Page 109 of Haunted Crowns
The music slowed, hovering between sound and silence. Flames coiled low, casting shadows over their bodies.
Stephan’s forehead touched hers, breath ghosting over her lips.
His voice was low and raw, as if it had torn its way out: “You are my beginning and my end, Eris. My fire and my shadow. My queen in this life and every one after.”
She looked up, fingers curling in his tunic. “Stephan… I was yours before I even knew what it meant to belong.”
His throat bobbed as his hand cupped her jaw, their mouths hovering a breath apart.
She leaned in, but before their lips could meet, a roar tore through the chamber as goblets clashed and fists struck tables.
"To Prince Stephan and Princess Eris, bound by blood, destined for glory!"
The spell shattered.
The nobles surged in, bright-eyed, unstoppable. Applause cracked through the chamber, breaking the stillness. The closeness unravelled. There was no space left for softness.
Eris steadied herself as the tide closed around them. Her hand brushed Stephan’s briefly before she stepped away. Across the space, their eyes met. She smiled, quietly, a promise waiting for its time. Then a familiar voice cut through the noise.
"Excuse us, Eris," Theon grinned, stepping forward with Adrian and Cassiel. "We’re borrowing him, just for a moment."
Adrian crossed his arms. "The men demand a word with their commander."
Cassiel smirked, eyes alight with mischief. "Don’t worry, we’ll return him, mostly intact."
Eris folded her arms, meeting their energy. "Try not to get him into too much trouble. I would hate to come rescue you all."
Stephan’s gaze lingered on her, one last drink of her presence. Then, graceful as ever, he took her hand and kissed it. "I won’t be long, my love."
With a final look and a silent promise, he turned and disappeared into the rough affection of his men.
She watched him go as something stilled inside her, an ache she couldn’t name. What burned between them was no longer becoming. It already was. But a part of her wondered if love always felt like this on the edge of ending.
In the farthest corner of the hall, beyond the reach of firelight, unseen eyes lingered. And they were no longer patient.
“Some bloodlines carry blessings.
Ours carries memory, hunger, and things that should have stayed dead.”
—Confidential Addendum to the Dragov Legacy Codex, Section XIII
Chapter 23
Rich laughter thundered through the great hall.
Stephan had barely turned before Theon slung an arm around his shoulders.
“There he is—the man of the hour.” Theon grinned, eyes bright with pride.
Adrian lifted his goblet. “Our High Commander, cutting down enemies with a blade and his princess with a dance.”
Laughter erupted. The table shook.
“Drink, Commander! We honor your strength…and your madness!”
Stephan chuckled and raised his cup. “Madness?” He lifted a brow. “I call it strategy.”
Theon snorted. “So strategy now includes dragging your princess into a ring of fire?”
