Page 124 of A Trial of Fate

“With you… I honestly don’t mind.” His reply caught me off guard. I stopped what I was doing and sat silently beside him, trying to give him strength and support in any way I could.

“I’m here to listen.” I reached out and gently touched hisknee. His eyes opened to find mine, and I could see the depths of the sorrow of lost love that could only come from true grief.

“My parents were mates.” I suddenly understood Castor’s emphasis on the term from our lessons the other day. “They loved each other so deeply and passionately that it inspired divided kingdoms to unite. Long before the veil or the wilt and before we were forced to follow the rule under the high queen, our lands and people were divided. My parents were both warriors from neighboring realms. My father Khalon was the ruler of Silver Meadows, while my mother Arabella was a warrior of Aelius. There was disagreement about resources and trade, so war naturally followed between Silver Meadows and Aelius. Believe it or not, it was on the battlefield that my parents first met each other.”

“Did they try to kill each other?” I asked intently, listening to his story.

“They did, actually.” Dax laughed lightly. “Castor tells this story better than I do from asking our mother countless times when he was younger.”

“I want to hear it from you.” I shifted to squeeze his hand gently, and in return, Dax smiled at me.

“The mate bond can be instantaneous for some, and this was undeniably the case for my father. He saw my mother, Arabella, from across the battlefield, and in a single breath, he knew that his entire world would change. She was a fearsome sight to behold, with a silver bow in one hand and an endless supply of daggers strapped to her chest and belt.”

“A female after my own heart,” I said with a soft smile.

“My father retold that moment to us countless times, but he always said it was hard to describe accurately. One day, he would always tell us, if we were lucky enough to find our mate, we would know without a shadow of a doubt who they were.” Daxton’s gaze drifted away, like he was traveling through time. “My father also told us to do everything in our power to never lose them. To fight for their happiness, for that is where true love and a deeper meaning in life can be found.” Daxton held his breath, and I knew other memories were flashing through his mind.

“What happened next? What did the Silver Meadows and Aelius warriors do when they saw each other?

“My father felt his mate’s soul tether with his, and he immediately called for his people to stand down. Arabella, my mother, was not a direct descendant, but she was still a beloved member of theroyal bloodline. She saw my father, Khalon, command a ceasefire, and she did the same with the warriors she led. My father removed his helmet in the middle of the battlefield and walked across the bloodied dirt and earth to place it at her feet. He knelt before her, took her hand in his own, and announced the mate bond. Vowing then and there to unite the kingdoms and stop the fighting if she would have him.”

“Since you and Castor exist, I’m guessing she accepted?”

“Not without complications along the way.” Dax sighed. “But for the purpose of time, yes. She recognized the bond as well and accepted his hand.”

“Wow, a love powerful enough to unite the two kingdoms. That’s remarkable.”

“Yes, Crimson City also agreed to a united alliance, and all three seats of power worked together to govern our people as a whole. For a long time, there was peace with not just High Fae but shifters as well. As you can recall, some of your people lived in the Inner Kingdom.”

“Did shifters have a seat of power when your parents united the High Fae kingdoms?”

“No, not to my recollection. I believe a stronghold of shifters did reside in the Inner Kingdom, but they governed themselves.”

“Maybe they lived most of their lives in animal forms and didn’t comply with the rules of the High Fae. I have read about some shifters becoming lost to their animal souls.”

“Is that common?” Daxton asked.

“No, but some do prefer their animal forms.”

“Interesting. Perhaps they had their own governance, but I don’t recall there being much interaction between the two species in any official stance.”

“Hmm, interesting indeed,” I answered, narrowing my eyes and thinking to myself. “But there are four seats of power now with a high queen. How did that come to be?” Dax gripped my hand, and I knew this was where everything unraveled in his world.

“I was young and naive.”

“Preaching to the choir.” I nudged his shoulder, trying to ease his distress. “Trust me, Dax. I won’t judge you for anything that happened in your past.”

“It all began to fall apart when my mother died.” The air stilled in my lungs as the sorrow in Daxton’s expression consumed the lines on his furrowed brow. “My mother was one of the first victimsof the wilt. She went on a scouting mission with her trusted guard near Crimson City borders to investigate a disturbance rumored to be infected with some form of dark magic. At thirty-six, I was already a commanding officer in our army. So, I stayed with my father to lead the battle on the front lines against the humans and shifters when she—”

“It’s all right, Dax. I’m here.” His grip tightened on my hand as he began to shake. I did my best to steady him, making sure he knew I was there to support him.

“He knew,” Dax began, his hands trembling. “The moment my mother died… he could feel their mate bond sever. His connection to her fell silent and numb, leaving him utterly alone. I had never in all my years witnessed such heartbreak. His roaring screams were heard throughout the Inner Kingdom—even across this narrow sea to the mainland. I was broken by her passing, as was Cas since he was so young, but my father… he was completely shattered.”

“How old was Castor when this happened?”

“Far too young, only ten. He wasn’t old enough to compete in the gauntlet, which all males and females who want to become Silver Meadows Warriors must pass in order to be worthy to carry our silver mountain emblem.”

“What happened next? This was leading to the final standoff that divided shifters and humans from the fae, wasn’t it?”

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