Chapter Four: The Man in the Trees
Aria stared at the figure standing at the edge of the forest.
The golden-eyed man didn't move, didn't speak — just stood there, watching her with a stillness that made her skin crawl. As if he were waiting. As if he knew she'd come.
And somehow, despite the distance, she recognized him.
Her heart stuttered. "Riven…"
Kael was instantly at her side. "Get inside."
She didn't move.
The name echoed in her bones like thunder — Riven. The traitor. The lover. The man she was once bonded to by fate… and betrayed by in blood.
He took a step closer.
That's when she saw the scar across his left brow. The same scar from her vision — the one he'd had when he knelt before her in chains.
Not just a memory. A mark of truth.
Riven stopped at the boundary of the property. The wind shifted. His voice carried clearly despite the distance.
"So. You're awake."
Aria blinked. Her throat went dry.
"I wasn't sure it'd work," Riven said. "The seal was strong. Even I couldn't feel you. But then…" he glanced at the sky. "The blood moon told us all you were back."
Kael growled low in his throat. "You shouldn't be here."
"I'm not here for you, Kael."
"I won't let you near her."
Riven smirked. "That's not your call anymore, is it?"
Aria stepped between them.
"I want answers," she said, voice firm despite the shake in her spine. "You know who I am?"
He studied her for a moment, golden eyes unreadable.
"I knew who you were," he said softly. "Once."
"That's not an answer."
"I don't have answers," Riven said, his voice darkening. "Just truth. And the truth is… you don't remember the half of what they've done to you."
Aria glanced at Kael. "What is he talking about?"
"Lies," Kael said quickly. "He's manipulating you—"
"I'm reminding her," Riven interrupted, "that the past isn't as clean as you pretend. You weren't always the noble prince, Kael. Or have you forgotten what happened the night she died?"
Kael's body tensed.
Aria's breath caught. "What did happen?"
Neither of them answered.
Riven looked at her again. "If you want to know who killed you… come with me."
Kael stepped forward. "Touch her and you'll die."
Riven didn't flinch.
Aria looked between them — the glowing silver eyes of the man who claimed to protect her, and the burning gold of the one who might've once loved her… or destroyed her.
"How do I know who to trust?" she whispered.
Riven smiled sadly. "You don't. That's the worst part."
Then, without another word, he turned and disappeared into the trees.
---
That night, Aria couldn't sleep.
Her mark burned constantly now, no longer pulsing — just glowing. Like a live ember beneath her skin.
She stood by the broken window, wrapped in one of her aunt's heavy quilts, watching the woods. Wondering if Riven was still out there. Wondering why the sound of his voice had rattled her deeper than she could explain.
Kael entered the room quietly.
"You're cold."
"I'm not."
"You're shaking."
She didn't answer.
He stood beside her. They stared at the dark woods together for a long moment.
"You knew he'd find me," she said.
"Yes."
"And you didn't tell me?"
"I didn't want him near you."
"Why?" she asked, voice quiet.
Kael's answer was a whisper. "Because he still has a piece of you. Whether you want him to or not."
Aria looked at him sharply. "You mean… like a bond?"
Kael nodded once.
"The soulbond," he said. "Created by the old laws. Not even death breaks it."
"But I'm not her," she said. "I don't remember loving him. I don't feel anything—"
She stopped.
Because that was a lie.
She'd felt something when she looked into Riven's eyes. Something terrifying and warm and old. Something she couldn't name.
Kael's shoulders stiffened. "He'll use that against you."
"Maybe," she said. "But I want to know the truth."
He turned to her. "Even if it hurts?"
Aria met his gaze. "Especially then."
---
The next morning, Kael trained her.
The kitchen became a battlefield. Chairs pushed aside. Flour bags used as weight. Broomsticks as swords.
"Focus," he said.
"I am focusing."
"On not stabbing me?"
She rolled her eyes and lunged. He dodged easily, laughing.
Aria hated how easy he made it look. He was strong, fast, and precise — a predator wearing a human face.
But she was learning.
He taught her how to breathe through the burn. How to strike without warning. How to find the rhythm of battle.
And when she nearly knocked him down with a feint and a swing, she saw a flicker of pride in his eyes.
"You're remembering," he said.
"I'm learning."
"Same thing."
She lowered the broom. "Kael… what if I was wrong about him?"
His smile faded.
"You weren't."
"But I chose him once, didn't I?"
"Yes."
"Then I have to know why."
Kael looked away.
"I'll never stop protecting you," he said. "Even if it means protecting you from the truth."
She stepped closer. "I don't need protection. I need answers."
Kael didn't argue.
---
That night, Aria made her decision.
She slipped out before dawn — the sky still veiled in red from the fading blood moon. The forest whispered around her, the trees shifting like sentinels.
And then… he was there.
Leaning against a tree like he'd been waiting for her the entire time.
"Brave," Riven said. "Or reckless."
"Maybe both."
He smiled.
Aria folded her arms. "Tell me the truth. All of it."
Riven studied her for a moment. Then, he motioned for her to follow.
They walked deep into the woods, past places Aria had never seen before. Old stones etched with markings she couldn't read. Half-buried ruins. A silver pool that glowed like starlight.
Finally, they reached a clearing.
Riven knelt beside a moss-covered stone slab and brushed away the dirt.
Carved into the stone were two words:
"For Her."
Aria stepped closer.
"This was your place," Riven said. "Where you used to come when the world was too much. When you needed peace. Or when you needed me."
Her heart tightened.
Riven didn't look at her.
"You asked me to help you end the war. I did what I thought was right. I stood against the Council. Against your mother. Against Kael."
He stood.
"And for that… you banished me."
Aria's breath caught. "I did?"
"You thought I'd turned on you. That I wanted your crown. I didn't." His voice cracked. "I just wanted you alive."
She stared at the stone.
"Kael told me you betrayed me."
Riven laughed bitterly. "Of course he did. That's what he always does. Saves the girl. Wins the war. Kills the enemy."
She looked at him.
"You loved me?"
He met her gaze. "I never stopped."
Aria's pulse quickened.
And then, just like that — everything around them froze.
Literally.
The wind stopped.
The trees stopped moving.
The birds went silent.
Riven's eyes narrowed. "Get down!"
A blade flew through the air.
It missed Aria by inches and buried itself in the tree beside her.
Then another.
Then five more.
Figures stepped out from the trees — hooded, armored in black and silver, their eyes blank and glowing white.
Kael's voice echoed from behind her.
"They found us."