Chapter 3; Remember Why You Ride
371 Words
The forest parted for him.
Not in obedience.
In warning.
Prince Azreathiel rode at the head of the legion, black armour catching the thin light of dawn. Behind him, Zamareth’s banners cut through mist like blades.
He felt it before he saw it.
The border.
Velashara’s magic brushed against his skin — cool, ancient, watchful.
It did not welcome him.
Good.
He did not come seeking welcome or approval.
He came seeking survival.
“Your Highness,” Commander Jabari murmured beside him, “the witches will be observing.”
“They always are, that's their job” Azreathiel replied evenly.
What Jabari did not say — what neither of them dared say aloud — was this:
If the witches discovered what truly lived in Azreathiel’s blood…
The marriage would not proceed.
It would become an execution.
A faint whisper stirred at the edge of his mind.
*Do not forget why you ride.*
The Ash King’s voice lingered there like smoke.
Azreathiel’s jaw tightened.
He had agreed to this union for strategy.
For alliance.
For power balance.
For his people's survival.
For the person he loved the most... The person he long to see after all this is over...
Not for attachment.
He would marry the witch princess.
Secure the bond.
Strengthen Zamareth’s position.
Nothing more!.
Yet as Velashara’s forest thickened and the air grew heavy with spellcraft…
A strange heat flickered beneath his ribs.
Unfamiliar.
Unwelcome.
He struggled pushed it down.
Ahead, the treeline shimmered — wards woven into the earth itself.
Nyelani.
He had seen only a painted image of her sent years ago.
Dark curls. Steady gaze. Too young.
He wondered if she resented him already.
He wondered if she feared him.
He wondered — briefly — if she would survive what was coming.
He tried to lie to himself, he did not care, he should not.
But somehow his mind lingers on her. Perhaps mere curiosity.
Azreathiel’s eyes flickered — just for a heartbeat — infernal red.
The wards along the forest edge dimmed.
Then steadied.
Jabari glanced at him sharply.
But said nothing.
“Ride faster,” Azreathiel ordered.
Because the sooner he reached Velashara…
The sooner fate would either secure his kingdom—
Or destroy it.
- Writer
