Chapter 21 – The Weight of a Gaze
That evening, I couldn't stop thinking about what happened. The roar of the crowd, the grip of the sword in my hand... none of it mattered.
It was his eyes.
I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling, replaying it over and over how his body fell, how I ended up on top of him, sword at his throat… but he didn't blink. He didn't flinch.
He just looked at me like I was the only person in the world.
Why did that gaze shake me?
I've seen him smirk, toss insults, threaten with charm. But this time this time was different.
It felt like… he saw through me. Not Ravena the princess. Not the fighter. Just *me*. And for a moment, I saw something in him too. Something softer. Something lonely.
I shut my eyes, trying to push it away.
"Thalia," I said, voice barely above a whisper.
She was folding clothes in the corner. "Yes, Ravena?"
"I need a walk. Alone."
"Alone?" She glanced up, brows knitted with worry.
"I'll be fine." I slipped into a light robe, wrapped a scarf around my shoulders. "I just need air."
I stepped out into the night. The palace flickered with torchlight, and the wind carried whispers of jasmine. I wandered to the garden where it all began—the place I'd been attacked. The place he saved me.
The moon hung high full, round, silver.
I reached the fountain and sat on its edge, dipping my fingers into the cool water.
Then I heard a voice behind me.
"You always find your way here, don't you?"
I turned.
Prince Damiar stood beneath the moonlight, his golden-brown eyes glowing softly.
"What do you want?" My voice was tired, stripped of edge.
"Nothing." He stepped closer. "You said you'd take me down. That was... intriguing."
I looked away. "You let me win."
He stopped a few feet from me. "No, I didn't. I was... distracted."
"By what?"
"You."
Silence.
My breath caught. His voice was steady, quiet—but there was no teasing this time. No smirk.
Just truth.
"You fight like someone always ready to run. Like someone bracing for pain."
I looked down. "Maybe I am."
He crouched, meeting my gaze. "Why?"
I shook my head. "You wouldn't understand."
"Try me."
I met his eyes. For once… I didn't look away. "Because everywhere I go, I don't belong. No matter how strong I act… I'm just trying to survive."
His eyes softened, and there it was again that shadow of something deep. Something broken.
He reached out, gently tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.
My heart thundered.
"You don't have to survive here, Ravena," he said. "You just have to be you."
Overwhelmed, I stood. "I should go."
He didn't stop me. Just murmured, "You're not what I expected."
I paused, glanced over my shoulder.
"Neither are you."
And I walked away.
But my heart?
It stayed behind.