Eleanor's POV
My hands won't stop shaking.
"Breathe, Eleanor," I whisper to myself. "You've prepared for this your whole life."
But my heart pounds like a drum as I stand at the edge of the sacred grove. Behind me, hundreds of elves watch in silence. The entire Starfall court came to see my Bonding Ceremony. My father, the King, sits on his throne with his perfect, stern face. My mother dabs tears from her eyes. Even Lord Cassian is here—my future husband. He gives me an encouraging smile, but it doesn't help.
I'm twenty-four years old, and this is the most important moment of my life.
Every princess must bond with her family's crystal tree. When I touch it, I'll receive my light magic. I'll finally be complete. I'll finally be worthy.
"Princess Eleanor," the Council Elder calls out. "Step forward."
My legs feel like water, but I move. The crowd whispers. Someone coughs. My ceremonial dress swishes around my ankles as I walk across the grass. The morning sun filters through the trees, making everything glow golden.
Then I see it.
My family's crystal tree stands tall and beautiful, its branches sparkling with pure white light. But next to it—impossibly, horribly—stands another tree.
A black tree.
Its bark looks like burned flesh. Dark mist seeps from its twisted branches. Wrong, wrong, wrong—everything about it feels wrong. My stomach twists.
"What is that?" I breathe.
The Elder frowns. "What is what, Princess?"
"The black tree! Right there!"
The crowd murmurs. People crane their necks. My father stands, his face confused.
"Eleanor," he says slowly, "there is only your bonding tree. Are you unwell?"
No. No, they have to see it. The black tree pulses with darkness, like a beating heart made of shadows. How can they not see it?
My sister Seraphine glides up beside me. She's two years younger, with perfect silver hair and perfect violet eyes. Everything about Seraphine is perfect.
"Sister," she whispers, so quietly only I can hear. "Don't embarrass us."
"But the tree—"
"There's nothing wrong." Her fingers dig into my arm. "Unless you're afraid? Unless you're not strong enough?"
Her words sting. I've always been strong enough. I've trained every day since I could walk. I've studied magic theory, combat, history, diplomacy. I've done everything right.
"I'm not afraid," I say.
Seraphine smiles. It doesn't reach her eyes. "Then prove it. Touch the tree, Eleanor. Show everyone you're worthy of being our father's heir."
She steps back, joining the crowd. Everyone stares at me. Waiting. Judging.
I look at the Elder. "Which tree do I touch?"
He blinks. "Your family tree, of course. Princess, are you certain you're well?"
The crystal tree gleams with welcoming light. The black tree oozes darkness. My instincts scream at me to run, but hundreds of eyes pin me in place. My father's disappointed frown. Cassian's worried face. Seraphine's challenging smirk.
Touch it, sister. Prove you're worthy.
Maybe I'm seeing things. Maybe the black tree is some kind of test, and I'm supposed to choose correctly. Maybe this is all part of the ceremony, and I'm the only one who doesn't know.
I take a shaky breath and step forward.
My hand reaches out.
The black tree is closer. Its bark seems to ripple, reaching for me. The crystal tree's light suddenly feels too far away.
I make my choice.
My fingers brush the black bark.
AGONY.
Fire and ice explode through my hand, racing up my arm. I try to scream, but no sound comes out. The world goes white with pain. My bones feel like they're breaking. My blood feels like it's boiling.
Something dark and terrible pours into me.
I watch in horror as black veins crawl under my skin, spreading from my hand to my wrist to my elbow. They look like cracks in glass, spiderwebbing across my pale skin. My silver hair—the hair I've always been proud of—starts changing. Streaks of black spread through it like ink in water.
Now I can scream.
"HELP! HELP ME!"
I try to pull away, but my hand is stuck to the tree. Shadows leak from my fingertips like blood. Where they touch the grass, the green withers to brown. Dead. Everything I touch dies.
"No, no, no—"
My eyes burn. I feel something wet on my cheeks. When I touch my face, my fingers come away black. Black tears. I'm crying darkness.
The crowd gasps. Someone shrieks.
"Shade-Born!" the Elder shouts. "She's become Shade-Born!"
Hands grab me, finally ripping me away from the tree. I collapse on the ground, gasping. My whole body shakes. I look up at my father. Surely he'll help me. Surely he'll fix this.
But his face has gone cold as stone.
"Father?" My voice cracks. "Daddy, please—"
"Guards," he says. His voice is flat. Empty. "Take her away."
"NO!" I scramble backward. "It was an accident! I didn't mean to—"
"You've been corrupted," my father says. "You're Shade-Born. You are no longer my daughter."
Cassian stares at me like I'm a monster. My mother has her face buried in her hands, sobbing. The crowd backs away, fear on every face.
Only Seraphine looks satisfied.
She meets my eyes and mouths two words: "I'm sorry."
But she's not sorry. I see it in her smile. She knew. Somehow, she knew this would happen.
Guards drag me to my feet. My shadow-corrupted hands leave black marks on their armor. I can feel the darkness inside me, growing, spreading, hungry. It wants to consume everything.
"Please!" I beg. "Don't do this!"
But they're already dragging me away from the sacred grove, away from my family, away from everything I've ever known.
My father's final words chase me into darkness:
"If you return to Starfall, we will execute you on sight."
The last thing I see before they throw me in a cell is Seraphine, standing exactly where I stood moments ago.
Touching the crystal tree.
Receiving her magic.
Taking my place.
And smiling.