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Ada

I always knew my wedding day would end in blood.

Not the traditional kind where the groom presented the bloodied sheets to prove my virtue—a custom still expected in royal marriages of the Light Court, though one many found archaic—no, I was talking about the kind that stained marble floors.

The kind that brought death. The blood drummed in my ears, accompanied by the symphony of screams.

My hands wouldn’t stop shaking. I stared at my reflection, a spectator of the divine light shimmering across the white lace that felt more like chains with each passing second.

“My lady, please stop fidgeting,” the servant whispered, her own hands trembling as she adjusted my veil. “The entire court is waiting for you.”

Of course, they were waiting. The entire Isik Sarayi—the Palace of Light that served as the seat of power for light wielders—gathered to witness me marry Deniz, to watch me sacrifice my freedom for duty.

The union of Gün Ata’s daughter and the son of a prominent shadow family would finally stabilize the borders, a marriage of a peace treaty, ceasing decades of hostility, skirmishes, and a contract to end bloodshed… all but mine, of course.

None of them knew about the darkness that haunted my dreams, about the soul-tether that still ached inside me even after he corrupted it with shadow magic.

The pain was constantly there, seeping through whenever I attempted to mask it with happiness.

He was dead to me in this realm. Over five years since he chose power over love, over five years pretending he no longer existed, and yet the pain remained.

I remembered the day my father, Gün Ata’s, ascended to godhood.

One moment, I was his daughter; the next, I was the heir to the Isik Sarayi with divine magic that made others both revere and fear me.

Upon a divine's ascension, the realms would require the heir to fulfill certain requirements to claim their power—including binding with another magically powerful being. A political marriage to Deniz wouldn’t satisfy this requirement; his magic was too weak, too diluted by mortal blood.

The council knew this, which was why they did not support the union—it would keep me from claiming my full inheritance.

Hakan was once intended to be that person.

Five years later, I was still drowning under the weight of those expectations. The light I inherited should have been pure, untainted—but something dark still lurked within it, a shadow I couldn’t purge no matter how I tried.

A flash of golden fur caught my eye. Melo, my fox guardian—a spirit from the ancient steppes who had been bound to my bloodline for generations, serving as both protector and spiritual guide—prowled the chamber’s edges with unusual agitation.

Sometimes I caught her staring at her reflection with an expression too complex for any ordinary fox, as if she were trying to remember something just beyond her grasp.

Her turquoise eyes held depths that seemed almost..

. human. Her eyes met mine in the mirror; warning radiated from them, and my heart stopped.

The shadows in the corners seemed darker than they should have been, as if they were waiting…

As if he were waiting.

My fingers trembled. I smoothed down the intricate lace of my wedding gown. The silk whispered against my skin, cool and unforgiving. I caught a weary gaze in the mirror, noting the shadows under my eyes that even the finest cosmetics couldn’t fully conceal.

“You look like you’re dressing for a funeral, not a wedding,” Melo quipped, her tail swishing. My fox guardian looked up at me with eyes that seemed to hold all the wisdom of the ancient forests of Anatolia. “Though I suppose with that stick-in-the-mud, Deniz, it might as well be.”

I knelt, burying my face in her soft fur. My frustration manifested as golden light flickering between my fingertips, warming Melo’s fur. She huffed in displeasure as the magic curled her whiskers. “Control yourself,” she muttered. “Your light is showing.”

“What am I doing, Melo?”

“Getting married to the wrong man, obviously,” she retorted, but nuzzled me gently. “But don’t worry, I’ve got sharp teeth and I’m not afraid to use them on his fancy clothing.”

A knock at the door interrupted our banter. Asu entered a vision in pale- blue silk. Her smile faltered when she took in my expression. "Oh, sister," she breathed, and wrapped me in an embrace that smelled of jasmine and home.

“It’s not too late,” she murmured. “If you truly can’t go through with this?—”

“No.” I pulled away, straightening my spine. “I made a promise to them. This wedding will end the conflict between Isik and Golge—the realms of Light and Shadow. I can’t back out now.”

“But at what cost?” Asu’s brow furrowed. “Your happiness? Your future?”

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. "My future?" I asked. "They decided that long ago."

Memories flooded my mind, unbidden. The rooftop of his manor overlooking the Veil Waters, bathed in moonlight.

The pressure of cold glass against my back when muscular hands pinned my wrists above my head.

Green eyes, desire so dark it bloomed, boring into mine.

Hakan’s voice, rough with want: “You’re mine, Ada, and if another man touches you, I will rip his heart out and make you watch it beat its last. Remember, you’re mine only. ”

That night, a mere month before he discovered his shadow heritage, his words had seemed romantic, possessive in a way that thrilled me. How could I have known that six weeks later, he would choose his father’s legacy over our love?

I shook my head, banishing the thoughts as the sharp pain sliced through my core. It was always a reminder not to let thoughts of him leak back into my head. The man I once loved was gone. He had become the shadow lord who took his rightful place in the darkness.

Our future had disintegrated into ash the day he’d made his choice.

“Deniz is a good man,” Asu said softly. “He may not be… him, but he cares for you. Perhaps, in time?—”

“Don’t.” My voice was sharp. “Please, Asu. I can’t… I can’t think about that right now.”

A commotion in the hallway cut off Asu’s response. She tensed, listening.

“What is it?” I asked, my hand instinctively reaching for hers.

“Rumors,” she whispered. “Shadows at the temple borders.”

My heart leaped into my throat. “Dark magic? But who would dare?—”

“The Karanliko?lu,” Asu whispered, her eyes wide with fear. “The Shadow-born clan.”

I squeezed her hand tightly. The Karanliko?lu had long opposed the alliance between our kingdom and Deniz’s. Their leader, Erlik Han, the Demon of Ashes and Shadows, ruled Kara Cehennem—the Dark Underworld. If his followers were here…

“Well, well,” Melo drawled, her hackles rising. “Looks like someone crashed the party. How inconsiderate. They didn’t even RSVP.”

My mind raced. Why now? Why would the Karanliko?lu choose this day to attack? Unless…

Unless they knew how crucial this wedding was for the alliance between Light and Shadow Court.

A chill ran down my spine. I remembered the threats made at the last peace summit, where Erlik Han’s representatives spoke with cold calculation: “Lord Erlik sees no benefit in this union. The natural order demands separation, not alliance.”

Whispers among the court suggested Erlik had been orchestrating conflicts between our realms for centuries, keeping us divided while he expanded his power.

“We should inform the guards,” Asu said. She moved towards the door.

I caught her arm. “No. Not yet. We don’t know for certain?—”

“Ada, be reasonable,” Asu pleaded. “If there’s even a chance Erlik is here?—”

“Then what?” I challenged. “We throw the entire court into panic? Deniz’s family would see it as a slight, a reason to call off the alliance. We can’t risk that.”

Asu’s expression softened. “Oh, Ada. Is that truly all you’re worried about? The alliance?”

I looked away, unable to meet her knowing gaze. Of course, that was not all I was worried about. My heart pounded, a war drum beating out a rhythm of fear and… anticipation. If the Karanliko?lu were truly here, it meant this wedding—this carefully negotiated peace—balanced on a knife's edge.

"You're not fooling anyone, you know," Melo said quietly. "Least of all yourself. You're hoping for some excitement to liven up this dreadfully dull affair."

"We proceed as planned," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. "But quietly alert the temple guards. Have them increase patrols, especially near the outer wards. And keep an eye out for Erlik or any of his known associates."

When Asu left, I faced the mirror again.

I barely recognized the woman staring back at me.

Gone was the carefree girl who once ran barefoot through the moonlit rooftops of Isik-Golge, laughing while Hakan chased her.

In her place stood a future leader of the Light Court, resplendent in white and gold, her face a mask of calm determination.

But the eyes… The eyes were the same. And in their depths, I could still see the flicker of wildfire that Hakan kindled all those years ago.

I closed my eyes, allowing myself one moment of weakness. One moment to remember the feel of Hakan’s lips on mine, the sound of his laughter, the safety I had felt in his arms before everything shattered my soul.

“You know,” Melo said, her voice uncharacteristically gentle, “it’s okay to admit you still have feelings for the shadow lord. It doesn’t make you weak. It makes you part human.”

I looked down at my faithful companion, surprised by her sudden softness. “I can’t, Melo. I can’t let myself feel that. Not now.”

With a deep breath, I straightened my spine and lifted my chin. Whatever comes next—be it a joyous union or the return of my darkest nightmare—I would face it with the strength and grace befitting a daughter of the Isik Sarayi, heir to Gün Ata’s divine light.