Chapter 5 - The Blacksmith’s Legacy
For three days, Aria and Kael traveled through the dense, foggy pine forests towards the foothills of the Obsidian Mountains.
The polished elegance of royal life faded away, replaced by the harsh reality of survival. Away from the palace, Aria shed her heavy royal drapes, wearing a simple leather tunic Kael adjusted for her. To her surprise, she wasn't delicate; years of enduring the heavy weight of her armor had made her surprisingly tough and resilient.
As they set up camp beneath a massive cavern cliff, Kael built a small fire using strange, glowing ember-stones.
"How are you doing that?" Aria asked, watching his hands. The fire seemed to bend and dance at the twitch of his fingers.
Kael looked down at his palms, where golden lines faintly throbbed beneath his skin. "When I broke your locks, something awakened in my blood. My father used to tell me stories about the Sun-Forgers—an ancient order of craftsmen who ruled these lands long before your ancestors brought war."
He looked at her, his dark eyes earnest. "The Sun-Forgers didn't build crowns or thrones. They built tools that nurtured the earth. But your great-grandfather wanted weapons. When the Sun-Forgers refused, your family took the realm by force, and my people were driven into the gutters."
Aria looked down at her hands, guilt heavy in her heart. "I... I didn't know."
Kael sat beside her, gently taking her hand. His touch was warm, sending a soothing ripple through their shared bond. "It wasn't your fault, Aria. You were as much a prisoner of that castle as my people were of the slums."
Before Aria could reply, a flock of birds erupted from the trees in the distance. A dark horn sounded—a low, rhythmic groan that reverberated through the earth.
A lone messenger raven, carrying Captain Thorne’s seal, plummeted from the sky and landed at Aria’s feet. Attached to its leg was a blood-stained parchment.
Aria unrolled it, her eyes widening in horror as she read the panicked words:
Princess Aria— King Alden has fallen into a deep coma. Queen Celeste has accused you and the boy of regicide. Lady Marissa has been crowned Queen Regent. They have summoned the Dark Order to hunt you. Do not return to the capital.
May you like
"My father..." Aria choked back a sob, tears welling in her eyes. "She's going to kill him!"
Kael stood up, his jaw set, his eyes burning with an orange, flame-like light. "Then we stop running. We're going to the ancient Sun-Forge. It's time to build a weapon that can bring down a Queen."
