CHAPTER 9 - THE THINGS LEFT UNSAID
1002 Words
"Show me."
The young guard immediately led the way.
Nyra instinctively moved to follow but Azriel ask her to stay
"I'm not a child."
"I know."
"Then why can't I come?"
"Because if there's even the slightest danger, I won't risk you."
Nyra opened her mouth to argue but the look of concern in his eyes stopped her.
"I'll be back soon," he promised.
For reasons she couldn't explain, she believed him.
Azriel nodded to Mira.
"Stay with Lady Nyra."
"Of course, Your Majesty."
Without another word, Azriel disappeared with the guards but Nyra watched until he was gone.
"He worries about you," Mira teased
Nyra folded her arms.
"He's worried about everyone."
Mira laughed.
"If believing that makes you feel better."
……
Meanwhile...
The hidden passage was one of the oldest walls in Noctaryn. Only a few people even knew it existed.
Azriel stood at its entrance, his eyes scanning every inch of the narrow tunnel.
A captain knelt beside a series of faint footprints.
"They end here, Your Majesty."
Azriel frowned.
"End?"
"There are no tracks beyond this point.”
The captain hesitated.
"...whoever came through simply vanished."
Another guard approached carrying a small piece of black cloth.
"This was caught on the stone."
Azriel took it.
The fabric was unlike anything woven in Noctaryn. There was a symbol stitched into one corner.
A crimson crescent moon.
"I've seen this before."
The captain looked surprised.
"You recognize it?"
Azriel closed his fist around the cloth.
"Years ago but I hoped I'd never see it again."
Azriel looked toward the darkness.
"Seal this passage,post guards here day and night and no one enters without my permission."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
As Azriel turned to leave, a strange feeling settled over him.
Someone had wanted to be found.
The cloth had been left behind...
On purpose.
……….
Back in Nyra's room...
Mira helped her arrange the gowns inside a wardrobe.
"I still can't believe all of these are for me,I've never owned more than two dresses."
Mira paused and for a moment, sadness crossed her face.
"Then we'll make sure you never feel unwanted again."
Nyra smiled.
"You make it sound so easy.”
Mira admitted it wasn't easy but also replied to her.
"But sometimes all it takes is one person choosing to stay."
Those words lingered in Nyra's heart.
…………
The rest of the afternoon passed peacefully.
Mira introduced Nyra to the palace kitchens.
Every cook insisted she taste something.One elderly baker slipped an extra honey bun into her hands with a wink.
"Our king finally smiles again."
Nyra blinked.
"What do you mean?"
The baker chuckled.
"He hasn't looked this alive in years."
Before Nyra could ask another question, Mira gently tugged her sleeve.
"We should keep going."
As they left, Nyra looked back.
The old baker was still smiling.
……….
By sunset,Nyra wandered onto one of the stone bridges overlooking the lake.
The water reflected the evening sky so perfectly that it looked endless.
"It's beautiful."
"It becomes even more beautiful at night."
She turned.
Azriel.
He had changed out of his royal robes and wore a simple black tunic.
For once,he looked like an ordinary man.
"You came back."
"I said I would."
She smiled.
"I wasn't sure kings kept promises."
"Only the important ones,"Azriel chipped in.
They began walking together as the silence between them felt natural.
"You've been smiling ," Azriel said.
"Have I?"
"I noticed."
Nyra looked out across the lake.
"I think..."
"I've forgotten what it feels like to be afraid every minute.
That alone made bringing her here worthwhile.
She looked at him.
"Thank you."
"You've thanked me too many times already."
"Maybe because no one has ever been this kind to me."
She remembered how much pain she had endured before coming here,more than anyone should.
Nyra looked up at the stars.
"They're brighter here."
Azriel wasn't looking at the stars but was looking at her.
The silver light painted her face with a soft glow while making him forget everything for a moment.
The curse.
The prophecy.
The crown.
She turned around and caught him staring at her.
"What?"
He quickly looked away.
"Nothing."
She laughed.
"You're a terrible liar."
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"So I've been told."
Her laughter faded into a gentle smile.
"Can I ask you something?"
" Sure you are free to ask me anything," the King assured her.
She hesitated but gathered the courage before proceeding.
"Why did you choose me?"
The question struck him harder than any blade but he forced himself to be still.
A hundred answers rushed through his mind.
Because you're my fated mate.
Because the moment I found you, my wolf recognized you.
Because I've spent centuries believing I was never meant to love anyone... until you.
But then...
Another thought followed.
What happens when she sees the curse?
When she sees the beast I've spent my life hiding?
Will she look at me the way everyone else does?,with fear?
His fingers slowly curled into fists behind his back. He wanted to tell her everything.
Instead...
He forced himself to smile.
"One day..."
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"When I'm certain you won't run from me..."
"I'll answer that question."
Nyra frowned gently.
"Run from you?"
Before she could ask another word, a cold wind swept across the bridge which made the lanterns flicker violently.
Azriel's instincts sharpened instantly as he stepped in front of Nyra without thinking.
Protecting her.
The wind disappeared as suddenly as it had come.
Silence returned.
But then…
A soft creak echoed behind them.
Both turned.
The door leading back into the palace had slowly opened on its own.
No servant stood there.
No guard.
Only darkness.
Resting on the stone floor...
It was a single black feather.
And beside it...
A folded piece of parchment.
Azriel's expression darkened.
Nyra slowly reached for the letter.
Across the front, written in elegant silver ink, were four chilling words.
For Lady Nyra Alone.
- Writer
