The air in the courtyard is thick with the stench of blood and smoke. The chaos feels all-consuming.
Healers are rushing past me, moving quickly but with purpose.
I can't sit still. I press my hands over one wound, then another, feeling the warmth of the blood against my skin.
Golden light spills from my palms like a lifeline, and I try to heal as fast as my body can manage. But it's a scramble. There are just too many who are hurt.
I take a deep breath, but the sight of all this pain makes my chest tighten. My gaze drifts back to the battlefield. Kael is still out there, holding his own, but I can see it in his posture—he's starting to slow down, and I can sense the exhaustion weighing him down. And the enemy? They keep pushing in, relentlessly.
Sweat drips down my forehead as my heart races. There's something in the air that feels off. A kind of dark energy that makes me feel uneasy. It's not just the chaos of the fight; it's something deeper, lurking among the enemy soldiers, creeping closer.
"Aria!" I hear someone shout.
I turn, and it's Sir Bram, one of Kael's knights. He looks wild, breathless. "There's trouble!" he calls out. "Inside the castle!"
My stomach drops at those words. "What kind of trouble?" I manage to ask, even though I have a sinking feeling about what he's about to say.
He glances around urgently, lowers his voice to a whisper. "Someone opened the gates to the enemy."
"What?" My hands suddenly feel cold. Suddenly, everything shifts. This isn't just a battle anymore; it's a betrayal from within.
"Who?" I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
He hesitates, and just when I think he won't say it, he does. "Lord Varyn."
The name feels like a punch to the gut. Lord Varyn. I can picture him, a trusted advisor of Kael, someone I've seen at court more times than I can count. Always so friendly, always so composed. And now, a traitor.
I grab my satchel, urgency propelling me forward as I bolt after Bram. We sprint through the stone halls, the chaos unfolding inside the castle waging a battle of its own. I can hear the clashing of steel and the terrified screams echoing off the walls. Enemy soldiers have managed to slip inside.
Bram doesn't hesitate; he swings his sword, taking down an enemy soldier as we pass by. We round a corner and suddenly stop in our tracks.
In the main hall, there stands Lord Varyn, and beside him is Lady Elira, Kael's younger cousin. I recognize her instantly, a sweet girl, always laughing. But her smile now is anything but warm; it's cold and mocking.
"You shouldn't have come, girl," she says with a smirk.
My fists clench at my sides. "You betrayed him," I say, anger bubbling up inside me. "Why?"
"For freedom," Varyn interjects, stepping forward with a twisted sense of pride. "To break the curse… to rule ourselves."
My heart sinks further as I shake my head. "You're wrong," I tell him. "The curse can be broken without causing death or starting a war."
Lady Elira snickers, the sound dripping with sarcasm. "A love willing to die? What a fairy tale that is," she retorts, her hand already glowing with dark magic.
Varyn raises a sword dripping poison, dangerous and menacing. "You are the key," he insists, his eyes locking on mine. "And we will take you."
Just then, a flood of enemy soldiers pours into the hall behind them. Bram raises his sword, a protective growl escaping him. "We won't let you."
I stand right beside him, my hands glowing with a bright light, ready to fight back.
The clash begins, sword against sword, magic against magic. I manage to zap one soldier back with a burst of energy, while Bram takes out two more with fierce skill. But we're outnumbered. They close in, trapping us.
Varyn inches closer, pointing his sword straight at my heart. "You should have stayed away," he growls.
Just as I gather the strength to fight back, a roar interrupts all the chaos. The doors burst open with a loud crash. It's Kael, storming in like a force of nature. His armor is stained with blood, his silver hair wild, and his sword is slick with red.
"Varyn!" he bellows.
The effect is immediate; Varyn pales, and even Lady Elira takes a step back. Kael closes the distance between them, striking Varyn's sword aside as if it were nothing.
They clash, steel against steel, magic swirling in the air. The very walls seem to tremble with the power of their battle. I try to weave my way through the fight to reach Kael, but Lady Elira blocks my path, sending tendrils of dark magic in my direction.
I barely manage to dodge her first strike, but the next one grazes my arm, sending a flash of pain shooting through me. But I refuse to give up. I blast her back with a surge of light, and she crashes to the ground, screaming.
Finally, I made it to Kael. He's locked in a fierce duel with Varyn—focused, determined, but Varyn is quick and shrouded in darkness. At last, Kael disarms him, sending his sword clattering to the floor and holding his blade menacingly against Varyn's throat.
"Why?" Kael demands, his voice a mix of anger and pain.
Varyn sneers, "You were never meant to rule. You were meant to die with her curse."
I can see Kael's sword shaking. He wants to kill him. I can feel the tension in the air, and I can see it written all over Kael's face; he's fighting against his rage. But he doesn't go through with it.
Instead, he looks to his guards, his voice steady and cold. "Take them to the dungeons."
The guards rush in to grab Varyn and Lady Elira. They struggle, but it's no use.
Kael turns to me, and for a moment, the storm of battle fades away. His face softens, but I can see his hands are trembling. "You're hurt," he observes, worry etched in his features.
I glance down at my sleeve, soaked in blood. "I'll heal it," I say, eager to reassure him.
He steps closer and gently takes my hand, resting his forehead against mine. "I almost lost you," he whispers, his voice breaking slightly.
"You didn't," I respond, feeling a warmth spread through me.
There we stand, catching our breath and holding each other tightly. Outside, the storm still rages on. The castle may be trembling, but at that moment, it feels like we're in our little bubble of safety.
Later that night, after we've secured the castle, Kael calls a meeting.
We gather in what feels like the war room—knights, advisors, and loyal friends all around. Kael stands at the head of the table, his silver armor gleaming in the flickering torchlight. "We have a traitor among us," he announces, his voice grave. "But the real enemy is still out there."
He looks my way, and I feel a chill. This is just the start.
Varyn and Elira? They were merely pawns in a much bigger game. A darker force waits beyond those hills, and it's lurking, ready to strike at any moment.
I stretch my hand under the table, intertwining my fingers with Kael's. He squeezes back, a reminder that we're in this together.
We're not alone.
We never were.
And we will fight.
Together.
No matter what lies ahead.