The palace looked different at dawn.
Mist clung to the cobblestones, veiling the whitewashed walls in a hushed breath. Aeryn crossed the inner courtyards with measured steps, her boots muffled on the stone, a satchel slung over her shoulder, and the parchment still folded tightly in her pocket.
Her breath curled in the morning chill as she passed marble statues and fountains still frozen in shadow. The east wing loomed ahead—a quieter part of the palace, known for its proximity to the royal chambers. The closer she walked, the fewer guards there were. Not because it was unguarded, but because here, every glance was sharper, every silence more dangerous.
As she neared the long eastern colonnade, the hush was broken by soft footsteps and muffled voices echoing around the corner. Aeryn paused near a tall archway.
Two figures stood ahead.
A young woman in a pale cloak, delicate in frame but upright in posture, stepped hesitantly across the courtyard. Her pale golden hair peeked beneath her hood, her breath shallow from the cold—or perhaps nerves. She paused at the base of the steps.
Before her stood Crown Prince Kael.
He was dressed simply, in muted gray and a dark sash, his expression carved from ice.
The woman hesitated, her voice barely above a whisper. "Brother."
Kael inclined his head slightly. "Mira."
Her fingers clenched around the hem of her cloak. "It's been five years."
"You were safer in Caldria," he said.
"You mean out of sight."
His jaw tightened, and he took a single step closer—not too near. "No. I mean away from court. Away from the whispers. Away from our brother."
Mira lowered her eyes. "He wouldn't dare—"
"He dares much." Kael's voice was soft, but cold. "He's watching everyone I care about. And I won't let him use you to get to me."
She looked up again, eyes misting. "You don't even ask how I've been."
"You're standing. That's enough for now."
She flinched. Not at the words, but at the way he said them—with too much distance, too much calculation.
Kael's gaze flicked briefly over her shoulder, noticing Aeryn's silhouette standing in the archway.
Mira followed his gaze and tilted her head slightly, eyes narrowing as if trying to place a memory.
"That one... I think I saw him on the road back to Valara. Shared a coach with me and half a loaf of terrible bread. He didn't say much, but he listened. Polite. Quiet. Kind of like you."
Kael's gaze sharpened for a moment, then softened just enough to acknowledge the thought.
"He's a new recruit," he said, voice even. "Assigned directly to me."
Mira gave a small, amused huff. "Then he's braver than he looks. Hope you don't scare him off like you do the rest."
She said it lightly, without suspicion, and certainly without any hint she knew Aeron's true identity.
Then, without another word, she turned and disappeared into the halls.
Kael stood alone for a moment, before finally gesturing for Aeryn to step forward.
She moved with careful grace, stopping a few paces away.
He didn't speak right away, only studied her.
Aeryn's breath caught—just for a moment. That face, more angular now, older, colder, but unmistakable. The same sharp gaze. The same quiet presence. Her little master.
She kept her expression still, locked in the composure she had practiced for years. No one would know the storm flickering beneath her calm.
It had been eight years since they last saw each other. And now, he stood before her—not as the boy hiding behind her family's stables, but as the Crown Prince of Tharion.
Did he recognize her too? She wasn't sure. She was older now, disguised, hardened. To him, she might look like just another recruit with a forged name and a steady hand.
But to her, he was the light in her dark childhood. The reason she'd learned to fight. The reason she believed in something more.
And despite the years, despite his sudden disappearance all those years ago—she felt no anger. Only warmth. Only gratitude.
"You received your orders?"
Her voice was even when she replied "Yes, my lord."
He turned toward the eastern corridor. "Then follow. We begin now."
No welcome. No explanation.
Just orders.
Aeryn inhaled slowly and stepped into the shadows behind him.
Whatever this assignment was, she had just crossed into a part of the palace where nothing was simple.
And no one was exactly what they seemed.