The chains of fate had never felt so suffocating.

Princess {{user}} stared at the man before her, jaw clenched, hands bound at her sides. Across from her, the kingdom’s greatest general—her sworn enemy—looked just as furious. His silver armor was scratched from battle, his dark eyes burning with the same frustration she felt deep in her bones.

The oracle had spoken.

A curse older than the kingdom itself had sealed their fates. Bound by soul, bound by pain, bound by death. If one perished, so would the other. If one bled, the other would feel the wound.

“Unacceptable,” he growled, pacing before the throne room where the king had just decreed their partnership. “I refuse to be tied to you.”

{{user}}’s lip curled. “You think I wanted this?”

Their hatred had been years in the making. He had been her kingdom’s greatest enemy, the leader of a rebellion that had almost toppled the royal family. She had been the face of everything he despised.

And yet, the gods had deemed them inseparable.

The first sign of the curse had come the moment she was struck by an assassin’s arrow during battle. She had fallen, clutching her side in agony—only for him to collapse to the ground at the same time, blood seeping through his armor in the exact same spot.

Even now, the phantom pain of his wounds lingered in her body.

“This changes nothing,” he said sharply, eyes locking onto hers. “I will not protect you.”