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For some reason, my question gives the prince pause. He stops walking, assessing me with his cold eyes. “I’ve always been this, Rosey,” he murmurs.

I scoff. “That isn’t true, and you know it.”

His once bright eyes are now dim. With his chiseled muscles, he looks more like a man and every bit the weaponized soldier his father wished for him to be.

Yet, somewhere hidden within is the kind boy who would write music early in the morning…

the curious boy who followed me into the woods to share secrets.

Softly, I place a hand on his arm. Emyr flinches from the contact, but he doesn’t move away. “You were good and kind. You were selfless. You weren’t a weapon, Emyr. ”

Grabbing my hand, he drops it back to my side.

Tears glisten in his eyes, giving me the smallest hope that my Emyr is in there somewhere.

“It doesn’t matter,” he murmurs. “What’s done is done, and now…

Now we must go. My father’s expecting you.

” He pushes forward once more, but I squirm in his hold.

“Emyr, if you ever loved me, you’ll let me go! You can’t give me to your father,” I cry.

“I don’t have a choice, Rosey,” he sighs. “This way, you’ll be safe. I promise I won’t let him hurt you… ever!”

I throw all of my body weight in the opposite direction, releasing his grip on my arm.

Emyr steps toward me, but I hold out a hand, stopping him from getting closer.

He could easily overpower me, but instead he halts, tilting his head at me.

“I’m sure you believe that, but how can you ensure my safety when you aren’t able to protect yourself?

” I say sadly. Emyr grimaces, the two sides of his loyalties warring within him.

One side is devoted to his father’s cause, while the other is born out of his love for me.

When he doesn’t respond, I close the space between us. Emyr stands like a statue as I approach him. I caress his face, forcing him to look at me. “Emyr,” I whisper. “Do you love me?”

Softly, Emyr covers my hands with his own. “I always have,” he sighs.

Hot tears sting my face as I nod my head. “Then you have to let me go,” I reply. “Please.”

For a moment, Emyr watches me, mulling over my words. Then his chest heaves and he releases a shuddering breath as he buries his face into the crook of my neck. “I’m sorry, Maeva,” he replies. “He made me do it.”

I wrap my arms around him, patting softly. “I know, but you can do the right thing… right now.”

Emyr raises his head, opening his mouth, as if he’s about to say something when Cahir’s voice echoes through the woods. “Maeva! Maeva, where are you?” With every new shout, Cahir’s voice grows closer and closer, and my prince holds on to me tighter and tighter.

“Please Emyr,” I whisper.

After a few moments, he wipes a hand down his face and backs away from me. “Go. I’ll tell the soldiers you knocked me out when I tried to apprehend you.”

I gesture to my small stature. “They’re not going to believe you, Emyr,” I say.

“You’re right. They won’t believe that you are capable of such a feat.” The corner of his mouth twitches. “Which is why your brother is going to do it,” he says.

My brows furrow in confusion as Emyr gently plants a kiss on my cheek. “I love you,” he whispers. Backing away, he puts distance between us.

“What are y ? —”

“She’s over here!” he yells.

A moment later, Cahir bursts through the brush and tackles Emyr to the ground.

“You were our friend,” he seethes, punching Emyr in the face.

“You killed them, and now I’m going to kill you.

” I try to pull Cahir off of Emyr, but I’m unsuccessful as my brother’s assaults continue.

Emyr’s face is covered with blood, but Cahir doesn’t stop his frenzied movements, even after the prince slips into unconsciousness.

With all my strength, I push Cahir off Emyr’s still body. “Cahir! Stop!” I yell. “The soldiers could be here any minute. We need to go.”

Standing from the ground, he clenches his jaw, pointing to the prince. “He needs to pay for what he’s done.”

I tug on his arm, hoping to put some distance between him and Emyr. “He already is,” I say. “Look, he isn’t even awake. We need to go.”

The sound of footsteps, not far off, floats through the air, yet Cahir doesn’t move. “Your highness,” a voice shouts. I tug on Cahir to run, but he isn’t moving. Instead, he stares angrily at Emyr.

“You promised Papa!” I growl.

“Prince Emyreus!” the voice of a young soldier calls out from nearby.

The voice snaps Cahir out of his trance as he takes me by the hand.

A large shadow leaks from his outstretched appendage as he conjures a horse made of shadows beneath us.

Usually, full-grown wielders are the only ones that can conjure such a beast, yet somehow my brother has done it with ease. “When did you learn to do this?” I ask.

“Mama taught me in case of emergencies,” Cahir replies, clicking his tongue at the beast. “I can only summon her for an hour at most. This will give us a good head start though.”

Now, as the shadows flicker and waver, my fear spirals, knowing that the beast won’t last long. It’s probably pulling every ounce of power he has to create it. Cahir clicks once more, and the mighty steed takes off through the dark woods, leaving the slumbering prince and our former lives behind.