The moonlight court - Seraphine's kingdom
The palace's walls stood tall, but tonight they felt suffocating.
Torches lined the grand hall where both royal families awaited news, tension thick as fog. Seraphine's parents - King Alderon and Queen Elaria - stood near the high table, their faces pale with unease. Across from them, King Marius Thorne and Queen Eirwen - Evander's parents, watched the doors like hawks.
The doors opened. Evander entered. His armor bore scratches and smudges of ash, the weight of failure hanging off his shoulder.
Queen Elaria's voice cracked the silence, "Where is my daughter? "
Evander swallowed hard, "She is alive. "
Relief flickered - then shattered.
"Evander, where is my daughter? "
Evander dropped to one knee, unable to meet their eyes, "Forgive me...."
King Alderon stepped forward, voice thunderous, "What happened on that battlefield? "
Evander kept his gaze low, " Valen appeared with a force none of us could have foreseen. Seraphine.... She's with Valen. "
Gasps. King Alderon snapped, fury igniting his every breath. "You left her? "
Evander's voice rose - not in defiance, but in torment, " Valen gave me a choice. "
Everyone froze.
"He said if I turned back, if I left her, he wouldn't harm my kingdom. "
King Alderon's fists clenched, " So you abandoned my daughter for your throne? "
Evander's voice dropped, with shame, "I thought she'd understand. I thought...she'd survive. She always did. "
"You coward! "Alderon roared,stepping down from the dais, " You call yourself a man? "
He would've struck Evander if not for Queen Elaria's hand on his shoulder. " Don't, "she whispered. " It won't bring her back. "
But Alderon wasn't done. "I'll raise an army. I'll march to the Vampire's gates and-"
"Do you think you can defeat Valen? "Evander said quietly, cutting through the fury like steel.
The room fell into stunned silence.
" Do you? "He repeated, voice trembling. "None of us could. Not even Seraphine could. He... he is not someone we could defeat. Not even with our strength and power. "
Alderon's voice died in his throat.
And the mighty king - who had once rasied his sword against empires - sat. Powerless. Wordless.
Queen Elaria turned her face away and whispered, " You should've chosen her. My daughter. Your betrothed. We sent you because we trusted you. Seraphine...she trusted you. How could you betray us? How could you betray her? "
Evander lowered his head,his lips trembled"I know. But my kingdom trusts me. I couldn't risk-"
"Don't you dare justify this with duty. "His mother snapped, voice cold as the northern snows.
"You betrayed her. " She hissed. "You left a warrior who swore to fight by your side in this battle.And you call yourself a prince? "
Evander's voice cracked, "She would've done the same. "
"No, " Elaria whispered, eyes stinging. "She wouldn't. That's why you wear a crown and she is one. "
Alderon's hands trembled at his sides, but when he looked at Evander, something inside him broke. He sat helpless.
Elaria whispered, voice fragile. "What kind of prince chooses fear over love? "
Evander looked away, jaw clenched. "One whose people trust him not to get them killed. "
Silence. No one argued. And yet, no one believed him.
»»——⍟——««
Valen's Palace - Seraphine's Chamber
The fire cracked softly in the hearth, casting dancing shadows along the stone walls. Seraphine sat alone on the edge of her bed,the velvet sheets wrinkled beneath her cleched fists. Her sword lay untouched by the bedside, yet her heart was armed with a thousand unspoken battles.
The door creaked open.Slow and deliberate.
The faintest brush of wind. A step quiter than a breath.
She knew it before she saw him. She felt him.
Valen stepped inside. Calm and consuming. He said nothing as he walked closer.
And then - he place something beside her bed gently.
"I made this for you. " Valen said, his voice deeper than usual.
She turned her head, slowly.
Her breath caught.
A crown.
Not the one from any court. Not gold. Not encrusted with jewels.
But with thorns and moonstones. A crown crafted from darkened silver and deep crimson rose motifs woven into its spines like vines. Not made by any artisan of the realm - but by him.
She reached out, touched it's sharp edge.
".... You made this for me? "her voice broke through the hush.
Valen's voice came low, raw with memory. "For you. On the night I knew you would never bow to any throne but your own. "
She looked up at him, eyes wide.
He wasn't the ruthless warlord the stories spoke of. Not in this moment. Not in this room.
Right now, he's just a man who forged a crown with trembling hands and too much hope for the woman he loves.
"I've kept it all these years, "he whispered. " It always belonged to you. And it always will. "
"I'm not your Queen. "She whispered,but even she wasn't sure if it was truth or fear.
"No, " He said softly, "You're more. And you always were. "
He turned, walking toward the door.
Just before he vanished into the dark, he whispered, " I won't take you by force, Serenyth. I'll wait until your heart stays because it wants to. "
She said nothing.
Only when he left did she reach for the crown...
And hold it to her chest.
Inside her, a storm raged.
How could she feel this way? How could her heart flutter with heat, when her people - her family - believed her gone? When Evander had chosen his crown over her?
But then there was Valen.
The man who waited centuries.
The man who built a crown for her.
The man who saw her not as a weapon, nor a bride, but as his myth.
She closed her eyes and whispered to the wind, "You confuse me, Valen. " She confessed. "You make me question everything I believed. Every time I try to hate you, you make it harder. Every time I tell myself to run.... You make me want to run toward you. "
Her world crumbled... And yet - amidst the wreckage , his devotion was the only thing that hadn't faltered.