Kael
She walks like she still has a choice.
The other brides before her, the ones who barely made it through one night, came to me wide-eyed and shaken, worn down by duty or fear. They never met my gaze. They never dared to.
But this one. This girl.
Aria.
She has a fire in her.
Even now, as she follows me up the black steps of my palace, surrounded by magic that would make most mortals kneel, she carries herself like she's still weighing whether to spit in my face or stab me.
I can't tell if I admire that or if it annoys me.
Maybe both.
The throne room is cold and empty. Just how I prefer it. Shadows gather in the corners of the marble, winding around the columns like sleepy beasts. The tall glass ceiling reflects the never-ending twilight above, violet skies sprinkled with stars, always dim, never completely dark.
She stops halfway into the room, arms crossed, chin held high. "Is this where you chain me to a pillar and start chanting?"
I raise an eyebrow. "Disappointed it's not more dramatic?"
"I'm just trying to get ahead of whatever messed-up ritual you've got planned."
Her voice is sharp, not shaking. Just sharp.
Like a well-honed blade.
I move slowly across the stone floor. I can feel her eyes on me. Most mortals flinch when I walk by. My presence brings the curse to life, it messes with the air, heat, sound, and even light. But not her.
She watches me closely, sizing me up.
Interesting.
I step forward and face her fully. The shadows that cling to me respond to her intensity. My magic stirs, old and restless, always ready to break free.
"I don't plan to chain you," I say calmly. "Unless you try to stab me."
She shrugs, unbothered. "Not ruling it out."
"I can respect that."
Her eyes light up in surprise. She wasn't expecting me to be civil. I don't offer that much, but she's different from the others. My curse... it doesn't push her away. It seems drawn to her.
That thought scares me.
I walk over to the dais and sit, not on the throne, but on the lower step next to it. A conscious choice. Power can show itself in many ways. I want to see how she'll react when I'm not the monster.
"I want to ask you something," I say.
She tightens her arms. "What makes you think I'll answer?"
"You don't have to. I just thought it'd be better to start with something other than shouting."
A moment passes. Then: "Fine. Ask."
I look at her, the dark gold of her hair messed up from travel, her lips chapped, and the faint glow of restrained magic around her. She's full of energy. Not entirely fae, not fully human. Something else.
"What do you know about the curse?" I ask.
She scoffs. "Enough to know you're the reason I was dragged from my home."
I nod. "That's part of the story. But it's not the whole truth."
She narrows her eyes. "Then enlighten me, shadow prince."
I smile, though it feels broken. She doesn't know what that title means to me.
"I was born with light," I start, my voice low. "Before the curse, I was meant to spread peace. Unity. All that stuff they write in songs. I believed it and fought for it."
She leans against a pillar, still watching. Listening.
"But politics," I continue, "doesn't care about destiny. My father made a deal to end a war. He sacrificed something precious. And for that, the gods cursed me."
I flex my hands, feel the shadows respond. "Now, I carry their anger. It seeps into everything. I can't touch anything living without pain. I can't sleep without nightmares breaking the world around me."
A deep breath.
"And I can't die. Not until the bond is mended."
She pauses. "The bond?"
"The treaty between our realms," I explain. "It's more than just politics. It's blood, magic, life. When it broke, it shattered the link between our people. Between light and dark."
"And you think marrying me will fix it?"
I nod. "If the bond is real. If you are... the right thread. Then yes."
She pushes off the wall and slowly approaches. Not fearful.
Just... curious.
"And how many others weren't the right thread?" she asks.
My jaw tightens. "Enough."
"I'm not like them."
"I know."
The shadows around me pulse once.
She stops a few steps away, her eyes locked onto mine. "You don't know anything about me."
"I know you weren't afraid to fight. I know you'd rather die than submit. And I know the curse didn't shy away from you when you entered this realm."
She swallows. "Is that why I'm here? Because your magic didn't hate me immediately?"
"No," I say softly. "You're here because your soul called to mine. Before this life. Before all of this."
She blinks. I see the flicker in her eyes, part disbelief, part something deeper. Recognition.
"I don't believe in fate," she whispers.
"Neither did I. Until you yelled at my gates."
The silence stretches between us.
Then, she turns and starts pacing, a wildfire of energy in her movements. "So what now? We just pretend this is a fairytale? That I'm supposed to fall for the guy who stole my life?"
I shake my head. "No. You don't have to love me."
She freezes.
I stand.
"You don't have to do anything," I say, stepping closer. "The bond isn't forced. It either grows... or it breaks. You stay here. Learn. Decide. And if it doesn't work out, if you're not meant for me then you go home."
Her brow furrows. "You'd let me go?"
"If it meant ending my curse? Yes."
A beat.
"Why?"
I look at her closely. I see the fierce determination in her tired eyes. The sharpness to her, not cruel but strong.
"Because I've carried this curse long enough to know one truth, Aria," I say gently. "You can't create peace with chains."