A deal signed in blood
351 Words
The morning light was cold and unforgiving as Aria was pulled from her restless sleep. Her aunt’s sharp voice echoed through the thin walls. “Pack your things. You leave for the palace today.”
Aria’s heart sank. There was no time to prepare — no chance to say goodbye to the crumbling village she had called home, no moment to mourn the life that had been stolen from her. She was a bargaining chip now, a commodity to be traded for favor.
The journey to the palace was long and silent. Aria sat by the window of the carriage, watching the fields blur beneath the gray sky. Her mind swirled with questions she dared not speak aloud. Who was this prince she was to marry? What would become of her?
When the grand gates of Raventhorn Palace finally loomed ahead, Aria felt a cold shiver crawl up her spine. The castle’s towering spires pierced the sky like jagged teeth. The guards’ cold stares and the servants’ hushed whispers made the air thick with unseen tension.
Inside the great hall, she was brought before the royal council. Faces stern and unreadable watched as her aunt spoke loudly of Aria’s “qualities” and “duties.” No one asked Aria what she wanted.
A man stepped forward — tall, regal, and impossibly pale. His eyes, sharp and dark as onyx, fixed on Aria with an intensity that made her stomach twist.
“I am Prince Damien Raventhorn,” he announced, voice low and commanding. “Tomorrow, you will become my wife.”
No warmth softened his words. Instead, a shadow seemed to flicker behind his eyes — something ancient and dangerous.
Aria swallowed her fear. The silence stretched, thick and suffocating, until the prince spoke again.
“This union is not merely political. It is bound by blood, and by destiny.”
With those words, Aria understood that she had stepped into a world where the stakes were higher than she could have imagined — a world where her very life belonged to another.
And with that, the deal was sealed
- Writer
