POV: KIERAN SOLIS
Timeline: Immediately after the battle
Location: Neutral Ground → Nocterra
I collapse.
Not dramatically. Just—my legs give out and I'm suddenly sitting on the ground, staring at nothing.
"Kieran?" Ravion is beside me instantly. "Are you hurt? Where—"
"I'm fine." My voice sounds distant. "Just... tired."
"You're bleeding."
I look down. My arm. Right. The soldier's blade caught me. Blood is soaking through my sleeve, dripping onto the grass.
"Oh," I say dumbly. "That's... a lot of blood."
"Kieran, look at me." Ravion cups my face. "Stay awake. Don't—"
"I'm awake. Just tired." I blink slowly. "Did we win?"
"Yes."
"Good. That's good." The world is getting fuzzy. "Kaelis okay?"
"He's fine. Kieran, stay with me—"
"Tired," I mumble again.
Then everything goes black.
I wake up in our bed in Nocterra.
For a moment, I don't remember anything. Then it hits—the battle, Isolde, the death magic, Kaelis—
I sit up too fast. Pain explodes in my arm.
"Easy!" Ravion is there, hands on my shoulders, gently pushing me back down. "Don't move so fast."
"Kaelis—is he—"
"He's fine. Nyx took him back to the Tidelands. He was exhausted but uninjured."
Relief floods through me. "And you? Are you hurt?"
"Minor cuts. Nothing serious." His hand brushes hair from my forehead. "You've been unconscious for six hours."
"Six HOURS?!"
"You lost a lot of blood. The physician stitched your arm. You need to rest."
I look at my arm. It's bandaged, throbbing, but the bleeding has stopped.
"How bad is it?"
"Fifteen stitches. You'll have a scar." His jaw tightens. "If I'd been faster—"
"Don't." I grab his hand. "Don't do that. You saved me. You saved all of us."
"You almost died."
"But I didn't." I squeeze his hand. "I'm here. I'm okay."
"You jumped in front of death magic," he says quietly. "For Kaelis. You could've—" His voice breaks. "You could've died, Kieran."
"So could he."
"He's not my husband!"
"He's my brother!" The words come out fierce. "My twin! My—" I stop. "I couldn't let her kill him, Ravion. I couldn't just stand there and watch."
"I know." He presses his forehead against mine. "I know. And I love you for it. But it also terrified me."
"Sorry."
"Don't apologize. Just—" He pulls back, looks at me. "Don't do it again."
"Can't promise that."
"Kieran—"
"If someone tries to hurt him, I'll do it again. Every time." I meet his eyes. "He's family. That's what family does."
Ravion is quiet for a long moment.
Then: "You're right. I know you're right. I just—" He takes a shaky breath. "I can't lose you."
"You won't." I pull him down into a kiss. "I'm not going anywhere."
We stay like that for a while. Just holding each other. Reminding ourselves that we're alive. We survived.
There's a knock on the door.
"Come in," Ravion calls.
Elara enters with a tray of food. When she sees me awake, her whole face lights up.
"Oh, thank the gods!" She sets the tray down and rushes over. "You scared us half to death, young man!"
"Sorry, Grandmother."
"Sorry doesn't cut it!" But she's hugging me carefully, mindful of my injured arm.
"Fighting battles! Jumping in front of magic! What were you thinking?!"
"I was thinking I didn't want my brother to die."
She pulls back, eyes shining with tears. "That's—that's very brave. And very stupid."
"I get that a lot."
"I'm so glad you're okay." She kisses my forehead. "Now eat. You need your strength."
The food smells amazing. I didn't realize how hungry I was until now.
Elara fusses over me while I eat, adjusting pillows, checking my bandages, muttering about "reckless boys" and "giving old women heart attacks."
"How's the kingdom?" I ask between bites. "After the attack?"
"Fortified," Ravion says. "I've tripled the guards. Strengthened all wards. Isolated's forces won't get close again."
"What about Nocterra? Did anyone get hurt?"
"Minor injuries among the guards who were stationed at the neutral ground. Nothing serious." He pauses. "We were lucky."
"Lucky." I laugh weakly. "We were almost killed."
"But we weren't. That's what matters."
"Is it weird that I kind of want to see Kaelis? Make sure he's actually okay?"
"Not weird at all." Ravion pulls out a communication mirror. "I'll contact Nyx."
The mirror flares. Nyx appears, looking exhausted but alert.
"Ravion," he says. "Is Kieran—"
"I'm awake!" I lean into view. "Hi!"
Relief floods Nyx's face. "Thank the tides. How do you feel?"
"Like I got hit by a truck. But alive."
"Good. Alive is good." He glances behind him. "Kaelis has been asking about you every hour."
"Can I talk to him?"
"He's sleeping right now. Finally. He fought it for hours but exhaustion won."
"Is he okay? Really okay?"
"Bruised. Drained. But nothing permanent." Nyx's expression softens. "He was very worried about you."
"I was worried about him too."
"I know. That's why you jumped in front of death magic like an idiot."
"Hey! I thought that was brave?"
"It was brave and idiotic. Those aren't mutually exclusive."
I laugh despite myself. "Fair point."
"He'll want to see you when he wakes up," Nyx continues. "Should we visit? Or would you prefer to rest?"
"Visit," I say immediately. "Please. I need to see him. Make sure he's actually okay."
"Tomorrow," Ravion interjects. "You need to recover first."
"But—"
"Tomorrow," he repeats firmly. "That's an order from your husband and your king."
"You can't just pull rank—"
"I absolutely can." But he's smiling slightly. "Tomorrow. I promise."
"Fine." I slump back against the pillows. "Tomorrow."
Nyx nods. "We'll come to you. The Tidelands are still recovering from the battle and Kaelis shouldn't travel yet."
"Agreed," Ravion says.
They work out the details—time, location, security measures. Even after almost dying together, they're still cautious.
I guess that's good. Smart.
But part of me just wants to see my brother without all the complicated planning.
The mirror goes dark.
"Rest," Ravion says. "I'll wake you if anything happens."
"You're staying?"
"Where else would I be?"
"You're the king. Don't you have king things to do?"
"King things can wait." He climbs into bed beside me carefully. "Right now, the only thing that matters is making sure you recover."
I curl into him, mindful of my injured arm. "I love you."
"I love you too." He presses a kiss to my hair. "Sleep."
I do.