flicker of relief and resolve crossed her face. "Agreed."
Vanda almost smiled. "You are impossible."
"And you like that," she said, a spark of teasing lightening the heavy air.
He let his thumb brush her jaw before dropping his hand. "Prepare what you need. We leave before the first bell."
---
Before dawn's first glimmer, the two stood in the courtyard, cloaked against the biting wind. The world was a wash of deep indigo, the stars paling as if wary of the coming day. Vanda's dragon senses stretched northward; the strange green magic pulsed faintly in the distance, a warning drumbeat only he could feel.
Daya adjusted the strap of a small satchel. "Are you sure about this?"
"No," he admitted, a rare smile ghosting across his lips. "But with you beside me, I am sure we'll face whatever waits."
Her answering smile warmed the cold air between them.
With a sweep of his cloak, Vanda led her to the outer gate. As they passed beneath the archway, the great doors groaned shut behind them, sealing the sleeping palace away.
Beyond lay the silent snowfields and a shadow that smelled of ancient power—a darkness that might change the fate of kingdoms. Vanda felt the dragon within stretch its wings, ready to meet whatever waited, as Daya's quiet footsteps matched his own.
Together, they walked into the frozen dawn.