That night, heavy with absolute ruin and suffocating sorrow, Prince Fairo entered the king's private chambers. His features were sterner than they had ever been before.
His body was still weighed down by deep, bloody wounds, yet he knew that silence was no longer an option.
He bowed slightly, his voice cutting through the quiet room: — "My lord… please, let me speak with Dalirina. If we are to survive this night, we must give her a chance."
The king contemplated in silence for a long time. The brutal struggles and betrayals of the past flickered dark within his eyes.
At last, he exhaled slowly, answering in a cold, hardened tone: — "Do as you will… but I shall not meet her. I will not stand before her face again."
The king departed into the shadows, leaving the wounded prince alone to await Dalirina.
And the very moment the heavy door creaked open, she rushed toward him. It was as though she had been holding back years of agonizing longing.
She embraced him tightly, throwing her arms around him, and tears burst forth in pure anguish.
Her slender body trembled violently as she whispered against his chest: — "All of this is my fault… if I had not been here, Elinor would never have been freed… the kingdom would not have burned like this. They hate her… they attack her from every single side… and I can feel her pain. So many innocent souls have been lost… and the king is so angry with me… I cannot save anyone!"
Fairo held her trembling shoulders gently. He used his thumb to wipe the hot tears from her cheeks, his voice dropping into a tone filled with warmth and tenderness: — "Enough… do not blame yourself. What happened… was bound to happen one day. This ancient fire could never be caged forever."
But she cried out, weeping uncontrollably: — "She is not evil, believe me! Elinor is not what they think… she is only afraid! Everything she did was only to defend herself!"
The prince offered a sorrowful, soft smile. He answered with absolute certainty: — "I know… and I know even more that no one ever tried to understand her the way you did."
Her lips trembled. She whispered pleadingly, her eyes locking onto his: — "Then… let me go to her. Let me calm her flames, please. Do me this one kindness, and allow me to speak to the king."
Fairo lowered his gaze for a brief moment, processing the danger. Then, he nodded in agreement: — "I will… I shall ask him for you."
He stepped out of his chamber, walking heavily and painfully toward the king's grand hall.
He knocked, entered, and vanished for what felt like an eternity behind the closed doors…
Until he finally returned. His voice was calm, yet it carried a faint, beautiful glimmer of hope: — "Enter. The king awaits you."
A sudden smile of hope—unseen on her face for so long—lit up Dalirina's features.
With hesitant, trembling steps, she walked inside. She found the king standing near the edge of the room, his back turned coldly toward her.
Her eyes lowered immediately, her quivering voice shaking with each word: — "My lord… forgive me. I know what I did was wrong… but I only wished to free her, to be with her. Had she remained by my side, she would not have brought this chaos… nor panicked as she has now."
The king stayed absolutely silent, deliberately turning his face further away.
Seeing his coldness, she fell to her knees on the stone floor, crying out from the very depths of her breaking heart: — "Please! Let me go to her… she is not evil, she only feels threatened!"
The king turned his face slightly. His sharp eyes met hers for but a single, freezing instant.
Then, with a curt, dismissive wave of his hand, he said coldly: — "Go… do what you can."
She raised her head, tears of pure gratitude shining in the dim light, and whispered: — "Thank you, my lord…"
She ran out of the hall as fast as her feet could carry her. There, she found Fairo waiting in the corridor.
Without a single moment of hesitation, she threw herself entirely into his arms. She clutched him tightly, burying her face as she murmured over and over: — "Thank you… thank you for not abandoning me."
The prince smiled warmly, his arms wrapping securely around her waist: — "Do not thank me… I only did what my heart told me to do."
Her eyes gleamed with the intense light of unspoken feelings.
She looked up at him—a silent, lingering gaze that carried all the profound words they had left unsaid.
Then, with hurried, determined steps, she dashed out into the courtyard…
Where Elinor's raging flames still awaited her.