Chapter 252 TEIGEN LXXXII
When the song ended, two bards stepped forward carrying a silver basin. Within it lay a crown made of pale flowers that seemed to glow softly.
“A token,” the bard said, “of unity between night and day.”
Audrey hesitated.
“Go,” Darius said softly. “They honor you.”
She rose and stepped down from the dais. Her skirts brushed the floor as she walked.
From the side, she saw Greer smiling, Orchid watching quietly. Anaise began to rise from her seat, but Astrid caught her wrist and pulled her back down.
“Sit,” Astrid whispered.
Anaise obeyed, though unease crossed her face.
Audrey reached the center of the hall. The bard lifted the crown.
“For the Alpha King’s chosen.”
The moment the flowers touched her head, pain struck. Sharp and sudden.
Audrey gasped and raised her hand. Blood stained her fingers.
The music faltered. The hall fell silent.
Then a voice rang out. “Even the flowers reject her.”
The words cut through the air.
Chaos followed. Nobles rose, voices rising in alarm.
Darius was already moving. His chair fell behind him as he rushed forward.
“Audrey.”
He caught her as she swayed, his arm steady around her. Blood ran down her temple.
“Silence,” he commanded. His voice carried power, and the hall fell still.
“Guards,” he said sharply. “Take the bards.”
“Your Majesty,” Audrey whispered weakly. “It may not be their fault.”
He shook his head. “You are hurt. That is all that matters.”
Her ladies rushed forward. Greer, Orchid, and Cordelia gathered near.
Audrey leaned against him, her strength fading. “I am all right,” she murmured.
He did not believe her. Without hesitation, he lifted her into his arms.
Elder Azalia stepped forward from the crowd. “Take her to the physician at once,” she said.
As they left the hall, Audrey caught sight of Anaise, pale with worry. Beside her, Astrid watched, her expression unreadable.
The corridors seemed to darken as Darius carried her through them. His steps were quick, his grip firm.
“Stay with me,” he murmured. “You will be well.”
Audrey stirred. “Do not punish them,” she whispered. “The bards meant no harm.”
“They hurt you,” he said.
The doors to the physician’s chamber opened. Theron hurried forward.
“Lay her here,” he said.
Darius placed her gently on the table. She winced as her head touched the cloth.
Elder Azalia entered soon after. “The hall is cleared,” she said. “We may tend to her in peace.”
Theron worked quickly, preparing a balm. Greer and Orchid waited nearby, pale with worry.
“I am fine,” Audrey said softly. “It is only a small wound.”
Darius looked at her, his voice low. “You said the same when your hands were burned. I will not believe it again.”
She met his gaze, her vision unsteady.
When the cloth touched her wound, she flinched.
“It is deep,” Theron said. “Something sharp was hidden in the crown.”
Azalia studied the crown lying nearby. “This was no simple accident,” she said.
Darius’s jaw tightened. “Then someone will answer for it.”
“Anger will not help her now,” Azalia replied.
After a moment, Darius sat beside Audrey, though tension still filled him.
Theron wrapped her head carefully. “You must rest,” he said.
Audrey turned slightly toward Darius. “Do not punish them,” she said again. “It may be someone else.”
He frowned. “Someone else?”
“The man from Brailer,” she said softly. “The one who tried to kill me.”
Darius’s expression darkened.
“I told you not to worry about him,” he said.
“And I told you ignoring him will not make him vanish,” she replied.
“He tried to kill you,” Darius said. “If he is here, I will find him.”
“And if he is not?”
He looked at her, and his anger softened into something else.
“You trust too easily,” he said.
“And you trust too little,” she answered.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “You are stubborn.”
“And you are overbearing,” she said faintly.
A small smile touched his lips. “Then we are well matched.”
He leaned down and kissed her. It was soft at first, then deeper, filled with everything left unsaid. “I thought I had lost you,” he whispered.
“Darius…”
“Your Majesty,” Azalia’s voice cut in. “Remember where you are.”
Darius exhaled and pulled back. “The gods have seen worse,” he muttered.
He brushed a strand of hair from Audrey’s face. “Rest,” he said. “I will see this dealt with.”
Azalia turned to the others. “Draw the curtains. Keep the moonlight away from her tonight.”
The room grew quiet once more.
Later, Audrey lay half-asleep, her head aching. Darius still sat beside her, holding her hand.
“You should go,” she murmured. “Your court needs you.”
“They can wait,” he said. “I will not leave you.”
She smiled faintly. “You are impossible.”
“Only when it comes to you.”
Her eyes closed as sleep took her.
From the doorway, Azalia watched in silence. Her gaze rested not on the king, but on Audrey.
For a moment, something faint seemed to stir beneath the girl’s skin, like light hidden beneath water.
The Oracle’s expression did not change, but her eyes grew sharper.
“It has begun,” she whispered quietly.
~
For a moment, I lay still, feeling the faint ache behind my eyes where last night’s pain had been. The sharp sting from the flower crown was gone, leaving only a dull throb that faded with each breath.
The scent of lavender lingered in the air. Someone had tended to me in the night. I didn’t need to guess who.
Darius.
A small, tired smile touched my lips before I even opened my eyes. I could still feel the memory of his touch, the rough warmth of his fingers brushing over my bandaged hands, his voice low with worry when he thought I slept.
“Stubborn woman,” he had murmured.
I had been too tired to answer him. Too weak to tell him that his protectiveness was the very thing that made my chest ache. That his love, fierce and unyielding, felt at times like a flame meant both to guard and to consume.