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Another few strokes and I moved underneath a crystalline archway, its craggy surface glittering in the flickering torchlight. I turned onto my back and floated on the water’s surface, taking in the myriad colors of the gems above me, like an arching sunset.

It was so quiet, and I closed my eyes, feeling the water lapping at my limbs. There was a slight tingle on my skin, and I wondered if that was indeed the magic the healer had spoken of. I exhaled, the sound echoing through my head as my ears remained submerged under the water.

There was a swishing sound nearby, followed by another, then another, growing louder. It was movement, someone pushing through water and drawing closer. I smiled to myself. Rook had followed me down after all.

“You’re incorrigible, do you know that?” I opened my eyes.

Theron grinned down at me.

I started up in the water then immediately submerged myself up to my neck to hide my body from him.

“Not who you were expecting?” He asked, cocking an eyebrow. He was very obviously naked, the water rippling low on his hips. His wings were drawn close to his back, the golden tattoos over his chest clearly visible. He ran a hand through his hair, which was curling in the humidity of the cave.

“I - I had thought -“ I stammered, breaking off as he moved closer to me.

“You needn't hide yourself from me, dear one,” he said in a low voice. “It is just a body. I have seen plenty of breasts in my life.” He inhaled through gritted teeth as he took yet another slow step closer to me. “Though admittedly, your breasts are particularly beautiful.”

“I am merely trying to maintain my modesty, Your Majesty.” I was keenly aware of being backed into a small alcove of the cave, the craggy walls closing in around me.

Theron chuckled. “Your modesty. Yes, such an important quality to have in a maid like you.”

His tone chilled me to my core. He lowered himself into the water so we were eye to eye, and continued to move towards me.

“We were interrupted, the night of the ball,” he said. “When we were speaking about the Sun Throne.”

I nodded, unsure if sweat was now breaking out on my top lip or if this corner of the cave had just become much, much warmer. “You claimed the Sun Throne had powers, and I told you it did not.”

“Mmm.” Theron’s voice hummed across the water, and he tipped his head back into the water, wetting down his hair. “Your father raged for years after your birth, lamenting his inability to have another child.” He gave me a sideways glance. “You almost killed your mother, coming out of her, did you know that?”

I swallowed hard. “I had been told she was unable to have any more children.”

“Your father fucked every chambermaid he could after your birth,” Theron said, waving his hands lazily through the iridescent blue water. “He so hoped he would produce a son, even an illegitimate one, that he could claim, much like my father had done with me.”

My stomach was in a knot. “Is that so?” I asked. “Are the powers of the Sun throne so dangerous in the hands of a woman?”

Theron laughed. “Your father was afraid of who they would be shared with, dear one. You see, there was a prophecy spoken out, the day you were born.” He looked at me with slightly narrowed eyes, which glowed in the light of the cave, a sickly, unnatural green. “You were born under an eclipse. And the prophecy stated, that the child of the Sun, born under the darkened moon, would unite the Realm.” He moved closer again, caging me into the stone alcove, his wings spreading a little to block out the flimmer of the torchlight. “You, Elara, are destined to be the one true queen of Korbiriya. All of it. And as such, your husband would be the one true king.”

I shook my head, suppressing the shiver that ran down my spine. “That’s impossible.”

Theron shrugged. “A great many things are possible. Under this prophecy, well, your father was faced with a dilemma. Every Kingdom offered their heir, desperate to claim the power of the Sun Throne for themselves. Even House Norahi, would you believe it?” His mouth curled into a vicious grin. “Rook could have already been your husband, you could already have borne him a horde of little Night Demons, had your father not been a prejudiced fool.”

A shuddering breath left me, and caught in my throat. I coughed, sucking in the wet air rising from the steaming water. “My father never told me,” I whispered, “my mother didn't either.”

“No, they wouldn't have. Because what they did next caused the Uprising.”

I frowned. “What are you talking about?”

Theron grinned, and moved so close that we were almost touching. His eyes moved over my face, resting on my lips.

“They promised you to my brother.”

The floor seemed to tip sideways underneath me. I shook my head, willing my breathing to normalize, for my lungs to fill entirely with air. “That isn’t possible,” I replied. “Thatisn’tpossible, My father is of the Faith, he believed-”

I cried out as Theron’s hands thudded against the cave wall either side of me. I realized for the first time just how big he was.

“Your father was a fucking fool,” Theron hissed. “So desperate to keep the powers of the Sun Throne away from the Night Demons and the Bloodborn, so eager to see his enemies perish even if it meant giving power to the greatest tyrant this realm had ever seen. You call me a monster - I am nothing compared to Tannis. He would have ruined this Realm, enslaved every race to do his bidding.” His lips curled in disgust. “It is no wonder that the people united, and rose against Veles, determined to remove Tannis before he could claim you for his bride.”

I felt I was going to suffocate, caged in by his arms like this, and with a gasp I tried to push past him, back out into the open cave. But Theron was too fast, seizing me in his arms and pushing me back against the cave wall. His naked body was pressed against mine, and panic whirred through me so violently my vision clouded for a moment. I stared up at him, and he smiled back.