A/N: Chapter 14 for you, folks! It's crazy to think that we have made it this far... We're about halfway through the story at this point. I have until chapter 22 outlined, so that's exciting! :)

I hope this chapter finds you all well. Please let me know any feedback you have—I am always looking for ways to improve my writing skills!

Thanks so much for those who have read/followed/favorited/reviewed. I truly appreciate all of you!

Until next time,
Dev


"It's a challenge. This is what we do, I realize. We talk in circles.
We give each other riddles, confounding clues, half answers.
Everything and anything but the truth."

Ann Liang, "I Hope This Doesn't Find You"

‿୨୧‿

11 Months Later...

.:Serenity:.

I tried to make sense of Mother's words, but it was impossible. They hovered over me like a dark cloud, dimming whatever light I'd managed to cling to until this point. I didn't want to make sense of them, to even think about their horrible meaning, for doing so would only make them all the more real.

"Serenity?" Mother hovered worriedly over me and I realized that, in my shock, I'd collapsed into the nearest armchair.

"Wh—What did you just say?" My voice shook and I could barely speak.

Her concern settled into the grave expression she had worn when she'd first imparted the news. "Our spy has received word that Prince Endymion has just obtained the Relic of Abundance."

Despite my foolish hope, her words hadn't changed since she'd first spoken them—and they were just as horrifying the second time. Hopelessness pressed against me, crushing. I buried my face in my hands. All my efforts, all for naught... I didn't even want to consider the repercussions of my failure; how my people would suffer.

What would Clariness do now?

In the hours following the news, I considered the problem from every angle, trying to push through the despair and fear settling heavily on my shoulders in order to find a solution, but it was impossible. Not only was Clariness's need dire but I hated to imagine what our enemy would do with such a powerful relic.

The Relic of Abundance had always been my objective. Without it, I was left with no backup plan.

Was there any hope at all?

Perhaps... I suddenly stilled my restless pacing as my mind frantically grasped a faint glimmer of light. If Prince Endymion had only just acquired the relic and hadn't yet used it, there might still be a small window of opportunity for me to claim it myself. Once he used it, it would belong to him for the remainder of his life—but perhaps I could get to it before then.

Yet, to do so, I'd have to venture into enemy territory.

Dread pooled in my stomach, along with another emotion, one that seemed to have been hovering on the outskirts of my mind waiting impatiently for this moment, one almost of anticipation, as if part of me wanted to see the enemy prince. The thought was illogical, and yet recognizing it caused it to expand to fill in some of the blank spaces that had consumed me ever since last winter, as if something about Prince Endymion filled the empty places of my soul.

Such an emotion made no sense, and yet it still lingered. The mystery behind such an unexplainable emotion made me more curious than afraid of the daunting task before me. I ached to understand the reason almost as desperately as I yearned for the relic I'd long been searching for. Venturing to Elysion would give me the chance to not only acquire the relic, but solve the riddle of the emptiness inside me that had haunted me for nearly a year.

I knew the scheme was drastic to the extreme, but our kingdom's straits were too dire not to take such a risk. The drought was in its fifth year, and though there had been some precipitation, it hadn't been enough to make a difference to our parched land. Conditions had worsened when a devastating hail storm had wiped out several hundred acres of an already poor harvest. Not only was our kingdom on the brink of collapse if we didn't find relief soon, but my union with Prince Daedric was at risk of falling through; his kingdom's finances weren't enough to support us, not to mention they were wary of connecting themselves to a kingdom under threat of war.

While their apprehension was understandable, I still felt I was failing my people, feelings that only became more exaggerated with my relief at the thought of my arrangement falling through, despite how much Clariness needed the union.

Shame curled my stomach at my selfishness. I'd spent the entire year struggling to push aside my reluctance towards the idea of a union I had no reason to not want, and yet, I dreaded it. But my personal feelings couldn't matter, only what the arrangement would do for my people. Prince Daedric was amiable enough, so I needed to do all in my power for the match to succeed. If I acquired the Relic of Abundance and saved Clariness, Prince Daedric's kingdom would have no reason to resist aligning themselves with us.

Deep down I knew I had another reason to acquire that relic, one beyond restoring our kingdom and allowing me to make the match expected of me—it would finally allow me to prove myself and put to rest the persistent fear that I wasn't good enough to ascend the throne, one I'd give anything to escape.

In the end, this need, more than the others, was what compelled me to secretly prepare for my trip. I didn't give myself time to second guess my decision, nor did I consult with Mina about my plans; she'd only slow me down with extra precautions—or worse, forbid me from leaving at all.

I waited until nightfall to leave, the best time to act considering my night guard, Bromley, would be much easier to sneak past than Mina. I packed a light satchel and stepped onto the balcony, my breath catching at the brisk air.

I carefully climbed over the stone railing and lowered myself to the balcony on the floor below, a trick Mina would be familiar with if she was guarding me considering how many times I'd done it as a child, but which Bromley had no knowledge of. I'd unlocked the door to this balcony hours earlier and was able to sneak back into the palace undetected, where I navigated the shadowy corridors, keeping to the ones I knew were deserted at this time of night. My route took me to the servants' stairs, which opened up to the surrounding woods.

Luna was waiting, tied to a branch where I'd instructed a groom to leave her. He'd been baffled by my request but, unlike what Mina would have done, hadn't questioned my orders. He'd undoubtedly inform my family and guard about the arrangement on the morrow once they discovered I was missing, but by then I hoped to be hours ahead.

I wasn't sure how I would proceed once I reached Wistal Palace in Elysion; I could only hope an opportunity would present itself.

I rode through the night. The darkness was icy but the journey, thankfully, was free of snow. At least, until I crossed into Elysion, where the snow fell thickly and the biting wind sent a chill through my layers of clothes. For the first time, I questioned the wisdom of my venture.

It has to be tonight, I rationalized. If I can steal that relic before Prince Endymion has a chance to use it...

Resolved, I straightened my shoulders and rode deeper into the enemy's kingdom towards the winter palace, where Prince Endymion was rumored to reside. I wasn't sure where I'd heard these rumors, and the more I thought about it, the less sure I was that I had heard them at all. But, somehow, I was certain he would be there.

The snow fell more heavily with each passing hour, and with each snowflake I was reminded of how my people likely would not survive another winter. I needed to do all in my power to ensure Clariness didn't suffer such a fate, even if it meant confronting the enemy prince himself.

After all, I was the Crown Princess of Clariness, though I didn't currently feel worthy of the title.

‿୨୧‿

My frozen fingers clutched Luna's reins as I stood, mesmerized by the formidable structure rising above the snow-capped forest. The dawn tinging the horizon glistened against the snow and ice, a beauty that masked the man residing within. The stone castle looked to have been dipped in frost—a layer of crystal covered the structure in a silver sheen and the turrets looked to be carved from ice, as if the prince who inhabited it had transformed it with the cold heart he was rumored to possess.

If the fantastical stories that the cold prince lived within an ice structure had proven accurate, that meant the other rumors about his cold character were also true. Sadness I had no reason to feel twinged my heart at the thought, instead of the fear I'd expected to encase it, but for some reason I didn't have it in me to be afraid.

The biting chill, along with curiosity, urged me forward. I searched the trees, determining how to get inside. I hadn't considered such logistics when I'd set out, afraid considering them too closely would cause me to deviate from my purpose. Yet, somehow, I knew how to enter the palace, as if the knowledge had already been a part of me: there was a secret passageway found within the forest that would take me directly into the heart of the castle.

Before I could search for its entrance, however, the sound of hooves crunching on the snowy ground pierced the early morning. I swiveled in my saddle to discover that, midst my distraction, several guards had surrounded me, only parting to create an opening large enough for the man arriving.

I stiffened at the sight of him. Crown Prince Endymion.

As we gazed at one another, two enemies from birth, my heart gave a strange twinge, a response so different from the hatred I'd expected. Though I had no memory of meeting him, he possessed a sense of familiarity while, as the same time, a foreign air; a stranger I'd never met.

He was undeniably handsome, but there was something deeper, making his face not just attractive, but almost...endearing. At the same time, there was nothing handsome about him, for hatred twisted his hardened countenance and coldness filled his eyes, causing a shiver of fear to ripple over me.

He stared at me just as intently, looking so emotionless I wondered whether he was truly the frozen persona the rumors whispered about him; incapable of feeling.

Prince Endymion continued to stare a moment more before a smirk slowly cracked his stoic expression. "Look what we have here: Princess Serenity of Clariness. It must be my lucky day."

My breath caught.

Those words...

It was as if they were an echo from somewhere in the past. From him.

Something about a stolen shortcut...

"Is there a reason why you are trespassing on my lands, Princess?"

His words brought me back to the present with an unpleasant jolt. I took a steadying breath in, squared my shoulders, and bravely lifted my chin. "That's not your concern."

"The very fact that you are in my territory means that it must become my concern, Highness."

A glint filled his eyes, one that was both eerily familiar and seemed out of place, considering it was so much more sinister than before; a moment who's details had become fuzzy and indiscernible with time.

He lifted an eyebrow. "So, there's to be silence? It appears an interrogation is in order."

Interrogation...? The word hovered at the back of my mind, trying to form a greater meaning, to remember why it felt we'd done all of this before.

"Will you cooperate, Princess? Or will I have to force you?"

His look only escalated my pounding heart, a response that also felt familiar, as if our actions had been performed once upon a time; and we're playing it out again, only differently.

I eyed the surrounding guards encircling me tightly like a noose—rigidly awaiting their prince's command to drag me off my horse if needed—leaving me no opportunity to escape. As undignified as the thought of cowering before my enemy was, I was left with no other choice but to cooperate; I refused to be compelled by force.

"That won't be necessary." I slid off Luna with as much dignity as I could muster.

His eyes widened in surprise at my cooperation, but he recovered quickly and slid down, too. I stiffened. My panic escalated as the prince approached, backing me against the trunk of a large pine where he rested his hands on either side of me, trapping me in like a cage.

"I still can't believe my good fortune in finding the enemy princess wandering where she isn't supposed to. And to now have her at my mercy..." His grin was wicked, and with that a dark, sinister look. The fear I'd been fighting to keep at bay finally overcame me.

"E—Even if you emerge conqueror in this battle, it's too early to gloat until you're guaranteed in winning the war." It was a struggle to keep my voice from shaking.

"Oh, I'll win that too, Princess. I possess the upper hand, you see—a position I'll do anything to maintain."

That was likely true. Though such an outcome didn't bode well, I felt more annoyed than afraid.

Why does he win every game we play? I stilled at that startling thought and searched for its potential source, only to come up with nothing but the usual emptiness that had been a constant part of me this part year; one that seemed to be dispersing the longer I remained in the prince's presence.

I pushed aside that perplexing puzzle to gather my resolve. If it was a game the prince wanted, then it was one I was determined to win.

But the words I next spoke weren't a quip, or even a witty attempt to gain the upper hand, but inconsequential words that seemed to escape of their own accord. "How many days has it been?"

Prince Endymion's dark brows drew together in bewilderment, which softened the dark lines of his expression, before the emotion faded and his hardened countenance once more settled over him.

"How many days since...what?"

I frantically tried to recall why such a measurement even mattered, but there was an explanation, it had been lost with other missing pieces of my past.

His gaze examined my expression, as if searching for this reason himself. A glimmer filled his cold eyes, one almost of recognition. In that moment the frozen prince had vanished, leaving behind a man achingly familiar. "Serenity?"

My heart picked up speed as the way his deep voice cradled my nickname. "Endymion."

The corner of his mouth twitched, as if aching to smile, but the impulse vanished so quickly I wondered whether I'd imagined it. Confusion deepened his frown. "You're attempting to distract me from my purpose, but you will not succeed. Now that I have you, I can begin my interrogation regarding why you're here—it's undoubtedly for some devious purpose."

"It's ironic you suspect me of treachery, considering Elysion is the one raiding my kingdom without cause, in hopes of provoking us so you can finally obtain the flimsy excuse you've been seeking to declare war."

The prince's eyebrows rose even as interest briefly glistened in his effervescent blue eyes, before hastily tucking the emotion away with the others he seemed so determined to suppress. "You speak with confidence, Highness. Do you have any evidence to back up your claims?"

"Our destroyed villages provide ample evidence," I snapped. "Villages you destroyed."

For the briefest moment, I thought I detected guilt, but it faded almost immediately, replaced by triumph. "I was hoping you received Elysion's message concerning which kingdom is the superior power."

"Which is the bigger bully, you mean!" My words caused his confident poise to falter and he shifted, almost uncomfortably. I couldn't resist smirking at his discomfort. "Another point for me, Prince."

His jaw tightened. "Perhaps. I'm still ahead in this little game of ours, however... If that's what this is." Confusion clouded his stoic countenance. "Have we...done this before?"

Him voicing the question only seemed to deepen my sense that we had. "If we'd previously met, I'd surely be dead and we wouldn't be having this pleasant interaction now."

For a moment, he looked almost alarmed at the thought of killing me, but the emotion was quickly replaced by a dark smirk. "Let's not rush things, Princess. First, the dungeon. I'm hoping a sojourn there will make you more cooperative in answering my questions. It'd be in your best interest, for while I have the patience to wait out your stubborn silence, my father does not. Should you not be willing to talk by the time he arrives..."

The fear that had been strangely delayed arrive in a rush to squeeze my chest in its icy grip. "King Eldas is coming?"

His eyebrows rose. "What's this? Afraid of him but not of me?" He took hold of my arm, his grip hard but not quite painful, and began leading me towards the palace.

Even with the guards following close behind, eliminating any chance to escape, I still fought against his hold. "Release me!"

"I will not. You and I have much to discuss; particularly what you're doing in Elysion..." Understanding suddenly filled his expression as he slower. "Ah, I should have suspected—after all, Clariness is known for stealing things that do not belong to them."

My breath caught. Does he know I've come for the Relic of Abundance? How? "I—I don't know what you're talking about." My voice shook, betraying my lie.

He laughed, a cold, humorless sound. "I think you do. You were never a good actress, Serenity... Princess." For a brief moment, Prince Endymion appeared rather confused by the familiar address, one that sounded wrong, yet...so right.

He gave his head a rigid shake before leading me rather forcefully through the thick snow to the palace, past the guards standing rigidly at the front doors, who watched with a picture of fear and respect.

With every step, I fought to resist, but he was far too strong. Prince Endymion dragged me through the cold, soulless stone corridors before descending a spiral staircase into the dank dudgeon that was devoid of any light or warmth. Panic swelled and I fought harder to wriggle free.

"Let me go!"

"That's not how these things work. You broke the rules, Princess, and thus find yourself in my power." He opened the cell door with a mocking bow. "I hope your stay with us proves comfortable."

I glared at him with pure hatred, not just for imprisoning me, but for all of the dark deeds he'd performed against my kingdom. "You're a cold-hearted monster."

Rather than the insult hitting its mark, it only seemed to please him. He leaned down, lowering his voice to a dark whisper. "What did you expect when you finally met your greatest enemy, Highness? I told you never to come to Elysion—now, you must suffer the consequences."

Before I could even begin to work out just when he could have given me such a warning, Prince Endymion shoved me into the cell and slammed the door; its ominous clang echoed off the walls. With a mocking smile he took the only torch and left me trapped in blanketing darkness. I listened to the sound of his fading footsteps until there was only deathly silence left in his stead.

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à suivre...