We left the camp shortly after breakfast. There was no dramatic farewell. No one announced our departure. The tents simply came down one by one, horses were saddled, supplies were packed, and the soldiers fell into formation as though this had been planned all along.
Perhaps it had. By the time I stepped out of my tent, most of the camp had already been dismantled. I stood there for a moment, watching men roll up canvas and load wooden crates onto wagons. The place that had felt like a temporary refuge only yesterday was disappearing before my eyes.
So this was it. We were really leaving. Astoria was behind us now. And Luminar was ahead.
Lady Evelyn remained close to me throughout the preparations. She didn't say much after what had happened with Alexander. Neither did I. There were too many soldiers around us, and neither of us knew who could be trusted.
Sir Gregory and the knights were still travelling with us, though they were no longer free to make their own decisions. Alexander had allowed them to remain with the group on the condition that they caused no trouble.
I wasn't sure whether that was mercy or simply another way of keeping an eye on them. Probably the latter. Alexander had also made one thing very clear. We were not going back to Astoria. Our route would take us towards Luminar, with a stop at Evergrove where additional soldiers, supplies and equipment would join us. Gabriel had gone ahead to organise everything.
The journey was expected to take seven or eight days, depending on what we encountered along the way. I tried not to think too much about what we encountered along the way meant.
With monsters involved, that phrase could cover almost anything. The first part of the journey was relatively quiet. The road gradually narrowed as we moved away from the settled lands. The scenery changed with us. Fields gave way to thicker woodland, and the sounds of farmers and villagers slowly disappeared behind us.
I spent most of the time riding with Lady Evelyn. Whenever the road allowed it, I watched the soldiers around us. There were more of them than I had expected.
Alexander wasn't travelling like a prince going on an ordinary diplomatic journey. His men were armed, organised and prepared for a campaign. And that was when the absurdity of it struck me again. He was using everything he could get his hands on.
Ariella's herbs and recipes were being used to keep the soldiers healthy. Seraphina's workshop had supplied clothing and equipment. Even the talents of the two women who were supposed to become his greatest enemies were already being turned into advantages for his army. I couldn't decide whether to admire his resourcefulness or be irritated by it. Probably both.
As the day progressed, the forest became denser. The road eventually gave way to a rougher trail that wound between tall trees. We travelled for several more hours before making camp again.
This time, we stopped beside a lake. I remembered the place from earlier in the journey. It wasn't the river where I had met Tumblefluff. That river was farther behind us now. This lake was wider, its dark surface stretching between the trees. A narrow stream fed into it from somewhere beyond the eastern bank, while another smaller channel carried water away towards the forest.
The sight of it brought back memories of the previous night. My conversation with Alexander. His confession. Aetheron. Astoria. Everything seemed to have happened at once.
By the time the soldiers finished setting up camp, I couldn't bear being inside my tent any longer. I needed air. More importantly, I needed somewhere I could think without someone watching me. So I waited until the camp had settled. Then I slipped outside.
I want the power. I need your ability. You are not leaving until you help me.
Every time I tried to arrange those words into something that made sense, my thoughts tangled themselves into an even bigger mess. Was this really happening? Had I somehow changed the story so badly that Alexander was no longer following the original plot?
Or had I simply failed to understand him from the beginning?
I pushed through the trees, putting as much distance as I could between myself and the camp. The night air was cooler here, carrying the damp smell of leaves and earth. Somewhere ahead, I could hear water moving over stones.
I had barely taken another step when a familiar voice called from behind me.
"Going somewhere?"
My shoulders stiffened. Of course. I turned slowly. Alexander stood between the trees, his arms folded loosely across his chest. He didn't look angry. Somehow, that was worse.
"Just getting some fresh air."
"At this hour?"
"I couldn't sleep."
His gaze moved briefly towards the camp before returning to me. "You have guards outside your tent."
"I know."
"And yet you walked past them."
"Yes."
"You also passed the guards stationed around the perimeter."
I crossed my arms. "Yes, Alexander. I am aware that I walked through the camp."
His mouth twitched.
I narrowed my eyes. "Why didn't they stop me?"
"They were under orders not to."
That answer caught me off guard. "What?"
"I told them not to interfere unless you attempted to leave the area."
I stared at him. "So you knew I'd come out?"
"I suspected you would."
"And you just let me?"
"For the moment." There was something in the way he said it that made my stomach tighten.
I looked past him towards the darkened camp. That explained why nobody had stopped me. I had mistaken their silence for negligence when it had been deliberate. Alexander had known exactly where I was going.
I sighed and walked towards the lake anyway. If he wanted to follow me, he could follow me. "You're very irritating, you know that?"
"I've been told."
"By women?"
"Mostly."
I rolled my eyes. We continued through the trees until the lake came into view. Moonlight lay across the water in broken pieces whenever the surface shifted. I found the same stretch of exposed tree roots where I had sat before and lowered myself onto one of them.
Alexander remained standing for a moment. Then he sat opposite me. Unfortunately, that put him directly in my line of sight. I stared at the lake instead.
We were already farther from Astoria now. The journey towards Luminar would take roughly seven or eight days, depending on what happened along the way. Once we reached Evergrove, Alexander intended to double the number of soldiers travelling with us.
He was preparing for a hunt. Not an ordinary hunt. Aetheron. The King of Monsters.
Gabriel had been left in charge of arranging the additional soldiers, armour, weapons and supplies Alexander would need. And somehow, the more I thought about it, the more ridiculous the whole situation became.
Alexander was using Ariella's recipes, herbs and other ingredients to keep his soldiers healthy. He was also using equipment and clothing produced in Seraphina's workshop. He was gathering the talents of both women and turning them into resources for his campaign.
I almost laughed. "That's clever," I muttered.
Alexander looked at me. "What is?"
"You."
His eyebrow rose.
I finally turned towards him. "Ariella gives you food, herbs and remedies. Seraphina gives you equipment. And now you want my ability." I gave a humourless laugh.
"You really do know how to make use of people."
He didn't deny it. That bothered me more than it should have. Because he was an opportunist. I couldn't argue with that. But there was something else beneath it. He was good at seeing what people could offer him. And right now, I was the thing he wanted most.
I turned back towards the lake. My thoughts drifted towards the original novel. I remembered how the story was supposed to unfold. Seraphina would eventually discover Alexander's relationship with Ariella. And she would lose control.
In the novel, her anger became something far more dangerous than jealousy. Using her power, she sent a thousand poisonous needles from Luminar all the way to Verdura. They pierced Ariella's body. But Ariella was not an ordinary woman either. Her celestial body allowed her to survive what should have killed her.
So she retaliated. She contaminated Seraphina's food supplies. Seraphina began vomiting blood until there was almost nothing left inside her. Yet even that did not kill her. The war between the sisters continued. For years.
Luminar and Verdura were devastated. Forests became wastelands. Meadows turned barren. Animals fled their habitats. Monsters, driven from their territories, began attacking neighbouring kingdoms. The conflict didn't remain between two princesses. It spread.
Human settlements were destroyed. Kingdoms became unstable. The entire balance of the human realm began to collapse.
And Alexander tried to stop it. He failed. Eventually, Grand Witch Elara descended into the human realm and brought the war to an end. Her solution was merciless. She cursed both princesses. Seraphina became Mount Luminar. Ariella became Mount Verdura. And Alexander received his own punishment.
Eldermar Peak.
A stone mountain rising above the surrounding lands, its rugged slopes holding the remains of the prince who had once been at the centre of everything.
I looked at Alexander. He was sitting quietly beside the lake, completely unaware that I was mentally turning him into a mountain. Such a waste of handsomeness. I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from laughing.
"What's so funny?"
I froze. He was looking directly at me. "Nothing."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
I looked away. "Just thinking."
"About?"
"Mountains."
"Mountains?"
"Yes."
He stared at me for a moment. I could almost hear the question forming in his head. What is wrong with this woman?
I sighed. Was I supposed to let the story happen? Was I supposed to stop it? If I did nothing, Seraphina and Ariella might still destroy each other. And if that happened, Astoria could be caught in the aftermath.
My kingdom. My people. They had nothing to do with Alexander's love triangle. Why should they pay for it? The thought made my chest tighten. I was still staring at the lake when Alexander spoke.
"It's a habit of yours, isn't it?"
I glanced at him. "What is?"
"You disappear into your thoughts." He leaned forward, resting his forearms against his knees. His voice had lost some of its usual teasing edge. "Whenever something troubles you, you retreat into your own head. You did it after Frostbane. You did it when we first met. And you've been doing it since I told you about Aetheron."
I said nothing.
He studied me for a moment before continuing. "You're trying to solve everything at once. I can see it in your face. You're thinking about Astoria, your people, the monsters, and probably ten other things you haven't told me."
I looked down at my hands. "You don't know me well enough to say that."
"No," he admitted. "I don't." There was a pause. "But I've been watching you."
That didn't make me feel better. "That's not exactly comforting."
A faint smile touched his lips. "You always seem to find trouble."
I frowned. "I don't find trouble."
"Really?"
"Things happen to me."
"That is a remarkably convenient explanation."
I rolled my eyes.
He continued, more amused now. "You were kidnapped by Frostbane. Then you somehow ended up travelling with me. You sneak out of camp at night. You talk to monsters. You challenge people who could easily overpower you."
"I don't challenge everyone."
"You challenged me."
"You kidnapped me."
"That is true."
"And you're using my ability to hunt Aetheron."
His expression shifted. There it was again. That reminder. The easy conversation disappeared between us. I looked at him carefully.
"You know," I said quietly, "I still don't understand how you can sit there and joke with me after what you told me earlier."
Alexander's gaze remained on mine. "I didn't say you had to like what I'm doing."
"No. You just expect me to accept it."
"I expect you to understand that I have reasons."
"You want power." His jaw tightened.
"Yes." At least he didn't lie.
That honesty made things worse. I pushed myself off the tree root. "Then what happens when you get it?"
He didn't answer immediately.
I took a step towards him. "What happens to me after you've used my ability to find Aetheron? What happens to Astoria? What happens to the monsters?"
"You're asking questions you already know I can't answer."
"Because you don't have answers."
"Because I don't know what will happen."
For the first time, I saw something flicker across his face. Not guilt. Uncertainty. It disappeared almost immediately. He stood. I took a step backwards.
"Don't take me lightly, Princess." His voice was quiet now. "You are my captive. Until this matter with Aetheron is resolved, you will do as I tell you." There it was. The wall between us. I stared at him.
The anger I'd been swallowing since the kidnapping finally rose to the surface.
"Then what do you want me to do? Sit inside my tent and wait for you to decide what happens to me?"
"That would be preferable."
I laughed once, sharply.
"Fine."
I spread my arms. "If you don't want me wandering around, then chain me."
His expression changed.
I should have stopped there. I knew I should have. But days of frustration seemed to boil over all at once. "Put me in a cage. Lock me up. Show me exactly how barbaric you really are."
Alexander stared at me. I realised, far too late, that I had deliberately challenged him. His lips curved. Not the charming smile. Not the amused smile. Something far more dangerous. "As you command, Princess."
"What—"
He moved before I could finish. One moment I was standing beside the lake. The next, my feet were off the ground. "Alexander!"
He threw me over his shoulder as though I weighed nothing. My stomach slammed against his shoulder.
"Put me down!" I pounded both fists against his back. He kept walking. "You can't be serious!"
"You asked me to treat you like a prisoner."
"I was being sarcastic!"
"I didn't realise."
"You did!"
His shoulders moved slightly. Was he laughing? I hit him again. "Alexander!"
"Save your strength."
"I hate you."
"I've heard worse."
The trees blurred past as he carried me back towards the camp. By the time we reached the tents, I was too furious to form a coherent argument. The guards looked away. Not one of them said a word. That was almost more humiliating than being carried like a sack of grain. Alexander pushed aside the flap of his tent. My stomach dropped.
"No."
He carried me inside.
"Alexander, don't you dare—"
He dropped me onto the fur-covered bed. I bounced once before catching myself. I stared at him.
"What are you doing?"
He straightened. "You wanted a cage."
"I did not mean your tent!"
"You also said to chain you."
"I was angry!"
"Yes, you were."
I scrambled towards the entrance. His hand caught my waist before I could reach it. I gasped as he pulled me backwards. "Let go."
"You're not going anywhere tonight." His voice had lost all humour.
I twisted against his grip. "Alexander."
"You're my responsibility now."
"I'm not your responsibility. I'm your hostage."
Something tightened in his expression. "Perhaps." He released me only when I stopped struggling. I immediately moved to the opposite side of the bed. He watched me for a moment before sitting down.
"The bed is wide enough."
I stared at him.
"You cannot possibly be serious."
"I am." He lay down as though this were the most ordinary arrangement in the world.
I remained standing. "You expect me to sleep here?"
"You need rest. So do I."
"I can sleep outside."
"No."
"On the floor?"
"No."
"Another tent?"
"No."
I stared at him. "You're enjoying this."
"Perhaps a little."
Instead, I climbed onto the far edge of the bed and pulled the blanket around myself, keeping as much distance between us as possible.
"This doesn't mean I've agreed to anything."
"Sure."
"I mean it, Alexander. I'm not helping you hunt Aetheron just because you decided to drag me here."
He turned his head towards me. "We'll discuss that tomorrow."
"No. We'll discuss it now."
"Elysia."
The way he said my name made me pause. He wasn't angry. If anything, he sounded tired. "We've both had enough for tonight."
I glared at him. "That's convenient. You get to decide when the conversation ends too?"
His eyes remained on mine for a moment before he finally looked away. "Sleep."
I scoffed. "You're unbelievable."
"And you're exhausting."
"Good. Maybe I'll keep you awake."
A faint smile tugged at his mouth. That only irritated me more.
I turned my back towards him and pulled the blanket higher. I could still feel the tension in my shoulders, every muscle refusing to relax.
I wasn't agreeing to this. I wasn't accepting his plan. And I certainly wasn't going to pretend that sharing a bed with him meant I had suddenly become obedient.
After a while, I heard him settle behind me.
"Try to sleep," he said quietly. "Tomorrow will be a long day."
I didn't answer. I kept my eyes open in the darkness. I was a captive lying beside the man who had just threatened to use my ability for his own ambitions. And yet exhaustion was beginning to win. I squeezed my eyes shut. Maybe this was the only thing I could do tonight. Survive. Think tomorrow.
Somewhere behind me, Alexander shifted. I waited. Nothing happened. After several minutes, his breathing became slow and even.
I opened one eye. He was already asleep. I stared at him in disbelief.
"Unbelievable," I whispered. I turned away again and curled myself into a ball, keeping as much distance between us as the bed allowed.
Tomorrow, we would continue towards Luminar. Tomorrow, Alexander would begin hunting Aetheron. And whatever happened next, I wasn't going to make his life easy.
And I had no idea what would happen after that.
The story I remembered had already fallen apart. Alexander was no longer following the path I knew, and I had no idea where his choices would lead us—or what they would mean for Astoria, the monsters, and everyone else caught in his path.
For the first time since I arrived in this world, I wasn't trying to change the story.
I was trying to understand the new one.