Chapter 4 - Whispers of the Past
Night deepened, but neither of them slept. Adrian sat beside Elara on the edge of the velvet cushions, holding a cup of warm wine to her lips. She took a small sip, her hands still trembling against his.
"Why didn't you look for me?" Elara asked, her voice quiet, cutting through the silence of the room. "When they marched me to the border four years ago... I called your name until my throat bled. I thought you would come."
Adrian bowed his head, the weight of his past cowardice crashing down on him. "I was weak, Elara. Vane and the council convinced me that marrying a Norwyn princess would cause a civil war in Valeria. They told me my father's lords would rise against me. I thought... I thought keeping you alive across the border was the only way to save you."
"They lied to you," Elara said softly, tears slipping down her cheeks. "The moment I crossed the border, the Chancellor imprisoned me. They used my royal blood to fuel their dark experiments. They turned me into a corpse of stone."
"I know," Adrian whispered, kneeling before her and taking both of her cold hands in his. "I regret every single day I spent without you. I betrayed your trust, Elara. But I promise you, on my life, I will never let anyone harm you again. I will tear down both our kingdoms before I let them take you."
Elara looked into his eyes, seeing the deep, genuine agony and truth in his gaze. The anger that had sustained her through years of dark imprisonment began to soften, replaced by a painful warmth.
"The curse isn't fully gone," Elara warned, pulling back her sleeve.
May you like
Adrian gasped. Beneath her skin, gray, rock-like patterns were slowly spreading across her wrist again.
"The spell is tethered to something," Elara said weakly. "If the anchor isn't destroyed, I will turn back into stone by morning."
