Morning came quietly. No trumpets. No roaring crowds. No clash of steel. Just a pale light slipping through the cracks of the great castle, brushing against stone walls that had seen too much noise the day before.
Servants moved softly through the halls, their footsteps careful, almost respectful, as though the echoes of the tournament still lingered in the air and should not be disturbed too quickly.
But Maria was gone. No one saw her leave. No guards stopped her. No maids followed. One moment she had been in her chambers, the next, she had disappeared. Evelyn searched for her but didn't find her.
Just an empty room and a window left slightly open. The mountain stood far beyond the walls of King City.
Rugged, and unforgiving. A place where the wind spoke louder than men.
Maria climbed it alone.
Her boots pressed against uneven stone, steady, unhurried. The climb was not easy, but she did not struggle. Her body moved like it knew the path, like it had done this a hundred times before.
The air grew thinner, colder, and cleaner. Each step pulled her further away from the weight of the palace. From the eyes. From the expectations. From the noise. She did not look back.
When she reached the top, she stopped. The world opened before her. Cliffs stretched into the distance. The sky spread wide, endless, untouched. The kingdom below looked smaller from here. Quieter. Manageable.
Maria inhaled slowly. Then she stretched her arms out. For a moment, nothing happened.
Then, a flutter. Soft at first. Then louder. Then everywhere. White shapes burst from the edges of the cliff, from hidden rocks, from the sky itself. A swarm of white doves rushed toward her, their wings beating against the air in a rhythm that felt almost familiar.
They circled her once, then twice. Then settled. One on her shoulder. Another on her arm.
More along her outstretched hands. A few perched lightly against her hair. Maria exhaled. The tension in her shoulders eased. Her eyes softened.
This was hers. This silence. This stillness. This connection. It was freedom for her. For a brief moment, the warrior disappeared. Only the girl remained.
Then, the voice cut through the air. "White doves are rare in the south." Not loud. But close. Too close.
Maria turned sharply. Her body reacted before her thoughts did. Her stance shifted.
Alert, and ready. Her heart skipped once… hard. Standing a few steps behind her was Prince Drexo Dragarian.
Of all the places. Of all the moments. This was the one she did not want. Not here. Not alone with him.
But he did not move. His eyes moved instead. Not over the land. Not over the sky. Over her. Over the birds resting on her arms, her shoulders, her hair.
Then he spoke again. "How come I see a bunch of them on you?"
Maria's expression hardened. The softness from before vanished. Her chin lifted slightly. "I am the soul of the white doves." Her voice was calm.
Measured. "Wherever I am, they will be." Drexo's brows pulled together slightly. "What does that mean?" Maria smiled.bNot warmly. Not kindly. A small, quiet curve of her lips that did not reach her eyes.
"It is not something a southerner would understand."
She turned away from him. Back to the cliff..Back to the open sky. The doves shifted slightly with her movement but did not leave.
A pause settled between them. Then she spoke again. "What are you doing here?"
Behind her, Drexo let out a soft chuckle. "This is my mountain." There was something easy in the way he said it. Something that suggested he had been here before.
More than once. "I should be the one asking you what you are doing here."
Maria tilted her head slightly. Then turned just enough to glance at him. "I came to have a private moment." Her gaze held his for a second.
Then he shifted away. "But since you are here," A faint edge crept into her tone. "I guess it is ruined." She turned fully this time. The doves lifted off her body in a soft rush of wings as she moved.
"I have to go." She took a step. Then another. She did not look back. But she did not get far before Drexo's hand caught her wrist.
Firm, and warm. Unexpected.
Maria stopped. Her breath caught slightly. Drexo pulled her back. Not roughly. Not forcefully. But enough to stop her.
Enough to turn her.
She felt it. The warmth of his palm against her skin. It should have irritated her. It should have sparked anger, or resistance.
But it didn't. It felt familiar. That unsettled her more than anything. Before she could pull away, his other hand came to her shoulder. He turned her fully toward him. Now they stood face to face. Too close.
Maria's breath stilled. Her chest rose slowly. Her eyes lifted to meet his. And for a moment, everything else disappeared.
The wind softened. The sky stilled. The world narrowed again. Just like it had in the arena. His eyes held hers.
Steady, and searching. There was no mockery in them now. No teasing. Just something else. Something that made her chest tighten.
"Why do these eyes look so familiar?" her thoughts whispered. "Why are they this beautiful?" She did not speak it. But she felt it.
Deep, and unsettling.
Drexo did not look away. The girl in front of him was not the warrior from the arena. Not the legend people chanted for. There was no armor now.nNo crowd. No noise. Just a girl.
Simple, like every other girl he has been with. And in that stillness, something softer revealed itself.
Something he had not expected. Something he did not want to look away from. "Stay with me." His voice was low, and areful. "Spend this time talking to me."
He paused
Then, his voice got softer. "I want to know you."
Maria froze. Not her body. But her thoughts. Everything inside her pulled her towards him. Her eyes drifted to his lips. They were pink, abit too pink for a man.
One part leaned forward. Curious. Drawn. Wanting.
Another pulled back. Hard. Sharp. Warning.
She felt it in her chest. That strange, dangerous pull. The kind that did not ask for permission. The kind that did not care about consequences.
For a moment, she almost stayed. Then she shook it off. Her jaw tightened slightly.
"No."
The word came out firm, and clear. She stepped back. Breaking the closeness. Breaking the moment. "I do not want to end up like those numerous girls who have crawled into your bed."
The words landed. Sharp, and deliberate. She turned again. This time faster. More certain. And began to walk away.
Each step grounded. Each movement controlled. But behind her, his voice came again.
Not louder. Not forceful. Just real. "Why does it feel like I have known you all my life?"
Maria slowed. Her steps faltered. Just slightly. "Why do you feel so familiar?" Her fingers curled slowly at her sides. "Why am I drawn to you?"
She stopped completely. The wind brushed past her. Her chest rose, and fell. Her hand lifted slowly, resting lightly against her chest. Her heart beat harder, and faster.
"He feels the same. He also feels I am familiar."
The thought slipped through her mind. Soft, and unwanted. Her fingers pressed slightly. "He is drawn to me…" A breath. "…as much as I am drawn to him." Her eyes closed briefly.
Then it opened. Sharp again. Controlled.
She turned. Her fists clenched. Her gaze dropped, tot to his eyes. But to his lips. For a second, everything else faded again.
The wind. The sky. The distance between them.
Her body leaned forward, just enough to feel it. That pull. That dangerous, reckless pull.
Her heart wanted it. Her breath slowed. Her chest tightened. But her mind ought harder, stronger.
She straightened. The moment snapped. "I am engaged to be married to Robert in a year's time." Her voice was steady. But quieter now.
"And you," she paused briefly. "You will be engaged to Friya Kenwool in two days."
The names settled heavily between them. Reality. Duty. Chains. "Let's not complicate things."
She did not wait. She did not linger. She turned again. And walked away. This time, she walked fast. She did not stop. She did not look back.
The distance between them grew. Step by step. Until she disappeared down the slope. Drexo remained where he stood.
Still, and silent. His eyes fixed on the place she had just been. The wind moved around him. Carried the faint echo of wings as the doves scattered into the sky.
He exhaled slowly. A small smile touched his lips. Not amused. Not mocking, but certain. "She feels the same." The words came quietly. Almost to himself. "If she is afraid…"
His gaze lifted toward the horizon. "…that things will get complicated…" A pause. "…then she feels the same way."