I materialized in the thin air.
"No!" Haylee screamed as my numb fingers wrapped around the lotus flower, separating the golden flower from the nest of leaves that fastened it to the pillar.
A wave of relief washed over me. Piper and Alia had reached their respective lotuses and officially remained part of the Crown Trials. Now I'd ensured that Piper was one step closer to spending the rest of her days standing next to Caiden. All that remained was to get rid of the victorious Earth Manipulator—unless I failed to survive the fall.
Gravity was a foe worse than Tarkan would ever be. I'd drained my body of energy in my attempt to reach this flower, and now, I was paying the price.
I clenched the lotus in my hand with the last strength that remained before I felt my body surrendering to the unforgiving forces of the Heliac's core.
The pillar was as tall as twenty full-grown men. I was likely to break every bone in my body once I collided with the floor, and if I didn't break my neck in the process, I'd be spending weeks, if not months, in the infirmary.
I braced myself for the collision, and the pain was bound to follow, allowing an image of my family to ease the fear, but the pain never came.
Instead, I felt two arms catching me in a warm embrace before the world disappeared, and I felt my body split apart again.
"Willow?" a voice said, the sound resonating like an echo in my ears. "Are you still with us, Willow?"
The scent of old documents and books lingered in my nostrils. I knew who would meet me when I opened my eyes, but my body wouldn't listen to my brain.
"I think... I think three times might be my limit, Art," I whispered. My lungs burned, but Art's rumbling chuckle made the pain worth it.
My tired heart complained as the corner of my mouth bent upward, and I let out a grunt that burned my throat.
"She's alive," Art shouted, removing a hand from my back to signal our position, "but she needs medical attention immediately."
The audience had been quiet since I fell from the pillar, but they seemed to have found their voice again. Cheers and screams permeated the air, indicating that the third trial had ended. Heliac had their four final contenders.
"Lean her forward, Arthur, and hold her still."
A female voice joined us, and I could hear her fiddling with her instruments.
I hardly had time to feel nervous before Art leaned my limp torso across his arm as if I'd been a lifeless doll.
The sound of fabric ripping and fresh air touching my exposed back made my body tense. Then, two icy hands pressed against my skin, sending an agonizing shiver through my body. Seconds passed before the horrifying chill was replaced by the soothing warmth of a healer's touch, calming my body like a mother's lullaby.
"The healers will have you fixed in no time, Willow."
Art's fingers moved a hair away from my eyes as my numb body returned to life.
I sighed, relieved as the ache of teleportation lifted from my shoulders as a heavy burden. My lungs were no longer burning, and I could move without my nerves screaming in agony.
"Take it easy for now, Miss Aldwyn," the healer said, watching me straighten my back without the help of her magical hands. "Accept the help from your fellow suitors and Mr. Pavo but come to me the moment this event is officially over."
I nodded before she picked up her things and walked away.
"Willow!"
I looked to my right and barely had time to prepare myself for the overwhelming powers of Piper's embrace before she wrapped her arms around my neck.
"Ouch," I said as she squeezed me to the point of a possible lung collapse. My rib hadn't been healed entirely yet. "Piper, you're— you're squeezing too hard."
"Sorry," she whispered and let go. "You just scared me, you idiot. Why would you risk your life like that when you're going home anyway? Why not let Haylee win?"
She could hardly speak through the tears drowning her words. She had scratches everywhere on her face, and her suit was burned in more places than one. Dried blood made parts of her hair stick together in clusters.
"You look horrible too, Piper," I said and chuckled as far as my broken rib allowed me to. "Were you swallowed by a Lagoba in those waters?"
She didn't look to find the joke as funny as I was. In fact, her brows lowered so much that they almost dropped below her eyes before she planted a fist on my shoulder in a merciless act of fury. The pain numbed my fingers.
"This is not the time for you to be funny, Willow!" she shouted, her hand shaking in pain. "You could've died, and for what? A pretty flower?"
"I did it for you, dummy," I hissed through clenched teeth before I could stop myself. Piper turned speechless.
We were surrounded by so many people that it was impossible for me to see through the crowd. Not everyone knew about my contract, so I had to be careful with my words.
"I did it for you, Piper, and Heliac," I whispered, watching her closely. "You deserve to be queen, and I was doing everything in my power to ensure you had the best chance."
"That's not your job," Piper sniffled and wiped away the tears from her cheeks. "Especially not if it means risking your life."
I smiled, knowing that she was grateful but refused to show it. "I know," I whispered and clenched her hand.
"Dry off your tears, Miss Weldon," Art said and helped us both to our feet. "The king is waiting."
I looked behind me and saw both the king and Caiden looking in our direction. Caiden had a worried expression on his face, but the king looked almost impatient. He didn't seem mad or annoyed, but the audience was not entertained, which was his responsibility.
"Here," Piper said, extending an arm for me to grab.
"Are you sure?" I whispered. "What about the audience?"
"Screw the audience," she said, adjusting my arm to sit comfortably around her neck. "If they have anything to say about our friendship, let them talk. I'm not letting you go out there alone."
My heart fluttered seeing Piper like this. She'd matured so much in this competition, and I was really proud of her. She was born to be queen.
"Willow," Art said and grabbed my arm before we could approach the platforms waiting for us. "You can let go of the flower now."
I looked down at my right hand and realized that I'd been squeezing the lotus flower the entire time. Small drops of my blood had tinted the pedals from the wounds inflicted by the sharp leaves. I hadn't even felt the pain.
"Right," I said and handed Art the golden flower. "Thank you."
Piper practically carried me out to stand beside Alia, trying her best to stay in character. She quickly glanced at me, and I could interpret her pending question without her words to confirm it. I nodded.
"Where is the winner from Earth?" I whispered before Piper could leave me to find her platform.
"Payton and Neith knocked each other out during the race. None of them managed to acquire their golden lotus before the time was up. It's just the three of us."
Just the three of us? That meant Alia and I could— I could go home.
"Here we are, Heliac." The king's voice resonated between the walls, silencing every whispering sound from the audience and drawing the attention of every waking eye. "Among these three young ladies is your future queen and my oldest son's future wife. Miss Harrington, Miss Weldon, and Miss Aldwyn. Thank you for your commitment to the throne and the bravery you have displayed throughout these three trials."
The king smiled, and so did we.
"I would love to stand here and praise every single one of you for your achievements, but judging from your current condition, I would assume that sending you to the infirmary would be a greater sign of appreciation than what words can give, so I promise to make it brief."
Cheerful laughter erupted from the audience. Unfortunately, laughter currently hurt every inch of my body, so I didn't join them but continued to smile instead.
"Thank you for watching this final trial with us, Heliac. We hope that this competition has brought hope and memories into the homes of every viewer and has managed to bring people together who would otherwise never have met. Again, we thank you for your support and contributions to the Crown Trials, however small they might have been. The golden royals send their best wishes for a safe trip home and a pleasant evening. May the winds always be with you."
Piper helped me to the infirmary, where a team of healers was ready to accommodate us to our respective beds.
A healing session was usually an enjoyable experience, but my bones hadn't healed properly during the first round of healing from the arena. So, the healer essentially had to snap them and then put them back together properly, which was more excruciating than anything I'd experienced before. It was even worse than breaking them the first time around.
Alia and Piper had been healed in less than an hour, but I'd been ordered to stay back so that the healers could keep an eye on me. The side effects of teleportation were different from individual to individual, so they needed to be sure something wouldn't arise unexpectedly.
The day passed agonizingly slow, and when the evening finally arrived, I was still in that bed.
My stomach growled.
The healers had allowed me to leave more than ten minutes ago, but leaving would mean leaving for good, and I needed to adjust to that thought.
The door creaked, and I looked up to see Alia enter with utmost caution.
"How are you doing?" she asked and approached me once she realized I wasn't sleeping.
I shrugged and moved my loose hair aside. "Alright," I sighed. "The touch of a healer is unquestionably more magical than anything we could hope to compare."
Alia chuckled. "Heliac is surely blessed to have powers like that, but Willow—" she paused and gave me a serious look. "—you shouldn't put your life in danger like that just because we have healers."
I stopped smiling, my eyes trailing the outline of her hair until they settled around her clenched fists. "I know," I muttered. "I was only thinking of Piper and didn't realize the danger I'd put myself in by teleporting to the top of the pillar."
My fingers twisted the corner of the sheet still covering me.
Alia sighed and sat down at the foot of my bed. "It was very reckless of you but brave too." I looked up to see Alia smiling softly at me. "You have the potential of becoming a great leader, but you lack the education to weigh all options before acting. I'm sure Elvara wouldn't mind taking another student."
"In the Fire Realm?" I asked, feeling my chest grow tighter.
Alia nodded. "It's not a mandatory duty. I know how much your family means to you, but you should consider it. Elvara might be a Fire Iridis, but she has never had a problem training others outside that spectrum. She even trained one of the current Templars."
"Really?" I whispered, unable to believe that a fire wielder could've trained an actual Templar.
"Yes," Alia said, chuckling as she covered my hand with hers. "I would love to tell you more, but I think we've been putting off the inevitable long enough. Are you ready to announce our withdrawal?"
I dug my nails into my thigh and forced a smile across my lips. I'd been looking forward to this moment for so long, but it meant saying goodbye to Caiden and Piper, leaving them to live a life with each other.
"Right," I said, throwing off the sheet in less than a heartbeat. "Let's just get it over with."
Alia could probably see right through me, but she chose not to comment, which was a wise decision. I would've broken down if she'd confronted me.
"Alright, follow me."
We walked through countless halls and rounded endless corners before standing before the royal turret. I stopped in my tracks, but Alia continued.
"Come on," she said and waved me closer.
"Are you sure we're allowed to go there?" I asked reluctantly. I did not want to break a rule right before I was supposed to go home with my reputation still intact.
Alia sighed and rolled her eyes. "I've been in there countless times, Willow. Kaan is always in his royal office around this time, so that is where we'll find him. There aren't any cameras, so we won't be seen unless we want to."
I was dragged up the stairs before I could utter a counterargument. Alia was a little too excited about this moment, making me tense. Could there have been more to the plan than she'd told me?
"Kaan?" Alia said and knocked on the enormous door with carvings of earth-bound animals.
"The door is unlocked," a voice called from the other side.
Alia grabbed the door handle and let herself inside, but I decided to stay behind. I didn't want to intrude where I wasn't sure I was welcome.
"Alia, my dear," the king said. I heard a chair creak, and my heart skipped a beat. King Kaan wouldn't address just about anyone so casually, so the part about her knowing them had to be true.
"Good evening, my king," Alia said, likely bowing as we'd been taught. "I'm sorry to disturb you at this time, but we—"
Alia interrupted herself, and I held my breath as I leaned closer to hear if she'd started whispering. I heard no words. Instead, a hand reached out of the room to grab and pull me inside.
The king wasn't alone in the room. Eos was sitting at the office table, and it seemed as if we'd interrupted a conversation between the two of them.
"Miss Aldwyn," the king said as Alia pulled me within his line of sight. "I'm happy to see that you've survived your injuries without any visible consequences. Your move definitely surprised the better half of our viewers, not to mention myself." The king chuckled and intertwined his fingers to rest in front of his stomach. "To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?"
I looked at Alia as if I anticipated her to give me the answer, but she only nodded lightly.
My tongue felt like sandpaper, and my throat was as dry as the Desert of the Blaze. "I, um..."
It felt daunting to finally be in this moment—mainly because I hadn't yet received Art's approval directly, although he'd promised to let me go after this trial.
I cleared my throat and fixed my posture. "I have come to ask for your acceptance of my withdrawal from the Crown Trials. I have learned to tame my powers to the extent that my contract obligated me, and I wish to no longer interfere with the course of the trials. With your approval, I would like to return to my family."
The king looked surprised, and Eos jumped down from the table with an expression very similar to her father's. "I would be lying if I said I was surprised by this confession, Miss Aldwyn, but I must say that I had anticipated your stay to extend further than the evening of the final trial," the king said, rising from his seat. "However, you have fulfilled your part of the agreement, and I would be a terrible king if I denied you my promise."
He smiled behind his full beard. It almost hurt to see how kind-spirited the old man was and know how close I'd come to breaking my promise to him.
"I would also like to add something," Alia said, stepping forward to stand beside me. "I have always treasured your kindness and the time I have spent with your family, my king, but I have a confession to make."
The king's smile disappeared, but he let Alia finish before speaking his heart.
"I love Caiden more than anything—" my stomach dropped, thinking that she'd fooled me as Tarkan had fooled me "—but Caiden is like my brother, and I know he only sees me as a sister. I would hate to put him in a situation where none of us is happy when I know that there is someone who I know can make him happy and be the queen Heliac deserves."
The king sighed but didn't lose face, unlike me. "This is certainly a surprise," he said, less amused than when I announced my withdrawal.
"Miss Aldwyn," the king said and turned toward me. "Would you mind giving Miss Harrington and me a minute alone? You too, Eos."
I nodded and turned around to head for the door. "Enjoy your evening, Miss Aldwyn. I will have your chambermaid inform you when we decide on a time for the announcement."
"Thank you, my king," I said and exited without looking back. My withdrawal was finalized, and Alia was currently announcing hers too. Piper would be queen soon.
"Are you really going home?"
I turned around to see Eos standing with arms crossed in front of her chest.
"Yeah," I said, sending her a crooked smile. "My family needs me, and it was never my intention to stay this long anyway."
She looked hurt—or sad, I couldn't really tell.
We'd grown a little closer since the second trial. She'd started approaching me whenever Calla and Piper weren't around, and we'd started talking. I still didn't know much about her, but I hadn't wanted to push her, so most of our conversations had been about light and wind.
"I won't be leaving this evening if you want to join me in my room, and you're more than welcome to visit me in the Golden City whenever you want."
"Or you could come here." Her eyes glowed like the sun on a clear sky, and a hopeful smile tugged the corner of her mouth upward.
I smiled and opened my arms to embrace her. "If I'm allowed," I said as we exited the royal turret.
"I'll make sure of that."
***
There were so many people.
Alia, Piper, and I were lined up in a row before the balcony in the Battle Arena. People of all ages, sizes, and origins surrounded us, acting as our final audience for the final hours of the Crown Trials.
"Settle down, people of Heliac," the king said and approached the railing of the balcony.
Caiden was standing right behind him, dressed in his finest uniform with decorations covering his chest. Tarkan and Eos were standing further back with their uncle by their side.
Tarkan was probably thrilled about me leaving, although I saw no smile on his face. Eos, however, was smiling like a child.
"I have gathered you here today to announce the end of this season's Crown Trials."
The crowd gasped, but I remained still and kept my gaze fixed on the king. One shift and I would catch sight of Caiden. The tears wouldn't be nearly as easy to suppress if I allowed myself to get even the tiniest glimpse of him— regardless of the mood that might be painted on his face.
"My son has chosen the suitor he wants to spend the rest of his life with and Heliac's future queen. Each of the remaining contenders has displayed courage and outstanding strength, but only one can be crowned queen. After careful consideration, Prince Atlas is confident that he has found the candidate best fit for the title."
The room was quiet. Everyone was anxious about the result. Even Piper looked nervous, but only because she didn't know Alia had withdrawn too.
"Prince Atlas," the king said and stepped back to let Caiden take his place.
Caiden cleared his throat, but I looked away before glimpsing his face. "With this ring, I ask you, Piper Weldon, will you become my wife and Heliac's protector?"
The words were like a spear through my aching heart. The plan was successful, and although it hurt, seeing Piper's face light up like a lighthouse as Caiden proclaimed his future love for her felt like stitches for an open wound. I would be okay eventually.
"I, Piper Weldon, gladly accept your proposal, Prince Atlas," Piper said, curtseying to recognize Caiden's offer.
The crowd erupted in cheerful applause, and Piper turned her head to look at me with a blissful smile.
'Congratulations,' I mouthed without letting the sound escape my lips. She smiled even wider and turned her head again to look at her new fiancé.
"Congratulations, Miss Weldon," the king said, clapping like the rest of the people in the room. "I will look forward to welcoming you into our golden family; however, Prince Atlas' wedding isn't the only wedding planned for this season."
The room grew quiet again, and everyone looked up to find the king smiling proudly. Caiden looked as confused as I felt, and Tarkan didn't seem to know what was going on either. Only Eos remained as the only person smiling aside from the king.
"A particular suitor has caught my attention throughout the months that the Crown Trials has been running," the king continued when the room settled into silence. "Her hard work and dedication to the royal house and the people of Heliac has made an impression on my family and me that I had not expected."
I looked at Alia from the corner of my eye. She looked terrified. If she were going to be married into this royal charade, she wouldn't be able to return to Eileen and confront her parents about her truth. She wouldn't be able to become the warrior she'd wished to become since Elvara accepted her as a pupil, and I couldn't imagine her saying no to the king in front of this many people.
"On the day of Miss Weldon and Prince Atlas' wedding, I look forward to seeing my youngest son saying yes—" I fought to keep my face from constricting into a grimace. The thought of anyone marrying Tarkan and spending the rest of their lives with him made me want to crawl out of my own skin "—to spend his life and serve Heliac as a golden prince with Miss Aldwyn by his side."
The crowd erupted in another applause, but I remained frozen. My eyes had grown wide, but I didn't know what else to do.
The king's word had been a public announcement, not a question or a request. I couldn't debate his decision here—not in front of this expectant crowd and Heliac's judging eyes.
So, I kept my mouth sewn shut, gritting my teeth to suppress the burning urge to grimace at the thought of marrying Tarkan.
Tarkan didn't look too pleased either, his brows pinched and his shoulders tense as if this announcement had taken him by absolute surprise, too. Caiden, however... Caiden looked stiff. I couldn't tell whether it was hurt or anger peeking from behind that royal mask of his.
It already hurt to think that Piper and Caiden were going to get married, although I was happy for Piper. Now, however, I was forced to see them standing next to each other every day for the rest of my life. I would never be allowed to forget Caiden and leave him to live the life I knew he deserved.
No way I was going to let that happen. I had to find a way to break off this ridiculous engagement.