Setting: Velaris, Moonlight Hunt – Second Day
The rising fire of rivalry. A heart caught in the storm.
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[Scene 1 – Velvet Shadows, Pre-dawn Hours]
The moon had begun its descent, and the sky over Velaris was drenched in indigo and rose. The grounds of House Norwyn were already stirring, though the hunt would not begin for another hour. The nobles, ever hungry for spectacle, wanted to be seen even before the sun kissed the horizon.
Lyra stood alone in her balcony chamber, dressed in a rich twilight-blue hunting gown with silver embroidery. It was elegant and functional — a symbol of nobility and a nod to practicality.
The events of the previous day clung to her like morning mist — Kaelrin's unexpected request, Lord Thorne's dramatic arrival, and that final moment where their gazes had locked like drawn blades.
A knock came. She expected Alina.
But it wasn't her.
> "Lady Lyra?"
Kaelrin's voice.
She froze.
> "May I?" he asked, quietly.
Lyra didn't answer right away. Then, her voice softened.
> "You may."
He stepped in. His riding cloak swept behind him like a shadow, and for once, his demeanor was less... guarded. Less royal. More real.
> "You look prepared," he said.
> "Should I not be?"
> "Only if you intend to outride everyone today."
> "I intend to outthink them. That's easier."
Kaelrin gave the slightest smile — the kind only someone watching carefully would notice.
> "Lord Thorne's presence has... stirred interest," he said finally.
> "That's a polite way to say it," Lyra replied, walking to the edge of the balcony. "He didn't come for the hunt. He came to unsettle you."
> "He won't succeed."
> "Won't he?" she asked, turning to face him. "Because from where I stood, he already has."
Kaelrin's eyes hardened. "He's not a man you should trust."
> "Neither are you."
A pause. The silence between them was thick — heavy with emotion, restrained desire, and challenge.
> "Then let's both try to prove each other wrong," Kaelrin said, offering a hand. "Ride with me today. Let's see who falters first — the lion or the flame."
Lyra stared at his hand… then slowly took it.
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[Scene 2 – The Hunt Begins]
The grand procession of riders rolled out of the Norwyn estate, moving toward the misty edges of the Vale Forest.
Kaelrin rode beside Lyra, silent but fiercely aware of every movement she made — the way she leaned into turns, her grip on the reins, her perfect posture that spoke of hidden rebellion.
Behind them, Darien laughed freely with Alina, tossing a golden apple from one hand to the other. Beside them rode Lord Thorne — dressed in a dark crimson coat, his stallion as proud as its rider.
> "Shall we place a wager, Duke?" Thorne called aloud. "First to strike down the Silver Stag wins?"
Kaelrin replied without turning his head. "I hunt for purpose. Not performance."
> "Pity. The lady might've been impressed."
Lyra's eyes narrowed, but Kaelrin kept riding.
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[Scene 3 – Split Paths]
An hour into the forest, the group naturally split into smaller teams. Lyra found herself beside Kaelrin and two guards, following hoofprints into the denser woods.
Birds cawed overhead. A mist hung low. Magic buzzed faintly in the air — protective wards to keep the more dangerous creatures away.
> "You handled Thorne well," Lyra said.
> "He thrives on performance. I don't reward it."
> "But you care."
> "No. I calculate."
She looked at him, skeptical. "You're not as unreadable as you think."
> "And you're not as untouchable as you pretend," he countered smoothly.
Their horses slowed as Kaelrin raised a hand. In the distance, the glimmer of silver moved between trees.
> "Stag," he whispered.
But just as they prepared to move… an arrow shot past them.
Thorne.
He galloped from the side path, laughing as his arrow missed by inches and startled the stag deeper into the woods.
> "Too slow, Duke!"
Kaelrin cursed under his breath and kicked his horse forward. Lyra followed without hesitation.
The chase began.
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[Scene 4 – The Clearing of Thorns]
The pursuit led them to a vast clearing surrounded by bramble and flowers — the Garden of Thorns, so called for the enchanted roses that protected the rarest prey. Inside, the Silver Stag stood, wounded and stunned.
Kaelrin, Lyra, and Thorne all reached at once.
> "Three hunters. One prize," Thorne said, dismounting. "Shall we see who fate favors?"
Kaelrin remained mounted. "This isn't about fate."
Lyra dismounted too.
> "I don't want the kill," she said, stepping slowly toward the creature. "I want to end the chase."
Thorne smirked. "You want mercy. Typical."
Kaelrin dismounted next. "No. She wants meaning. That's rarer than mercy."
Thorne's smile faded.
> "So be it. The stag lives. But the game continues," he said with a bitter tone, mounting again.
As Thorne rode off, Kaelrin turned to Lyra.
> "You could've taken the shot."
> "So could you."
He smiled faintly. "Perhaps you are the fire I never expected."
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[Scene 5 – Evening Gathering]
That evening, the nobles gathered again in the upper gardens — wine flowing, music playing, the echoes of laughter and tension mingling.
Lyra stood at the edge, watching Thorne laugh with a circle of ladies, all eyes drawn to him.
Kaelrin approached with two glasses of honey wine.
> "For the victor who never struck," he said.
Lyra took the glass. "And for the Duke who chose restraint."
They clinked glasses.
> "Will he become a problem?" she asked quietly, glancing at Thorne.
> "He already is," Kaelrin murmured.
> "And what am I in this mess?"
> "You," Kaelrin said, stepping closer, "are the storm we're all caught in."
Their eyes met — fire to frost, pride to pain — and for a moment, the air between them shimmered with something electric.
Darien's voice broke the silence.
> "You two are glowing with tension," he said cheerfully, sipping from his glass. "Should I alert the poets?"
> "Only if they write tragedies," Lyra replied, walking away, though her heart raced.
Kaelrin watched her go.
> "She's going to undo me," he whispered.
Darien laughed. "Good. You deserve to be unraveled."
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[Scene 6 – In the Moonlit Corridor]
Later that night, Lyra walked the stone corridor of House Norwyn's east wing. The candlelight flickered against the walls.
She didn't expect to find Thorne waiting at her chamber door.
> "You walk like a queen already," he said.
> "And you linger like a thief."
He stepped forward.
> "We both know Kaelrin is dangerous. And slow. He won't say what he wants. But I will."
> "What do you want, Thorne?"
> "You. All of you. I'll fight him for you, if it comes to that."
Lyra stepped back, eyes wide.
> "Then perhaps… neither of you deserve me," she said firmly.
She turned, entered her chamber, and shut the door.
But behind it, her heart raced.
> A love triangle had truly begun.
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To Be Continued…