The Heliacian I'd used to communicate my entire life felt like a foreign language. Words appeared in my mind like colors rather than serving as a reminder of what they represented, and my tongue twisted whenever a sound crawled through my throat.
The king wanted me to marry Tarkan—the wicked brother who'd been trying to get rid of me since day one with no reasonable cause.
"Sons," the king said, lifting his hand to direct his two sons toward the back, where the staircase leading to us was hidden.
I clenched my jaw, struggling to appear unphased, when I realized the king's announcement wasn't a request for me to accept.
My heart was threatening to beat right out of my chest as I saw Caiden and Tarkan walking toward us with hasty steps. None of them was smiling. They weren't even frowning. Emotions had no role on their barren faces.
I swallowed a gasp as Caiden's eyes swiftly shifted to mine before they returned to look at his soon-to-be fiancé. Tarkan's gaze was locked on me, and although his face displayed no emotions, his eyes shot lightning and stormed with a raging blaze.
Tarkan took my hand and raised it as Caiden raised Piper's before they simultaneously slipped the golden rings onto our fingers, both decorated with three small stones as red as the first blood in a row.
"You won't get away with this, Wildcard," Tarkan whispered when he turned to stand beside me as my future husband—for now.
I chose not to comment. We couldn't argue here with the cheering audience surrounding us. This was not the proper time to release the monster of hatred and revenge roaring in my chest. Tarkan would have to wait.
Caiden and Piper were the first to lead the way out of the Battle Arena. Tarkan and I followed suit not long after. Unfortunately, I'd lost sight of Alia in the crowd of attendees congratulating us.
Evie was standing at the entrance to the Battle Arena with a smile as wide as the bow around her slim waist. "Congratulations, lovebirds," she said, stopping us in our tracks. "The king would like to see the four of you in the Dining Hall in a few hours and discuss the structure of the upcoming weeks. The weddings are still two months away, but many affairs have to be in order before then. For now, I recommend that you return to your chambers and freshen up or enjoy a cup of tea in the Parlor. Enjoy your afternoon."
Caiden immediately turned to face Piper, whose cheeks turned deep blue. "I'm afraid duty calls, Miss Weldon," he said, raising her hand to his lips. "I will look forward to seeing you again this evening."
My chest tightened as Caiden's lips pressed against the back of Piper's hand. It was even worse when he turned toward me and nodded politely. "Miss Aldwyn," he said before he turned to Tarkan. "Brother, may I have a word?"
Tarkan nodded, and they both left without exchanging another word.
"Do you want to join me in the Parlor?" Piper whispered beside me. "I thought you might want to talk a bit. I mean, you didn't exactly appear prepared for Prince Calix's proposal."
She wasn't wrong. Thoughts and concerns were weighing on my mind, but I had a task at hand that needed to be completed before I could vent to her.
"Thank you, Piper. I would love to, but I have something I need to do first. I don't know how long it might take, but you're welcome to wait for me in the Parlor if you want to. Then I'll join you when I'm done."
Piper nodded and squeezed my hand before she left me in the hall to take care of my business.
I'd probably been waiting for more than ten minutes until I finally heard the voices of the people I'd been waiting for.
"Miss Aldwyn," the king said when he saw me standing expectantly in the empty hall. "Is there a problem?"
"My king, Princess Eos," I said and curtseyed with a faked smile. "I was merely waiting for the princess. May I borrow her for a moment?"
I didn't want to worry the king yet. I needed to get my story straight before I could confront him directly.
The king looked at his daughter, who only shrugged. "I don't see the harm in that, as you two are practically sisters already." The tall man chuckled, and I tried my best to look amused. "Take your time, Eos. I will see you later."
I grabbed Eos' hand once everyone had turned their backs on us and dragged her around the closest corner where no one could see or hear us.
"Eos! What were you thinking!" I said, shaking her shoulders violently. "Why did you think it was a good idea to suggest to your father that Tarkan and I got married?"
"What are you talking about?" Eos asked and swept my hands off her. "Calix likes you, and Dad adores you. Dad suggested the idea, and I merely agreed with him. You know the people better than anyone since you hid among them for twenty years. Don't you want to help them?"
It was evident that she'd been raised by a hardcore diplomat. She'd probably known that I would pull her aside and confront her after our conversation yesterday and had prepared for every question I could think of.
"That's not— of course, I want to help the people, Eos, but—"
"What better way is there than to be part of the very heart of every decision?" Eos asked, interrupting me before I could explain the situation. "I've never seen Calix so invested in a person. You can make him happy, Willow, and he seems to make you happy too."
I sighed at the embarrassing reminder of our fake relationship before he'd revealed his true face. "Our relationship is nothing like that, Eos; it's much more... complex than that."
"But it could be." Eos was not going to back down. I resented the day Tristan was going to reach her age. Teenagers were the worst. "Give it a chance, Willow. Besides, having more women in this male-dominated family wouldn't be the worst thing I could think of."
I'd been suspecting Eos for a while now that she had been suffering from loneliness. Two dull brothers and a busy father didn't necessarily bring about the preferred environment for a growing woman. Although, I was sure most of them had been doing their best for Eos to feel part of their family.
"Fine, but I won't promise that the outcome will be as you hope for," I said before I was trapped in her embrace.
"Thank you, Willow."
I stayed back as Eos left me to find her father.
The ring on my finger caught the light as I brought my hand up to examine it. It was beautiful, but I would much rather take it off and throw it into the deepest lake than accept its significance.
"Are you admiring your handiwork?"
I turned around to find Tarkan approaching me, his face pinched in resentment.
"Weren't you supposed to be with Caiden?" I asked, not even bothering to acknowledge his bitter tone. "Or did you take care of business so soon?"
Tarkan snorted, amused. "Are you trying to avoid the topic of our conversation?"
"I'm not trying to avoid anything, Tarkan," I said, standing my ground when he stopped mere inches from me. He was not going to make me cave like a terrified puppy. "I simply have other matters to attend to first."
I bumped into his shoulder on purpose as I passed him to head for the Parlor. However, my attitude didn't seem to please him.
"Ouch!" I exclaimed as Tarkan violently grabbed my arm to pull me back and force me against the cold wall.
"It was a clever little trick, Aldwyn," Tarkan hissed, trapping me in the corner. "I hate to admit that I hadn't seen it coming, but I have to ask, how did you talk my father into such a ridiculous idea?"
I lowered my eyebrows and sent him a piercing stare. "Are you really so self-indulgent that you think I'd actually want to marry you?" I snapped, grabbing the ring around my finger to pull it off. "I'd been looking forward to finally going home and getting rid of you, but that doesn't seem to be happening, does it?"
The ring finally slid off my swollen fingers, and I trapped it between the palm of my hand and Tarkan's chest.
"I would love for nothing more than to break off this senseless engagement, but the king put me in an impossible situation, and I didn't see you protesting either. So, I propose you take this ring and march into your father's office to describe exactly what you feel for me."
He smiled smugly and removed his right hand from the wall to put it on top of mine. "It almost sounds like you expect me to do all the dirty work."
His fingers spread mine and dug out the ring from the cavity of my hand. He then put the ring on his index finger and placed the same finger under my chin.
The stones dug into my skin as Tarkan forced my eyes to meet his. "That doesn't sound very collaborative, dear fiancé."
"The king is your father, Tarkan," I said, pushing his hand away from me and wrenching the ring off his finger. After my last encounter with Knox, I no longer feared any man trying to take advantage of me. "You have a much higher probability than I do of persuading the king that this engagement is a mistake, but if you're too scared to stand against your father's wishes, I guess I'll have to hang onto the ring until you can muster the courage."
I was about to leave when he blocked my path with another arm. "I recall that you made a deal with my father about returning home once the Crown Trials ended. That is greater leverage than I could ever have."
My nostrils flared like an angry lion's. I didn't like admitting it, but it was a good point. Fortunately, he already knew the details of that contract, probably even better than I did.
"I agree," I said, clenching my fist into a ball and smiling tensely. "Then you'll have plenty of reason to bring that up when confronting him. Otherwise, I might have to tell him our little secret, and I doubt he'll be as proud of you as he is now."
Tarkan crouched as my fist deep-dived into his stomach, forcing the air out of his body. I teleported out of the way before his head hit mine and strolled gracefully across the floor in the direction of the Parlor.
"You won't get away with this, Aldwyn!" Tarkan shouted behind me.
A smile spread on my lips — a genuine one. I couldn't help myself. Tarkan had made my life in this place far more difficult than it needed to be, and this was an excellent opportunity to exact my vengeance while maintaining my dignity.
"I think I just did," I said, chuckling quietly as I knew he couldn't use his powers without wrecking the place apart.
Piper wasn't in the Parlor, which probably meant she'd grown tired of waiting and returned to her chambers. I closed the door and proceeded through the halls that would eventually lead me to the Ocean Wing.
The halls appeared endless, and it was a struggle to refrain from running, but when I glimpsed the light of the golden stairs to my right, I slowed until I came to a complete stop.
The turret of the royals was only a few steps away. The king was probably in his office, doing whatever a king might do. It would be so easy to walk in there and—
No. I did not want to stoop down to Tarkan's level. I was going to give Tarkan a chance to do right by his wrongs by confronting a fear I could tell was one of his worst. I was not going to humiliate him like he had threatened to do me.
I sighed and turned to continue toward the Ocean Wing when a wall of muscle and fabric stopped me from going further.
"Sorry, Willow," Caiden said, guiding my face to check if I'd received a bruise. "I tried calling you, but you must've been lost in your train of thought."
"I— um..." I stepped back, overwhelmed by the sudden vortex of emotions attacking me from all sides. I had not counted on seeing Caiden so soon and certainly not alone.
My heel caught one of the rare cracks in the floor, and I fell backward without a chance to save myself.
"Careful, Willow!" Caiden yelled and caught my hand to pull me back up. "How is it that you manage to beat a highly trained Iridis but cannot stay on your feet for five minutes?"
His chuckle sent shivers down every last inch of my body, and the feeling of his muscles moving under the palm of my hand made my toes curl in my shoes.
"I'm sorry," I said, my face so flustered that it could've been mistaken for the sky on a clear summer day. "I was in my own head on my way to Pip— your fiancé's chamber."
I couldn't look at him while I said that word. I didn't want to see his expression, and I didn't want him to see mine. "She— she's waiting for me, so I should get going."
My feet didn't stumble over themselves as I stepped back, but when I tried to get free from Caiden's embrace, he held onto my hand.
"Caiden," I whispered when I saw his gaze fixed on the ring I still had on my finger.
"I saw you that day with my brother."
My body stiffened. I didn't know which day he was referring to, but none of them had so far been great.
"He followed you when you walked out of the dining area and left Miss Weldon and me behind after the official announcement of the last trial." He paused and tightened the grip around my hand. "When did the two of you become so close that my dad gave you his blessing for another royal wedding?"
I almost gagged at the thought that Caiden could believe I was really in love with Tarkan. "That's not—" I said, my mind not sure which excuse to settle on. "I never meant for—"
My hand had become slippery enough for me to pull it out of Caiden's grip and make my escape. "I'm sorry, Caiden, I have to go."
"Wait, Willow," Caiden said, grabbing my waist to stop me from passing him. "I didn't mean it like that; I just—"
"Just what, Caiden?" I said, fighting the urge to cry like a troubled baby.
He sighed and looked around until his gaze settled on the golden stairs. "Come with me."
"Caiden!" I exclaimed as he pulled me with him up the stairs and led me through halls I'd never set foot in. "Caiden! I shouldn't be up here!"
"Nonsense," he said, laughing without slowing down. "The Crown Trials have ended. So those rules no longer stand."
I swallowed the growing lump in my throat. That wasn't what I meant. I'd meant that I probably shouldn't be here with him — alone.
"Close your eyes."
"Caiden," I said and sighed. "I should get back, and—"
"Close your eyes, Willow," he said again, his voice indicating that this had become a fight I didn't stand a chance to win
I looked at the door we'd stopped by. It looked ordinary compared to the door leading to his father's office, but whatever was hiding behind could be grander than anything I'd ever laid my eyes on. I wouldn't know if I didn't put my faith in Caiden.
"Five minutes," I said with a stern voice. "Five minutes, and then I have to go."
Caiden nodded and waited until my eyes were fully closed.
The world was black, and all I could see were shadows. The door creaked as Caiden opened it, and a pit formed in my stomach when he began pushing me forward by placing his hand on my back.
"Watch out for the step," he said, ensuring I remained on my feet. "Keep your eyes closed until I say you may open them."
Then he let go of me. "Please, don't let go." I reached out to catch him, fearing that he would leave me all alone in a room I wasn't familiar with.
"I'm right here, Willow," Caiden said, his hand touching mine for a split second before disappearing again. "Trust me."
I clenched my jaws and forced myself to keep my eyes shut while strange sounds of fabric being manipulated surrounded me.
"You can open them now."
The light was intense, but the sight that met me once my eyes adjusted was even brighter.
Canvases of golden paintings covered every wall and every surface of this room. Life radiated from the imageries of animals, people, and sceneries of the obscure.
"Did you paint these?" I asked, blown away by the view that had been presented before me.
Caiden chuckled as he observed my reaction to his gallery. "I have other qualities than a leader."
"You didn't think that the responsibilities of being Heliac's future king were enough for you?" I asked, twisting my head from side to side in an attempt to catch sight of every canvas that had felt the stroke of Caiden's gentle fingers. "How long have you—"
I stopped when I turned around and saw a bed as large as the one in my chamber. "Caiden..." I whispered. "Why is there a bed in this room?"
"This is where I sleep every night when we aren't traveling the world."
My heart stumbled over its own rhythm. Caiden had taken me to his bedroom. A place where we wouldn't be disturbed by any means. Not by Piper, not by Tarkan, and certainly not by the king.
This wasn't right.
"I have to go," I said, but before I could take another step, I felt Caiden's arms surround me.
"Not yet," he said, whispering the words into my sensitive ear. "I still have something I need to talk to you about."
The air around me became heavy and thick—almost impossible to breathe. "Some things are better left unspoken," I whispered, trying my best not to lean into his touch.
"And some things need to be said." His breath sent goosebumps down my neck, reminding me of the time when his lips had touched it.
My eyes kept staring at the door to keep me grounded. I didn't want to drown in the longing for a future that could never be, but it would be so easy to simply let go.
Then I glimpsed the figure of something familiar next to the door. It was covered by dark blue fabric, but it felt like I'd seen it before.
"What's that?" I asked, wrenching myself free from Caiden's embrace to approach the large object and placing my palm against the sheet to place my guess.
The chill of metal stung my fingertips. The fabric was thin and easy to secure a grip on; it would be so uncomplicated just to rip off.
"Willow, wait," Caiden said, but it was too late for me to stop now.
I pulled off the fabric and revealed the beast from something that had once felt like a dream. The metal plates forming the body and the pipes I'd seen so long ago stood before me in all their glory.
There weren't many of these in the world, but there were enough for it not to be unique. However, the bump beside the exhaustion was unmistakable. I could recognize this bike anywhere.
"Will," Caiden said when my speechlessness had lasted a second too long. "I-"
"That evening—" I said, interrupting him before he could delude me with another lie.
I wasn't dumb. He'd wanted me to find this; otherwise, he wouldn't have brought me here, let alone placed this wonder in plain sight while knowing my curious nature. "I helped a man whose face I couldn't see."
I looked back to face Caiden. He hadn't dared himself closer, which annoyed me for some reason. Of course, I didn't know if he'd been playing me or if all this was some coincidence, but I had every intention of figuring that out.
"I'd finished my chores on the mansion later than usual and had to hurry home to keep a promise to my best friend who'd just returned from the mines."
Caiden remained quiet as if the words he'd urged to say earlier had been forgotten or lost in the sand of time. Whether he was being polite and letting me talk or if he was too embarrassed by the mountain of lies slowly piling up was impossible to determine.
"My mom had told me never to engage with strangers, but I couldn't help myself when I saw someone struggling with a bike that I might be able to fix." I paused, awaiting his reaction, but I never got one. Instead, he locked my gaze without revealing the emotions hidden behind the royal mask.
I took a step toward him, but he didn't flinch. "I helped him, but I never saw his face. I could only tell that he was a Water Iridis due to the behavior of this exact bike," I said and pointed toward the beast without removing my eyes from his.
"But I heard his voice," I said as the memories slowly came back to me, "and I glimpsed his eyes."
I don't know why I hadn't considered it before. Almost a month had passed since I'd first seen the hooded figure until Caiden and I formally met each other for the first time in the mansion, but it all made sense now.
It made sense why Caiden had dropped his glass when he first saw me in my uniform. It made sense why he'd been acting startled and clumsy. He'd recognized me.
Caiden's eyes fluttered for less than a second, but it was enough. It was all the confirmation I needed.
I stepped back and swallowed the gasp that my lungs were calling for.
"It was you."