Chapter 23 Royal Blood
Janelle
The Southern Kingdom's training courtyard was nothing like the cold, stone spaces I had known in the north.
For two weeks, I'd been learning to be a princess and a witch at the same time, and I was failing spectacularly at both.
"Focus on your breathing," Master Aldric said patiently. "Magic flows with your emotions, Princess Janelle. If your mind is scattered, so is your power."
My mind was more than scattered. It was shattered into a thousand pieces, each one crying out for Adrian. The silver flames flickered and died as my concentration broke again.
"I can't do this," I said, sinking onto the stone bench beside the training circle. "I'm not meant to be a princess or a powerful witch. I'm just a servant girl who got caught in something too big for her."
Master Aldric, an elderly man with kind eyes and hands marked by years of magic practice, sat beside me. "Your mother said the exact same thing when she first came here."
I looked up sharply. "My mother trained here?"
"Princess Marina was one of my most gifted students," he said with a smile. "Though she fought her royal duties just as hard as you're fighting yours."
"She was already a princess when she came here?"
"The most stubborn princess in three kingdoms." Master Aldric chuckled. "She was supposed to marry your father in a grand ceremony that would unite our bloodlines and strengthen both kingdoms. Instead, she kept running away."
My heart clenched. "She didn't want to marry him?"
"She didn't want to marry anyone. Marina was wild, independent, determined to make her own choices." His expression grew sad. "Much like her daughter."
"But she did marry him eventually."
"Love has a way of changing everything," Master Aldric said softly. "Your parents fell in love despite themselves. The arranged marriage became a love match, and for a few years, everything was perfect."
"What happened?"
Master Aldric was quiet for a long moment, watching the fountain spray water into the air. "Politics. War. The same things that always destroy happiness between kingdoms."
"Tell me," I said urgently. "Please. I need to understand."
He sighed deeply. "When you were born, both kingdoms were overjoyed. You were the perfect symbol of unity, the child who would someday rule both realms and bring lasting peace. But King Magnus saw it differently."
"He saw a threat."
"He saw a future where his kingdom would be surrounded by enemies united under one crown." Master Aldric's voice grew hard. "So he began spreading rumors. Lies about your father planning to invade the north. Stories about Southern witches corrupting northern nobles. Fear about magical bloodlines taking over."
I felt sick. "He turned the people against us."
"Against the idea of unity, yes. Your parents realized that their marriage and your very existence were being used to justify persecution. Southern traders were attacked in northern cities. Northern merchants were refused entry to our ports. The alliance was becoming a war."
"So they ran."
"They sacrificed everything to protect both kingdoms from destruction." Master Aldric looked at me with gentle understanding. "They gave up their crowns, their titles, their families, and went into hiding among the Crimson Moon Pack. They chose love over duty, but they also chose peace over power."
The weight of it hit me like a physical blow. My parents hadn't just fallen in love and run away for happiness. They'd given up everything to prevent a war that would have killed thousands of innocent people.
"And Magnus killed them anyway," I whispered.
"Because he realized that as long as you lived, you represented hope. Hope that someday the kingdoms could be united in peace instead of divided by fear."
I stood up abruptly, pacing the length of the training circle. "That's why he wants me dead so badly. Not because of what I've done, but because of what I represent."
"Exactly." Master Aldric rose as well. "And that's why your magic is so important, Janelle. It's not just power for its own sake. It's the tool you need to protect the people you love and the ideals your parents died for."
"But I can barely light a candle without burning down half the garden!"
"Because you're trying to control it instead of working with it." He held out his hand, and a gentle blue flame appeared in his palm. "Magic isn't a weapon you wield. It's a part of who you are. Stop fighting it and start trusting it."
I closed my eyes and reached for the power that lived in my chest. Instead of trying to force it into shape, I simply let it exist. Silver light bloomed around me, warm and peaceful, responding to my emotions instead of my commands.
"Better," Master Aldric said approvingly. "Now, direct that feeling toward something specific. Something you care about protecting."
Without thinking, I pictured Adrian's face. The way he'd looked at me in the dungeon, desperate and determined. The way he'd whispered his final message, trusting me with secrets that could change everything. The silver fire flared brighter, stronger, more controlled than it had ever been.
"Excellent!" Master Aldric clapped his hands together. "You see? When you fight for something you believe in, the magic responds."
I opened my eyes and saw that I'd created a barrier of silver light around the entire training circle. It was beautiful and terrible and more powerful than anything I'd managed before.
"Adrian," I breathed, and the barrier flickered in response to his name.
"The northern prince," Master Aldric said knowingly. "King Edmund told me about your attachment to him."
"It's not an attachment," I said fiercely. "I love him."
"I know." Master Aldric's expression was sympathetic. "But love alone won't solve the problems facing our kingdoms. Sometimes we must choose between what our hearts want and what our people need."
"That's what everyone keeps telling me." I let the magical barrier fade, feeling drained. "But what if there's another way? What if I don't have to choose?"
"What do you mean?"
I turned to face him fully, an idea forming in my mind. "My parents ran away to prevent a war. But what if instead of running, I could find a way to create the alliance they dreamed of? What if I could unite the kingdoms without bloodshed?"
"That's a noble goal, Princess. But how?"
"I don't know yet," I admitted. "But there has to be a way. There has to be something better than hiding or accepting defeat."
Master Aldric studied my face for a long moment. "Your mother had the same look when she was planning something particularly dangerous."
"Was she usually right?"
"Usually. But she also usually got herself into terrible trouble in the process."
Before I could respond, the sound of running feet echoed across the courtyard. Darius appeared at the garden entrance, his face flushed and his usually perfect clothes disheveled.
"Janelle!" he called urgently. "You need to come with me. Now."
"What's wrong?" I asked, but I was already moving toward him. Something in his expression made my stomach clench with dread.
"A messenger just arrived from the north," he said, catching my hand as I reached him. "With news from Ashwick Castle."
We ran through the palace corridors, past startled servants and confused nobles. King Edmund was waiting in his private study, standing beside a travel-stained young man who looked like he'd ridden hard for days.
"Tell her," the King said grimly.
The messenger bowed shakily. "Your Highness, I bring word from the northern kingdom. Prince Adrian has announced his engagement to Princess Sophia Ravenscroft. The wedding is set for three days hence."
The words hit me like a physical blow. I staggered backward, and only Darius's quick reflexes kept me from falling.
"Three days?" I gasped.
"The entire kingdom is preparing for the celebration," the messenger continued. "It's said to be the grandest wedding in a generation. Prince Adrian has publicly proclaimed his love for his bride and his joy at the union."
"No." The word tore from my throat. "He wouldn't. He doesn't love her."
"He's protecting himself," King Edmund said gently. "Playing the part Sophia expects. But once he's married to her..."
"The mate bond," I whispered in horror. "It will kill him. The magical connection between us - if he marries someone else while it's still active, it could destroy his mind."
Darius's grip on my arms tightened. "Are you certain?"
"Elena told me. She said forced separation from a true mate bond can cause madness or death." Tears streamed down my face as the full implications hit me. "He's going to die, and he doesn't even know it."
"Then we have to stop the wedding," Darius said immediately.
"How?" King Edmund's voice was sharp with concern. "We're three days' ride from the northern kingdom, and that's if we kill the horses getting there. Even if we could arrive in time, what could we do? We have no army, no allies in Magnus's court."
"We have me," I said, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. "We have my magic and my royal blood."
"Janelle, that's suicide," Darius protested. "Magnus wants you dead. The moment you set foot in his kingdom, every soldier will be hunting you."
"Let them hunt." I pulled free from his grip and stood straighter, feeling something hard and determined settling in my chest. "I am Princess Janelle of the Southern Kingdom, daughter of Prince Elias, granddaughter of kings. I have royal blood and witch power and the strongest mate bond in three generations."
"What are you saying?" King Edmund asked quietly.
"I'm saying I'm done hiding. I'm done letting other people make choices for me." I looked between the two men who had become my family and my anchor in this strange new world. "I'm going to stop that wedding. I'm going to expose Magnus for what he really is. And I'm going to save the man I love."
"And if you die trying?" Darius's voice was raw with pain.
"Then I die as a princess instead of living as a coward." I turned toward the door, my mind already racing with plans. "Master Aldric was right. Magic responds to what you're fighting for. And I'm fighting for love, for justice, for the future my parents dreamed of."
"Janelle, wait," King Edmund called. "Think about what you're doing. You could have a good life here. Safety, power, a husband who adores you."
I paused at the doorway, looking back at them. "My parents gave up their crowns for love and peace. The least I can do is risk mine for the same cause."
"You're not going alone," Darius said firmly. "If you're determined to do this insane thing, then I'm coming with you."
"Darius…"
"I'm not letting you face Magnus without backup." His dark eyes blazed with determination. "We're family, Janelle. Family protects each other."
King Edmund sighed deeply, suddenly looking older than his years. "I suppose there's no talking either of you out of this?"
"None," I said and Darius said simultaneously.
"Then may the gods help us all." The King moved to his desk and began pulling out maps and documents. "If we're going to stop a royal wedding and survive the attempt, we're going to need a miracle."
"We have something better than a miracle," I said, feeling my magic respond to my determination with warm silver light. "We have the truth."
As we began
planning the most dangerous mission of our lives, one thought burned bright in my mind: Adrian had sacrificed everything to save me. Now it was my turn to save him…