To Win a Princess
1096 Words
Noctis stood before the grand silverwood doors of the Queen’s study, his shoulders straight, his face calm. But Lucan could see the tension in the vampire’s jaw. The letter burned in his pocket like a brand.
“You look like you're marching to your own execution,” Lucan quipped beside him.
Noctis side-eyed him. “I am about to ask a pregnant queen for permission to marry her best friend. What about that sounds relaxing?”
“You left out the part where she’s glowing with divine moonlight, has an entire kingdom at her back, and could probably throw you off a cliff with a flick of her fingers,” Lucan offered cheerfully. “Honestly, I think you’re underestimating the situation.”
Noctis muttered something unintelligible under his breath. Then, taking a steadying breath, he knocked.
“Enter,” came the voice from within.
They stepped inside. The room smelled of parchment, wildflowers, and faint lavender. Queen Seryna sat by the window, sunlight spilling over her loose black hair and flowing red gown. Her hands rested gently on her rounded belly, a glowing aura of moonlight curling subtly around her frame.
She looked up—and smiled.
“Noctis,” she said warmly. “You're awake.”
He bowed deeply. “My Queen.”
Lucan, less formal, waved. “Hey, Seren. Glowing suits you.”
She laughed. “Lucan. Always a charmer.” Then her gaze returned to Noctis. “What brings you here, friend?”
Noctis hesitated, then glanced at Lucan.
Lucan elbowed him lightly.
Noctis exhaled. “I… I wish to find Liora.”
Her eyes widened with delighted surprise.
Lucan grinned. “Tell her the rest.”
Noctis shot him a look but relented. “And... I wish to ask for her hand.”
A spark lit behind Seryna’s hazel eyes. She sat up straighter, her expression shifting from soft surprise to something more regal—more calculating.
Noctis felt his stomach twist.
Lucan leaned closer and whispered, “Uh oh. I think you just triggered Queen Mode.”
The door opened behind them.
Caius entered, his golden eyes bright with amusement. “So, the shadows move at last. One day awake, and already you're planning on storming kingdoms for love? Shouldn’t you at least take a moment to recover your strength?”
Noctis shook his head. “A quick hunt, and I’ll be restored.”
Caius nodded. “Very well. But you’re not just any suitor. You are one of my most trusted allies. A dear friend. And Liora is a princess of Vaeluna. So, I’ll make this official. I’ll propose an alliance to the Fairy Queen—through marriage between you and her daughter.”
Noctis blinked. “That’s… more than I expected.”
Lucan grinned. ““Let this be a lesson—never trust a queen who’s read too many courtship novels..”
Noctis gave Seryna a flat look. “This was your idea, wasn’t it?”
Seryna smiled serenely. “I heard Queen Ellaria was searching for a suitor. I merely connected a few dots. Besides, I know Liora has feelings for you. She wasn't ready for love before, but perhaps this announcement is a sign that something’s changed.”
She looked down at her glowing belly. “Our hard-won peace wouldn’t have been possible without her. I owe her this much—for the war, and so much more.”
Noctis groaned. “I just wanted safe passage to Vaeluna.”
Caius clapped a hand on his shoulder. “And you’ll have it. But politics is an art, my friend. This way, the Fairy Queen can’t reject your visit outright, and I won't end up having to smooth over a political nightmare caused by you sneaking in.”
Lucan added, “And once you’re there, we’ll learn if she truly plans to entertain other suitors or if that’s just rumor. Either way, you’ll have a chance to prove yourself.”
Noctis’s eyes darkened. “I'd do anything for Liora.”
Caius raised a brow. “You’re sure?”
“I’ve waited three centuries for a mate,” Noctis said, voice low. “And six long months in a slumber where the only words I can remember are hers. If I have to fight an army of dragonlords and sun-kissed elf princes to win her hand, so be it.”
Lucan smirked. “Now that’s the Noctis we know.”
Seryna’s smile returned, gentler this time. From her neck, she unclasped an oval necklace and handed it to Noctis, Liora’s magic swirling around it. “Then let the courting games begin.”
Meanwhile, in Vaeluna...
Queen Ellaria stood at her moonlit balcony, the parchment from Caius rolled in her hand. The royal seal shimmered with power, but it was the name inside that made her pause—Noctis D’Aragon.
A vampire. Her daughter’s first love. The one she had forbidden.
And yet… here he was, returned from near death, offering not only love but alliance. The very idea stirred something deep within her—a quiet, calculating hope.
With a measured breath, she strode to her study and unrolled the scroll fully.
A marriage proposal.
Her smile was thin, touched with the ache of a mother who’d made the wrong choice once and feared doing so again. She would not clip Liora’s wings a second time—not without cause.
She summoned her steward with a wave of her hand. “Add him to the registry.”
“My Queen?”
“The list of suitors for Princess Liora. The vampire is to be tested alongside the others.”
The steward bowed and vanished.
Ellaria’s gaze drifted to the glassy pool in her private garden, its surface reflecting the stars above.
Let her daughter choose.
The dragon-shifter prince—strong and wise. The two fae lords from noble groves—sons of her Grove Wardens, educated and ambitious, though one perhaps too ambitious for his own good. The beautiful Elven heir, whose looks were said to dazzle the eye and stir the heart.
Or… the vampire who risked everything for love.
Perhaps, when faced with rivals of exceptional pedigree, Liora’s heart might sway.
And if it did not… if she chose him again, even after all this… then Ellaria would not stand in her way.
Better to grant her blessing than watch her precious blossom fade into shadow.
But not without one final test—not just of strength, but of patience. Of honesty. Of a love that endures the weight of thrones and the toll of time.
- Writer
