CHAPTER 13:SHADOWS THAT REMEMBER

The dream came again.

Laughter. Lights. The smell of honeyed wine.

Then—darkness.

Blood on the walls. My parents lying still.

Caelan, standing over them with calm eyes and a blade in his hand.

"You wanted the throne, sister," he said softly.

"So you took it."

---

I woke up with my heart racing.

My hands shook. My mouth was dry. I couldn't breathe.

Tears slipped down before I could stop them. I wiped them away fast.

No one could see me like this.

I wasn't a princess anymore. I couldn't afford to be soft.

---

That morning, I didn't return to training. My ankle still ached from sparring with Bastien, and my mind wasn't in it anyway.

I sat in the quiet corner of the barracks, re-wrapping the bandage for the third time.

I didn't hear the door open.

But I knew someone was there.

---

Prince Valen stood in the doorway. Calm. Still. Watchful.

He stepped inside slowly, eyes landing on my ankle, then my face.

"You're still limping."

I stood halfway out of habit. "Your Highness."

He raised a hand. "No need."

I stayed seated.

---

"You haven't been focused," he said. "Not just because of the injury."

I stayed silent.

He came closer, voice quiet. "You fight like someone who's survived more than just drills. But something's eating at you."

Still, I said nothing.

What could I say?

That I had watched my parents die?

That my own brother had framed me?

No. I couldn't say anything. Not yet.

---

He pulled a small black case from his coat and handed it to me.

A new brace. Leather. Reinforced. Expensive.

"For your ankle," he said.

I looked up at him. "Why would you do this?"

His answer was calm.

"Because I don't waste capable fighters."

---

He turned and left without waiting for a thank-you.

But I held the brace for a long time, my chest too tight to breathe.

He didn't know who I was.

But he saw something in me anyway.

---

That evening, I was sitting at a long table near the back of the mess hall when Kael walked over.

She slid a folded paper across the table and dropped into the seat beside me.

"They told us to pass the message to everyone,which is weird because which survivors could possibly be in Draeven?"

I raised an eyebrow but opened the note.

Rhys Talven. From Virellia. Merchant cover. Asking about survivors.

I froze.

The name punched the air out of my lungs.

" Ever heard of him?" She asked.

I kept my face still. "No. Never heard of him."

She shrugged. And just like that, she changed the subject.

She didn't push.

She never did.

That's what made her the only person here I trusted, even a little.

---

Later that night, I found myself on the upper walls of the fortress, staring into the quiet woods beyond the stone.

The wind cut through my coat.

I was tired of pretending I didn't miss them.

Tired of pretending it didn't still hurt.

"You're not the only one carrying ghosts," someone said behind me.

I turned. Duke Lucien stood nearby, arms folded, no smile tonight.

"You mean the prince?"

Lucien nodded. "He was forced to turn on his own uncle during the rebellion. It nearly cost him everything."

I looked at him, surprised. "Why tell me that?"

He met my eyes.

"Because I see the way he looks at you. And I see the way you look back."

I looked away.

"You've both been betrayed by blood," Lucien added. "And neither of you has let yourselves heal."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked,wondering if he already knew.

"Words travel fast within the nobles,but dont worry,your secret is safe with me." He said.

He gave a small nod, then walked away.

Overly,he was the first person to show me kindness after that nightmare.He could be trusted.

I stayed on that wall for a long time, the wind cold against my skin, the paper Kael gave me still in my pocket.

Rhys Talven was here.

That meant Caelan wasn't far behind.

And I was running out of time.