Page 45

Atlas

H idden beneath a hooded cloak, Atlas strode through the bustling streets of Lephyrin, scanning the array of ships in the harbor. The sun was low, casting a golden sheen on the water, but his heart was heavy with worry.

His brother had been missing since the night he was forced to find a future queen for their kingdom. He settled on one of the elven king’s daughters, Elowynne. She was beautiful, and while Atlas was thankful, he found himself hoping a connection would grow between them.

When each king, lord, and family left to retreat back to their own kingdoms after the horrific events of that night, he’d sent word to every port, but no one seemed to know where his brother had vanished.

The scent of the saltwater was thick in the air as Atlas approached Draevyn’s new ship, Valor , anchored at the edge of the docks. Its sails were furled, and the crew looked sullen and weary. These men were far different from the company he kept with Lephyrin’s lords.

“And to what do we owe the pleasure, Your Majesty?” a voice called from the deck.

Atlas looked up at the man who called to him, watching his brown hair flutter around beneath his hat. He recognized him as Draevyn’s first mate.

“Where’s my brother, Samwell?” Atlas’s voice was firm, but desperation tinged his words.

Samwell glanced at the other crew members, who shifted uneasily. The wind stirred, and for a moment, all the sounds of the busy port faded. “It may be best if you come aboard, Prince.”

Atlas nervously sucked on his tooth before letting out a sigh, taking his first step up the gangplank.

As he approached, Samwell’s voice was low.

“Captain Rowe’s been missing for over a week.

Since that night. We haven’t seen or heard anything of him.

” He paused, shrugging. “Assumed the king had him on other business, but he’s never gone this long without talking to us. We’ve essentially been waiting around.”

Disbelief tightened Atlas’s chest. “This is a gods-damn nightmare.”

His thoughts were a jumbled mess, spiraling out of control. His brother was a skilled sailor, someone who’d faced every peril the sea could offer and always came out alive. For him to disappear without a trace…something more was at play.

“I assume you’ve asked your father?”

Atlas’s jaw locked beneath the shadow of his hood.

“The king’s been trying to clean up the mess of that night with Rymelle’s other rulers.

I believed the same, thinking he had Drae running about.

Perhaps to find some leads on who attacked that night.

” He reached up and scratched the back of his neck. “Yet you stand before me here and now.”

“Indeed.” Samwell’s jaw tightened.

“And there’s no other crew he would sail with?” Atlas asked.

A noise erupted from Samwell that was half laugh and half scoff. “The bastard better not have.”

A few of the crew members began to laugh along with him, and Atlas pulled his hood back, revealing himself fully to them, but his face showed anything but amusement.

The reflection of the sun beaming off the harbor’s waves nearly blinded him as they reached his eyes.

“He’s your prince, just as I am, and you will treat him and his name with respect. ”

Atlas knew all his brother endured being the second son.

He had watched the torments and rude remarks all their lives.

He couldn’t believe Draevyn even dealt with it from members of his crew .

And to think the realm believed him to be a monster…

Draevyn was anything but, allowing people who disrespected him to breathe the same air he did.

Shadows danced in Atlas’s grey-hued eyes as they narrowed on his brother’s first mate.

Samwell lifted his hands in a defensive gesture while he took a hesitant step back. “Apologies, Prince. I know you don’t know us well, but Draevyn is more than just a captain to us. He’s a friend and someone we care for.” A moment of silence passed between them. “A brother. It was only a joke.”

A brother.

Atlas unclenched his fists as they hung at his sides.

They cared for Draevyn? Maybe these men were more brothers to his own flesh and blood than he was. Perhaps Draevyn spent so much time at sea, not because of the cruelty of their father, but because it was where he felt most at home himself.

He sucked in a long breath through his nostrils. “Well, it’s no wonder Draevyn prefers your company over mine.”

Samwell took a step up to him and clapped Atlas on the shoulder. The gesture was foreign to him from someone who wasn’t Draevyn.

“I would hope you know that Captain Rowe’s reasoning for keeping his distance has nothing to do with you, Prince.” Samwell looked at him with something that resembled pity, and he loathed it.

Atlas’s head jerked back, frowning.

“It appears secrets of the crown are no longer such.” He pulled his hood back on and tightened its strings. “If you haven’t heard anything of him, then it seems my visit here is over.”

Atlas turned on his heel to move back towards the gangplank.

“Speak to your king, Prince.” Samwell’s voice floated to him on the breeze. “If I had to bet coin on where to begin, I would start there.”

Atlas clenched his fists, aware of how difficult the king could be when it came to his brother.

The thought of facing his father made his chest tighten, knowing he would see through him—through his feigned bravado. He’d strip him bare with a single glance.

But he wasn’t a child anymore and could no longer hide behind jokes and charm if he was to be a worthy king one day.

He could do this.

He had to. For Drae.

Atlas half-turned to the sailor and gave him a subtle dip of his chin before stalking down the plank and making his way back through the busy streets.

Atlas paused briefly at the door to his chambers, his heart heavy with the weight of everything looming over him. He sighed before pushing it open.

Inside, the setting sun filtered in through the balcony’s open door, the sheer curtains flowing on the light breeze. And there, standing by the arch, was Lady Elowynne—his newly chosen bride.

She turned when the door creaked, her golden-green eyes soft but searching as they landed on him.

Her onyx hair cascaded over the rich, russet brown skin of her shoulders.

The elven female was the epitome of alluring beauty.

They had spoken only a handful of times since the masquerade, and she was the one he entertained the most that evening.

When his father demanded he choose, he told him he wouldn’t without Draevyn’s blessing. Only his brother never came back, leaving the arrangement forced upon him by duty rather than love.

“Elowynne,” Atlas greeted, his voice low, trying to hide the tension that twisted in his chest. Typically, she was off with the other ladies, taking walks through the gardens or having tea. Seeing her here in his personal chambers unaccompanied caught him off guard.

She inclined her head slightly, offering a small smile, but her gaze never left his. “Your Highness,” she replied, her voice calm. She tilted her head. “You look troubled.”

And there it was.

Atlas stepped into the room, the door closing behind him.

He had hoped to be alone so he could come up with a plan on how to speak with his father, and he certainly didn’t plan on having to entertain his soon-to-be bride.

But Elowynne was perceptive, and there was no sense in hiding what weighed on his mind.

“I plan to speak to the king once I gather my thoughts the way they’re needed,” Atlas admitted, moving toward the balcony. The warmth of the setting sun kissed his skin, but it did little to chase away the cold within him. “About my brother.”

Elowynne hesitantly stepped closer. “Have you still not heard from him?”

Atlas’s jaw tightened. “Draevyn’s been missing for a week now.

” He looked at her and tried to soften his expression, but his frustration made it impossible.

“No word. No sign of him. Nothing . And I’m supposed to stand there, in front of my father and kingdom, and pretend as if his disappearance means nothing to me. ”

Elowynne’s eyes flickered with understanding, her hands clasped before her. “Your brother’s disappearance isn’t something to take lightly,” she said softly. “But it’s not your burden to carry alone. Lephyrin will mourn for their lost prince.”

“It is my burden, and the kingdom is likely unaware,” Atlas snapped, his voice harsher than intended. He closed his eyes and sighed, running a hand through his hair.

Their relationship was still so new, so fragile. He didn’t want to scare her away, but he couldn’t let her in yet either. “I’m sorry. You don’t know the weight of the Lephyrin crown.”

Her golden stare raked over him.

“I may not know your brother,” she said gently, “and while I don’t know the weight of your crown…

yet , I do know the weight of responsibility.

I understand what it feels like to face uncertainty, to bear expectations you never asked for.

” She took another step closer, her hand touching his arm.

“Perhaps I’m here so you don’t have to face it alone. ”

Atlas glanced down at her hand, her touch unexpectedly comforting. He didn’t know this female—his bride in name more than in heart—but at this moment, she felt like the only person willing to listen to him.

His eyes lifted to hers, and he looked at her— really looked at her, perhaps even for the first time. There was something he couldn’t place lingering in her golden eyes, a quiet confidence he hadn’t noticed before, or maybe even wisdom.

The gods knew he could use some of that.

If she was to be his queen, he would need to trust her. She was about to marry into the Lephyrin crown, and it was clear she had no idea what she was getting herself into. He saw no reason to shield her from the ugliness that came with the Rowe name.