As we made our way back through the forest, Prince Alexander carried me in his arms. I hated it. Not because he was doing anything wrong. My ankle hurt badly enough that putting weight on it was out of the question, and complaining wasn't going to make the injury disappear. Still, being carried around like some helpless princess was humiliating. Especially by him.
I kept my eyes on the trees as we walked, determined not to look at the man carrying me. Alexander had one arm beneath my knees and the other supporting my back, his grip steady whenever the ground became uneven.
Unfortunately, my body seemed to have its own opinion about the arrangement. Every time he adjusted his hold, a strange warmth spread through me. I clenched my jaw. No. Absolutely not. This was Alexander. The same Alexander from the novel. The man who had caused Seraphina and Ariella so much pain.
I knew what he was capable of. I knew how the story ended for them. Whatever my body seemed to think, I wasn't going to forget that.
"Forgive me, Princess," Alexander said after a while. "I haven't properly introduced myself. I'm Alexander of Eldoria."
I looked at him. So he was doing this formally.
"Alexander," I repeated.
His mouth curved slightly. "You've heard of me?"
"You're the famous crown prince, aren't you?" I deliberately put enough emphasis on famous to make the word questionable.
Alexander gave a quiet, humourless laugh. "It seems my reputation has travelled farther than I expected."
"Depends on what kind of reputation we're talking about."
His eyebrow lifted. I almost smiled. Almost. "So you already knew where I was?" I asked, changing the subject.
"Not exactly. Before I reached you, we encountered several of your knights searching the forest. They told us where you had last been seen."
That made sense. At least there was a reasonable explanation for his perfectly timed arrival. No mysterious destiny required. My mind, however, seemed determined to disagree. He came to save you.
I frowned. There it was again. I hadn't thought that. At least, I hadn't meant to. I shifted in Alexander's arms.
He glanced down. "Does your ankle hurt?"
"Yes."
He immediately slowed. That should have been the end of it. Instead, something inside me softened. He's worried about you.
I closed my eyes for a second. No. He's being considerate because I'm injured. That's all. I opened my eyes again and stared at the forest. Much better.
We eventually reached Sir Gregory's camp rather than Alexander's. The moment we emerged from the trees, several knights turned toward us.
"Your Highness!" A woman pushed through them.
"Evelyn!" The name came out of my mouth before I could think.
Lady Evelyn Sinclair stopped in front of me. For a moment, neither of us said anything. Then her face crumpled with relief. "Your Highness. Thank the heavens."
Alexander carefully lowered me to the ground, keeping hold of my arm until Evelyn could reach me.
She immediately slipped an arm around my waist. I leaned against her. And again, another piece of information appeared in my mind as naturally as breathing.
Evelyn Sinclair. My lady-in-waiting.
I stared at her. How did I know that? It wasn't like someone had introduced her. I had recognized her before she said a word. The memories weren't arriving all at once. They simply appeared whenever I needed them, filling gaps I hadn't even realized were there. That was almost worse. At least if everything had hit me at once, I could have blamed the confusion. This was subtler. My mind was quietly making room for Elysia.
"Thank you, Evelyn," I said.
She looked me over from head to toe. "Are you injured?"
"My ankle."
Her expression tightened. "I'll have someone bring the physician."
"I'm fine." I immediately regretted saying it. Because Evelyn gave me the exact look of someone who had no intention of believing me.
Then her attention shifted toward Alexander. She looked at the crest on his armour. Her eyes widened slightly. "Prince Alexander of Eldoria."
Alexander gave her a polite nod. "I was able to assist Her Highness before Sir Gregory and I returned with her."
Evelyn curtsied. "Then Astoria owes you a debt of gratitude."
"I'm glad I could help."
I watched them. Alexander was calm and courteous. Nothing like the version of him in my memories. But that didn't mean anything. People weren't villains every second of the day. That was probably how characters like him got away with things. The thought came easily. Almost too easily.
I looked at Alexander again. He caught me staring. Damn it. I turned away. My cheeks felt hot. Why? I wasn't embarrassed. I was annoyed. There was a difference. Apparently, my body had not received the memo. A strange flutter moved through my stomach. He's looking at you.
I stared straight ahead. I know. You like him. No, I don't. The answer came so quickly that I almost said it aloud.
Alexander was still watching me. His expression had changed. There was something almost amused in it.
I narrowed my eyes. "What?"
"Nothing." He looked away.
I didn't trust that smile.
Footsteps approached from behind us.
"Your Highness!" Liam came toward us first, his usual energy subdued by concern. Gabriel followed close behind, his eyes immediately checking the condition of my ankle before moving over the rest of me.
"You gave everyone quite a scare," Liam said.
"I'm sorry."
"You're alive. That's what matters."
Gabriel nodded. "The Frostbane?"
"Dead," Alexander answered.
Liam looked at him. "Then we owe you one."
Alexander shook his head. "Sir Gregory did more than enough. Without him, I wouldn't have had the opening."
Gregory, who had been speaking with one of the soldiers, glanced over. "You handled the creature, Your Highness. I simply kept it occupied."
Liam gave a low whistle. "Modest too. We really have found ourselves an inconveniently impressive prince."
Gabriel gave him a look.
Liam smiled. "What? I'm being honest."
I watched them.
Gabriel was exactly as I remembered him from the novel: quiet, observant, always watching more than he said. His brown hair was cut short, his clothes practical and his expression difficult to read.
Liam was different. His blond hair was slightly messy, and there was a brightness in his blue eyes that made it difficult to imagine him staying serious for very long.
The descriptions from the novel had been surprisingly accurate. Then I looked at Alexander. That was where the author had clearly gone overboard. He was handsome. Annoyingly so.
His dark brown hair was slightly dishevelled from the fight, and his violet eyes stood out against the dirt and scratches covering his face. He was tall, broad-shouldered and carried himself with the confidence of someone who had never needed to question whether people would make room for him.
The novel had described him as practically perfect. Apparently, the author hadn't been exaggerating about his appearance. That was irritating. Because the more I looked at him, the harder it became to reconcile this man with the one I remembered.
Then the memories returned. Seraphina. Ariella. Their faces. Their suffering. Alexander's choices. My stomach tightened. No matter how handsome he was, no matter how polite he acted, I knew what he would become.
I looked away. I refused to let the story fool me.
A warm hand suddenly touched my shoulder. I turned. Alexander.
"You should rest."
"I can manage."
His hand remained there for another second before he withdrew it. My body reacted before my mind did. My heart jumped. Heat crawled up my neck. I hated it. Absolutely hated it. Because for that brief moment, the reaction had felt natural. Not forced. Not like something the narrator was telling me to feel. It had simply happened. I looked at my hands. Maybe that was the real problem. What if Elysia wasn't just a collection of memories? What if some part of her was still here? Inside me?
Evelyn was watching. Of course she was. Her eyes moved from me to Alexander and back again. I could practically see the assumptions forming in her head. I wanted to tell her there was nothing going on. That I didn't like him. That I didn't trust him. That I remembered things about him she didn't know.
Instead, my mouth opened. "Thank you for helping me."
Alexander's expression softened. "You're welcome."
I wanted to kick myself. There was nothing wrong with what I'd said. That was the problem. Every normal response seemed to bring me one step closer to the role I was supposed to play.
The camp gradually settled as the soldiers returned to their duties. Gregory organized the knights and checked the perimeter. Gabriel spoke quietly with several of the men about the Frostbane attack, while Liam helped Evelyn arrange a place for me to rest.
Everyone seemed to know what they were doing.Everyone except me. I sat beneath the shelter, watching Alexander speak with Gregory near the edge of the camp. He looked nothing like the man I hated when I first read the novel. And yet I knew what was coming. That was the part nobody else understood. I wasn't meeting Alexander for the first time.
I'd already met him in the pages. I'd already watched him make choices. I'd already watched those choices hurt people I cared about. And now I was standing inside his story. Worse, the story seemed determined to make me care about him. A sentence appeared in my mind. With Prince Alexander, Liam, Gabriel, Sir Gregory, and Evelyn by her side, Elysia was ready to face the challenges that awaited her.
I closed my eyes. Not again. The words continued. Together, they would uncover the truths hidden within the pages of this remarkable tale.
I pressed my fingers against my temples. "Stop." Nobody reacted. Of course they didn't. The words weren't coming from outside. They were coming from inside my head. Their bonds would be forged through bravery and shared purpose, guiding them toward an extraordinary destiny.
I opened my eyes. Alexander was looking at me from across the camp. For a moment, our eyes met. My stomach flipped. I looked away immediately. "Argh."
Liam glanced over. "Something wrong?"
"Nothing."
He looked unconvinced but didn't press.
I lowered my voice. "Seriously, Mr. Narrator?" Silence. Then another sentence began forming. I felt it before the words arrived. Elysia couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation—"No."
I covered my face. "This body and these thoughts belong to Elysia, don't they?" Nobody answered. Of course nobody answered. I lowered my hands and looked at the people around me.
Gregory.
Evelyn.
Gabriel.
Liam.
Alexander.
All of them belonged to a story I had once read. Except now I was standing inside it. And somehow, the story had decided I was Elysia. Maybe for now, I had no choice but to play along. But I wasn't going to forget who I was.
I was Samantha Lindsey.
And if this story wanted to drag me along its predetermined path, it was going to have a fight on its hands.