The golden spires of Solthera had long since vanished behind the jagged peaks of the Iron Mountains. For weeks, Prince Azeal and Princess Vaelora had ridden their Luminars across terrains that no map in the royal library could fully describe. The journey to the ShadowAbyss was not just a distance; it was a test of endurance that could take half a year, even for the swiftest of magical steeds.
The first month brought the biting chill of the Forbidden Tundra. The wind howled like a wounded beast, carrying frost that could freeze a Drazhin's wings in mid-air.
One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, the temperature plummeted. Vaelora, despite her royal robes, began to shiver violently. Her teeth chattered, and her hands, gripping the reins, had turned a pale, ghostly blue.
Azeal noticed. He didn't say a word at first, but he pulled his Luminar closer to hers. He reached out and caught her reins, forcing her to stop.
"We camp here," he commanded, his voice gruff but filled with an undercurrent of worry.
"But we... we have to keep moving, Azeal," Vaelora stammered, her breath forming thick clouds in the frozen air.
"You'll freeze before we reach the next valley," Azeal countered. He dismounted and quickly set up a small shelter against a large, black rock. As they sat huddled together, Azeal unfastened his heavy fur-lined cloak. Without asking, he wrapped it around Vaelora's shoulders, pulling her close to his side to share his body heat.
Vaelora leaned into him, the warmth of his chest seeping into her cold bones. "What about you? You'll be cold."
"I am made of tougher stuff than you, Princess," he muttered, though his arm tightened around her protectively.
As they sat in the silence of the tundra, a distant, earth-shaking roar echoed through the night. It wasn't the roar of a wolf or a bear. It was deeper, more ancient—the sound of a Thunder-Lizard (Dinosaur) prowling the lowlands. Azeal's hand instinctively went to the hilt of his sword, his eyes scanning the darkness.
"Sleep," he whispered near her ear. "I'll watch the shadows tonight. Nothing gets past me to get to you."
Vaelora closed her eyes, feeling a strange sense of peace. The journey was long, the hunger was starting to gnaw at them, and the monsters were real—but for the first time, the danger felt manageable because he was there.