Whispers Of The Throne

Chapter 5

The clang of steel rang through Hastings courtyard, sharp and merciless against the morning air. Alice had been wretched from her cell at dawn, half expecting another performance for Edmund’s soldiers. But this was no pageant.

The courtyard was filled with men in armor, weapons gleaming. A mock battle was underway, Edmund’s warband testing themselves against one another. Alice was forced to stand near the edges, chains heavy on her wrist, guarded by two men whose eyes flickered between her and the field

And then she saw him.

Edmund, bareheaded, no crown or cloak to soften him, only steel in his hand and darkness in his eyes. He moved like the storm itself, his blade cutting arcs of light. No opponent lasted long against him, each falling back bruised or disarmed. He was brutal, precise, a predator among wolves

The men cheered him, but Alice watched with narrowed eyes. This wasn’t merely skill. There was something unnatural in the way he fought, an edge too sharp, a strength that did not belong wholly to mortal flesh.

When the last soldier fell to his knees, Edmund straightened, his chest heaving. For a moment, silence fell. Then the captain of his guard, a hulking man named Varic, stepped forward

Enough sparring Varic growled. Face me, my lord. Show them what it means to stand against Hastings steel.

The men roared approval.

Edmund’s gray gaze flicked to Alice, lingering just enough to make her blood quicken. Then he turned back, nodding once. Very well.

The duel began.

Steel met steel with a clash that vibrates through the stones. Varic was massive, his strikes heavy enough to fall trees, but Edmund met each blow with terrifying speed. The flight surged across the courtyard, soldiers pressing close to watch.

Alice’s eyes were fixed on Edmund. The longer it went on, the stranger it became. His movements grew sharper, less human, each strike driving Varic back. And then

It happened.

The veins at Edmund’s neck darkened, black as ink. His eyes, already storm gray, flashed with something unnatural, a mole ten shadow. His strikes no longer seemed guided by skill but by some monstrous force inside him.

Varic faltered. For the first time, Alice saw fear in the veteran’s eyes.

Edmund, he rasped, blocking a blow that sent him sprawling to one knee. Enough

But Edmund did not stop. His blade came down with such force that sparks exploded across the cobblestones. A growl tore from his throat, low and guttural, not wholly human.

The soldiers shouted, some in awe, others in alarm.

Alice’s breath caught. This was no curse whispered in shadows. This was real. The monster beneath Edmund’s skin clawed its way free with every strike.

Varic staggered back, blood at his temple. Edmund raised his sword for the final blow

No

The word ripped from Alice before she could stop it. Her voice cut through the courtyard like a bell.

Edmund froze. His blade hovered inches from Varic’s throat. His head turned slowly until his burning eyes locked on her.

For a heartbeat, she thought he would strike her instead. That whatever lived inside him would leap the distance and devour her whole.

But then, like a tide receding, the black veins faded. His eyes filled back to gray. His chest heaved, sweat dripping down his face.

Varic scrambled to his feet, shaken but alive. The soldiers erupted into confused murmurs.

Edmund’s gaze lingered on Alice, unreadable. Then he turned, thrusting his blade into the earth. Training is over. His voice was raw, ragged. Without another word, he stalked from the courtyard.

The soldiers parted from him like water around a rock.

Alice stood trembling, her chains biting into her wrists. She had seen the truth behind the rumors, the monsters clawing beneath Edmund’s skin.

And worse still, he had stopped when she called.

The thought unsettled her more than the sight of his curse.

As the guards dragged her back toward the dungeon, she could not shake the image of him, his shadowed eyes, his monstrous strength, the moment when her voice had cut through the darkness.

Why has he stopped?

The question haunted her long after the dungeon door closed behind her.