Page 83 of Burning Star

I close my fist around the ring, its cold edges biting into my palm. A promise of the pain to come if I slide it onto my finger and accept.

But as much as I want to throw the ring as far away from me as possible—to shatter the future the Tides showed me—I can’t refuse it. Not yet. Not until I know that everything I’ve worked for won’t be destroyed the moment I place the ring back into my father’s hand.

So, I gather myself together and hold his unwavering gaze.

“If I return this ring to you,” I say, my voice carrying across the silent arena. “You will first swear a binding oath. A deal. With me.”

Murmurs ripple through the crowd, but I quiet them with a raised hand.

Confusion flashes across my father’s face

“After all the suffering I’ve inflicted,” he says, his voice strained with disbelief, “you would allow me to rule?”

“Not without conditions.” Frost forms around my closed fist, crystallizing the ring within my grip.

“I’d expect nothing else.” He nods for me to continue, looking at me with something I never thought I’d see from him—pride.“State your terms.”

I stand tall, drawing on every lesson in diplomacy I’ve been taught since childhood. This is no ordinary agreement between fae, and I won’t leave room for escape or interpretation.

“I, Prince Riven Draevor of the Winter and Summer Courts, offer these terms,” I begin, clear and strong. “Firstly, you will unite the full strength of the Winter Court with the Summer Court against the Night Court and the Blood Coven’s threat. You will commit our warriors, our resources, and our magic without reservation or delay.”

His eyes remain locked on mine as I continue.

“Secondly, you will acknowledge Princess Sapphire Hayes Fairmont Solandriel Draevor as my wife and the Winter and Summer Princess, granting her all rights, privileges, and protections afforded to a member of the royal bloodline. You will ensure that every subject, every noble, and every warrior of the Winter Court treats her with the respect and deference her position demands.”

Frost gathers at my feet, spreading in intricate patterns across the ice.

“You will respect the bond between me and my wife,” I say sharply, “not only as a political alliance, but as a soul-binding recognized by the gods themselves. You will never attempt to separate us, undermine our authority, or question the validity of our bond.”

Calculation and question flash across my father’s eyes.

He still doesn’t know about Sapphire being star touched. He has no idea how the carving in my palm left a scar despite my supernatural healing, let alone anything about the celestial weapon that put it there.

But those explanations are for later, after I place the Winter Court’s pieces exactly where I want them to be.

“Finally, you will not allow madness cloud your judgment again,” I tell him. “At the first sign of your reason faltering, you will yield your authority to me until your mind is restored.”

I pause, letting each term settle into the frozen air of the arena.

“Those are my terms,” I finish. “Do you accept?”

I wait, barely able to breathe, praying it’s enough.

For a moment, I think it won’t be.

But he rises to his feet, his posture straightening as he faces the silent crowd, then turns back to me.

“I, King Nivian Draevor of the Winter Court, swear by ice and blood, by the ancient powers that have sustained the Winter Court since its founding,” he begins, his voice carrying to every corner of the arena as he repeats the terms of our deal, exactly as I laid them out.

Once finished, he extends his hand to me, palm up, ready to seal the oath.

For a heartbeat, I hesitate. Trust is dangerous, especially with him. But this is the best chance at peacefully moving toward a future where the Night Court and Blood Coven don’t pose a threat to the realms.

So, I reach for his hand, clasping his wrist.

Frost crawls outward from our joined arms, wrapping around us in spirals of winter magic. It seeps into our skin, binding the oath into our bones—unbreakable, inescapable, and eternal.

The crowd gasps as the frost shatters into diamond dust that rains to the ground.

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