Page 115 of Daughter of the Serpent

“You’re out of options.” He said flatly before sighing.

Releasing her he regained his feet and stepped back, offering his hand.

She ignored it.

“Look, you made your own decision, Sylvie,” Axel said, his breath steady despite their sparring. “And I respected it, even when I disagreed. If I had stepped in, I would’ve made you look weak in their eyes. Is that what you wanted?”

Sylvie faltered, moving herself upward, trying to catch her breath. “And what do you think walking away looked like?” Her voice cracked with frustration, as she rubbed her wrist.

“Are you ashamed of me?”

As the words spilled out unchecked, a sudden ache bloomed in her chest, so strong her breath caught.

Such thought seemed to pierce her deep, too deep.

Axel froze mid - step, his expression startled. “Ashamed of you?” he repeated, his tone incredulous. He took a step closer, his eyes locked on hers. “Is that what you think?”

Her silence was answer enough.

“You need to understand something, Sylvie,” he said firmly, his voice softening just enough to carry a trace of frustration. “I am not the temple. I am not Haldor. I will not control your choices. I won’tinterfere unless you ask me to or unless I believe you’re putting your life in true danger.”

Her head snapped up, her eyes blazing. “What do you think that was yesterday?” she demanded. “Bjorn would’ve killed me in that ring!”

His jaw tightened, his composure slipping. “Do you honestly think I would’ve let that happen?” His voice rose, edged with something sharp. “I knew Haldor wouldn’t let anything happen to you. That whole time, I knew that regardless of such a decision - you would be safe. Haldor would never allow you to be harmed.”

Her mouth opened, ready to lash out, but the words caught in her throat. She glared at him, her anger still bubbling, but a sliver of doubt began to seep in. “Then why did you walk away?”

Axel stepped closer, closing the space between them. His voice dropped to a near whisper, but it carried a weight that pinned her in place. “Because you didn’t need me to stand beside you at that moment. You needed to stand on your own.”

The heat in her chest flared again, her frustration warring with a deeper, more unsettling realization. She wanted to shout at him, to accuse him of abandoning her - but the truth lodged in her throat like a blade. She had faced Bjorn. She had survived. She had shown the people she was capable, even if she lost in the end.

She wasn’t sure if she hated him for it or was grateful.

Axel stood before her, his breath escaping in white plumes, dissipating into the air. She watched as his fingers flexed against the hilt of his sword, his usual confidence absent, replaced with something unfamiliar - hesitation.

“Despite what you might think,” he said finally, his voice low but steady, “I am proud of who you’ve become these past few weeks.”

His words surprised her, the admission catching her off guard. She studied him, her brows knitting together as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. There was a strangeness to him, a vulnerability she wasn’t used to seeing. His gaze flicked away, as though the trees or the snow - covered ground might shield him from the weightof his own words. “You had Bjorn in the ring,” he continued, his tone quieter now. “You could’ve taken his life. If not for your hesitancy, you would’ve won the fight.”

“You saw that part, did you?” she pressed, her eyes narrowing, her anger still not dissipated.

His shoulders rose and fell with a sigh, his breath curling in the air. “When he took you down, when you were at his feet... something shifted in me. I couldn’t just stand there…” He faltered, his jaw tightening. Then, finally, he looked at her, his gaze burning with an intensity she had never seen. “Sylvie, if I had stayed, I would have cut through every man to get to you. I would have carved into Bjorns flesh and body to serve at Rederick’s feet. I would have torn through them all if I had seen him touch a hair on your golden head.”

Her breath hitched, a jolt of shock running through her.

She hadn’t expected that.

The heat in his words seared through her, leaving her stunned and uncertain. The passion, the fire in his voice - it wasn’t anger. It was something far more dangerous.

His expression softened, regret creeping into his features. “But I see now... I hurt you by my actions,” he said, his voice quieter, edged with guilt. “I’m sorry for that.”

Her lips parted, but no words came. She felt as though the ground beneath her had shifted. “So you’re not ashamed of me…” she managed at last, her voice quieter now, almost a whisper.

Axel’s gaze didn’t waver, his eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that made her feel exposed, seen in a way that left her breathless.

“Never.” His voice was firm, resolute.

Her throat tightened. She nodded, unsure of what to say, unsure of how to respond to the storm of emotions his words had stirred. The air between them felt charged, as if the world itself held its breath. Axel’s gaze bore into hers, unrelenting, filled with something she couldn’t quite name.

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