The evening ball would soon begin. It was one of many balls held in Astros throughout the year. Some were tradition, others in response to good news or a recent victory.
The current ball was one the Lord and Lady Astros held every year; a celebration honouring the alliance between House Velcourt and its bannermen.
They strode in from all over the ten Kingdoms of Darcia, in their numbers. The castle was bustling with an electric liveliness, and the guards and servants were awfully busy, tending to the tastes and whims of partying Lords and Ladies.
The chaos was a gift. It made the journey through the castle grounds much easier. The pair of friends crept through the grounds the way they used to. They hugged the shadows, and avoided guards and servants who scurried by. It was easier than it should have been, and they needn't put much effort because there was hardly anyone around. But it was safer to keep their guards up. If anyone were to spot her in such a state, with her torn dress and leafy hair, news would soon reach her mother. For Skylar, that meant punishment and isolation. For Lucian, it meant something close to his head on a stick.
She was not entirely sure of where Lord Caspian was, but she knew that his belongings would be directed to the Southern Quarters, where visiting guests often stayed. Luckily for them, the evening's ball was being held in the throne room, on the other side of the castle. It meant there was hardly anyone to spot them, as the majority of the staff and guards were seeing to the guests with their fine tastes and their wealthy qualms.
Occasionally, a guard would wander too close. Lucian would step forward, looking frantic and worried, and pretend to be searching for Skylar. It was a convincing performance because he was, after all, supposed to be looking for her. While he distracted them, Skyler slipped past and waited in the shadows. Then they moved.
They eventually made it the Southern Quarters. They were lovely; Skylar had always thought so. The halls were lined with tall windows that caught the fading golden light. There were rooms here for honoured guests, and they did not disappoint. Some guests spent their entire stay in these quarters, venturing out only for meals and events. Skylar didn't blame them.
Lucian stepped away to address another guard. Skylar slipped along a colonnade of pillars and through a servants' entrance, emerging into a long hallway drenched in warm light. Silent. Still. No one around.
A moment later, Lucian appeared beside her.
"Well?" she whispered.
"I managed to acquire some information." He kept his voice low. "Lord Caspian is indeed in the Southern Quarters. Your mother has left no stone unturned for him."
"What do you mean?"
"He's in the Highstead Suite."
Skylar's eyebrows rose. The Highstead was one of her favorite places in the castle. It had a private library. A massive terrace overlooking the fields and the Dual Mountains that turned purple and pink at sunset. It was a view that had often made visiting dignitaries weep. Skylar had spent many long hours in that suite, in its library, and terrace, reading until she was too tired to return to her own chambers.
"Of course she did," Skylar murmured. "Nothing but the best for my betrothed."
Lucian said nothing, but his jaw tightened.
They began walking along the hallway, light and shadow flickering across their faces. Neither needed to speak. Both knew the way. The servants' staircase that spiralled up to the upper floors, which they'd used countless times as children, sneaking treats from the kitchens, hiding from tutors, exploring places they weren't supposed to go.
They climbed in silence.
When they reached the top, Skylar pressed herself against the wall and peered around the corner.
The door to the Highstead Suite stood at the end of the hall. It was closed. She listened for any voices or any movement. There was still no sign of anyone around. Skylar wondered if Caspian was inside. Or had he already left for the ball?
If he had, all of her great effort would be put to waste. She couldn't accept it, so she settled against the wall and waited.
"Lucian."
"Hm?"
He stood still beside her, watching the room and their surroundings intently. Lucian always did that; he always had his eye out for danger. She looked at him with a small smile. "You never did tell me. That night we met… what were you doing out so late?"
Lucian cocked his head, his eyes going distant as he thought back.
"I did tell you." A pause. "Astros bored me."
Skylar snorted softly. "You expect me to believe that? A ten-year-old boy, wandering alone at night, in a strange castle, because he was bored?"
He shrugged. "It's the truth."
"I don't think so," she said, shaking her head. "You left for another reason."
"And what might that be?"
"To meet the greatest person you'll ever have the honour of knowing."
This time, Lucian scoffed and shook his head, his lips pulled into slight smirk.
"That's not the word I'd use, my Lady."
She laughed quietly, then caught herself. They needed to be silent. Lucian's lips twitched. Skylar smiled widely, then, her expression became a little solemn, and thoughtful. Skyler didn't press Lucian further, but she was certain that he was avoiding the true reason he'd been wandering about the castle the night they'd met. It was for the same reason he'd carried the wooden sword around that night, or always seemed to have a training weapon in his hand when they were younger.
They fell into a comfortable silence and watched the door, one with their eye out for danger, the other reflecting on the pain her friends never shared. Skylar worried she might never have the chance to talk to Lucian about his past once she left Astros for Xoras. She worried she'd never see him again, at all.
But there was no time to bring it up, as the door to the suite opened with a click.
Footsteps and voices moved towards the hallway. Skylar recognized her mother's voice instantly. And then her father's.
Her father was here.
Skylar's heart lurched. It had been nearly a month since she'd last saw him. She had put a lot effort into it. She'd avoided meals, eaten in her chambers, stayed in her garden or anywhere she knew he wasn't. She'd missed court, and every opportunity to be in the same room as him.
But now he was here. A few feet away.
She couldn't help herself. She peeked around the corner.
Her mother stood tall in her ballgown, and her father was beside her, his broad back to Skylar, his voice low as he spoke to someone else. A third figure stood just beyond them, partially hidden by her parents' forms.
Before she could get a good look, a hand clamped around her arm and yanked her back.
Lucian.
He pulled her into the shadows just as a leaf shook loose from her hair and drifted to the floor.
It landed in plain view.
Skylar's breath caught. But the voices continued, uninterrupted. No one had noticed.
"—still getting ready," her mother was saying. "She wants to make a good impression."
Her father's voice rumbled next. "There is time for you to get acquainted later. For now, shall we head to the ball, Lord Caspian? Walk with us."
A third voice answered. A voice that was deep, smooth, one that commanded those around to listen.
"It would be my honour, Lord and Lady Astros."
Their footsteps began to move away from the door. Skylar's mind raced. They were leaving, heading towards the ball. If she let them go now, she'd lose her chance. She had failed to get Caspian alone, and if she were to do anything now, it would be in the presence of her parents. But this might be her only opportunity to change things. The only moment before the ball. The betrothal already felt irreversible, given the Queen's approval, and her parents' wish to save Astros. Once she and Caspian stood before the crowds, who would witness them together, side by side, it would become even more so.
She looked at Lucian.
"Go," she whispered. "Get away from here. Somewhere people can see you searching. Or head to the ball. Just go."
Lucian's eyes widened. "Skylar. No. Lord and Lady Velcourt are—"
Skylar pushed him away. It wasn't hard, just enough to startle him, to create space. His fingers brushed against her wrist, trying to pull her back, but this time, he failed.
Skylar stepped out of the shadows.
Out into the open.
Her parents had their backs to her, already moving down the hall. They hadn't seen her.
But someone else had.
He stood at the end of the corridor, half-turned to follow her parents, but his gaze was fixed on her. Like he'd known she was there all along. Like he'd been waiting.
Black waves of hair. Black and gold finery and sword shwatged at his hip. And eyes, dark, swallowing, endless eyes that pinned her where she stood.
Caspian Everus.
Skylar faltered.
Her heart slammed against her ribs. The world slowed and stopped. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't move, her nerves were getting the better of her.
But flashes of her future burned into her mind. Her future in Xoras, as Caspian's wife. Her resolve broke through the wall that had stopped her. She had not come this far to freeze now.
Skylar stared back at him. She started into his dark, endless eyes. And with every ounce of will she possessed, she spoke without speaking.
I will not marry you.
Then she walked forward, toward her parents, toward him. The leaves in her hair rustled with each step. Her torn dress whispered against the floor. Her dirt-covered slippers left faint marks on the polished stone.
She opened her mouth and let her voice ring out, bright and clear and utterly defiant.
"Lord Caspian! How pleased I am to see you after all these years!"
Her parents spun around.
Her mother's face went pale, then red. Her father's eyes went wide.
And Caspian Everus, his face, unreadable at first, did something she did not expect.
He smiled.