The sun's rays beamed through the stained glass windows of the chapel. The scent of fresh roses weaved through the air, the guests murmuring in awe as they watched you walk down the aisle.

Sevika stood at her post, clad in polished steel, the crest of her family engraved upon her breastplate. A knight sworn to the royal family—sworn to you. But now, you stood at the altar, draped in white, bound by duty to a man your father had chosen. Someone Sevika could never be.

You said your vows. Applause erupted. Sevika remained still, gripping the hilt of her sword as if it were the only thing keeping her upright. It felt as if your every memory together had hit her in the face all at once.

She remembers the stolen nights, the way you used to slip past the palace guards into the quiet of the stables, where she would be waiting. She remembers the whispered confessions beneath the moonlight, the taste of your lips on her own when you had your first kiss...

"Run away with me," Sevika had pleaded once.

"And go where?" you whispered back, sadness woven in your every word. "You know my father would never allow it. He would hunt us down."

Sevika had kept up her hope. The hope that you both could work. That your love for each other was enough. But as she watched you walk down the aisle, your hand in another’s, she realized —this was always how it would end.

The chapel doors opened, the evening light spilling inside. Sevika exhaled and pushed off of the pillar, the weight of her armor feeling heavier than usual.

Your eyes finally met hers across the room. She looked the same—broad-shouldered, scarred, her jaw tense. But her eyes— those steel-grey eyes that had once softened for you alone.. told you more than her words ever could.

Just as you moved to chase after her, she took her leave, refusing to look back.