The royal courtyard had quieted after lunch, the children whisked away by brownies for a nap and warriors stretching lazily in sun soaked stone gardens.
But inside the Solarian castle, a quiet magic pulsed through the halls.
Rhiannan walked beside Queen Virella, flanked by two overjoyed brownies carrying a silver tray of glowing peach drinks and tiny spiced cakes shaped like phoenix wings.
"Our kitchen staff went feral when they found out you were coming," Virella laughed softly, eyes glowing with warmth. "They were arguing over what flavor a goddess likes best."
"The answer is yes," Rhiannan said, grinning. "I like everything. Especially when it sparkles."
They entered a sunroom carved into golden quartz, vines growing through crystal windows that looked out over the sea. The brownies curtsied with enthusiasm and placed the tray before them with tiny squeaks of devotion.
Rhiannan took one look at the drink and giggled.
"This is pink. With glitter. I feel seen."
Virella chuckled, her composure cracking just a bit as she relaxed into the moment. "I think I needed this. I haven't laughed like this in… decades."
"You can laugh with me anytime," Rhiannan said. "I think I just made a new friend."
The queen's breath hitched, eyes welling with tears.
"You returned the Phoenix Pendant," she said quietly. "Something I thought lost forever. My great grandmother wore that when she was crowned. And now it glows again, because you touched it."
"You gave me peace," Rhiannan whispered back. "I just returned the favor."
They reached across the table, hands clasping. A bond of soul deep trust forming like magic between fire and storm.
Virella dabbed at her eyes and then pulled a small velvet pouch from her sleeve.
"There's something else," she said. "A way to prepare. The Trial of Soul Echoes is… vicious. Reliving your own pain is one thing. But for your mates to survive inside your memories… they must feel them like you did. Without filter. Without shields."
Rhiannan nodded slowly, throat tight.
"I know they'll try. But I need them to succeed."
Virella placed the pouch on the table. Inside, a small crystal vial glowed faintly, swirling with rose gold liquid.
"This potion will bind the seven of you in a temporary soul tether. For one night, you'll walk your past together. Relive your childhood. Your trauma. The abandonment. The war. The hell. You'll wake exhausted… but more prepared than anyone ever has before."
"And if they can't handle it?" Rhiannan asked softly.
"Then you'll know now," Virella said. "Not when it's too late."
Rhiannan took the vial and pressed it to her heart.
"Thank you. For trusting me with this. For caring."
Virella smiled. "We're not just allies now. We're something more. And I think… our kingdoms might be too."
FaeNet shimmered to life as Rhiannan and Queen Virella stood together, arms entwined, their royal symbols glowing.
"Today," Rhiannan said, "we share more than magic. We share purpose."
"And peace," Virella added. "For the first time in centuries, fire and stara walk together."
"This is more than a treaty," Rhiannan continued, her voice steady. "This is the beginning of unity. Of divine rebirth. We don't just fight evil… we build something better."
FaeNet exploded with comments and sparkles and praise.
💬"THE QUEENS STAND TOGETHER 🔥⚡" 💬"Motherhood, monarchy, and magic, this is the future." 💬"GIVE THEM A REALITY SHOW." 💬"I'm sobbing and I don't even know why."
The live ended, and they all stepped out into the garden where the party was lounging and snacking again. Rhiannan turned as the royal heir stepped forward, tall, graceful, cloaked in burning silk. Prince Zeilar Flameborn, heir to Solaria, golden brown hair pulled back, eyes like crackling amber.
She paused. Her goddess sense tugged.
"You need to meet someone," she said.
He cocked an eyebrow in curiosity but followed.
As they walked back toward the main group, a low hiss sounded.
Nyxar, lethal, calm, eternally composed Nyxar...snapped her head up.
Her eyes went wide. She stood. Sniffed.
"No…" she whispered.
Zeilar stopped dead, staring at her.
"You're mine," he said. Just once.
They ran.
No hesitation.
They collided like fate rewritten, hands grasping, eyes wild, magic roaring around them.
Gasps broke out.
Zaiya dropped her drink.
"Nyxar got a PRINCE?!"
Mo screamed. "SOMEONE RECORD THIS! FATE IS UNHINGED!"
Queen Virella and King Cyranth stared, stunned. And then....tears.
"Our son…" the queen whispered. "Fated mate of a goddess sentinel. Of all the people in all the worlds… he found her."
"This will unite us forever," Cyranth said, voice thick. "Our son. Her elite. This bond is divine. Chosen."
Nyxar said nothing, just clung to Zeilar like he was air, and let the kingdom rejoice around them.
As the sun began to dip low, casting golden light across the horizon, the party began to scatter.
Everyone had rooms to rest in.
Hearts to settle.
Minds to prepare.
And seven souls, bound by blood, magic, love, and trauma, had one last night of peace before walking through Rhiannan's haunted past together.
Tomorrow, the potion would open the door.
And nothing would ever be the same.
Nyxar stood at the edge of the massive bed, breath shallow, heart thudding like a war drum in her chest. The silk robe she'd been given slid from her shoulders, pooling silently to the floor.
Zeilar stared like a starving man, awe and heat rippling through his aura.
"You're perfect," he whispered, stepping toward her slowly, reverently. "And you're mine."
"I've never..." she started, but he reached out and cupped her cheek.
"I know," he said gently, his voice a low rumble. "And I will never take what you don't give freely."
"I want it," she breathed. "I want you."
That was all he needed.
He kissed her slowly at first, lips soft, reverent, like he was memorizing the shape of her mouth. His hands roamed down her toned arms, over the curve of her waist, finally landing on the full swell of her breasts.
"Goddess," he moaned, sinking to his knees before her. "You're so fucking soft."
He took one nipple into his mouth, suckling it slowly while his fingers stroked the underside of the other. Nyxar gasped, her hand tangling in his golden hair as her knees buckled slightly.
"Zeilar…"
"I want to worship you," he growled, his mouth trailing kisses down her belly. "Every part of you."
She shivered as he guided her back onto the bed, spreading her legs gently. He kissed the inside of each thigh, slow and teasing, before brushing his lips over her slick folds.
"So sweet," he whispered. "So tight."
He slipped one finger into her, slowly, then a second, stretching her carefully, watching her face for any sign of pain.
Nyxar moaned, hips lifting, legs trembling.
"Please," she whimpered. "I want more! Please, Zeilar!"
He licked a long, slow line up her pussy, then sucked her clit into his mouth with a gentle moan that vibrated through her soul.
She came apart.
"*Zeilar,*oh gods!" she gasped, body writhing, cunt clenching tight around his fingers as she came hard for the first time in her life. Her vision blurred with stars.
But he wasn't done.
He moved over her, one hand stroking her cheek as he positioned himself between her thighs.
"I'll go slow," he promised. "But I have to feel you."
She nodded, tears in her eyes, and wrapped her legs around his waist.
He guided the head of his thick cock to her soaked folds and began to push in, slow, steady, groaning as her tight heat swallowed him inch by inch.
"You're going to kill me," he hissed. "So tight, so fucking perfect!"
And then, he pinched her clit with his fingers, firm and skilled.
She cried out, back arching.
"FUCK! Zeilar!"
At the same time, he sucked her breast into his mouth and slipped his thumb against her ass, pressing in just slightly.
Nyxar screamed.
She bucked. She shattered.
"I'm coming!" she sobbed. "I can't stop!"
Her body clenched around him, gushing slick, squirting all over his cock and stomach as her orgasm crashed over her like wildfire.
He groaned, slamming the rest of the way in, her juices coating him.
They collapsed in a tangle, sweaty, panting, dazed. Her body trembled beneath him, still twitching with aftershocks.
Zeilar kissed her forehead.
"You were made for me," he whispered. "And I'll spend my life proving it."
Nyxar pulled him into her arms, still panting.
"Then don't ever let go."
"Never."
The dining hall that night pulsed with golden candlelight, soft harp music drifting through the air like a lullaby wrapped in velvet. The long banquet table shimmered with trays of roasted root vegetables, spiced meats, glowing fruits, and warm, honeyed bread that practically steamed happiness into the air.
At one end, Mo and Mela were tangled in each other's arms, giggling and whispering like teenagers on their first love high. Mela fed him pieces of glazed peach, tail swaying behind her, while Mo livestreamed with one hand and stroked her curls with the other.
"Faenet, meet my girl. She smells like home and sunshine and I'm gonna marry her in five minutes," he announced proudly. "Also, her tail is grabby and I am not complaining."
Laughter broke out across the table.
Further down, Nyxar and Zeilar sat impossibly close, glowing, literally glowing. His hand never left her thigh. Her gaze never left his face.
"You're different," Zaiya teased. "Did you finally let someone make you moan, sentinel?"
Nyxar's rare smile curved as she took a sip of wine. "Louder than you, apparently."
"Touché," Zaiya said, raising her glass.
And at the head of the table sat Rhiannan, looking radiant. Wrapped in a deep green gown that clung to her growing curves, her tiny baby bump nestled beneath her hand. Her men were draped around her like living extensions of devotion.
Kaleb fed her bites of roasted pear. Arwen rubbed her shoulders. Sable kissed her wrist. Azarion murmured something against her neck that made her cheeks flush.
"You're all obsessed," she teased softly.
"You made it impossible not to be," Liam said, stealing a kiss.
"You're our reason," Elisha added. "Our center. Our future."
They didn't say it aloud, but everyone at that table knew.
Tomorrow, the real preparation began.
The seven entered their chamber slowly, quiet, thoughtful. The fire was low and the room felt heavier somehow, like it knew what was coming.
The small crystal vial of the tester potion sat on the table, pulsing faintly with rose gold light.
Rhiannan sat in the middle of their shared bed, legs tucked beneath her, arms resting protectively over her belly.
"Okay," she said gently. "Let's talk about it."
Kaleb was the first to speak. "I'm not afraid of what I'll see. I'm afraid I'll… break. That I won't be strong enough for you."
"You will," she said immediately.
Azarion looked into the fire. "There's darkness in you, Rhi. We know it. But knowing it and living it... that's different."
Sable growled. "I don't care if it kills me. I'll walk through your pain, your hell, your blood. I need to know what shaped you."
"You already know," she whispered. "But this will let you feel it."
Elisha's voice was soft. "What if we don't come back the same?"
"Then we rebuild," Rhiannan said. "Stronger."
Liam sat at her side, brushing hair from her face. "What if I see something that hurts you and I lose control? What if I kill something that doesn't exist anymore?"
She smiled faintly. "Then I'll remind you that we're here. Together. Now."
They were quiet a long moment.
"I'm scared," she admitted finally, eyes glistening. "But I believe in all of you. And in us. We were made for this. For each other."
"You're not alone anymore," Arwen whispered. "You'll never be alone again."
They curled into each other like a single heartbeat, wrapped in limbs and warmth and love. Kaleb's hand rested over her belly. Azarion stroked her hair. Sable slept with one arm over her thigh, possessive even in rest. Liam's fingers linked with hers. Elisha kissed her temple before closing his eyes. Arwen pulled the blankets over them all.
"We'll face your past," he said. "So we can build our future."
And in the quiet that followed, surrounded by love, warmth, and divine strength, they fell asleep.
Tomorrow, they'd walk into her memories.
And either come out stronger… or not at all.