The Weight of Watched Years

The Weight of Watched Years

Chapter Eighty Five: The Weight of Watched Years

The morning sun was pale and weak, barely cutting through the mist that clung to the estate grounds. 

Aiden stood at the window of his small room, watching the knights assemble in the courtyard below. 

They moved with practiced ease, their armor clinking, their voices low and gruff. 

‘It’s quite more different from those training at the mansion’, he thought. 

He had been here for two days now. Two days of watching, listening, learning. 

Two days of feeling the tether in his chest pulse like a second heartbeat, pulling him toward something he couldn't quite reach.

But he wasn't ready to go back….he doesn’t know how to either. Something was unfinished here. He could feel it in his bones.

A knock at his door pulled him from his thoughts.

"Enter," he said.

The door opened to reveal Regnok, already dressed in his training leathers, a sword at his hip. 

He looked Aiden up and down, his expression unreadable. "I am heading to the training grounds," he said. "You will remain in your room until I return."

Aiden turned from the window. His voice was calm, measured. "I wish to go with you."

Regnok's eyebrow rose. " Training ground could be tough, and you look…”, he scanned Aiden from head to toe…”Do you know how to use a sword?”

Aiden hesitated. The truth was, he was more than skilled. He had trained with Aldrich, with Grants, with warriors far deadlier than anyone in this courtyard. 

He could hold his own against almost anyone but admitting that would raise questions he couldn't answer.

"A little," he said. "I remember... some things."

It wasn't entirely a lie. He did remember. Just not from this life.

Regnok studied him for a long moment. Then, to Aiden's surprise, he nodded. "Very well. I will have a horse brought for you."

Aiden followed him downstairs. In the courtyard, a stable boy led forward a sleek grey mare. 

Regnok approached the horse, checking its tack with practiced efficiency. Then he turned to Aiden.

"Can you mount on your own?"

Aiden could easily but something made him pause. He was supposed to be a stranger with no memories. He was supposed to be helpless.

"A little help," he said quietly.

Regnok stepped closer. His hands found Aiden's waist, and he lifted him onto the horse with surprising gentleness. 

His grip was firm but careful, like he was handling something fragile. For a moment, his hands lingered, and his eyes met Aiden's.

Then he stepped back. "You are lighter than you look," he said, his voice low.

Aiden did not respond. He settled into the saddle, his hands finding the reins.

They rode out together, the knights falling into formation behind them. 

The mist parted as they moved, revealing the rolling hills beyond the estate. It was beautiful, Aiden realized. Hauntingly beautiful.

He felt eyes on him. He turned his head and saw a figure standing at an upper window of the estate…tall, broad-shouldered, watching them ride out.

‘Aldrich.’

Aiden's heart clenched. He held the King's gaze for just a moment before looking away.

He did not see Aldrich smile.



The main hall was grand in a way that felt ancient. Tapestries lined the stone walls, depicting battles and kings and wolves. 

Torches flickered in iron sconces, casting dancing shadows across the long oak table where Aiden sat.

Across from him, King Aldrich watched him with open curiosity.

"You do not eat much," Aldrich observed, gesturing to Aiden's barely touched plate.

Aiden glanced down at the food…roasted meat, fresh bread, vegetables he didn't recognize. "I am not hungry."

‘Is this what they eat in this era?’, he thought to himself. 

"You were not hungry yesterday either." Aldrich leaned back in his chair, studying him. "Or the day before. Do you not eat, Just Aiden?"

The name…Just Aiden…made something twist in Aiden's chest. That was what he had called himself. What he had told Regnok and now Aldrich was using it like a title.

The Aldrich he knew wouldn’t call him that but call him sweet names. 

"I eat when I need to," Aiden said carefully.

Aldrich's lips curved. "A man who only eats when he needs to. A man who cannot remember his past. A man who makes rogues flee in terror." 

He tilted his head, his eyes sharp. "You are a collection of contradictions, Just Aiden."

Aiden said nothing. He had learned long ago that silence was often more powerful than speech.

Regnok shifted against the wall. "My King, perhaps we should not push the stranger. He has been through much."

Aldrich glanced at his captain, amusement flickering in his eyes. "You are protective of him, Regnok. It is unlike you."

Regnok's jaw tightened. "I am cautious. There is a difference, friend."

"Is there?" Aldrich's gaze drifted back to Aiden. "Tell me, Just Aiden. Do you remember nothing of your home? Your family? Your people?"

Aiden met his gaze. His voice was steady. "No."

Aldrich studied him for a long moment. "And yet you look at me as though you know me. You speak as though you have known me for years." 

He leaned forward, his voice dropping. "Tell me the truth. Have we met before?"

Aiden's heart pounded. He wanted to say yes. He wanted to scream it from the rooftops. 

Yes! We've met! In another life! In another time! You were my mate. You were carrying our child. I loved you. I still love you.

But he swallowed the words. They burned like acid in his throat.

"No," he said. "We have not met. Your face is so striking if we had I would remember for sure”

Aldrich sat back. Something flickered in his eyes—disappointment? Frustration? He reached for his wine, taking a long drink.

"Liora arrives in three days," he said, his voice quieter now. "My bride. I don’t know if I love her. I will learn to. She is the price of peace. She seems so kind”

Aiden's heart cracked. He had known this was coming. 

He had prepared himself for it but  hearing the words from Aldrich's own lips was a different kind of pain.

"The price of peace," Aiden repeated, his voice barely above a whisper.

Aldrich looked at him sharply. "You disapprove?"

Aiden shook his head slowly. "I do not disapprove," he said. "I just... understand what it is to lose something for the sake of duty."

The air between them thickened. Something unspoken passed between them…a recognition, a shared ache.

“Your scent it’s…never have I come across it. Are you an Omega?”, Aldrich asked. 

Regnok stepped forward. "My King, the sun is setting. Perhaps the stranger should rest."

Aldrich did not look away from Aiden. "Yes," he said softly. "Perhaps he should."



The gardens were quiet. The evening light painted everything in shades of gold and amber. 

Aiden walked slowly, his fingers brushing the petals of flowers he had never seen before. 

The tether in his chest pulsed steadily, a constant reminder of the life waiting for him.

He heard footsteps behind him. He did not turn. He already knew who it was.

"You come here often," Aldrich said, falling into step beside him. "I have noticed."

Aiden kept his eyes on the flowers. "It is quiet here."

"Quiet," Aldrich repeated. "Yes. The estate is rarely quiet. There is always something…someone…demanding attention." 

He paused. "You seem to prefer solitude."

"I prefer peace," Aiden said.

Aldrich stopped walking. Aiden stopped too. 

They stood among the flowers, the evening light catching the edges of Aldrich's crown.

"Do you truly not remember where you are from?" Aldrich asked. His voice was softer now, almost gentle.

Aiden turned to face him. "I told you. I do not."

Aldrich searched his eyes. "You lie poorly, Just Aiden." 

He stepped closer. "You lie the way someone does when they are protecting something. Or someone." 

He tilted his head. "What are you protecting?"

You, Aiden thought. I'm protecting you. I'm protecting us. I'm protecting our child.

But he said nothing.

Aldrich sighed, running a hand through his hair. "My bride arrives in three days. Liora." 

He said her name like a weight on his shoulders. "She is beautiful and kind. Would it be weird to say I’m excited to see her?. She will make a good queen.”

Aiden's heart ached. "You sound as though you are trying to convince yourself."

Aldrich looked at him sharply. Then his expression softened. "Perhaps I am." 

He stepped closer. His hand rose, brushing a stray leaf from Aiden's shoulder. 

"There is something about you, Just Aiden. Something I cannot name. It pulls at me. It makes me want to know you. To understand you."

Aiden's breath caught. He looked up into Aldrich's eyes..those familiar, beloved eyes…and for a moment, he wanted to surrender. He wanted to tell the truth.

But the tether in his chest pulsed, sharp and insistent. A warning. A reminder.

Do not change the past, it seemed to say. Do not risk the future.

Aiden stepped back. "You should focus on your bride," he said quietly. "She is the one you chose."

Aldrich's hand fell to his side. Something flickered in his eyes…pain, perhaps. Or longing.

"Perhaps," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "But I cannot stop wondering what would have happened if I had chosen differently."

He walked away, leaving Aiden alone among the flowers.

Aiden pressed a hand to his chest, feeling the tether pulse beneath his palm. 

His eyes burned with tears he refused to let fall.

What would have happened, he thought. If you had chosen me.



Three days passed and then she arrived.

Liora.

She entered the great hall like a queen already, her gown trailing behind her, her dark hair woven with gold thread and winter flowers. 

She was beautiful…there was no denying that. Her smile was warm, her eyes kind, her presence graceful.

Everyone bowed as she passed. Everyone except Aiden.

He stood at the edge of the hall, watching. Watching as Aldrich stepped forward to greet her. 

Watching as he took her hand and kissed it. Watching as the people cheered for their future queen.

His chest ached. It was a dull, persistent pain that had settled beneath his ribs and refused to leave.

The celebration was elaborate. Music filled the hall, and servants moved through the crowd with trays of food and drink. Knights laughed with their companions. Ladies whispered behind their fans.

Aiden stayed at the edges. He did not drink or eat. He simply watched.

And then the dancing began.

Aldrich led Liora to the center of the hall. 

He placed a hand on her waist, and they moved together in perfect rhythm. 

They looked beautiful together…the king and his soon-to-be queen. A perfect picture of what should be.

Aiden could not bear to watch.

He slipped out of the hall, through a side door, and into the cool night air. 

The music faded behind him, replaced by the sound of the wind.

He walked until he found a quiet corner of the courtyard. And then he stopped.

He was not alone.

Regnok stood in the shadows, his back against a pillar, his face turned toward the sky. He looked... broken. 

His usual composure was gone, replaced by something raw and wounded.

Aiden approached slowly. "Regnok?"

The captain did not look at him. "You should be inside," he said. "You are missing the celebration."

"I could not watch anymore," Aiden said softly. He stood beside Regnok, looking up at the stars. "They look happy together."

Regnok let out a hollow laugh. "Happy," he repeated. "Yes. They look happy."

Aiden studied his face. In the dim light, he could see the tightness in Regnok's jaw, the pain in his eyes. 

"Your best friend is getting married soon," Aiden said carefully. "You should be happy for him."

Regnok's hands clenched at his sides. "Is it selfish," he said, his voice low and rough, "if I wanted her for myself?"

Aiden stilled. He had suspected, but hearing the words spoken aloud was something different.

"You love her," Aiden said. It was not a question.

Regnok turned to him, his eyes burning with something dark and desperate. "I have loved her for years. Before he ever noticed her. Before the politics. Before any of this." 

He laughed again, but it was a broken sound. "But I am the captain. He is the king. And she... she is the price of peace."

Aiden did not know what to say. He knew this story. He knew it ended in betrayal. In blood. In the fall of a kingdom.

But he could not remember the details. They were buried deep, like a nightmare he had once dreamed and then forgotten.

"Regnok," Aiden said, choosing his words carefully, "jealousy is a poison. It will consume you if you let it."

Regnok looked at him, and there was something dangerous in his eyes. "You speak as though you have experienced it."

Aiden held his gaze. "I have," he said simply. "I know what it is to want someone you cannot have."

Regnok studied him for a long moment and then, slowly, some of the tension in his shoulders eased.

"Perhaps," he said quietly, "we are more alike than I thought."

They stood together in the dark, two men carrying the weight of impossible love.

And somewhere inside Aiden, a warning bell began to ring.



As Aiden returned to his room that night, he passed by a study where voices drifted out. He paused.

Regnok's voice, low and urgent: "She should not have come. You should not have let her."

And Aldrich's voice, sharp: "She is my bride, Regnok. The alliance is everything."

"She is everything to…" Regnok stopped himself. The silence stretched, heavy with unspoken words.

Then Aldrich spoke again, quieter this time "I know you love her. I have always known. But I would love her too, I am beginning to love her."

Aiden's blood ran cold.

He pressed himself against the wall, his heart pounding. 

He had known Regnok loved Liora. But hearing Aldrich acknowledge it…knowingly…changed everything.

‘How long had Aldrich known? How long had he carried the weight of his captain's love?’

‘And how dangerous would Regnok become when that love curdled into something darker?’

The thoughts circled his mind. 

Aiden slipped away into the shadows, the warning bell in his chest growing louder.