Page 68 of Stolen Magic

I tried to quiet the darkness I’d let consume me for so long as it whispered I was unworthy, that my past had written the end of my story. Gwen’s words echoed through me, the light to combat the sinister shadows:there’s no need to continue carrying your guilt like a burden of penance and punishing yourself. You don’t have to be forever bound by the belief that everything you’ve felt or done is a mistake.

Even if the past remained unchanging, it still wasn’t too late to begin again…but before anything else, he deserved to know everything.

“Before you decide if I’m truly the one you want, there is one more truth I haven’t yet confessed.”

His brow furrowed slightly, but he didn’t interrupt—only watched me with that thoughtful patience he always had.

I drew a steadying breath. “The full memories were taken from you, but in truth, I came to Eldoria as an imposter with the intent to steal and destroy the kingdom I believed had stolen everything from me. For years, I clung to vengeance, telling myself hate was necessary to survive, that revenge would rebuild what I'd lost…but all it ever did was burn through me until only ashes remained…until I met you.”

I tentatively looked up. His expression hadn’t shifted, but something in his gaze deepened—a quiet understanding and empathy part of me still didn’t dare hope for.

“You didn’t fit the story I’d told myself about Eldoria, the land built on cruelty, its prince without mercy. You were kind,thoughtful, gentle. Little by little, you found your way into my heart, challenging everything I thought I knew. You made me believe that maybe my past didn’t have to decide my future, that maybe I could become more than the girl who once desired to burn and instead be someone worth loving.”

I braced myself for his reaction, fearing disappointment or disgust, but he didn’t hesitate for even an instant to reach out and tenderly take my hand in his.

“I am so sorry for the pain you’ve endured,” he said. “I can’t undo what’s been done, but I can promise you that every scar you carry and every secret from your past matters to me. If you choose to stay with me, if you’ll let me, I’ll spend my life helping you heal.”

Tears blurred my vision as I stared at him, letting the love and tenderness of his words seep into all the broken places I’d thought would never mend. He knew the truth—every lie, weakness, and mistake—and still, he chose me…allowing me to finally believe that I was worthy of choosing him, too.

“I used to believe my hate was stronger than anything I possessed,” I said. “Stronger than grief, even stronger than love. But then I met you, and somehow, despite every wall I built, you reached me. You really saw me when I couldn’t even see myself. And somewhere along the way, the hate began to fade—not because I forgot what I’d lost, but because I finally found something worth building instead.”

Slowly, I reached for him. He took my hand, his fingers curling around mine with a tenderness that felt like coming home. “I don’t believe you ever truly hated me,” he murmured. “You were deeply and unjustly hurt in a way no one should ever have to endure. And though you came here to right that wrong, from the beginning you saw me for myself. Long before you learned to trust me, you looked past my title instead of letting hatred blind you. You may have believed you were nothing morethan a witch on a journey of vengeance, but you have always been so much more. From the moment we met, the goodness of your heart shone through, whether you realized it or not.”

His sweet words cradled my heart, healing the last of the fractures until none remained. “I love you,” I whispered. “Even when I tried not to. Not as a prince or even as the man who saved me, but as the man who stood in the wreckage of everything I was, and still saw someone worth reaching for. I thought loving you would be the ultimate betrayal—to my mother, to my past, to the girl I used to be. But now I think the real betrayal would be walking away from what we could create together.”

His hand rose to gently cup my cheek, as if I were something infinitely precious. I leaned into the warmth of his touch, my eyes fluttering shut as I allowed myself to bask in all of him—his tenderness, his care in the way he held me, as though I might vanish if he wasn’t gentle enough.

“I love you too, Lysa.” The words trembled with emotion, the weight of truth anchoring each word. “Even before I fully remembered, I think my heart always knew.”

My breath caught upon hearing my name attached to his love. “Can you say it again?”

He smiled. “Lysa, my love.” He leaned forward, and my heart met him halfway. Our lips met—not rushed, but as reverent as a vow, soft and achingly real, as though we had all the time in the world to explore the beauty of our newfound feelings. The kiss didn’t steal breath or demand answers, but gave space to everything we were and all that we felt for one another.

His hands cradled my face, thumbs brushing away a tear I hadn’t realized had fallen, grounding me to the impossible truth that I was no longer alone in loving him.

I leaned into him, my fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt, holding on as if anchoring myself to this moment. I kissed him back with everything I had—every ache, every regret, everyfragile hope that had carried me through the darkest of nights—and he answered in kind, giving all of himself in return. There was no more pretending, no more borrowed names or stolen titles. Just two people who had once stood on opposite sides of a broken world, now daring to believe they could build something whole together.

When we finally parted we rested our foreheads together, our breath mingling, hearts stumbling in the same rhythm. I opened my eyes to find him already watching me, his expression filled with awe and wonder, like he was still trying to believe I was real.

For a long moment, neither of us spoke. There was no need with all the precious feelings enfolding us. I allowed myself to bask in him, the silence between us full and warm and brimming with understanding.

At last, he spoke. “I don’t know what the future holds, but I can’t wait to discover it with you. If you’re willing, I would like to keep courting you. Together, we can build something real and honest from the ashes.”

This time, I was the one to lean in and kiss him. A gentle swirl of violet magic rose from my still-untrained palm, curling around us like a blessing. All the hatred I’d once carried for his kingdom had transformed into love for the man who would someday rule it. I no longer clung to the pain of what I had been, but to the joy I found in him and the hope of what our future together held.

I wanted Callan. Not the crown prince, just the man who had seen me at my worst and loved me anyway. We were no longer prince and impostor, just two souls who had found each other across the ruins of the past—and perhaps, at last, found a new beginning.

EPILOGUE

The bells began to ring just as morning light broke over the eastern hills, spilling fiery gold across the valley reminiscent of the flames that had once destroyed my world, now transformed into the symbol of a new beginning I was about to make mine.

Today, I would marry Callan.

Our courtship had been the most beautiful of dreams, made all the more magical in the wake of the nightmare I’d endured for so long. Even so, the months that led up to today had been anything but simple.

Every step forward with him was shadowed by the truths I still hadn’t told—the secrets coiled like thorns around the heart I’d guarded for so long. Each one took time to face, to unearth, and eventually to heal.

He remained a unwavering presence throughout, offering understanding and light as I sorted through the ruins of who I’d been and who I still hoped to become. Gradually, I rediscovered myself, giving him piece by piece until he had all of me. To my delight, he gave me all of himself in return.

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