Thousands of etheris files curved down, deep into the planet's core.

Their existence taunted him.

Reminding Sorein of every way he'd failed his mother for the last eleven years, despite his tireless effort to take some of the strain off his father.

He'd contemplated a great many things in all those years, from begging the Casters in Darkwell to look at her to mentioning something to one of the many Priestesses in Chiori. His father might be an ancient, cranky King with a predisposition for hoarding information, but he hadn't expected him to be so ignorant.

Andrin Chakrine was one of the first Fae children, alongside his twin sister Alette.

He'd waited centuries before he found his partner and forged the mating bond, many more years passing before Sorein was even a consideration.

Huffing a laugh, Sorein stewed on it, eyes tracing over the levels beneath him as if they might suddenly reveal the answer he'd been looking for.

The Stellarium was Iliya's place. Her escape from her room, from the wandering and gossiping eyes that filled the town. She'd once shown him, brought him here, allowing him to plant roots even deeper in her reality.

All so he could corrupt more of the ground she walked on.

He was going to Seal himself, embrace his immortality so that his mother might have a chance at a cure. He would dwell among these lands until the islands merged and fell apart again, watching as trees that did not exist soon covered the land.

He would grow to endure it as he had everything else.

Is two hundred years with me not enough, Prince?

The words were strained and broken.

No, it would never be enough.

Not when she was the only person he'd grown to do more than tolerate.

Sorein feared he'd eventually blink and she would disappear into the mists of his country's Isles if he was lucky.

He seldom was though.

Those thoughts had been swirling around in his head on repeat for every moment he didn't occupy himself, distracting his mind with busy work and research the entire time he was outcast from this land.

They continued gnawing and scratching, chewing away at any sanity he-

A soft puff of dust and the sound of tumblers broke his silence. Sorein was almost relieved that someone had come to disturb his miserable thoughts.

He knew the only person who would think to come here. Knew and sighed at the tenuous conversation to come.

His teeth ground together at the thought of them fighting, at the thought of discussing his Sealing, their feud. Sorein barely realized Iliya had even spoken when she leaned against the railing beside him, eyeing him warily.

Something about eating.

In any other mood he'd laugh.

Silence drifted between them again, taut and fraying. His eyes glazed over again.

He both had and hadn't forgotten about the dinner carrying on downstairs, a greeting of sorts for some of the royals. The ones who bothered to show up anyway.

He didn't have energy for that tonight.

Sorein didn't have enough energy to muster up the delicate mask crafted just to handle the Princess beside him. To waltz around their issues one more time with the swagger and grace she'd been smiling at for the past three days.

Actually smiling.

He was so tired his head dropped and the air escaped him like one of the many deflating balloons in the streets.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

He couldn't help the laugh that escaped him. There were no words he could piece together that would explain how badly he wanted to tell her about it.

He'd taken enough from her.

All he could offer now was honesty.

"Yes," Sorein sighed. "But I can't..."

His father would skin him alive for even opening his mouth about it.

Or worse, aim to attack her.

Looking at Iliya, Sorein thought he could see every single hateful thing he'd seen said to her. They stuck to her like Sabers, their teeth digging into her flesh more day by day, drawing more blood.

Creating more scar tissue.

So he wouldn't damn the consequences this time.

"I can keep a secret," she said.

"Even if you could use the information to get back at me? To make us even?"

The question slipped out. He hadn't meant to say it aloud, let alone to her face. Yet Sorein watched as pain and guilt and sadness warred on her face.

Hurt settled in those lime green eyes.

He needed to show her the position he was in, the bind. Sorein searched for every possible way until his gaze landed on her fingers. On those dark, smokey crystal rings. A mystery with which she once threatened to punch Sorein's lights out when he jokingly attempted to steal them.

He was aware they weren't merely for decoration.

He'd never known a woman to wear the same jewelry every moon, not to mention the faint but noticeable tan lines on Iliya's skin.

Without thinking, Sorein leaned over slightly and reached out. I'm not the only one with secrets, he wanted to say. Instead his palm rested over the back of her hand, his fingers brushing against the rings and then the burns on her wrist.

"Why do you wear these?"

Iliya's eyes grew wide before hardening. As if she understood the bargain, even though it broke her heart.

"I..." she started, the words lodging in her throat. "I can't..."

He nodded, knowing he'd succeeded. "I suppose I can't-" he began, pausing. Be trusted. "Not in your mind."

Sorein didn't know why his thoughts spilled from his mouth, unstoppably. He needed to say something, needed to cleanse the slate. "I did it because I care for you and I was afraid," he admitted quietly. The whisper came out so silent, he wasn't sure he'd said it. "For all you endure, I might understand. But losing you while I go on indefinitely..."

Iliya reminded him time and again that she was not killing herself, as though that somehow made it better that she was denying herself the normal Fae lifespan. With her Therian blood, she'd have the cognizance to last thousands of years.

Despite it being a wish so many in her life had, Sorein realized a season ago that it was a selfish desire founded on love. A love she didn't even allow herself to feel.

Sorein was going to let her make her own decision and stop attempting to save her after that.

But he'd need to apologize first.

If only to keep her close while she did live.

"I'm sorry," Sorein murmured, staring straight into her. "I'm so very sorry I betrayed your trust."

"Are you truly going to do this?" She asked.

He tried hard not to look disappointed as she ignored him.

"I don't have an alternative."

Her features softened and Iliya relaxed, sliding up beside him.

Sorein didn't want to tense at the contact but he couldn't fight it initially. Not until she stayed there and went to rest her head on his arm. As if everything was comfortable, normal between them.

The closest they'd been to contact in over two years.

"I forgive you," she mumbled back.

He'd been holding his breath until now, an exhale breaking free as she'd said those long unspoken words.

Forgiven?

The foreign feeling slipped into his gut like a river rock slowly descending. The sensation was almost too easy, with no fighting or yelling. He had to wonder if after all the time, she'd realized something on her own or if she simply was tired of the energetic battle between them.

Iliya never moved, her breath slow and warm against the sleeve of his shirt. The breaths turned slower, deeper. The folds fluttered slightly as the weight of her head began sliding ever so slightly.

He smirked, fighting a laugh.

Thank you, he tugged at the thread between their minds. Urging her to either answer or fall asleep completely.

She puffed a breath and made a small groan.

Always, came the soft reply.

They'd be okay.

For two hundred years.

~ 🔮 ~

Sorein's grip on reality alternated from swift and alert to subdued as he guided Iliya through the halls of her home. She was practically sleepwalking as they walked past several Lords and Ladies gathered outside the entrance room.

His fingers twitched on her back for only a moment as they passed Riven Turrian.

He'd deal with him later.

But as his eyes drifted over the many royals standing outside, he wondered how many of them Iliya actually knew. They watched her as if they'd heard a great many things, but the hushed whispers stopped when Sorein cut them a deep glare.

Sorein noticed Charlotte Gothalis pressed against the wall with her arms behind her back, watching beside her brother Ben. They spoke a few curt words to each other, but something was tense. Uncomfortable between them.

He didn't see Noah or Jeremy anywhere, the latter probably choosing to distract Noah so he might not run into the human Princess.

With so many eyes, the rumors would begin spreading about how his eyes linger on Elian Sagefell's consort.

The Half-Therian Lord had thrown his hat into the ring a year ago, attempting to catch her eye.

Noah's swaggering attempts to interfere were stretching dangerously close to a fued with the man. One Sorein knew he'd soon get sucked into with his friend's loose cannon mouth.

He passed the remaining few, subtly nodding at Nixian Iyvers as he passed, the crowned Prince of Cefrias. The Nerydian male smirked slightly, tipping his head toward Sorein without so much as pausing his sentence.

Iliya mumbled some nonsense she thought was a sentence and he chuckled, hoping to find her room before someone came to ruin her moment of peace.

They slipped through one of the last landings and Sorein found the familiar door to Iliya's loft room.

She entered wordlessly, nearly throwing herself in bed.

"Good night, Irie."

Iliya hummed her response, lips quirking upwards at the older nickname.

He didn't linger, shutting the door and making his way back down to the entry room.

Several others were departing now, making minimal eye contact as they found their way out of the door and through the towering gates.

Sorein didn't miss the sound of fast falling boots approaching from the left though, lifting his gaze in time to prepare for Siofra's fierce stare down.

"Where is she?" The Guard demanded in a stern voice.

He raised a brow at her, debating how to answer. Antagonizing Siofra when she proved stressed seemed like a death wish.

"Asleep," he replied, sighing. Sorein scratched the back of his head, immediately regretting it as he finished, "Something about the dinner upset her."

Siofra's lips pursed. She considered something before crossing her arms and looking at the landing he'd come from as if she could see through it.

"I need to talk to her," Siofra admitted.

He didn't know why that was his problem.

Sorein did his best to ignore the way she spoke to him, if nothing else to avoid making Iliya's life heilos incarnate.

"She barely made it to bed," he said. A bite bled into the words he hadn't intended. "Catch up with her in the morning."

"What do you know-"

"The Prince of Ghosts and Ghouls graces us with his presence," an amused voice cut in. A lean frame stepped over with a playful whip of his thread-like tail. "We missed you at dinner."

Sorein smirked at Nixian's arrival, appreciating the disruption for once.

The Nerydian kept his arms folded behind his back, also dressed in formal attire with a tie matching the blue and gold scales along his cheekbones and neck. His aquatic features shimmered in the chandelier's glow, those jade eyes stared back, glinting with glee at Siofra's irritated huff.

"A pleasure as always, Siofra," Nixian added, nodding to her.

Sorein remembered Jeremy offering a similar greeting earlier. As if most Guards and Royals alike were familiar with how intense and headstrong she was.

"Will you be staying for the Final Ceremony, Nixian?" Sorein asked.

Nixian laughed, looking over at the frustration he was causing as if it were a work of art. Siofra was merely a canvas. Another motive lurked there though, Sorein could see it. If the Nerydian had any inclination it might protect someone, he'd often involve himself.

His soft heart had gotten him in a great deal of trouble.

"Yes, I will," he said. "And I actually expect to see you there this time."

Sorein chuckled and held up his hands in mock surrender. "Of course."

Siofra grumbled a string of curses under her breath in Therisii and stormed off toward the entrance after the other guests.

"She's a handful," Nixian muttered, the amusement dimming from his face as he tossed a cursory glance in her direction. "She's been looking for Iliya for over an hour, going so far as to enter the dining hall in the middle of Ezre's speech."

Sorein's brows furrowed. He hadn't known there was going to be a speech, though it likely had more to do with the founding bridges than anything relevant to him.

Those damned treaties were the only thing any of the royals cared about anymore.

"And she's still standing?" Sorein asked, snorting. "He nearly skinned me alive for interrupting Iliya's training session."

Nixian's smile returned, faintly this time. "Yes, well, can you blame him? The girl's father, his son, abandoned them when she was born."

No, he couldn't.

Ezre hadn't taken an immediate interest in Iliya's upbringing, nor did he involve himself in Destry's business for quite some time. He seemed determined to do right by the young girl though.

"Speaking of responsibility, where is your sister?" Sorein questioned, peering over Nixian's shoulder. "This seems like something she wouldn't want to miss."

"Kelp-for-brains decided to stay home," Nixian almost grumbled, leashing his disappointment. He couldn't distinguish if it was because the Nerydian was being forced to play Emissary for both of them or he simply missed her company. "After freeing the slaves in Luverie, her conquest to liberate Natansia has consumed her. I don't think you'll see her for a while yet."

"How unfortunate," Sorein mused.

Kealie Gothalis was the youngest Queen to rule, her half-Nerydian ancestry nearly robbing her of the throne. She hadn't wanted it, but when push came to shove she did what was best for her people.

Even if the blood-soaked history left a foul taste in many leaders' mouths.

Impulsive, if not a tad psychotic, Sorein did enjoy her company from time to time.

"It was good to see you, Prince," Nixian said, offering a subtle wave. "We need to catch up after the Ceremony, I have some news you'll be interested to hear."

With ears in the seas of nearly every continent, anything the Nerydian had heard could prove useful, if not potentially lethal.

Strange anxiety wrapped around his stomach, but Sorein still managed a forced smile. "I don't have anything better to do," he replied, the joke set like bait.

He watched Nixian's eyes flicker with hidden emotion before the Nerydian nodded again and headed for the door.

His tail disappeared last, leaving Sorein alone with a terrible feeling.