The great hall of Eldoria blazed with torches, their golden light dancing across polished shields and rich tapestries. Minstrels plucked strings, knights boasted of victories, and noblemen drank deep from silver goblets. Yet for Elswyth, all of it—the noise, the laughter, the grandeur—was nothing but a haze. Her heart was tethered elsewhere, to a single figure standing half-hidden in the shadow of a great stone pillar.
Caedmon.
He was not adorned in silks like his brother, nor did he parade about with a crown of arrogance. His presence was quieter, humbler, but far more magnetic. His gaze found hers across the sea of nobles, and in that instant, her world stilled. He did not smile, for a smile would betray them both, but his eyes—dark, steady, unyielding—spoke what lips could not.
Athelric's hand tightened at her waist as he led her in a slow procession through the hall. The elder prince moved with confidence, pride swelling in every step, his claim over her as blatant as the crown he was destined to wear. Yet Elswyth's thoughts were far from him. Every time she lowered her lashes, every time her fingers brushed the folds of her gown, she felt Caedmon's gaze burning through her, branding her heart with longing.
When he raised his goblet in mock toast, no one suspected. It was casual, a gesture lost in the merriment. But Elswyth knew. Her lips curved just faintly, an almost invisible smile, a message only for him. She brushed a stray curl from her cheek, her hand trembling as she did—an answering signal, her own secret vow.
No words passed between them, yet the silence was deafening. Their love was born not in embraces, not in declarations, but in these small rebellions of the heart. A stolen glance. A trembling smile. A moment so brief, yet eternal in memory.
The hall erupted with cheer as a minstrel struck a triumphant note, but neither heard it. For in that crowded hall of nobles and warriors, the world shrank to two souls bound by a forbidden fire. And though the kingdom celebrated, Elswyth knew she had already betrayed its future with a single look.
---