"Protect the prince!" Captain Thomas roared.
Eric staggered, shapes and sounds colliding in a dizzying blur; shouts, the hiss of arrows, the crash of splintering boards. His arm jolted with a sharp sting. Another wave of chaos hit him, and the world tilted beneath his feet.
He slipped. The cold seized him. Salt burned his lungs. Darkness swallowed him whole. So this is death, he thought, surrendering to the endless blue.
...
When his eyes opened again, he lay gasping on the shore, moonlight glinting off restless waves. Kneeling beside him was a figure unlike any he had seen; blue hair clinging wet to lean shoulders, sapphire eyes gleaming with sharp, unreadable intensity.
"You should not be alive, land prince," the figure murmured.
Eric's chest tightened. Something in the stranger's presence tugged at him. The subtle pull of scent beneath the salt and night air. His Alpha instincts stirred restlessly, sharp and unbidden, as though the sea itself had set him on edge.
Eric heard voices calling from afar, faint and urgent.
"Prince Eric! Prince Eric!"
The sounds pulled him from the haze, but before he could respond, a figure splashed into water nearby, disappearing beneath the waves.
"I've seen the prince! He's there " one soldier shouted, voice breaking.
"Quickly!" Captain Thomas barked, urgency cutting through panic.
They neared Eric and surrounded him, faces pale, weapons lowered. Then, as if realizing something, they parted slightly.
"The prince...he's alive," someone whispered.
Eric slowly pushed himself upright, waves lapping at his boots. His eyes were fixed, lost on the blue-haired figure with sapphire eyes who had pulled him from the water, every detail of the stranger etched into his mind.
Behind him, Captain Thomas and the soldiers were kneeling, heads bowed.
"I...I failed in my duty to protect you, Prince, with my life as I swore," Thomas said quietly, voice heavy with shame. "I don't deserve to live."
"We...we do not deserve to live," echoed the soldiers in unison, heads bowed.
Eric blinked, finally turning his gaze toward them. His voice, calm but firm, cut through the quiet:
"Rise up."
One by one, the men lifted their heads, then straightened, relief and awe flickering across their faces.
"Have our stolen golds been secured? And has the Black Serpent of Thalrion been defeated?" Eric asked.
"Yes, Your Highness," Captain Thomas replied quickly, then hesitated. "But...it was not by our strength alone. We prevailed with the help of Eldoria."
At that name, Eric's jaw tightened. Eldoria. His allies, his betrothed's kingdom. To the men, their aid meant victory. To him, it meant chains of another kind.
Eric's gaze swept over the weary men. "Let's return to the kingdom," he said.
The soldiers moved at once, bringing the horses forward. One by one, they mounted, the weight of battle still heavy in their silence.
Eric took his place at the front. Yet, as they rode along the shoreline, his eyes drifted once more to the restless waves. His chest tightened, a steady beat against his ribs.
Who are you?
...
Beneath the sea, far from the moonlit shore, a prison of shimmering glass pulsed with cruel magic.
Kaelen knelt within it, his blue hair drifting like flame in the dark water. Each flicker of the enchanted barrier lashed against his skin, burning, binding, forcing him to his knees.
"You dared to save the land prince," the Sea Lord's voice thundered through the chamber. "Your weakness shames us all."
A lash of light cracked across his back. Kaelen gasped, his cry muffled in the water, while outside the prison, mermaids and mermen stood frozen. None dared to move, their eyes wide with both pity and fear.
Another strike. Another flare of pain. Kaelen's hands clenched against the glass, blood mingling with the currents. Still, even through the torment, his thoughts cling to the memory of the man he had dragged from death. The prince.
...
The gates of Valoria opened with the heavy groan of iron and wood. Torches lit the walls, casting long shadows as the soldiers rode in, battered but victorious.
Villagers and nobles alike gathered at the streets, their whispers following the procession. The prince has returned.
Eric dismounted, his boots striking the stone courtyard. Captain Thomas and the men bowed low, their voices rising together.
"Glory to Prince Eric Darius!"
The great doors of the palace swung open, spilling golden light across the courtyard. Servants hurried forward, and the royal banners of Valoria unfurled above the walls.
Inside, the throne room awaited, filled with the gathered court. Nobles in jeweled robes lines the hall, their eyes fixed on the prince as he entered. At the far end, beneath the gilded crest of Valoria, sat King Aldren and Queen Seliora.
The king rose, his voice carrying through the chamber.
"My son returns victorious."
The courtiers bowed in unison.
The great doors opened again, and the herald's voice rang out:
"Announcing Their Majesties, King Alaric and Queen Seraphine of Eldoria; accompanied by Princess Lynette."
The air shifted as they entered. Even the faintest trace of Eldorian Alpha presence spread like invisible fire across the chamber commanding respect. Behind her parents, Princess Lynette walked with measured grace. Though unmarked, her omega scent was faintly sweet beneath layers of restraint, enough to stir unease among the Valorian courtiers.
King Aldren of Valoria descended two steps from his throne, his voice carrying across the chamber. "Valoria is indebted. With Eldoria's strength, the enemy was broken, and our stolen treasures returned. Let all know; our alliance has been proven in steal and in blood."
Queen Seliora's hands spread in welcome. "May it now be sealed in union."
At that, the Eldorian king gave a solemn nod. "The marriage will be held without delay. Seven days of celebration, as befits the joining of kingdom."
Whispers spread through the court like fire in dry grass. Nobles bowed lower, some shifting uneasily at the unmistakable dominance radiating from the Eldorian royals.
Eric lifted his head at last, his pulse tightening. For the briefest instant, his eyes locked with Lynette's. Omega and Alpha, bound by decree before words, bound by instinct before choice. No words were spoken, yet the silence between them thrummed with something deeper than duty.
When the ceremony of greetings ended, the nobles withdrew, leaving only the royal families. For a breath, silence lingered.
Lynette stepped forward, lowering her head with measured grace.
"Prince Eric," she said softly, "Valoria honors this union."
Eric inclined his head, his voice calm but heavier than he intended.
"Eldoria's aid saved my kingdom. And now...its princess."