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Erik sighs, retrieving both our practice swords. “This is a mess, Griffin.”

“I know.”

“But...” He hesitates, studying my face. “I understand. If it were someone I loved, I’d probably do the same.”

An unexpected lump forms in my throat at his support. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” he warns, though his tone is lighter now. “You still have to convince Maya to forgive you. And then get the elders to accept her. And then probably fight off whatever the Silver Ring is planning.”

Despite everything, I find myself smiling. “When you put it that way, it sounds simple.”

Erik laughs, clapping me on the shoulder. “That’s the spirit.”

We walk together toward the palace, the afternoon sun on our backs. For the first time in months, I feel something like hope stirring in my chest. Maya heard me this morning. She didn’t forgive me, but she listened. She ate the breakfast I brought her.

Small steps, but steps nonetheless.

“What if she doesn’t want this?” Erik asks suddenly, voicing the fear I’ve been trying to ignore. “What if she decides to leave once the antidote is complete?”

The possibility sends a cold shiver down my spine despite the warmth of the day. “I’ll let her go.”

“Just like that?”

“No,” I admit quietly. “Not just like that. It would destroy me. But I’ve learned my lesson about making decisions for her. If she chooses to leave, I won’t stop her.”

Erik nods slowly. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think she will. Not if she knows the whole truth.”

“We’ll see.” I glance toward the laboratory wing of the palace, where I know Maya is working tirelessly on the antidote. “Her assistant keeps looking at her like she hung the moon.”

Erik follows my gaze, his expression thoughtful. “Mathew?”

“He loves her.” The words taste bitter on my tongue.

“And you’re jealous,” Erik observes with a hint of amusement.

“Insanely,” I confess. “She smiles with him. She laughs. I don’t see her do either of those things unless he’s around.”

“Because he doesn’t hurt her the way you do,” Erik says bluntly. “He doesn’t have the power to break her heart.”

The truth of his words strikes deep. “I need to change that.”

“Yes,” Erik agrees. “You do.”

As we reach the palace entrance, I pause, looking back at the training grounds where we spent so many hours as boys learning to become the men our father wanted us to be. “I never thanked you properly.”

“For what?”

“For keeping the kingdom together while I was gone,” I say sincerely. “For not giving up the search for me. For supporting me now, even when what I want goes against everything we were taught.”

Erik’s expression softens. “You’re my brother, Griffin. Before you’re my king, before you’re anything else. I’ll always have your back.”

I nod, emotion making it difficult to speak. “I should check on the lab. See how the antidote is progressing.”

“See how Maya is progressing, you mean,” Erik corrects me with a knowing smile.

I don’t deny it. “Both.”

As I walk toward the laboratory wing, I try to organize my thoughts. I need to tell Maya the rest of it—my plan to be with her without completing the bond, the future I envision for us if she’ll have me. But first, I need to prove to her that she can trust me again, that I won’t make decisions for her or push her away.