The halls of Winterbell Castle glowed faintly under the silver gaze of the moon, casting long shadows across the marble floors. Flynn stood by the large arched window of the eastern wing, his arms crossed over his chest as the cold breeze drifted through the cracks in the stone. Below, the training yard lay quiet no sound of blades clashing, no laughter from young squires.
Only silence.
"Your Highness."
Flynn turned, slowly, to find Khalid approaching. The Duke of Nocturne, clad in his deep navy cloak lined with fur, exuded an aura of calm nobility. His golden eyes flickered with a glint of warmth or was it calculation?
"You're out late again," Khalid said, tone soft but steady.
"I could say the same to you," Flynn replied, his voice neutral. "Dukes must need their rest."
Khalid chuckled faintly, stepping closer until only a few feet remained between them. "Not when my thoughts are as restless as yours."
A pause.
Flynn's gaze dropped to the thin scar along Khalid's knuckles a wound he had once witnessed in a different life. Caelan would've mended it with a clumsy bandage and a gruff scolding. Flynn, however, said nothing.
"You've been quiet since the meeting," Khalid said.
"I have nothing to add. You all seem to know the path forward."
"And yet," Khalid took one step closer, eyes fixed on him, "you always seem to watch me as if I were the enemy."
Flynn's heart skipped just once but he met Khalid's gaze with calm defiance. "Should I not be cautious? You're not from this kingdom, after all."
A flash of something hurt? flickered in Khalid's golden eyes. But it vanished quickly, replaced by a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"I've given this kingdom my blade, my loyalty... and my life," he said. "If that's not enough, then what would be, Prince Flynn?"
Flynn took a slow breath. "Time will tell."
For a moment, they stood in silence, surrounded by moonlight and ghosts.
Khalid's eyes softened as he looked at Flynn no, stared, as though searching for something buried under that alabaster skin and those haunting violet eyes.
"You remind me of someone," he murmured. "Someone I lost."
Flynn's breath hitched but he said nothing.
Khalid tilted his head, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. "But you are not him."
Flynn forced a faint smile. "No. I'm not."
Khalid bowed his head with reluctant grace. "Goodnight, Your Highness."
He turned and disappeared into the corridor, his cloak trailing behind him like a shadow.
Flynn's hands clenched at his sides.
He doesn't know. Not yet.
But how long could he keep it hidden? And what would Khalid do once he learned that the prince he served was the very man he had betrayed?
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