Far across the realm, beyond Sapphire's glimmering shores, the thrones of the other seven kingdoms began to stir.
In Valmora, a land of endless marble towers and cunning courts, Prince Alric stood before a mirror, adjusting the silver rings on his fingers. He had eyes like cold steel and a mind sharper than most blades.
"So the bastard lives," he mused. "And he's handsome, they say. Charismatic. Noble in stance. Fire-kissed."
He chuckled softly. "Just what the realm loves."
His sister, Princess Vaenya, draped in black lace and ambition, leaned against the wall. "A dragon at his side. A whisper of prophecy. The people will flock to him."
"They won't if he never leaves Eldmere," Alric said. "Or better yet... if he never leaves alive."
—
In Gravemire, where the land was cold and the kings colder, Queen Saria's twin sons, both warriors raised in shadow, sat at a war table, plotting. They had heard of Marcus's beauty, his blood, and his bond with a dragon.
"He threatens balance," one said.
"He threatens opportunity," the other replied.
They sent ravens.
Not to kill.
But to tempt.
—
Meanwhile, Marcus rode beneath a blood-orange sky. His cloak whipped behind him, revealing sharp features—strong jaw, piercing eyes, and a face that turned heads in every village he passed. He looked like a prince, though he bore no crown.
He looked like the stories.
At Eldmere's edge, he dismounted by the ruined lighthouse. The sea crashed violently against the cliffs, and the wind carried salt and memory.
She was already there.
Alina Daemon, dressed in traveling armor, her sword strapped to her back. Her face was unreadable—but her eyes softened when they met his.
Neither spoke for a long moment.
Then finally, she said, "You look like him. Younger, more defiant… but him."
"You mean our father?" Marcus asked.
She nodded. "And your mother?"
"She died when I was young. My adoptive father raised me. Taught me to survive. Taught me the blade."
She stepped closer.
"I don't know what you are, Marcus. Bastard. Brother. Threat. Savior. But I had to see you."
"And now that you have?"
"I see someone the world will chase," she said softly. "And someone I might stand beside… if you let me."
But before Marcus could reply, a shadow moved in the cliffs.
The glint of steel.
They were not alone.