Aria's POV
I didn't sleep at all.
All night, I heard that chanting from beneath the palace. Low and rhythmic, speaking words I couldn't understand. And that strange warmth in my chest kept growing, pulsing like a second heartbeat.
Something is very wrong.
Now it's dawn, and guards are at my door. Time for the wedding, one says, not unkindly.
My hands won't stop shaking as they lead me through empty hallways to the palace chapel. It's a small, cold room with stone walls and narrow windows. No flowers. No decorations. No guests.
Just a priest in gray robes, and Kassian Volkov waiting by the altar.
He's still wearing his black armor, like he expects a fight. His face shows nothing no happiness, no anger, nothing. His ice-blue eyes look past me, at the wall.
This is the man I'm about to marry. The Warlord who conquered my kingdom. And I know absolutely nothing about him except that he whispered I'm sorry yesterday.
Stand here, the priest tells me, pointing to a spot next to Kassian.
I move on shaking legs. Up close, Kassian is even taller than I thought. I barely reach his shoulder. He could break me in half without trying.
The priest begins speaking in a language I don't know. Northern, probably. The words sound harsh and sharp, nothing like the soft Common tongue I grew up with.
Then the priest pulls out an iron chain.
My breath catches. The chain is thick and heavy, with strange symbols carved into each link. It looks ancient. Powerful.
Give me your hands, the priest says in Common now. Both of you.
Kassian holds out his right hand. After a moment, I do the same.
The priest wraps the chain around our joined hands, binding us together. The metal is freezing cold against my skin. The symbols seem to glow faintly in the dim chapel light.
This is the Northern marriage bond, the priest says. Unbreakable. Eternal. Do you both accept this willingly?
Willingly? I want to laugh. Or cry. Nothing about this is willing.
But if I say no, what happens? Do they kill me? Send me back to the Duke? Lock me in the cellar again?
At least married to the Warlord, I might survive.
I do, Kassian says. His voice is flat, emotionless. Like he's ordering breakfast instead of getting married.
The priest looks at me expectantly.
I do, I whisper.
The moment the words leave my mouth, the chain blazes with light bright white, almost blinding. Heat rushes through my hand, up my arm, into my chest where that strange warmth has been growing.
I gasp. It feels like lightning in my veins.
The priest chants something in Northern. The light flares brighter, then dies.
The chain is just metal again. Cold and heavy.
But something changed. I felt it. That warmth in my chest is stronger now, pulsing in rhythm with my heartbeat. And for just a second, I could have sworn I felt Kassian's heartbeat too, like our hearts were trying to match each other.
What was that?
The priest unwraps the chain from our hands. The bond is sealed, he announces. You are husband and wife. You may kiss your bride, Lord Volkov.
Kassian finally looks down at me.
Up close, I can see details I missed yesterday. A scar cuts through his left eyebrow. Another runs along his jaw. His eyes aren't just blue they're the color of ice on a frozen lake, cold and deep and sad.
He's been hurt too. Maybe not with whips, but hurt all the same.
Kassian leans down, and I squeeze my eyes shut, terrified. I've never been kissed before. Will it hurt? Will he be rough?
But he just presses his lips to my forehead. Gentle. Quick. Almost... kind.
Then he leans even closer, his mouth near my ear, and whispers so only I can hear:
I won't touch you unless you say yes. You're safe from me.
My eyes fly open. I stare up at him, shocked.
Safe? Nobody has ever made me feel safe in my entire life.
Kassian straightens and turns away, already walking toward the chapel doors. Come on, he says without looking back. It's done.
The priest nods. The guards open the doors.
And just like that, I'm married to the Northern Warlord.
The rest of the day passes in a blur.
They take me back to the princess's rooms my rooms now, I guess. Servants bring me food (real food, warm bread and soup). They bring clean clothes that actually fit. They treat me like I'm important.
It's strange. Wrong. I keep waiting for someone to yell at me, to hit me, to tell me to scrub floors.
But nobody does.
Lyra visits briefly. Are you okay? she whispers.
I don't know, I admit. Lyra, during the ceremony, something happened. The chain glowed and I felt
Lady Aria? A guard knocks on the door. Lord Volkov requests your presence in his chambers.
My stomach drops. His chambers. At night.
Lyra squeezes my hand. Be careful, she whispers, then slips out.
The guards lead me through the palace to the king's chambers Kassian's chambers now. They're huge, with tall windows and heavy furniture. And two beds, I notice with relief. Not one. Two.
Kassian is by the window, still in his armor. He turns when I enter.
Sit, he says, pointing to a chair.
I sit quickly, hands folded in my lap like a good servant.
Kassian watches me for a moment. You don't have to be afraid of me.
You're the Warlord, I say quietly. Everyone's afraid of you.
Fair point. He almost smiles. Almost. But I meant what I said in the chapel. I won't hurt you. This marriage is political, nothing more. You'll have your own bed. Your own space. I just need you to
The windows explode inward.
Glass sprays everywhere. I scream and throw my arms over my face.
Black smoke pours into the room, thick and choking. I can't see. Can't breathe.
Through the smoke, figures jump through the broken windows five of them, dressed in dark clothes, faces covered. Assassins.
Aria, get down! Kassian shouts.
But I'm frozen in terror. One assassin rushes at me, knife gleaming.
Kassian throws himself between us, his sword appearing in his hand like magic. He blocks the knife, shoves the assassin back.
But something's wrong. Kassian stumbles. His movements are slow, sluggish.
Poison smoke, he gasps. Can't
Another assassin attacks. Then another. Kassian fights them, but the smoke is making him weak. He drops to one knee.
An assassin gets past him, running straight at me.
I scramble backward, but there's nowhere to go. The assassin raises his blade
And that warmth in my chest explodes.
Green light bursts from my hands.
Vines thick, thorny vines shoot up from the floor like serpents. They wrap around the assassin's legs, his arms, his throat. He screams as the thorns dig into his skin.
The vines throw him across the room. He hits the wall and doesn't move.
I stare at my glowing hands, shocked. What did I just do?
Another assassin comes at me. Without thinking, I thrust my hands forward.
Fire erupts from my palms. Real fire, hot and bright. It engulfs the assassin, and he screams, burning.
The smoke is clearing now. I can see the other assassins backing away from me, their eyes wide with fear.
Sorceress, one whispers.
Magic. I just used magic. Big magic. Magic I didn't know I could do.
Kassian is on his feet now, breathing hard, staring at me like he's seeing me for the first time.
The remaining assassins turn and run, jumping back through the broken windows, fleeing into the night.
Silence falls.
I stand in the middle of the room, still glowing with green light, surrounded by vines and scorch marks. My heart pounds. My hands shake.
I just saved the Warlord's life with forbidden magic.
Kassian takes a step toward me, his sword still drawn. His face is unreadable.
You're a sorceress, he says. Not a question. A statement.
I can't speak. Can't move. Magic is forbidden in Valdris. Punishable by death.
Will he kill me now? Execute me for being what I am?
I'm sorry, I finally whisper, the words tumbling out. I didn't mean to I couldn't let them kill you I know magic is illegal, and I should have told you, but I was scared, and
Stop.
I stop, tears streaming down my face.
Kassian sheathes his sword. He walks toward me slowly, carefully, like approaching a frightened animal.
Then he does something completely unexpected.
He pulls me behind him, putting himself between me and the door as guards rush in.
She's under my protection, Kassian announces loudly, his voice ringing with authority. My wife just saved my life. Anyone who touches her answers to me.
The guards freeze, staring at the destroyed room, at me still glowing with green light.
Commander Theron appears in the doorway, taking in the scene. His eyes widen when he sees me.
Well, he says slowly. This is interesting.
And then, from the hallway behind the guards, I hear a voice that makes my blood run cold.
Duke Malachai.
A sorceress, the Duke says, stepping into view. His smile is like a snake's. How absolutely fascinating. I had no idea our little servant possessed such... gifts.
But I can see it in his eyes.
He's lying.
He knew. He's always known about my magic.
And somehow, this assassination attempt the whole thing was part of his plan.
The warmth in my chest pulses stronger, almost painful now. And in that pulse, I feel something impossible:
Kassian's heartbeat, matching mine.
The iron chain didn't just bind our hands.
It bound something much deeper.
And whatever the Duke is planning, it has something to do with that bond.