My heart felt like it could explode at any moment. No one had prepared me for this moment. My deranged father ran away, dying at the hands of his most brutal enemy; his lack of intelligence completely overshadowed his reason. I stood next to someone who would utter the matrimonial words. Yurick was at my side, wearing ceremonial clothes, his body almost entirely exposed, but adorned with elegant jewelry showing his wealth and power. As for me, the clothes were the typical Roham attire for ceremonies of utmost importance such as this union; however, the chosen colors symbolized Neopolita, in blue and white, with golden details only in the jewelry. This would be sealed at that very moment, and I was trying not to show that my nerves were reaching their limit.
– We are here to witness the union of two nations before the people, the kings, and the gods... – The words were firm and echoed throughout the place. The master of ceremony spoke beautiful, flowery words that didn't concern me; they were just phrases repeated by many until that moment. Yurick was serious, listening as if it were the only thing that mattered. My mind drifted back to his words when we were at the lake; I was about to submit my body to that man's desires, and the worst part was that I wasn't feeling anything negative, besides the shame of my excitement and longing during a ceremony that should represent the pinnacle of political strategy.
After the words that dragged on for long minutes, everyone applauded. I walked to Yurick, holding his hand, intertwining our fingers. I had trained for hours to avoid any mistakes; I would not give that pleasure to any of the enemies who were attentively watching, looking for a flaw—or maybe it was just my paranoid mind thinking that everyone was furious about a monogamous marriage.
– This marriage symbolizes the union of our kingdoms. As the representative of Neopolita, I acknowledge Yurick Dandelion as my husband and king to govern the lands of the blue grace, from east to west, north and south, and as the representative of my people, I swear never to betray or disobey him under the rules of war and the laws of the continent, by the gods and by myself. May this be a blessed union. – The firm voice of a leader before everyone, especially showing that I was not inferior to any alpha in that hall. Despite the vows, my heart still longed for freedom, to deny the reality that my people now faced.
– Not the king, but soon the Emperor of all these lands, this entire continent. My reign begins here, at this moment, with the marriage in union with Neopolita, represented by its leader Seyrim, who had the wisdom to recognize the right moment to lay down arms and stop any further bloodshed. Everyone inside and out owes their lives to the merciful king they had, to a wise king who, in the moment of adversity, prevented my soldiers and yours from falling and the streets from becoming battlefields, disrupting ordinary life. It is with respect and dignity that I take the throne and your hand, hoping to be as wise and merciful, learning through this marriage not only to rule this country but to become an even more powerful alpha—and I count on you and our union for that. – Yurick spoke before everyone who seemed to vibrate with his words, boosting morale, especially mine. My heart raced even more, especially when the alpha brought my hand to his lips, kissing it so lightly and softly.
It was a difficult, but correct, decision—surrender wasn't always a complete defeat, right? Having to acknowledge that after the words of the one who won the war only made me realize that the elder had noticed my strength when not even the coward king had. I simply smiled in his direction, leaning in, kissing his lips, sealing our union at that very moment.
The elder approached us both. We had to kneel near the pulpit. She took my left hand; the smallest finger was tattooed. The fine needle traced my skin, and I bit my lower lip in shame at the improper thoughts I was having at that moment; my sanity seemed like it could be easily stripped away when it came to sharp objects piercing my flesh. Even noticing that, Yurick just waited for his turn. The woman took his large hands, making the line that would last forever; mine had the design of a tree on the back of the finger, the cord connecting to that small oak. The alpha's bore a peach tree, the symbol of Neopolita; both of us had exchanged symbolic designs linked to nature. We kissed once more.
Everyone seemed to proudly celebrate the union. That was the moment Yurick had won Neopolita. I just let out a huge sigh, feeling mentally exhausted. We were officially married; I was the elder's representative before my people. I had autonomy but still owed obedience to the king. I walked to the center of the hall where everyone was gathered; it was my moment to perform the dance ritual alone. The music began to echo through the structure, and my body moved with each note I recognized. I had trained that several times to avoid mistakes; I didn't understand the essence or the purpose of the steps, but I knew it had to be perfect. My hands cut through the air gracefully, while my legs advanced one ahead of the other in swift movements; the surroundings seemed to move when, in reality, the only one shifting was me. In the end, there was applause for my performance; however, my eyes went straight to the king who seemed to smile proudly at what I had accomplished. I couldn't tell if my heart thundered with rapid beats because of the music or under the alpha's influence.
Yurick also had to dance, to show how well he knew his own world, the right movements trained his whole life exposed before the people he trusted. I was captivated by the dance, as if my gaze followed every step taken by the elder.
In the end, I went to greet everyone around me. The alpha stood by my side, waving to his people. There was a party in the garden waiting for us. The trees no longer had leaves, decorated with flags of the kingdoms. The weather was colder, and even so, most people wore almost no clothes, only thick fabrics. I felt chilled because of it, but I would endure until the end; I couldn't falter in front of everyone now that the first part was over.
I stayed with Lara while we ate something, talking to some nobles, nothing really strange until Yurick appeared suddenly. Not even fifteen minutes had passed since we started the banquet; we needed at least two hours of celebration with bards playing and theater showing Roham's conquest before everyone, and finally return to the castle to consummate the ceremony. However, the elder grabbed my arm to get my attention, too firmly.
– Let's go back to the castle. Let everyone celebrate the wedding. – He said in a tone more serious than it should be for someone who wanted to go to bed. I just agreed, but that wouldn't be the usual; I had arranged that whole day to be perfect, but I wouldn't get the chance to participate. That was far from my expectations, especially when we got into the carriage. I took off the crown ornament from my head, placing it on my lap.
– Why the rush? – I didn't want to have just left like that without the chance to say goodbye, especially knowing it was disrespectful to the guests. At least they could enjoy the celebrations. The city was in festivity in many parts, celebrating the holiday established by the new King.
– We'll talk when we get to the castle. – Yurick crossed his arms, going on the defensive. He didn't seem willing to tell me what was happening, far from his posture indicating he wanted to do something sexual when we returned to the palace.
I stayed silent, especially when we arrived; it was emptier than usual, only guards in the corridors protecting the place. We went up the stairs, finally crossing into the room. I didn't expect Yurick to push me toward the bed. I didn't even have time to turn around; I just hit the mattress, at least it was a soft and gentle fall. As a reaction, I immediately turned to the alpha who seemed enraged.
– How could you lead me into a trap? – Yurick tried to control his voice not to sound like he was shouting, but he was obviously upset. – I sent a group of soldiers to die in your damn idea. There's no way they could have known we were going through that place; they anticipated all our moves.
– I gave the idea. But I didn't communicate with anyone from Akasia. – My voice came out more urgent, desperate because I was being accused of treason. That was terrible. Without even having done anything at all, I was being put in an extremely fragile and vulnerable position, as I could be killed for a plausible reason. – I wouldn't put myself in danger over half a dozen soldiers, Yurick. – Even if I had sent a letter through Makal, it said nothing about possible plans; it was a plea for help, nothing more than that. – If I really wanted to use possible communication between me and my grandfather, I'd wait for you to see that it was safe, send your battalions, and kill them as a trap—why would I do that now?!
– I don't know what your intentions are. – Yurick pulled something from his pocket, throwing it in my direction, showing the letter I had given to Makal. – But you're one step away from the gallows or the axe, depending on how inspired I am to punish you. – The man seemed serious about that. My hands trembled with fear that coursed through my body like a sudden shock.
– You read that letter?! – I asked, my voice getting hoarser. Despair took over me. – It's a plea for help, not an agreement, not even a way to betray you, it's just a plea and a warning. I sent this at least two months ago, there's no strange information in it. – I tried to defend myself, but in the face of the man's hard gaze, it seemed there was no way out.
– I'll have someone translate and check the letter, but that will take time. Until then, you'll stay here. Even if that letter doesn't contain the mission details of the soldiers, it doesn't mean you aren't the spy. You knew the plan, after all, you formulated it. – Yurick smirked as he walked back and forth, thinking of a solution. If he killed me right after the wedding, it would cause a general uproar, revolts would break out, and his continental domination plan would be abruptly delayed. If he imprisoned me, he might have time until people began to suspect that something was wrong.
– Yurick, it wasn't me. You have a war council that knew about the plan. – I tried to soften my tone so that my insinuation wouldn't come off too harshly, but with the bigger man's laughter, it was obvious he didn't believe me, especially after looking at me with such disdain.
– Are you insinuating that someone from my people did this? – He asked, making his discontent very clear.
– I'm insinuating that someone might be infiltrated. – I said quickly, but Yurick grabbed my arm, pulling me, and I felt pain in the area pressed by his strength.
– I don't doubt that someone's helping you obtain and leak information, but don't ever insinuate again that my people could be stabbing me in the back; we're not from Neopolita to be cowards. – The alpha released me again, taking the key to the room and showing it to me. – You'll stay here as a prisoner until I decide what to do. For now, we're still married. – He left, slamming the door shut. The way he spoke those words was painful, but there was no reason for delicacy at a moment like that. Of course I would be the first suspect; even if I was hurt by being disbelieved, the alpha was in a position of distrust, and our bond was as fragile as possible. Obviously, there was a spy, someone capable of infiltrating and passing through Roham soldiers.
What could be even more serious than expected. The person hadn't infiltrated just now; they must've been in the war ranks for some time to be passing information to Akasia, which also meant that my grandfather was aware of the war and didn't send reinforcements or any kind of help, waiting for them to conquer Neopolita. But why? I hoped I was wrong; I hoped someone was just furtively gathering information about the kingdom at that moment, because that could be even more serious than I thought. It would mean that Akasia had betrayed us even before the war had effectively begun, letting my father's kingdom be conquered by enemies. What would my grandfather gain from that?
I tried thinking for hours, and all the conclusions I reached were the worst possible. It was night, Yurick still hadn't returned; I needed to talk, to share my conclusions, hoping he'd pay attention to reason, see that this strategy was too idiotic even to be considered a good option. I was alone, and because of that, I was the likely spy—whoever was doing this knew very well on whom the blame would fall, so they could act more freely to spread chaos, destabilize the alpha, and ultimately achieve their goal. If my predictions were correct, it wasn't safe to stay in that room alone.
– Your Majesty? – I gripped my clothes upon hearing the voice. The darkness wasn't even more funereal only because of the candle on a shelf beside the bed. I stared toward where I had heard that call, realizing it came from behind the window curtain. We were on the third floor—how had someone gotten up there so easily without being seen? Going by logic had its disadvantages; I knew why that person was in my room.
I got up, running to the door. Yurick would arrive at any moment, with luck; he'd been out for several hours, so he might come back—I just needed to stay alive.
– Please, don't run, Your Majesty, you'll only make my job harder. – The stealthy, calm approach disturbed me even more. I started banging on the door, shouting for a guard, pulling the handle, but I was completely locked inside that room with the possible assassin. I turned in their direction; what I saw was a shadow, someone with an ivory mask—I could only see the eyes, glowing red, their clothing covering them completely.
– Please, I'm on Akasia's side, I can help. – I tried to bluff, to stay alive, even if it meant lying.
– Then die for us. – The assassin raised their dagger at me. I jumped to the side just as it grazed my arm, cutting the area; the pain was excruciating, but luckily it wasn't my neck being slashed. I ran to the other side of the room, entering the bathroom, looking for a place to hide, but it was the most open area in that part. My heart pounded with fear—it was the horror of realizing everything I thought was right. The assassin wouldn't show their face because, even though their intent was to kill me, they wanted to keep deceiving Yurick.
– End of the line, Your Majesty. – The person was approaching by the edge of the pool, their steps echoing toward me, the dark image taking over the environment until it was close enough—there was nowhere else to run. I looked around, searching for something to use as a weapon, but there were only hygiene products, no dagger for obvious reasons.
Before the mysterious figure could get closer, a sword slashed past their neck. The person ducked quickly, avoiding decapitation. Yurick was there with his sword raised, but the intruder ran toward the bedroom. The alpha threw his sword at the moving body, but the assassin was extremely skilled and slippery, dodging to the side, making the sword hit the marble. The elder ran, barely having time to see the figure throwing itself through the window, disappearing into the darkness before even touching the ground.
I collapsed to my knees, grabbing my wounded arm, pressing that area to try to stop the bleeding. If I hadn't dodged, my neck could've been slashed without any remorse. My hands trembled badly; I tried to keep my breathing steady, but I was panting.
– There's someone infiltrated. – I said hoarsely, my voice choked with every emotion—panic, hurt, frustration—that I felt at that moment. – And they'll try to kill me to cause panic in the kingdom. – I tried to speak calmly so Yurick would understand. I wanted to cry, even though it wasn't the right time. – There's a traitor here; Akasia must be among the people of Roham even before they took Neopolita, must've been there since the start of this war, watching every move, every strategy, even if superficially—someone who gradually grew within the battlefield ranks until they had some relevance and knew about your campaign. They destroyed your soldiers in the forest knowing the responsibility would fall on me. Keeping me isolated would make it easier to kill me; killing me, you'd face a civil revolt, weakening your army, trapping you inside the city, dividing your forces, having to deal with the weakening of the capital, massacres, and bloodshed. Akasia wants revenge, Yurick—more than that, my grandfather has the same objective as you. – I said while coughing a little. The alpha approached, holding my chin. It was cold, wasn't it?
– Seyrim. – The elder's voice was getting harder to hear; his lips moved, but the message didn't reach me. – You've been poisoned. – I only noticed him moving away, picking up my body in his arms, quickly calling the guards. The cold became more intense, and suddenly everything went dark.