Threads of Fire and Ice
Prince Kimo woke with his hand pressed to his chest.
The cold was there—but beneath it, something else pulsed. Heat. Pain that wasn't his alone.
Oki.
He rose before dawn, frost whispering along the stone as he crossed the corridor. Guards bowed, servants froze, but he didn't slow. Instinct pulled him toward the garden.
The Garden — Before Sunrise
Oki stood where the spirits had left her.
She hadn't moved.
The air around her shimmered faintly, magic barely restrained, like embers beneath skin. When she sensed him, her shoulders stiffened—but she didn't turn.
"You're hurting," Kimo said quietly.
She swallowed. "So are you."
He stepped closer. "I felt it. Like something was tearing at you."
She finally faced him, eyes shining too brightly. "Some wounds don't bleed where others can see."
Silence stretched.
Kimo reached out—this time touching her hand fully. No ice formed. No magic lashed out.
"Then let me carry it," he said.
Her breath broke.
For a heartbeat, centuries pressed against a single moment. Then she pulled her hand away—not in rejection, but in fear.
"You can't," she whispered. "Not yet."
His jaw tightened. "They came to you," he realized. "Didn't they? The ones who watch from beyond."
She didn't deny it.
"They warned me," Oki said softly. "That loving you would be my undoing."
Kimo laughed once—low, bitter. "Then they don't know you at all."
Elsewhere — The Queen's Chambers
The stepqueen dismissed her attendants and locked the door.
Only then did her mask fall.
"The prince is awakening faster than expected," she said into the shadows.
A figure stepped forward—foreign robes, eyes too knowing.
"The forest will not wait," he replied. "Nor will our patience."
Her fingers tightened around a vial of dark liquid.
"Then we force his hand."
"And the king?"
She smiled. "He still mourns. That makes him weak."
The Foreigners — By Torchlight
In a hidden wing of the palace, the envoys gathered.
"The lake reacts to royal blood," one murmured.
"And the girl?" another asked.
"Not a girl," the first corrected. "A guardian. Ancient. Dangerous."
"Then she must be broken," the third said calmly. "Or separated."
Their plan was already in motion.
Back in the Garden
Kimo stepped closer to Oki, voice steady but fierce.
"I don't know what you're hiding. I don't know what you are."
His eyes softened.
"But I know this—you are not alone anymore."
Her lips trembled.
"I was never meant to stay," she whispered.
"Then stay anyway," he said. "Just for now."
Their foreheads touched.
No kiss. No spell.
Just fire and ice learning how not to destroy each other.
From the highest tower, the king watched the dawn break over his kingdom, unaware that every bond he trusted was being tested.
And deep within the enchanted forest, the lake began to boil.
The spirits had warned her.
To be con....