[Next Morning - From Eirlys's Perspective]
When I opened my eyes, the first thing I felt was astonishment. My body felt rested, and my mind was clear. For the first time in months, that familiar weight and exhaustion were gone. I looked around to understand where I was. It was a simple but clean tent. Morning light seeping through the leather walls illuminated the scent of dried herbs hanging in the air. It was the healing tent.
When I tried to sit up, my lady-in-waiting Auley immediately rushed to help me. "My Princess! You're awake!"
"How long did I sleep?" I asked, my voice still a bit weak.
"All night, my Princess. You fainted during training yesterday. Healer Niyara attended to you."
Training... Aetron. Yesterday's events came alive in my mind. That boy's power, his control... and then that sudden darkness. "Aetron... Did he bring me here?"
"Yes, my Princess. He carried you in his arms. He didn't leave your side until Healer Niyara arrived."
This information stirred a strange feeling within me. The moment I first saw him at the tournament... Yes, he was handsome. He was powerful. But in his eyes... There was a look as if he knew me. This was impossible. We'd never met before. Yet that feeling... that familiar sorrow... Where was this coming from?
And then his abilities... Reaching the Resonance level in three days and defeating even the clan's most experienced warriors. This wasn't normal. He was too calculated. Every answer, every movement seemed as if it had been planned. How could such a young boy be this... controlled? He must be hiding something.
Perhaps father was right. Probably in these exiled clans lie secrets more dangerous than the palace's intrigues. And Aetron... He could be the key to these secrets. But could I trust him?
"Auley," I said. "Would you call Aetron? I want to thank him."
A few minutes later, Aetron appeared at the tent's entrance. He wore his clan's simple garments, but his posture still carried the confidence of the tournament victor.
"Princess," he said, bowing respectfully. "It's good to see you feeling better."
"Thank you, Aetron," I said, trying to keep my voice gentle. "I'm grateful that you carried me yesterday."
"It's nothing, Princess. It was my duty."
Was it duty, or part of a plan? I thought to myself. These deflections still weren't winning my trust. "Your mother told me you found a treatment method for me. Quite... unusual, she said."
A momentary hesitation appeared on his face, then he returned to that calm expression. "I hope it works, Princess."
These calculated answers... The suspicion inside me was growing. I couldn't trust him—not yet—but I needed him. His mother's healing abilities and his strange talent might be my only hope. But first, I needed to understand his true intentions. I needed to test his loyalty.
"Aetron," I said, changing my tone. Cooler, more distant. "You know, the Kingdom of Valdorin is powerful. But the Auryan Dynasty... you've gone through difficult times. You're a fallen dynasty." I stood up and walked toward the small wooden stool in the middle of the tent. I slowly placed my foot on the stool. The silk hem of my skirt revealed my calf. A classic power move. One of the tactics I'd learned at the palace. "Normally, offering such a proposal wouldn't be very appropriate. But our circumstances... and your status... shouldn't be much of a problem." I turned to him. I looked into his eyes. "I want you to prove your loyalty to me."
There was a moment of silence. That calm expression on Aetron's face cracked. I saw astonishment, perhaps a bit of hurt. But then he quickly recovered. His eyes first moved to my foot on the stool and then to my face.
"I don't need to tell you what you need to do, do I?" I said, with the icy tone in my voice.
Aetron remained motionless for a moment. I could see he was waging a war in his mind. What was his logic whispering to him, I wondered? What was his pride saying?
I noticed his jaw tightening slightly, his hands forming fists. He took a breath.
Then, slowly, very slowly, he began to kneel. He bowed his head. This was the politically most logical move: bowing before the powerful, forming an alliance.
He had found the logical path.
But at that moment, I saw that brief disappointment in Aetron's eyes... In a way I couldn't understand, it had also created a frustration within me. He had done the logical thing. The smart thing. But I... what had I been expecting?