The bond awaken
1006 Words
Liora turned away from Caelum’s gaze, her heart thundering in her chest. The Elder Tree’s words echoed within her: Love once ended the peace. Love may restore it.
How could she carry such a burden? She hadn’t come here to be some mythical answer to ancient pain—she was just a girl from a quiet village, trying to uncover the truth about her grandmother’s stories. But the Wildwood didn’t seem to care about what she wanted. It had chosen her.
She stepped away from the Elder Tree, needing space to think. Caelum followed silently, his presence a comforting weight behind her. When they were out of earshot of the great tree, she turned to him.
“You knew, didn’t you?” she asked quietly.
He nodded. “From the moment I saw you. Your spirit… it hums with the Wildwood. Just like Seraphine’s did. But yours is different, too. You belong here—and beyond.”
“I don’t want to choose,” she said. “I don’t want to lose either world.”
Caelum’s voice was gentle. “Then perhaps you won’t have to. Perhaps… there is a way to weave the two together.”
She looked at him, her heart tugging. “And what about you?”
His expression turned unreadable. “I am bound to the Wildwood. Its Guardian. I cannot leave.”
“But if I stay…”
He stepped closer. “If you stay, Liora, it will not be because the forest demands it. Or because some ancient tree declares it destiny. It will be because you want to.”
Their eyes met, and in that moment, the space between them sparked—not just with magic, but something deeper. Older. A thread of emotion spun tight between them.
Then Caelum looked away. “There is a ritual. The Binding. A way to strengthen the connection between realms. If we complete it, you will become part of this world permanently. Not fae. Not human. Something in between.”
She swallowed. “And if I choose not to?”
“The Wildwood will let you go. The veil will close once more. Peace may not return. And I…”
He trailed off. But she understood. He would remain alone.
A heavy silence settled between them until a sudden burst of motion caught their attention.
A bird—its wings black as obsidian, its eyes glowing red—screeched overhead and darted into the trees.
Caelum cursed. “Scouts from the Dreadlands.”
“The what?”
“Not all fae welcomed peace. Some thrived in the chaos after the veil closed. The Dreadlands are ruled by a fallen prince—Malrec. If he knows you’re here, he’ll try to stop the Binding.”
“Why?”
“Because peace would mean his end.”
They hurried back to the cottage. Caelum began preparing—mixing potions, tracing protective runes on the windows and doors. Liora watched him, unsure whether to feel terrified or exhilarated.
“What happens during the Binding?” she asked as he crushed glowing blue leaves into a paste.
“We stand beneath the Heartwood. We speak the vows of unity. Our magic entwines. Our fates become one.”
Liora’s heart thudded. “So it’s… like a marriage?”
“In a way,” he said, his voice softening. “It is not just magic. It is heart. Will. Love.”
Her breath caught. “And if I don’t love you?”
He looked at her then, with eyes full of storms and sorrow. “Then we do not bind. The forest only accepts true hearts.”
Liora didn’t speak. She couldn’t. Not yet.
That night, sleep evaded her again. She stood at the window, staring into the dark woods. Somewhere out there, something evil had learned of her presence. And yet… she didn’t want to run.
Not anymore.
She heard footsteps and turned to see Caelum entering the room, his face grave.
“There’s movement at the edge of the forest,” he said. “Malrec’s scouts are coming. We need to perform the Binding. Tonight.”
Her stomach twisted. “Are you sure?”
He nodded. “We won’t get another chance. And if they reach the Heartwood before us…”
He didn’t need to finish the sentence.
Liora stared into his eyes, reading the truth there—fear, yes, but also hope. A longing that mirrored her own.
“I’m ready,” she said, her voice steady.
His expression didn’t change—but she saw it in the set of his shoulders, in the slight exhale: relief.
They left under cover of darkness, weaving through the trees with a silent urgency. The forest pulsed with tension, as if every leaf held its breath. When they reached the glade, the Heartwood glowed with soft light, waiting.
Caelum took her hands in his, and Liora felt warmth spread through her limbs—not from magic, but from him.
“Repeat after me,” he said quietly.
“I bind my heart to this realm,” he began.
“I bind my heart to this realm,” she echoed.
“I offer my truth, my strength, my soul.”
“I offer my truth, my strength, my soul.”
“I choose love, freely given, freely returned.”
“I choose love, freely given, freely returned.”
The ground trembled. The tree flared brighter.
Caelum’s voice dropped to a whisper. “And I vow, in all worlds and all times, to walk beside you.”
Liora hesitated.
And then, from her chest, words rose unbidden, as if summoned by some deeper part of her soul.
“And I vow, in all worlds and all times, to walk beside you.”
Magic erupted.
Light spiraled up from their joined hands, wrapping them in a cocoon of silver flame. The Heartwood sang. The runes in the bark burned white-hot.
Liora felt something shift inside her—a tether snapping, a new one forming.
She was changing.
And so was he.
- Writer
