Page 65 of Court of Aether and Shadows

Like a bolt of lightning through my very soul, a surge of power and recognition that left me breathless. The throne room around me, with its vaulted ceilings of living shadow and floors of polished obsidian, seemed to pulse in response. Tendrils of darkness writhed at my feet, kindled by the sudden spike in my emotions.

She’s here. She’s finally here!

After centuries of waiting, of careful planning and delicate maneuvering, my queen had finally come home.

For a moment, I allowed myself to savor the feeling.

The emptiness that had been my constant companion for so long was suddenly filled with a warmth I had almost forgotten. It was like seeing the first rays of dawn after an endless night, like the first breath of spring after a winter that had seemed eternal.

But with that joy came a surge of possessive urgency.

She was here, yes, but she was also vulnerable. New to this world, likely confused and frightened. Overwhelmed between who she was and who she once were. An imbalance that yearnedfor completion. She’d fall into madness if not embraced with a blanket of tranquility.

To be eased into this transition and welcomed into the world she once ruled so formidably. Then, there were others who would sense her arrival, others who would seek to claim her power for themselves.

We must prevent that at all cost. Make haste in the deliverance of utmost protection to my other half.

"Kaelon!" I called, my voice echoing through the obsidian halls of my palace. The very air seemed to tremble at the power in my voice, shadows deepening in response to my agitation.

My second in command appeared almost instantly, materializing from the shadows with a look of concern on his face. Kaelon had been with me for centuries, one of the few I trusted implicitly and he knew I never summoned him like this without urgent purpose.

His midnight blue skin seemed to absorb the light around him, and his eyes, swirling with galaxies, fixed on me with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension.

"My lord?" he asked, taking in my agitated state with a raised eyebrow. "What has happened?"

"She's here," I said, unable to keep the excitement from my voice. I saw understanding dawn in Kaelon's eyes, followed quickly by a mix of anticipation and worry. "The princess has returned to our realm. We must go to her at once."

Kaelon nodded, his expression turning serious.

"The prophecy is unfolding faster than we anticipated," he murmured, voicing the concern that had been growing in the back of my mind. "The other courts will sense her arrival as well."

I felt my lips curl into a snarl at the thought.

The other courts—Aether, Void, and Elemental—had been waiting for this moment just as eagerly as we had. Each believedthat they were destined to claim the prophesied princess and use her power to tip the scales in the eternal balance of our world.

But they were wrong.

She was mine.

My queen, my mate, my other half.

And I would sooner tear the realms apart than let anyone else claim her.

Especially without her approval.

"Which is why we must reach her first," I growled, already striding towards the door. "Come, to the Portal Master."

We must make haste.

We moved through the twisting corridors of the palace, shadows writhing in our wake. Lesser Fae scrambled out of our path, bowing low as we passed.

I barely noticed them, my mind focused entirely on the task ahead.

The air seemed charged with anticipation as if the realm understood the magnitude of what was happening. Whispers followed us, carried on currents of shadow –has the princess returned? The prophecy unfolds. The world is changing…

As we walked, I found my mind drifting to memories of her.

Not the clear, sharp memories of our time together — those had been locked away, kept safe until she was ready to remember. No, these were impressions, fleeting glimpses of a soul I had known across lifetimes.

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