Not far from the eastern and western mountains of Aetheria lay another powerful kingdom. Eldoria.
Unlike Aetheria, where the mountains of Luminar and Verdura were steeped in celestial magic, Eldoria was a kingdom built on human ambition. Its fertile plains stretched across the heart of the kingdom, producing abundant crops and livestock. Its rivers carried merchants and their goods from one city to another, while craftsmen filled the bustling streets with the sounds of hammers, wheels and tools.
Potters shaped beautiful vessels. Weavers produced fine fabrics. Jewellers worked gold and precious stones into ornaments that found their way into the hands of nobles and wealthy merchants.
Eldoria's position along several major trade routes had made it one of the wealthiest kingdoms in the region. Caravans arrived carrying spices, silk, precious stones and exotic goods from distant lands.
Its markets rarely slept. Neither did its politics.
King Leopold ruled Eldoria from a magnificent palace overlooking the capital. He was known throughout the neighbouring kingdoms as a fair and capable ruler, a king who preferred diplomacy to war but never allowed his kingdom to appear weak.
Under his reign, Eldoria had grown prosperous and powerful. But there was one matter that concerned the king more than trade, diplomacy or even the strength of his armies. His heir. Prince Alexander.
Alexander was everything a kingdom could want in a crown prince. He was handsome. Strong. Intelligent. A skilled warrior. He had the confidence of a man who had never been told no often enough to become accustomed to hearing it. Women adored him. Nobles admired him. Soldiers respected his ability on the battlefield. And Alexander knew exactly how much influence he possessed.
Unfortunately, he also knew exactly how to use it. His reputation as a womanizer had spread throughout the kingdom long before he had any intention of settling down. Some women dreamed of becoming his princess. Others dreamed of simply becoming his next lover.
Alexander rarely disappointed either group. At least, not for long. That evening, he sat inside a dimly lit tavern with two men he trusted more than most people at court.
Gabriel and Liam.
Both were sons of powerful ministers and had grown up alongside the prince. They had shared training, meals, punishments and more than a few reckless adventures. If Alexander had a secret, there was a good chance one of them already knew it.
Gabriel raised his tankard. "Your Highness, you have been staring at that map for ten minutes."
Alexander didn't look up. "I am thinking."
Liam laughed. "That is dangerous."
Alexander finally looked at him. "Very funny."
Liam grinned. Alexander spread the map across the table. The surrounding kingdoms were marked in different colours, their borders drawn in thick ink. His finger moved across the eastern territories. "There has been unrest here."
Gabriel leaned closer. "Succession disputes."
"I know."
"Several noble houses are already fighting for influence."
Alexander's eyes narrowed. "And their army?"
"Divided."
A faint smile appeared on Alexander's face. Liam noticed. "I know that look."
"What look?"
"The one you get when you've found something you want."
Alexander leaned back. "Eldoria has spent too long being satisfied with what we already have."
Gabriel studied him. "You're talking about expansion."
"I am talking about influence."
"Those two things are often separated by a very thin line."
Alexander chuckled. "You worry too much."
"And you don't worry enough."
Liam raised his tankard. "I agree with Gabriel."
Alexander shook his head. "You two are becoming boring."
Gabriel laughed. "Someone has to keep you alive long enough to become king."
The smile on Alexander's face faded slightly. King. The word carried weight. He had been raised for it. Trained for it. Prepared for it. One day, he would sit upon the throne of Eldoria. And when that day came, he did not intend to be remembered as merely another king. He wanted Eldoria to be feared. Respected. Powerful enough that neighbouring kingdoms would think twice before challenging it.
He tapped the map. "We need stronger alliances. More influence. More territory if necessary."
Liam nodded. "Then diplomacy should come first."
"Of course."
Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "Of course?"
Alexander smiled. "Do you think I am stupid enough to start a war simply because I am bored?"
Liam and Gabriel exchanged a look. "Yes," they said together.
Alexander laughed. "Traitors."
Their tankards clinked as they continued their discussion. Military strength. Trade routes. Political alliances. The future of Eldoria. Everything was proceeding exactly as it should. Everything was predictable. Perhaps that was the problem. Alexander's life had been planned before he was old enough to understand what a plan was.
He would become king. He would marry a suitable princess. He would strengthen Eldoria. He would expand its influence. He would leave behind a legacy worthy of the crown. There was no room in that future for surprises. And Alexander had never considered that he might one day want something outside the path laid before him.
***
The following evening, Alexander went into town with his two closest friends and confidants to unwind. The door to the tavern opened. Alexander's conversation stopped. A woman entered. She immediately attracted attention. Her name was Isabella. She was one of the most famous courtesans in the capital, known for her beauty, intelligence and ability to make even the most disciplined men forget their responsibilities.
She spotted Alexander almost immediately. A smile curved across her lips. "Well," she murmured. Then she walked towards him.
Gabriel sighed. "Oh, no."
Liam laughed. "What?"
"She saw him."
Alexander gave Gabriel an amused look. "Is that a problem?"
"It depends."
"On what?"
"Whether you intend to behave like a crown prince tonight."
Alexander smiled. "Why would I start now?"
Isabella stopped beside their table. "Your Highness."
Alexander looked up at her. "Isabella."
She smiled. "I was beginning to think the rumours were exaggerated."
"Which rumours?"
"That Prince Alexander is the most handsome man in Eldoria."
Liam nearly choked on his drink. Gabriel covered his mouth to hide a laugh.
Alexander merely smiled. "Have you come to investigate?"
"Perhaps." Isabella took the empty chair beside him without asking permission. Her emerald eyes remained fixed on his.
"I heard the prince of Eldoria enjoys dangerous adventures."
"That depends on the adventure."
She leaned slightly closer. "And what about forbidden ones?"
Alexander studied her. There was no hesitation in her expression. She knew exactly what she was doing. He liked that. "You have a dangerous tongue."
"And you have a dangerous reputation."
"Reputations are rarely accurate."
"Is that what you tell all the women?"
Alexander smiled. "Only the ones who ask."
Isabella laughed softly. She reached for his hand. Alexander allowed her fingers to rest against his for a moment. There was attraction between them. He didn't deny it. Why would he? He was young. He was a prince. And life was short.
Yet when Isabella whispered an invitation into his ear, Alexander unexpectedly hesitated. It lasted only a moment. Then he pulled his hand away. "Not tonight."
Isabella looked surprised. "Not interested?"
"Interested."
"Then why refuse?"
Alexander glanced towards the map still spread across the table. "Because I have other things to think about."
Isabella followed his gaze. "Politics?"
"Something like that."
She smiled knowingly. "You are going to become a very serious king."
Alexander looked at her. "I intend to."
"And what happens to all the women who adore you?"
He shrugged. "They will find someone else to adore."
Isabella laughed. "You really are impossible."
She stood. Then she leaned towards him. "One day, Your Highness, you may meet a woman who doesn't care that you're a prince."
Alexander's eyes followed her. "Is that a challenge?"
"Perhaps." She walked away before he could respond. Alexander watched her disappear into the crowd.
Liam turned towards him. "You rejected her."
"I did."
Gabriel stared at him. "Are you ill?"
Alexander laughed.
"No."
"Then what happened?"
Alexander looked down at the map.
"I have responsibilities."
Gabriel and Liam exchanged another glance. Neither believed that was the whole answer. But neither pressed him.
***
Alexander returned to the palace later that night. The corridors were quiet.Moonlight spilled through the tall windows, painting silver patterns across the marble floor. He walked alone.
For the first time that evening, there was no laughter around him. No friends. No women.No tavern. Only silence. He stopped before one of the enormous windows overlooking the capital. Thousands of lights glittered below. Eldoria belonged to him.
Not yet.
But one day it would. He imagined himself sitting on the throne. He imagined the neighbouring kingdoms bowing before Eldoria. He imagined armies marching beneath his banner. He imagined prosperity. Power. Legacy.
Then, unexpectedly, another image entered his mind. Two women. Alexander frowned as the strange vision took shape.
He found himself standing in a place unlike anywhere he had ever been. A soft, golden light surrounded him, and the air carried the faint scent of flowers. There were no palace walls, no banners of Eldoria, no sound of soldiers training in the courtyard. Everything felt strangely peaceful.
A woman stood a short distance away.
She had long ebony hair with a subtle red sheen beneath the light. Her golden eyes were calm and observant, and there was an elegance in the way she carried herself that immediately caught his attention.
She was holding a piece of embroidery. Alexander approached her. "Princess Seraphina?"
She looked at him as though she had been expecting him. "You know my name?"
"I have heard of you."
A small smile touched her lips. "And what have you heard?"
"That you are skilled with a needle."
She laughed softly. "Is that all?"
Alexander smiled. "That you are also difficult to impress."
"Then perhaps the rumours are more accurate than I thought."
He studied her for a moment. There was something unusual about her. She was graceful without appearing fragile, composed without being cold. He glanced at the embroidery in her hands. "What are you making?"
"A story."
"A story?"
"Every thread has a place. If one is pulled carelessly, the entire pattern can change."
Alexander looked at her. "That sounds rather serious for embroidery."
"Perhaps it is."
Before he could reply, the scene changed. The garden disappeared. Now he stood beside a warm kitchen filled with the scent of herbs and spices.
A woman with golden-brown curls was standing over a large copper pot. She turned when she noticed him and smiled as though his arrival was the most amusing thing that had happened to her all day.
"Are you going to stand there all evening?"
Alexander raised an eyebrow. "Do I know you?"
"No."
"Then why are you speaking to me as though you do?"
She laughed. "Because you look hungry."
"I am not."
She lifted the lid from the pot and stirred its contents. "Everyone says that until they smell my cooking."
Alexander stepped closer despite himself. "What are you making?"
"Something that might improve your mood."
"My mood is perfectly fine."
"Then perhaps you don't need it." She turned away deliberately.
Alexander found himself grinning. "You're Princess Ariella."
She looked over her shoulder. "So you've heard of me too?"
"I have."
"And what have you heard?"
"That your cooking can heal people."
"That is a rather serious way of describing it."
"What would you call it?"
"Cooking."
Alexander laughed. There was something about her that made the strange dream feel almost real. She was playful and warm, completely different from Seraphina, yet somehow just as captivating.
The two women were unlike anyone he had ever met. And yet, in the dream, he felt as though he had known them for much longer than a few moments.
The scene shifted again. This time, Seraphina and Ariella stood together. They were talking and laughing, clearly comfortable in each other's company. Alexander watched them from a distance, fascinated by the ease between the sisters. He wanted to approach them, but something held him back. Then Seraphina looked towards him. Their eyes met. For a brief moment, the world seemed to become still. Alexander felt an unfamiliar pull in his chest. Ariella turned and looked at him as well. She smiled. The feeling grew stronger.
He took a step towards them. The dream began to fade. "Wait." His own voice sounded distant.He reached out, but the two women were already disappearing into the light.
"Seraphina!"
"Ariella!"
Their names left his lips before he woke. Alexander opened his eyes. For several moments, he lay still, staring at the ceiling. His breathing was heavier than usual. He turned his head towards the window. Dawn had not yet broken, and the palace was still quiet. He sat up and rubbed his face. It had been a strange dream.
He remembered their faces clearly. Their voices. Even the conversations they had shared. That was unusual. He rarely remembered his dreams after waking. Alexander rose from the bed and walked towards the window. The dream continued to linger in his thoughts.
Seraphina.
Ariella.
Who were they?
He had never met either of them, yet there had been something familiar about them. Something that made the encounter feel less like a meaningless dream and more like a glimpse of people he was somehow destined to meet.
He shook the thought away. There were more important matters waiting for him. Eldoria needed him. His father expected him to attend the council meeting that morning, and General Lucius had been preparing a report concerning the disturbances along the eastern and southern borders. Whatever the reason behind the dream, it would have to wait.
Alexander dressed and left his chamber. By the time he reached the council hall, the strange women were already pushed to the back of his mind. Or at least, that was what he told himself. He had no way of knowing that the two women from his dream were not simply figments of his imagination.
Princess Seraphina and Princess Ariella were real. And their lives were already moving towards him.