The attack began before dawn.
The sky was still dark when the first horn cried out across the city. One call became many. The sound rolled through the streets like thunder.
Lyra woke with a sudden fear in her chest.
Before she could speak, guards burst into her chamber.
"Your Highness, the enemy is at the gates!"
Her heart dropped.
So it had come.
---
Outside the walls, fire rose.
Enemy soldiers flooded the land like shadows poured from a broken jar. Ladders slammed against stone. Arrows darkened the sky.
The city shook with noise.
Shouting.
Steel.
Screams.
Caelan stood on the front line.
His shield cracked under heavy blows. His sword never stopped moving. Blood ran across the stone beneath his boots, but he did not know whose it was anymore.
All he knew was one truth.
"They must not reach her."
Again and again, the enemy came.
Again and again, Caelan stood.
---
Inside the palace, Lyra was pushed toward the inner halls.
"The evacuation tunnels are ready," a guard said. "You must leave now."
She shook her head. "Not without my father!"
"The king is still commanding the defense," another said. "We will bring him!"
The floor trembled beneath their feet.
A loud explosion shook the western side of the palace.
"They have broken through one gate!" someone shouted.
Fear spread like fire.
Lyra's hands shook.
"Caelan," she whispered.
---
By noon, the city burned.
Smoke filled the sky. The sun disappeared behind black clouds. The air smelled of ash and blood.
Then the order was given.
All royal guards were to fall back to the throne hall.
Caelan fought his way through broken streets and burning homes.
When he reached the palace steps, his armor was red. His breath came rough.
But he was still standing.
---
In the throne hall, Lyra stood beside her father.
The king's face was pale, but his back was straight.
When Caelan entered, their eyes met across the chaos.
He was alive.
The relief nearly made her knees fail.
"Your Majesty," Caelan said, dropping to one knee despite his wounds, "the western wall has fallen. We cannot hold them much longer."
The king looked at his daughter.
And in that look, Lyra understood.
The decision had already been made.
"Take her," the king said to Caelan. "Through the tunnel beneath the throne. Get her out of the city."
Lyra stepped forward. "Father, no!"
"There is no time," the king said. "You must live."
Her breath broke.
She turned to Caelan.
His chest felt like it was being crushed.
"But what about you?" she asked.
His voice was steady. "I will lead them away."
She grabbed his arm. "That means you will die."
He did not deny it.
"I chose this the day I knelt before the crown," he said.
Her eyes filled with tears. "You promised to stay alive."
His hand gently covered hers.
"I promised to protect you," he whispered.
And then he pulled his arm free.
---
They ran through the hidden tunnels beneath the palace as the world above collapsed.
Stone shook. Dust fell from the ceiling.
At the final gate, Caelan stopped.
"This is where I turn back," he said.
Lyra shook her head wildly. "No. Come with me. Please."
"If I go with you," he said softly, "they will follow. And you will never be safe."
Her hands gripped his armor. "I don't care about safety. I care about you."
His eyes burned.
"For the first time in my life," he said, "someone needs me to live. That is why… I must die facing the enemy, not hiding from them."
Tears streamed down her face.
"I was never your princess," she sobbed. "I was just a girl who loved you."
"And I," he said, "was never your knight. I was just a man who loved you back."
Then, before she could speak again, he kissed her forehead.
Soft. Final.
And turned away.
---
Lyra was dragged into the tunnel by other guards as Caelan ran back toward fire and steel.
His last sight of her was her reaching hand disappearing into darkness.