His eyes lingered on the distant arched window, where the light carved slow patterns into the stone. “I’m just wondering if she knows. What Edrathen had once been. Long before the Sundering, the kingdom had been a pioneer in arcane theory and art. Officially, it is all gone—”
Cedric groaned, half in irritation, half in weary inevitability. “You really think the daughter of a kingdom that considers curiosity a crime, is going to hand over the truth behind the Sundering?”
“No,” Alaric countered, and this time his voice was quiet, serious. “I don’t think she holds the truth.”
He leaned back in the chair, thoughtful.
Nothing truly disappeared without a trace. Least of all something as volatile, as hungry, as power-laced as magic. His grandfather believed it too. And so, this marriage, strategic, yes, but also opportune. It wasn’t just about crops or alliances or courtly pageants. It was a door.
He wasn’t foolish enough to think Edrathen would hand over its forgotten truths on a silver platter. Secrets like that didn’t live in scrolls anymore. They lived in people. In what wasn’t said.
And perhaps, if his future wife was willing, he might learn something truly valuable.
Assuming she didn’t strangle him first.
“I think she’s near it,” Alaric mused. “Her bloodline, her proximity to the old faith, the way history warps around it—those are threads.”
He tapped one finger against the armrest. “I’m interested in the secrets she’s inherited without knowing. The language she was taught to ignore. Like everyone else.”
The closer they got to Edrathen, the more the silence thickened. He could feel it humming beneath the marble. It wasn’t Varantian silence, either. There, the quiet lived in places. Here, it was everywhere. A constant presence. Like a leash.
“Lucien believes the Sundering wasn’t just a cataclysm—it was a severing,” he went on. “A deliberate wound to the ley lines. He always suspected the survivors embedded the truth in religion, traditions, and rituals.”
Cedric gave him a long look. “Are you planning to tell her any of this?”
Alaric tilted his head, thoughtful. “Eventually.”
“Meaning: never.”
“Meaning,” Alaric replied, pushing himself up from the chair, “that I’d rather she falls in love with the question before I show her the answer. You’ve seen how she reacts to surprises—she won’t tell me anything directly, not yet. But we’ll get to know each other. I’ll earn her interest. With time, maybe she’ll start drawing connections… maybe she’ll help me uncover the truth.”
“You’ll forgive me,” Cedric muttered, unimpressed, “if I don’t hold my breath.”
Alaric smiled faintly clapping Cedric’s back. “No need to. But remember this—Edrathen thinks magic is a ghost story. They locked away the truth after the Sundering and threw away the key.”
He waked to the window, the light catching the edge of his profile like a blade.
“I intend to find it.”
“Yeah, that's adorable.” Cedric stepped back, giving Alaric a final once-over. “Now, put on your damned tunic before you make this entire kingdom regret marrying off their princess to a half-dressed scholar.”
Alaric chuckled but put on the prepared clothes and fastened the buttons with an exaggerated flourish. “Happy now?”
“Moderately.”
Alaric tilted his head in consideration. “So, what do you suggest? That I sit idly by and wait for her to warm up to me?”
Cedric shrugged. “I’m saying, don’t push her. Her people have their own ways. You showing up and trying to mold the situation to your liking will only make her resist harder. Give her space. Let her set the rhythm.”
“You make a compelling point. Though I must say, watching her resist is half the entertainment.”
Cedric shook his head. “This isn’t a game. You might enjoy the chase, but she’s not playing. Not yet, at least. If you want a real partnership, you have to let her decide how close she wants you. If she ever does.”
He dragged a breath, rolling his shoulders. “You’re right. I will extend some patience.”
Cedric clapped him on the shoulder.
Alaric shook his head. “Get out before you decide to scold me further. I need to think. And bring some wood. It’s freezing.”
