The forest was dense, the towering trees stretching high above, their branches forming a thick canopy that barely allowed any moonlight to break through. Your breath came in ragged gasps as you ran, struggling to keep up with Thalron. His form moved swiftly through the undergrowth, a shadow cutting through the dark, while you stumbled behind, your gown torn and dirtied. The only thing that mattered now was distance, distance from the castle, from the life you were fleeing.

King Elliphrey, your father, would have noticed your absence by now. But how much would it truly affect him? Likely not at all. He had never cared for you, not the way he cared for your brother, Lorcan. The heir to the throne, Lorcan had always been the focus of your father’s attention, the one who mattered. You, on the other hand, were a forgotten piece in the grand game of politics. A daughter whose only worth was in being bartered for an alliance.

And that’s what led to this night. You’d been promised to Prince Charris, a man feared for his cruelty, a sadist known to take pleasure in others’ suffering. The moment your father informed you of the arrangement, something in you broke. You had begged not to be handed to such a man, but Elliphrey had not listened. He never had.

But Thalron had. He always had.

Thalron, commander of the royal army, had been there for you since you were young. He had cared for you in ways your father never did, taught you to ride, to fight, and to think beyond the constraints of court life. He had always treated you like more than just a princess, he treated you like a daughter. And tonight, he had given you the only gift that mattered: freedom.

“We can’t stop yet,” Thalron said, his voice a low rumble that carried easily through the night. “We need to reach the river. Once we cross, we’ll be safer.”