Darkness swirled around me among the trees as the moon was blotted out by dying leaves and baren twigs. It could have been peaceful, with the sounds of the night sky playing in the distance, but instead it was haunting, disorienting. The smell of detritus permeated the still air. I looked deeper into the woods, searching for the path that would lead me out, but there was nothing, no escape. The trees began to blur in my vision the longer that I tried to focus on them.

  The hair on the back of my neck stood on ends as an icy breath tickled my skin, and I whipped around. At the other end of the small clearing, no more than ten paces away, stood the dark silhouette of a man. His presence nearly blended into the darkness of the trees, but the faint moonlight that cut through the branches caught the upper edges of his form, illuminating his inhuman size.

  “Child known by the womb, yet unknown by its mother.” His voice said, managing to sound as young as a child’s, and yet as old as sage. Timeless as it sank into my bones and echoed in my blood. “Heed my words.”

  I dropped to my knees at the ethereal boom of command, clutching my head as I bit back a scream. “Stop, it’s too much!”

  “Knife hidden by gold, yet protected by its pride.” His hand came to rest on my shoulders, shockingly cold and real as it grounded me to the earth. “It is almost time—”

  “Are you well, Your Highness?”

  The forest was gone, and the underlying scents of decay and shadows with it as I looked up to see over ten pairs of eyes watching me. I blinked the sitting room and its occupants back into focus.

  The room itself was larger than necessary, with gold gilded furniture meticulously placed along the marble floors of the Gold Palace. An abundance of flowers covered every surface large enough to hold a vase, and their collectively sweet aroma was nearly suffocating in the confined space.

  My throat was dry as I tried to find my voice, fighting against the images. “Yes. Thank you for your concern, Ysa.”

  Not quite convinced, but unable to protest my response, Ysabella De La Thorn turned away. The girl was one of the two attendants that Princess Vasilisa had arranged to accompany me at all times. Now that I was part of the royal family, it was inappropriate for me to be left alone to my own devices. Improper, as if I hadn’t spent the first twenty-two years of my life capable of walking down a hall without incident. But as much as I disliked being followed by the young women, they were vastly preferrable to being followed by members of Soren’s personal guard.

  I tried to focus on the present, on the small, golden trays laden with delicate peach and pear fruit tarts, and not the lingering trees of the woods. I’d had the dream two nights ago, but it hadn’t felt like a dream at all. The presence had been familiar in the same way that the night was, like an eventuality that I recognized even though I couldn’t give it a name. Even the memory of it felt less like a memory of the dream, and more like I’d been pulled into that place a second time.

  My stomach grumbled, muffled into silence by the layers of fabric covering my torso. I’d been told that the tarts paired well with the mint tea, though I wouldn't know. It was only proper to indulge once our hostess did, and Princess Vasilisa De Eloria Cassemir had barely touched one. I tried not to fidget in my restlessness, to keep still while the other ladies in attendance discussed mundane topics, and shared petty observations.

  Their voices grating against my ears like a rusty hinge.

  “I told Lady Ermandine not to bother ordering new linens. It's not like she can afford the artisans anyways.” Selene said, giggling into her fan.

  House DeLacour was one of the high houses of Etheroz, and were best known for their metalwork. From armor and weapons, to delicate jewelry and sculptures, the Flamebound of their house were skilled, though very few continued the practice. I’d discovered little over a month ago, that they were the ones tasked with designing the seamless cuffs used on the Bridal Path, though they no longer forged them themselves.

  Selene herself had brown hair that hung down her back in carefully crafted ringlets. It made her appear almost doll-like when paired with the bright, frilly dresses she preferred.

  The two women laughing along with her at Lady Ermandine’s misfortune were her cousins Lady Letha Keogh, and Lady Amelia Jansen. Both of which were married to lesser nobles, and all of which suffered from the delusion that anyone cared for their opinions.

  “And how are you fairing this afternoon, Daelyn?” Princess Vasilisa asked, and the room quieted just a fraction as the other women pretended that they weren’t listening.

  I'd been joining my sister-in-law for weekly afternoon tea nearly three months now, and I still received a mixed reception when I did. The courtiers remained interested in me as the wife to the second prince of the empire. But like the Astalian Court across the sea, they were too afraid of my LeMont heritage to truly believe I was Unbound, a mage born without magic.

  They were right to fear me, just not in the way that they assumed.

  I shoved the remaining remnants of the dream away. “I’ve been well, Your Highness. The desserts are exquisite today.”

  And they’d be even more exquisite if I could rightfully consume several more. I thought.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  I hadn't had time to eat breakfast this morning, a consequence of poor planning that I had regretted every minute for the last hour.

  Vasilisa nodded her head pleasantly, causing her fine ebony hair to sway about her shoulders. “I’m glad you think so. I’ve always enjoyed pear.”

  Picking up one such tart, she bit into it gingerly, being sure not to smear her lipstick on the pastry.

  My stomach gurgled again as I reached out and grabbed a pear tart myself. Thankful that Vasilisa was finally choosing to indulge. I bit into the soft goo of the tart. The sweetness was absolute bliss on an empty stomach.

  “I don’t know how you manage it, Daelyn.” Selene sighed dramatically, coming to stand beside me. “If I was up at the crack of dawn, I’d have horrible rings under my eyes. Yours are barely noticeable. Nearly flawless, as always.”

  My nights were restless, and consistently plagued by nightmares. Instead of taking sleeping drafts to abolish the dreams, I’d come to welcome them in my search for forgotten truths. However, there were nights were it felt like I hardly slept at all, and last night was one of them.

  I hadn’t thought the rings under my eyes had been all that noticeable when Saiah, helped me change after this morning’s... lesson. Soren would have used his essencebinding to soften the bruises if he‘d noticed, but today had not gone well.

  Of course none of that was anything that the snake next to me needed to know.

  “The prince is an exhausting man with many demands thrust upon him by the emperor. I cannot help it if he desires my comfort before he leaves our bed, even when it comes before dawn.” I lied with a sly smile, feeling the heaviness settle in my chest as I did.

  Ysabella coughed, nearly choking on her tea while Letha audibly gasped. I ignored them both to pick up my teacup up by the handle and took a delicate sip. Vasilisa was right, the mint tea really did pair well with the pear tarts. I took my time before I lowered the cup back onto its saucer. Everything a show, every action hollow. I could hardly enjoy the way Selene’s lip twitched with rage at the familiar way I spoke of the prince.

  I’d been told by Annette Ferroe, my other attendant, that Selene had tried very hard to win Prince Soren’s affection for years. She was young, beautiful, and musically gifted. She had turned down many suitors while waiting for Soren’s proposal, but one never came. She’d apparently been content enough when the emperor had announced Soren’s engagement when it was meant to secure an alliance with the Bronze Isles, but then he’d met me.

  The reasons for his decision didn’t matter, and only Soren and I knew the truth. To Selene, it only proved that he could have selected her all along if he’d wished to.

  I held my smile, daring Selene to continue pushing while wishing that Alexia were here to see it. If she could hear my vulgar implications now, she’d be aghast in horror. But Alexia wasn’t here, and there was nothing the rest of them could do to combat my crudeness, save for Vasilisa herself, I outranked all the other women present. She was married to the crown prince, and I, his younger brother. If anyone were to object, it would be her, and she had yet to do more than laugh at the reactions I caused.

  The princess sighed in lament, ignoring our squabble. “I do wish Soren would stop dragging you to that dreadful palace. It’s so terribly dull watching the trials, let alone participating as a member of the council. I’d prefer that you join us on my morning rides. It's peaceful watching the sunrise on horseback, you’d absolutely adore it.”

  “Oh yes Daelyn, you must join us.” Selene’s pleasant invitation was betrayed by the flaring of her dainty nostrils. “Unless, of course, you actually enjoy watching the executions? Perhaps talk of torture isn’t so difficult having been raised by the Duke of Blood.” She barely even tried to contain her sneer. “You probably enjoy the cruelty of it.”

  “I’ve attended the trials before. They're far too long, and most unpleasant to hear. Why Soren continues to drag you to them, I will never understand. It’s a gruesome process best left in the hands of soldiers.” Vasilisa said. Thoughtful and ever impartial as she dipped her tart into her tea.

  “I wouldn’t concern yourself with the intricacies of the Sapphire Palace, Selene. Not every woman is made to handle the darker side of rule. One such as yourself would surely find it difficult to stomach the consequences of the law.” I stopped, realizing that the room had grown silent at my response and immediately regretting rising to Selene’s bait.

  No one truly knew why Soren had defied the emperor. Why he’d broken off his engagement to marry me three days before his intended wedding. He’d sabotaged his father’s alliance. Ruined the armada that the empire would have obtained as Lady Dalton’s dowry, and the truth of it was worse than the rumors that had circulated over the summer.

  We hadn’t had a torrid affair, and there was no secret pregnancy to speak of. I hadn’t caught the prince’s eye during a chance encounter, and I hadn’t stolen his heart either. I had been on the run with my guardian, and we’d been caught. Soren had given me the choice between arriving in Ribnica as his prisoner, or his wife. Some days, it felt like I was both.

  Their hunger for the details reminded me to tread carefully as I continued.

  “My father is many things, and you’re right, cruelty is certainly in his arsenal.” I began, slowly, weighing the words before speaking them. “However, House LeMont has been entrusted with the care of Astalia since it’s subjugation, and the decisions of rule are not foreign to me. I don’t enjoy seeing people hurt, guilty or not. When you’ve witnessed the consequences of defiance, you don’t wish it on anyone.”

  I leveled a sharp eye onto Selene, letting her see the viciousness that hid under the surface of my crimson gaze. “Perhaps it is because of that experience, and because I was not a simpering girl of the court who fancied themselves a princess that the empire's First General found me desirable. I can help to carry the burdens that would break you.” I turned away with a shrug. “But who am I to assume Soren’s intentions? I suppose you can always ask him the next time you beg to be his mistress.”

  It wasn’t a question, and there was no mistaking the truth of my accusation by the way Selene blanched. Her face reddening with ugly, embarrassing splotches she couldn’t hide behind her fan as she fled the room.

  I closed my eyes and allowed myself a centering breath before I forced my mask back into place. I didn’t care that she had, such things were more than expected among the men of the royal family. However, I did care that I was tired, and my tolerance for Selene’s pettiness had long worn thin.

  Vasilisa’s eyes were lit with amusement as the cousins aided Selene’s retreat. “Well, well, well. Now that’s a scandal that I hadn’t even heard yet. I’m surprised Soren told you. Consequences of defiance indeed.”

  “I think that will be enough excitement for today. With your permission, I think I may go and lie down.” I said, shaking my head as if I could dislodge the fatigue.

  “Thank you for joining us, Daelyn.” Vasilisa’s violet eyes shone with knowing. “I think I shall put in a word with your husband. I’ll see if I can’t snatch you away one of these mornings so that you can enjoy more feminine pursuits.”

  “As you wish, your highness.” I said with deference. Lowering myself into a bow before our future empress, and then left without another word as both of my attendants flanked me on either side.