Before she could fall deeper into the strange tether pulling at her, a warm voice broke through.
"I had made something for you, "Evander slipped his hand to his cloak pocket, hesitating for a second before pulling something out.
A chain glinted between his fingers - delicate, wrought of dark silver, and at it's center a small charm : a phoenix rising in mid- flight, flames carved into every feather.
"A symbol. For you. "
Seraphine tilted her head, studying the pendant. It shimmered in the moonlight, and somehow impossibly - felt right.
A creature born of fire and pain, yet still soaring. Still Surviving.
He stepped closer, carefully, like he know she might bolt if he moved too fast.
"May I? "
Wordless, Seraphine lifted her hair.
Evander leaned in, the chain cold against her skin as he fastened it around her neck. His fingers brushed the back of her nape - a feather light touch, fleeting.
"You shine too brightly, Seraphine. "he said voice dipping lower, almost reverent.
Heat bloomed in her cheeks.
Could it be real? This tenderness? After years of shouldering burden alone, is it safe to believe?
Evander leaned closer, whispering, " I wish to know you, not as a princess.... but as the woman who bested me. "
And for the first time, Seraphine let herself laugh - a soft, shy sound she barely recognized as her own.
The moment was sweet - almost tender - and as their eyes locked, a fragile hope kindled between them. Maybe.... maybe trust could bloom even here.
In the unseen silence, he stood - a ghost of fury and yearning.
Valen watched as the Phoenix chain kissed her neck , as another man wove false promises around the only soul that had ever set him ablaze.
His gloved hand clenched over his chest, nails digging into flesh that no longer felt anything - Except her.
A rasp escaped his lips, a vow not made in light but in the hollowed darkness.
"Let him offer you crowns and cages....
I will give you kingdoms set ablaze, a throne carved from devotion and ruin.
You will be mine.
Even if I must tear heaven from its roots to claim you. "
"Mine."
The word thundered through his mind, silent yet defeaning.
But he would not move. Not until the time was right.
Not yet.
A ghost of smile touched his lips - dark, broken, reverent.
You will see me soon , Sera...phine
And when you do. I will be your ruin and your salvation.
Hidden still in the velvet dark, Valen remained - silent vows burning beneath the skin, a sinner waiting for his queen.