The hall was a cathedral of stone and shadow, immense and humbling. The long table gleamed with silver and firelight, its spread rich but sombre: venison, black bread, and spiced wine that smelt faintly of smoke. Tapestries of ancient wars hung from the walls, their woven soldiers frozen mid-battle, watching.
Aedric sat at the head, his presence cutting through the room like cold steel. Lord Varin, the king's imposing right-hand man, was seated to his left, speaking low to his sovereign until he saw the guests enter.
Kael walked ahead, his steps sure, his deep blue cloak whispering against the marble floor. Maria followed, her veil lifted but still draped lightly over her hair. The courtiers' murmurs dimmed to silence.
"Your Majesty," Kael said with measured ease, bowing deeply. "We are grateful for your invitation."
Aedric gave them a nod and motioned for them to sit at the prepared table.
Maria was seated opposite Lord Varin. The air between them was thick with quiet observation, the kind that hummed louder than conversation. Aedric's gaze flicked toward Maria more than once. Each time, he stopped himself, reaching instead for his cup as though the dark wine demanded all his study.
With a calculated smile on his lips, Lord Varin was the first to break the silence. "Our winters must be intolerable to the South, Princess. A far cry from your open markets and sun-baked stone."
Kael's grin was sharp. "Only to those who lack warmth in their hearts, Lord Varin. A warm welcome can melt any frost."
A few courtiers choked back amusement. Aedric's mouth twitched, not quite a smile, more a flicker of surprise, a momentary lift of the heavy curtain of his control. "You speak boldly, Lord Kael. A dangerous habit, perhaps."
"Only when truth requires it," Kael said smoothly. "In Sareen, we call it diplomacy. Here, I suppose, you call it... honesty."
"Here," Aedric said, setting down his heavy goblet, the sound crisp against the silver tray, "we call it risk."
Their gazes locked, two men circling without swords, measuring strength.
Maria remained silent, her eyes lowered, though every word struck like a spark inside her. She could feel the air shift when Aedric's attention turned to her again, an undeniable, magnetic pull.
"You've not spoken, Princess," he said finally. "Do you find my hall so grim?"
Maria lifted her head. When their eyes met, it was not merely observation; it was a flash of pure, focused energy, a silver thread drawn taut between them, impossible to ignore, and for the briefest moment, his eyes, usually cold granite, seemed to hold a spark of firelight just for her.
Her voice was quiet but steady. "Only different, Your Majesty. In the South, our halls are filled with music, laughter, and light. Here, it seems the silence sings louder. It demands attention."
Something unreadable passed through his eyes: interest, perhaps, or a deep, powerful sense of recognition.
"You hear what most miss," he acknowledged.
Kael quickly jumped in, noticing the subtle current forming. "Her ears are sharp," he said, forcing a lighter tone. "Too sharp, sometimes. She hears every secret."
Maria gave him a small, warning look, a quick flash of her eyes that told him to back off. Aedric caught the small exchange, and for the briefest moment, the corners of his mouth curved up, a shadow of a smile that disappeared as quickly as it came, but one Maria stored away.
Lord Varin intervened, his voice heavy. "We have practical matters. The alliance means more than shared music, Princess. It means shared armies. Are your soldiers prepared for the North's demands?"
Maria met Varin's hard gaze without flinching. "My army is prepared for any demand, Lord Varin. And unlike your climate, our loyalty requires no special warming."
Aedric shifted slightly in his seat, the only indication that he approved of her spirit. He lifted his hand slightly, signalling Varin to be silent.
"The Queen of the South once said," Aedric said, addressing Maria directly again, "that silence is the only language tyrants truly fear. Do you agree?"
Maria thought for a moment, letting the weight of his question hang. "I believe, Your Majesty, that words are sharper than swords, and silence is merely the pause before the strike. But yes, I think a man who prefers silence often fears the sound of his own heart."
Aedric simply watched her, the impossible calm of his face deepening. The exchange felt less like small talk and more like the first, careful move in a deadly game.
The rest of the meal passed in quiet tension, the clink of silver and the crackle of fire filling the spaces between their unspoken words.
When at last Aedric rose, the hall stilled completely. "You've endured a long road," he said, his tone formal again. "Rest. Tomorrow, we speak of alliances and the joining of our houses."
Kael stood, bowing slightly. "May your night be peaceful, Your Majesty."
As they turned to leave, Maria lifted her gaze once more and found him watching her again. Their eyes met, and this time, the powerful pull was undeniable, a connection that felt destined and dangerous. No smile. No warmth. Just that same impossible calm, the kind that conceals a thousand storms beneath the ice.
Outside, as they walked the dim corridor, Kael rubbed the back of his neck. "He's colder than I thought. A glacier dressed in velvet."
Maria's eyes lingered on the flickering torches ahead, still seeing that brief, dangerous flicker of interest in Aedric's gaze. "Colder," she whispered, her voice low. "But not hollow. There's something enormous hiding in that silence, Kael."
Kael glanced at her, frowning. "Be careful, cousin. Men like him don't have room for warmth and if they do, it's only to burn what they touch. You are playing with fire and ice at the same time."
Snow had not stopped falling since dawn. It came in thin, whispering veils that softened the stone of Eldrath and filled the air with a strange kind of hush as if the whole kingdom was holding its breath.
The day before the wedding passed in a quiet blur. Maria and Kael spent the morning wandering through the northern halls, guided by Varin, the king's right hand, a man whose politeness never reached his eyes. The palace was vast and cold, its beauty severe: iron sconces, carved wolves on every pillar, and glass windows that caught the pale light of the sun.
Kael whispered to her as they walked, "If the walls could speak, cousin, I think they'd only whisper insults."
Maria's lips curved faintly. "Perhaps they already do. We just don't speak their tongue."
Varin glanced back at them, his expression unreadable. "Our walls don't gossip, Princess. They listen."
Kael smirked. "That's even worse."
Lunch with the king had been brief and proper. Aedric sat at the head of the long table, the light from the high windows framing his silver-threaded hair. His words were measured, his gaze sharper than his tone. Maria spoke little answering when spoken to, her calm demeanour concealing the storm beneath. Every time his eyes brushed hers, she felt as if the air thickened, as if the world drew itself still for that heartbeat.
When he rose to leave, he inclined his head slightly. "Tomorrow will be a day of unity," he said, his voice low, echoing through the hall. "Rest well, Princess."
That night, Maria could not sleep. The snow hissed against the windows, and the cold crawled beneath her skin despite the fire. Her gown hung near the hearth white and silver, light as a sigh. The bodice was embroidered with tiny threads of frostglass, catching the flame's glow like a net of stars. The veil shimmered like mist, and the cloak that would fall from her shoulders was edged in wolf fur, the mark of the North.
That night, Maria's chamber was a world suspended between light and silence.
Candleflames bent in the draft, spilling amber over white marble, while the moon threw its pale glow through frost slicked glass. Snow drifted past the windows in hushed, slow spirals soft, relentless, endless. Her gown waited beside the fire, a shimmer of silver and white; each layer of silk breathed faintly in the warmth, like it lived. The crown, carved of iron and moonstone, gleamed coldly beside it. A beautiful weapon pretending to be a jewel.
Maria stood before the window, her reflection ghostly and half faded against the dark. "You've been quiet," she said softly, not turning.
From the corner where firelight met shadow, something stirred. It wasn't movement exactly more like the room remembering it was not empty. The darkness folded inward, and the shadow came forth, tall and faceless, shaped of smoke and memory. The air thickened, warm, alive.
"I did not wish to disturb you," he said. His voice carried the sound of storms behind mountains low, patient, inevitable.
She smiled faintly. "You couldn't, even if you tried."
He moved closer, until the edges of her reflection shimmered faintly within him. "You should be careful, Maria. Varin watches more than the king does. His loyalty is the kind that kills for peace."
"Why warn me?" she asked, voice soft but steady. "You've been with me since before I could speak. You said you would protect me."
"And I have," the shadow murmured. "But protection has limits when vows are spoken under another god's name. Varin was there when this realm was forged when their gods demanded obedience through fear. He knows the old tongues. If he hears power in yours, he will not call it holy."
She turned then, her pale eyes catching firelight silver meeting darkness. "What would you have me do?"
He was silent for a moment, as if weighing something. Then, his voice came quiet, deliberate. "Before dawn, when the bells call you to the hall, you will light three flames. One for your name. One for the mother who bore you. One for the god you do not speak aloud. Then take a strand of your hair, burn it, and cast it into water. Let the smoke bind your soul to no oath but your own."
Maria frowned. "A hidden ritual?"
"A reminder," he said. "You are not theirs to claim. Their rites will demand silence and surrender. This will remind your heart it was never made to kneel."
Her gaze fell to her hands. "And if he feels it the king?"
"Then he will think it nerves. Mortals often mistake the tremor of power for fear."
Maria's lips curved faintly, though her voice trembled. "You sound jealous."
His laughter was a hum beneath the air quiet, bitter, beautiful. "Not jealous. Only unwilling to see another command what they cannot comprehend."
The room grew warmer. Candlelight wavered as if drawn toward her. She could almost feel him now not as air, but as presence, as warmth behind her ribs.
"Will you stay through the night?" she asked.
"I always do," he said. "Though you forget me when you dream."
"I never forget," she whispered.
Something like a hand brushed against her hair soft, unreal, yet more real than anything else in that room. Her white strands shimmered, catching the light like molten silver.
"Then remember this," he said. "When you kneel before him, do not bow in spirit. Let your body yield, but keep your soul hidden. You are still Sareen's flame."
For a heartbeat, everything went still the candles, the fire, even the snow. Then warmth brushed her cheek, faint as breath against glass
The cold, pale light of false dawn was just beginning to touch the highest peaks outside the window. The servants would arrive soon to begin her final preparation. Maria knew she had only moments.
She moved quickly, silently, her bare feet making no sound on the cold marble floor. First, she secured the heavy bedroom door with a simple, quick warding gesture Kael had taught her, a temporary barrier that would make the latch sticky and confusing to anyone who tried it before the sun fully rose.
As she turned, she saw him. The Shadow. He had emerged from the deeper gloom of the chamber, now more defined, a silent sentinel by the window, his presence a comforting hum in the otherwise frigid room. She had never given him a true name, not one spoken aloud to others, but for her, he was always "Eldrin". A name whispered in her mind since childhood, a secret companion. He was the quiet witness to her deepest secrets.
Maria went to the hearth, where the fire was reduced to glowing embers. She gently gathered three small, clean stones from the edge of the fireplace and placed them carefully on the mantle.
She felt Eldrin's gaze, a steady, calm weight that both anchored and encouraged her. She didn't need to speak; he understood. Their bond was older than her memory.
Taking a deep breath, Maria located three tiny candles she had hidden inside her travel kit, items she always carried. Using a spark of controlled, internal heat, a delicate trick of her southern magic, she lit them. They caught instantly, their light shockingly bright against the northern gloom.
She placed them beside the stones, each flame representing a silent promise.
The first candle was placed beside a stone she named "Maria". For my name, that I may not lose myself in his.
The second candle went by the stone she dedicated: "Mother". For the flame that bore me and the power that runs in my blood.
The third, the central candle, was placed last, its light wavering slightly as she gave it its true dedication: "The True God." For the magic that binds the world, and the secrets I must keep silent.
The candles burned steadily. She could feel the low, steady hum of her magic, drawn out and focused by the three small lights. The cold cloak of Aedric's Northern warding, still hanging nearby, seemed to recoil slightly from the sudden, warm burst of her intent.
Next, the binding. Maria reached up and found a loose strand of her silver hair, the color that always marked her lineage and her power. She pulled it free, a thread of liquid moonlight.
She held the single strand over the central flame until it blackened and curled, quickly reducing to a wisp of ash and smoke. She caught the tiny ashes in her palm.
She then carried her hands to the wash basin on her dresser, which held a pitcher of fresh, icy water. As she moved, Eldrin drifted closer, his form absorbing the little light around him, until he stood just behind her, a protective, silent presence. He was closer now than any mortal had ever been during these private rites.
She dropped the ashes onto the surface. As the smoke dissolved into the water, she spoke the vow, not with her voice, but with her mind, a torrent of absolute, focused will, aimed straight into the flickering flames, knowing Eldrin bore witness:
I yield my body to the North, but my soul remains unwed. I take the oath of the King, but my spirit serves the Fire. My will is my own. My power is unbound. My secrets are safe.
The candles flared once, sharply, sending the light dancing across the cold room. Maria felt a powerful, cleansing surge, a silent oath that layered itself over the formal vows she was about to speak. She was no longer just the Princess being married off; she was the witch, preparing a trap for her own soul.
She felt Eldrin's presence deepen, a silent acknowledgment, almost a deep, resonant hum against her own spirit. He was her anchor, her witness, her oldest secret made manifest. He had been there for her first clumsy sparks of magic, for every tear, for every hidden joy.
She quickly snuffed the three flames, blew the ashes of her hair to the bottom of the basin, and placed the stones and empty candles back into her hidden kit.
Just as she straightened, the first, deep chime of the wedding bells echoed through the stone walls slow, heavy, demanding. The sun had finally risen.
Eldrin began to recede, melting back into the shadows from which he came, his task complete.
A loud, insistent rapping came at the door.
"Princess?" a maid's voice called, muffled by the temporary ward. "The hour is late. We must dress you now."
Maria took one last look at the cold window, where the outside world awaited. Her hands no longer trembled. She walked to the door and, with a subtle release of will, unlocked the latch.
"Come in," Maria said calmly. "I am ready."
.