Beauty In Darkness

One Rose T he wizard arrived at dusk, appearing from the shadows as if conjured by the very darkness settling over the forest. One moment there was nothing before me but ice hanging from the barren branches of a tree, the next, dark tendrils swirled like smoke, slowly forming the body of a man. A very tall man, with hair as black as a raven’s wing, a regal face that seemed to be carved from pure stone, and cold eyes that narrowed as soon as they saw me. A strange wizard this near the castle meant trouble, especially one who could teleport. I shot to my feet, raising my hand to trace a rune in the air. “Who are you? What are you doing here?” He gave my silvery rune a look of pure disdain as it hovered beside me, flickering like fading candlelight. “Is that supposed to stop me?” I finished the rune and it flared brighter before vanishing, conjuring a long spear of ice in its place. “Get back, or I’ll be forced to attack!” “I’d prefer if you didn’t.” The wizard swept aside his cloak and took a step forward into the secluded clearing where I stood. “But do what you must.” His nonchalant tone threw me off, as did his refined voice and fine clothes. He wore all black, with silver thread woven into the edges of the fabric, and his boots were polished to perfection. He towered over me, and a shiver of fear ran down my spine at the power emanating from him. More power than I had ever encountered before. But he had entered my forest without warning, and I wouldn’t back down. I kept the spear of ice hovering in the air, pointed at his chest. “What do you want?” “I’m here to speak with King Balsam.” His arrogant gaze assessed me and seemed to find me lacking in some way. “And you are?” I lifted my chin and held his eye. “Prepared to stop you.” An eyebrow lifted. “I’d like to see you try.” I flicked my wrist and the ice shard shot toward him. He traced a rune of his own, so fast the silvery light flashed through the air for only an instant. My ice spear turned to water and splashed all over my gown, chilling me immediately. My mouth fell open as I glanced down at the cold, wet fabric clinging to my legs. At that moment I realized who he was—and how foolish I’d been to think I could have used magic to stop him. There were few wizards powerful enough to teleport, fewer still who were bold enough to use magic against a princess of Talador, and only one who matched his description. “You’re King Raith of Ilidan,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “Indeed.” He tilted his head as he examined me. “Am I allowed to know your name now?” My cheeks burned, but I squared my shoulders and faced him without flinching. “I’m Princess Rose, second daughter of King Balsam.” “Ah.” He took another step closer, his eyes locked with mine. “Tell me, Princess, what does your father think of you using magic? I thought he had forbidden it in Talador.” My lips pressed into a thin line and I didn’t respond. He already knew the answer. My mother’s old spellbook sat on the small stone bench behind me, where I’d been practicing before he’d arrived and disrupted me. “Oh, but of course he doesn’t know,” Raith continued. “That must be why you hide out here in the shadow of the palace with none but the forest knowing your secrets.” He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell either.” The man standing far too close to me was a monster, by all accounts. I should have been terrified or angered by his presence here. I should have run to alert the guards or shouted for help. But I did none of those things, and found I couldn’t look away from the darkly captivating man who loomed over me. I’d heard many tales of the dreaded wizard king, my kingdom’s greatest enemy, the man my father feared and hated more than anyone else in the Six Kingdoms. They said he sacrificed animals for his dark magic, that he could wipe out entire battalions of soldiers with deadly spells, and that he’d given his soul to the Shadow Lord in exchange for power. There were rumors he’d taken his throne from his mother by force, and that his wife had killed herself to escape his cruelty. I wasn’t sure if any of those stories were true, but they all agreed on one thing—King Raith was a man to be feared. I should have recognized him immediately, but I’d never thought we would actually meet in person, and certainly not in the middle of the forest. In my defense, he was younger than I’d expected him to be…and far more handsome. Dark and magnetic, his presence commanded attention and his eyes missed nothing. They were the color of a storm about to turn dangerous, filled with hidden power and ready to strike—much like the rest of him. “Why do you want to speak with my father?” I asked. “To end this war between our kingdoms. It’s gone on far too long.” His voice was colder than the snow under my feet, despite his words of peace. I wondered what he would ask of my father in return for ending hostilities. Talador and Ilidan had been at war for decades, since long before I was born, and the cost of the endless standoff was high. When Raith became king a few years ago, it had only gotten worse. With his magic and formidable army, we were losing ground every day against Ilidan and the war was bankrupting our kingdom and forcing our people to starve. Surely my father would agree to whatever Raith wanted, knowing we couldn’t continue on this path any longer. Not without losing far too many lives.