Chapter 5
Night fell over Arvandor, draping the palace in shadows that whispered of conspiracies. Lyriana sat by her window, the moonlight spilling over her face as she traced the glowing sigil on Aryn's wrist—etched in her memory, though she had only glimpsed it once. Her thoughts were a storm: the prophecy, the council's growing suspicion, and the dangerous attraction she felt toward a Shadowmarked warrior.
A sudden tapping at her window made her start. She opened it cautiously, heart racing. Aryn dropped lightly onto the balcony, his dark cloak blending with the night.
"You shouldn't be here," she whispered, pulling him into the shadow of the curtains.
"I had no choice," he said, voice low. "The council knows something is happening. They'll question me tomorrow, and if I reveal the wrong detail… I won't survive."
Lyriana's hands shook as she helped him inside. "Then we must find a way to protect you. And the prophecy… whatever it means, it can't end with your death."
Aryn's eyes softened, briefly betraying the vulnerability he tried to hide. "I've carried this alone for years. I never expected someone like you… someone who could see me, not just my mark."
Their fingers brushed, and the spark between them ignited into something undeniable. Lyriana's resolve wavered. Everything about him—dangerous, forbidden, magnetic—pulled her in.
Before they could speak again, a shadow crossed the hallway. A palace guard! Lyriana grabbed Aryn's cloak, pulling him into a small alcove. They pressed against the cold stone, barely breathing.
"You… you shouldn't be here!" a whisper came from the shadows. But the voice wasn't angry—just… hesitant.
Lyriana peeked. It was one of her mother's trusted servants, eyes wide, holding a folded note. "For you, Princess. No one must see you."
She took it, unfolding the parchment. The ink shimmered faintly in the moonlight:
"They are watching you. Trust no one in the palace. The prophecy is not as hidden as you think."
Aryn's jaw tightened. "They know," he muttered. "Someone has betrayed us."
Lyriana's heart hammered. Betrayal within the palace walls, a Shadowmarked prisoner, and a prophecy that could destroy them all…
Yet as she met Aryn's determined gaze, one thought crystallized in her mind: We are stronger together. Even if the empire itself is against us.
The moon rose high, illuminating the palace like a silent witness to the dangerous love and rebellion brewing in the shadows.