By the time Alexander returned to the palace, the noise of the tavern had faded behind him. The corridors were nearly empty, the servants having long since retired to their quarters. Only the occasional footsteps of a guard broke the silence.
He loosened the collar of his shirt as he climbed the stairs to his chamber.
The evening had taken more out of him than he cared to admit. Between the discussion with Gabriel and Liam, the state of the eastern territories, and Isabella's persistent attention, his head was still crowded with unfinished thoughts.
He changed, washed the dust from his face and hands, then dropped onto the bed without bothering to summon a servant.
Sleep came quickly. At first, there was nothing. Then Alexander found himself standing somewhere he did not recognize. He looked down. There was no ground beneath his boots. A pale light stretched in every direction, without walls or a ceiling. It was not bright enough to hurt his eyes, yet he could see everything clearly. He turned slowly.
This was the second night in a row that the same two women had appeared in his dreams. Alexander had dismissed the first encounter as nothing more than a strange product of an overworked mind, but seeing them again made that explanation harder to accept. Strangely, although he remembered their faces clearly, their names had slipped from his memory.
The place was the same, too. He recognized the strange celestial realm almost immediately, yet he still had no idea what it meant or why his mind had brought him back here. The two women stood several paces away. The first sat beside a large wooden frame, a length of thread looped around her fingers. Dark hair fell over one shoulder, catching faint red where the strange light touched it. Her hands moved with practiced precision as she worked the needle through a piece of cloth.
Alexander watched for a moment. The pattern was intricate. He could not tell what it depicted, only that every stitch seemed deliberate. She looked up. Her eyes met his.
"You shouldn't be here."
Alexander glanced behind him. There was still no one else. "Where is here?"
She gave a small smile, as though the question amused her. "A place that belongs to no kingdom."
"That tells me very little."
"It is not supposed to."
There was something unsettling about the calmness in her voice.
Alexander stepped closer. "Who are you?"
The woman lowered her embroidery onto her lap. "Seraphina."
The name meant nothing to him. He studied her instead. She carried herself with a quiet confidence that reminded him of people who had never needed to raise their voices to be obeyed.
"And what do you do here, Seraphina?"
She glanced at the embroidery. "I weave."
"Cloth?"
"Stories. Memories. Possibilities."
Alexander raised an eyebrow. That sounded like the sort of answer a priest might give when he did not want to answer a question.
"And what do you want?"
For the first time, she hesitated. Her fingers tightened slightly around the thread. "To create something that will remain when I am gone."
The answer caught him off guard. Before he could ask anything else, laughter came from somewhere behind him. He turned.
The second woman was standing beside a long wooden table covered with bowls, herbs and strange-looking fruits. She was younger than Seraphina, with golden-brown curls tied loosely behind her head. A smear of flour marked one cheek.
"You ask too many questions," she said.
Alexander looked at her. "Do you know me?"
"No."
"Then why say that?"
"Because you've been asking questions since you arrived." She picked up a small spoon and tasted whatever was simmering in the bowl. Her nose wrinkled. "Needs salt."
Alexander almost laughed. "Who are you?"
"Ariella."
"And what do you do?"
She gestured toward the table. "Cook."
"That's it?"
"Is there something wrong with cooking?"
"No. I was expecting something more..."
"Impressive?"
He smiled. "Perhaps."
Ariella pointed the spoon at him. "People have a habit of underestimating things they think are ordinary."
There was no anger in her voice. Somehow, that made the remark sharper. Alexander looked between the two women. Seraphina had already returned to her embroidery.
Ariella was busy adjusting the contents of her pot. Neither seemed particularly interested in him anymore. Strangely, that bothered him. He took another step forward. "What drives you?"
Ariella glanced at him over her shoulder. "Food."
Alexander waited.
She laughed. "Fine. You want a better answer?"
"I wouldn't mind one."
"I like making something that people can share. Something that makes them sit together when they might otherwise be alone."
She stirred the pot again. "Sometimes feeding someone is the easiest way to remind them that they matter."
Alexander said nothing. His gaze shifted toward Seraphina. "And you?"
She paused with the needle between her fingers.
"What drives you?"
Her eyes remained on the cloth. "Knowing that something beautiful can be made from almost nothing."
The thread disappeared beneath the fabric. "One stitch at a time."
Alexander watched her hands. There was something familiar about the words, though he could not have said why. He opened his mouth to ask another question. The world shifted.
The pale light dimmed. Ariella's voice became distant. Seraphina's face blurred. Alexander reached toward them. "Wait."
Neither woman answered. The ground seemed to tilt beneath him. He woke with a sharp breath. For several seconds he stared at the canopy above his bed. His room was dark. The fire in the hearth had burned low, leaving only a dull red glow among the logs. Somewhere outside, a horse stamped against the stable floor. Alexander pushed himself upright.
His heart was beating harder than it should have been. He rubbed a hand over his face. Two strangers. A ridiculous dream. And yet he could still remember the exact movement of Seraphina's fingers as she pulled the thread through the cloth.
He swung his legs over the side of the bed. By morning, he had already decided it meant nothing. There was too much waiting for him in the waking world.
***
The council chamber was already occupied when Alexander arrived. King Leopold sat at the head of the long table, with General Lucius standing beside him. Several maps had been spread across the table, held down at the corners by metal weights. Alexander took his usual seat. His father did not waste time.
"Lucius."
The general placed one finger on the map. "Three creatures have been sighted near the borders of Verdura."
Alexander leaned forward. "How close?"
"Close enough that the villages are beginning to empty."
The room quieted.
Lucius pointed toward the southern edge of the map. "The first is a Glacial Behemoth. Large. Larger than anything our scouts have encountered in that region." He moved his finger further along the marked route. "Its body is covered in what appears to be natural frost armour. The creature is strong enough to overturn trees and break through stone structures. It also appears capable of producing ice."
Alexander studied the map. "And the others?"
"The second is a Venomous Viperid." Lucius's expression hardened. "Serpentine. Fast. Its venom is lethal, and unlike the Behemoth, it does not rely on brute strength. Our scouts lost two men trying to track it."
Alexander looked up. "Dead?"
"Yes."
A silence settled over the chamber.
Lucius continued. "The third has been more difficult to observe." He placed his hand over another section of the map. "The Lurking Shadowfiend."
Alexander frowned. "What do we know?"
"Very little. It moves through darkness and avoids direct confrontation. Those who have encountered it describe a creature that seems to drain the strength from anything it touches."
"Seems?"
"We have no surviving witness who remained close enough to study it."
Alexander leaned back. Through the tall windows behind his father, morning light had begun to spread across the capital. Three creatures. Three threats. And one region caught between them and the kingdom. "How many soldiers have been sent?"
"None."
Alexander looked at Lucius. "Why?"
"The villagers have already begun moving north. I did not want to send soldiers into an unfamiliar situation without knowing what we were facing."
Alexander looked down at the map again. Verdura. The name brought the previous night's dream back to him for half a second—the woman with flour on her cheek, the pot on the table. He pushed the thought aside.
"I'll go."
His father looked at him. "No."
Alexander's jaw tightened. "Father—"
"You are the Crown Prince."
"And that is precisely why I should be there."
Leopold's fingers rested against the table. "Or precisely why you should not."
Alexander held his father's gaze. Neither spoke for a moment.
Lucius quietly cleared his throat. "The prince has trained for this."
Leopold turned toward the general. "I know what my son is capable of." His eyes returned to Alexander. "I also know that capable men are not invincible."
Alexander glanced at the map. "The creatures are already near the villages. If we wait until we understand them completely, there may be nothing left to protect."
That silenced the room.
Leopold finally looked toward Lucius. "How many?"
"Enough to protect the villages and contain the creatures. I recommend taking experienced hunters alongside the army."
The king nodded. "Then prepare them."
Alexander stood. Lucius gathered the maps. As the council broke apart, Alexander remained beside the table. His eyes lingered on Verdura. Something about the place bothered him. Perhaps it was the dream. Perhaps it was nothing. He folded the map himself. "We leave today."
Lucius gave a curt nod. "I'll have the men ready."
Alexander turned toward the door. Behind him, his father's voice stopped him. "Alexander."
He looked back. Leopold's expression had changed. "Do not mistake courage for invulnerability."
Alexander gave a faint smile. "I won't." But as he walked out of the chamber, he knew that was exactly what his father feared he might do.
***
By midday, the army had assembled outside the eastern gate. Horses shifted impatiently beneath their riders. Armour clinked as soldiers checked straps and weapons. The smell of leather, sweat and horse manure hung over the courtyard.
Alexander mounted his horse. Gabriel was already beside him, tightening the strap of his sword. Liam rode up a moment later. "You heard the report?"
Alexander glanced at him. "Which part?"
"The part where we're apparently going to hunt three monsters."
Gabriel gave Liam a sideways look. "You volunteered."
"I volunteered to stay near the prince. I did not volunteer to be eaten."
Alexander almost smiled. Almost.
General Lucius raised his hand. The gates opened. Beyond them, the road stretched toward Verdura. Alexander looked ahead. He had spent years imagining the kind of king he would become. Battles had always been part of that future. He had simply never imagined that the first step toward it might begin with a dream he could not explain. He urged his horse forward. The army followed.