It was the shadows.
They coiled around him like guardians, not threats. Alive. Watchful. Protective.
Alistair Virell.
I knew the name. But the image was different than I expected. He seemed powerful, but isolated. Alone.
“Beautiful, aren’t they?” A voice broke the silence from behind me. I turned towards the voice.
In front of me stood a man I didn’t recognise.
Or maybe I did. Like a fragment from a dream in my mind.
He was tall, dressed in slate and silver, the kind of effortless elegance that practically screamed diplomacy. His blond hair and tidy beard looked trimmed and neat and his hazel eyes sparkled with warmth.
He was also examining the tapestries that lined the wall in quiet contemplation.
“They are.” I said, quietly, without inflection. My shoulders twitched. “Excuse me.” I said and went to leave.
“No, wait. Ellie …Elira.” He corrected quickly. “You don’t remember me do you?”
“Should I?”
“I would hope so…” he said with a sad sort of smile. “But…”
The realisation struck me. I nodded once, tight. “You must be Prince Caelen.”
His expression shifted, just slightly—nostalgia tempered by caution. “You know me?”
“I’ve heard your name.” I said simply.
He stepped closer, but not too close. I stepped back.
“You’ve grown up a lot.”
“That happens,” I replied, voice dry.
He flushed slightly. “That’s not what I meant. I just… I still see you.”
I stared at him, not sure what to say.
“We used to play together as children,” he said gently. “We were best friends until…”
“Until I was taken.” My voice was flat. Not cruel. Just… empty.
He flinched. The colour drained from his face. “Right,” he said quietly. “Yeah.”
He rubbed the back of his neck, gaze dropping to the stone floor.
“I didn’t mean to bring it up like that,” he muttered. “I just… I’ve thought about you. A lot. Over the years.”
I didn’t answer. What was I supposed to say to that?
He glanced up again, eyes searching.
“There was this tree,” he said, voice softer now. “Just outside the east gate. You used to dare me to climb it. You said the higher we got, the more likely we’d see the dragons. That’s something we always wanted to do.”
A flicker stirred somewhere in the back of my mind—barely a flash. Leaves. Wind. Laughter.
