I had made a decision. It wasn't quick, nor was it easy. I spent days locked in my room after coming up from the crypts, my eyes fixed on a crack in the ceiling, my heart caught in my throat, and my fingers trembling against the blanket. Declan's words still echoed inside me—his blood, his origin, his kind... and me, at the center of it all, like a catalyst I never chose to be.
I was afraid. Not the kind of fear you scream out loud, but the kind that crawls under your skin and stays there, whispering. What if I was making a mistake? What if all of this was too much for me? But I also felt something else: a quiet strength, an unshakable certainty. Something inside me knew it wasn't by chance. That I had come to this island for a reason far greater than my doubts.
It wasn't about love. Not even about an arranged marriage. It was deeper. It was a loyalty I didn't fully understand, but could feel in my bones. Yet this was my choice; I wasn't going to let anyone—or anything—decide for me. The idea of running away was no longer an option, but if I was going to stay, it had to be on my own terms. I couldn't save a people I didn't even know.
I got up at dawn with an odd kind of clarity. I dressed myself. I tied my hair. And when I went downstairs, Declan was nowhere to be found. I ran into Melyra and, without looking directly at her, said:
— I want to walk through the village for a while before it all begins.
She didn't ask why. She just nodded and ordered the horses to be prepared.
Fate may have brought me here, but staying was my decision.
The village was bigger than I had imagined. Not by size, but by depth. The streets seemed to open and close as if they breathed. There was something alive in the architecture, in the eyes, in the silence.
I walked beside Lady Melyra, who offered to accompany me while Declan took care of administrative matters at the house. I was grateful to have her close, though part of me longed to explore alone. Her step was steady and serene, and I followed her while my eyes absorbed every detail of that strange place.
— They're watching us — I murmured without looking at her.
— We've waited for you for a long time. That naturally causes... reactions.
The first to approach was an old woman, her long hair braided, her eyes deep like ancient caves. She stood in front of me without fear... and sniffed me.
Literally.
— You smell different from the others — she said in a rough but steady voice.
I froze.
— I'm sorry... what did you say?
The woman walked away without answering, vanishing into the crowd as if she'd never been there at all.
Melyra pretended not to have heard, but her fingers gripped my arm tighter. I felt her subtly steering me in another direction, as if she didn't want me to stop and think too much about what that woman had said.
We kept walking through the market, but something felt off. I saw a boy with completely gray eyes staring at me without blinking from the shadow of a closed stall. A man selling talismans traced a symbol in the air with his finger as I passed. The carved stones bore inscriptions that looked strangely familiar, as if I'd seen them in a dream—or in a memory that wasn't mine. Some greeted me with respect. Others with distrust. But they all looked at me as if they knew something I didn't.
We walked on, and I let myself take in the architecture of that place: a blend of metal, fauna, and wood. There were also touches of iridescent glass everywhere, and crystals hanging from doors and around people's necks... It felt like something out of a fantasy book.
Two little girls pulled me out of my thoughts. They came up to me and handed me flowers. I had never seen flowers like these before—their petals were almost transparent but shimmered under the sun, with faint traces of color reflected in them.
Amazed, I thanked the girls, and they smiled back at me. They left, singing, joining a group of children playing in the square. There was so much to discover, but my time had run out. It was today.
I remembered what Declan had told me: "The ceremony can happen at any time when the moon is full. We must have the blessing of the island and the people." Easy for him to say. I knew many women had it worse—meeting their husbands for the first time on their wedding day—but I was pretty sure none of them were marrying an alien whose mission was to save his entire species from extinction.
Melyra led me to a small room next to the chapel, where a table awaited with hot tea, a crystal glass, and a small bottle of dark liquor I didn't recognize. Instinctively, I reached for the glass.
— May I? — I asked, half joking... or maybe desperate.
— After the days you've had... you deserve it — said Melyra, pouring without hesitation.
I drank it in one go. The warmth of the liquor spread through my chest. Only then did I breathe again.
Hanging on a rack was the dress. White—but not ordinary. The fabric moved like water when touched, embroidered with patterns that looked like constellations floating in a summer night. Along the edges, faint golden lines caught the light as if they breathed. The neckline was modest yet elegant; the sleeves, airy; the fall, perfect.
Nerves began to take over me. This was actually happening.
It took me a while to get dressed. Melyra helped with the final touches without saying a word, though every time our eyes met in the mirror, hers gleamed as if holding a secret. When we finished, she placed a headpiece made of small crystals cascading like vines.
— You're ready — she said.
— Ready for what exactly? — I asked with a nervous smile.
— For the island to recognize you as part of it.
As I sat down to drink my tea, still overwhelmed by everything I'd seen in the village and nervous to the bone, I noticed a small folded note on the table, with a flower resting on top. I opened it. The handwriting was fine, elegant.
"Time itself would bow to your beauty tonight".
My heart skipped a beat. I barely had time to process the words when one of the house servants appeared in the doorway. It was Ky, a kind-faced young man, barely twenty.
— Everything is ready for the ceremony, my lady — he said softly. — The temple has been prepared as agreed.
I turned to Melyra, frowning.
— Already? — I exclaimed, startled.
Before she could answer, Declan appeared in the doorway, wearing a half-smile and eyes more intense than ever.
— Miss D'Arell — he said, stepping inside effortlessly. — You said you wanted time, and I gave it to you. But time has run out.
— Now?
— Now. The wedding must happen soon.