The bruise bloomed dark and ugly along Lyra's ribs.
She stood before the mirror in her chambers, jaw tight as she pressed her fingers against the swelling.
The door opened. General Lysender did not knock.
His sharp gaze moved immediately to her side.
"What happened." not a question but a demand.
Lyra straightened. "The Varyndor." His expression hardened. " what happened to the Varyndor Explain."
She turned fully toward him. "It ignored the soldiers." "And?" "It ignored Kaelen."
That made him pause.
"It move in circle and gazed at her like the were acquainted ."
"Who."? "Elara."
The name tasted bitter.
"She stood infront of it like it wasn't a threat. Like it recognized her."
Lysender's eyes narrowed slightly. "And your injury?"
Lyra hesitated only a second. "I moved to strike, but it retaliated." Not entirely a lie.
"It struck you because you attacked first?
"Lyra's pride flared. "I was protecting them."
"Or proving something." Silence stretched between them.
Her jaw tightened further.
"She distracts kealen ," Lyra said quietly. The King listens to her. And now the beast spares her."
Lysender moved toward the window, staring toward the distant forest. "Creatures of legend do not appear without purpose." His voice lowered.
Lyra folded her arms. "I don't trust her."
"Good," he replied calmly.
He turned back to his daughter
"You will not confront her. You will observe her and report every new detail to me."
His tone was strategic now.
"If there is a connection between that girl and the Varyndor, we discover it before the King does."
A faint smile touched Lyra's lips. "Yes, Father."
Outside, the wind shifted.
Elara had not slept. By midmorning, she made her decision.
If the palace would not give answers, the old town library might.
The building stood near the eastern square, older than most of Eldoria itself. Its stone walls were worn smooth by time, ivy curling along its edges as if protecting it from the present.
She pushed open the heavy wooden doors.
The scent of dust and parchment wrapped around her instantly.
Candles flickered softly between towering shelves.
Behind a long desk sat Master Orien. He did not look up at first., "You walk heavily for someone trying not to be noticed," he said calmly.
Elara blinked. "I didn't realize I was that obvious."
"Disturbance always follows curiosity."
He now looked up. His sharp eyes studied her more carefully than usual.
"You were in the forest." It wasn't a question it sounded like he knew.
"Yes." A long pause followed .
"And it saw you." Her breath caught.
"You know about it? She asked surprised.
Orien stood slowly. "I know what has been written."
He gestured for her to follow.
They moved deeper into the restricted section where fewer candles burned and the air felt colder.
He pulled down a worn manuscript bound in dark leather.
"The Varyndor," he began quietly, "is older than the current throne." Elara's pulse quickened.
"It was never merely a beast. It was regarded as a guardian."
"Guardian of what?" she asked.
"Balance." he responded meeting her gaze.
He opened the book carefully.
Ancient ink marked the pages, symbols drawn beside faded script.
"It does not serve kings," Orien continued. "It does not bow to crowns, it doesn't bow"
Her thoughts flickered back to the clearing.
The way it had lowered its head. Not submission but recognition.
"There are accounts," Orien said slowly, "of the Varyndor forming a… bond."
Elara leaned closer. "With who?"
"A human." Orien said.
Her heart skipped. "What kind of bond?"
He hesitated. " A bond not of ownership neither of control but a bond of alignment."
Alignment?"
"When the land falls out of balance… the Varyndor awakens. And sometimes.... "
He stopped. "Sometimes what?"
His gaze lingered on her wrist briefly.
"It does not awaken alone." Her stomach tightened.
"What does that mean?"
Before he could answer the library door opened firmly.
"Elara."
She turned sharply.
Darin stood there. Taller, broader and protective as always.
"mother is worried he said, stepping closer. "And Father too." "I'm fine," she replied quickly.
"That's not the point." His gaze shifted to Orien briefly, respectful but cautious.
"You shouldn't be alone in the city after what happened." Elara exhaled sharply. "I wasn't alone and you are here now."
There was no arguing with him when his voice dropped like that.
She turned back to Orient. "You were saying."
But he had already closed the manuscript gently.
"Knowledge is safest when sought patiently," he said quietly.
"That's not an answer."
"No," he agreed. "It is protection."
Darin stepped beside her. "It's time to go."
Elara hesitated.
Just long enough to feel the weight of something unfinished.
As they left the library, she could almost feel it. Like unseen eyes following her again. Not from the forest this time. From history itself.
Elara stepped out into the corridor, her frustration finally spilling over.
"You didn't have to interrupt me like that," she snapped, her voice low but sharp.
Darin blinked, clearly caught off guard. "Interrupt you?"
"Yes," she said, turning to face him. "For once, I was actually learning something important. Something that matters. And you just dragged me out."
His expression hardened slightly. "You were alone in the city after everything that happened. That matters more."
"I wasn't alone," she shot back.
She folded her arms, her eyes flashing. "I don't interrupt you when you're training for hours, do I? I don't come running in telling you to stop because I'm 'worried.'"
Darin exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "That's different."
"How?"
"Because I'm older," he said firmly. "And I know what I'm doing. You were being careless, Elara."
Her expression fell for a split second then hardened into something sharper.
"Careless?"
Without another word, she turned and walked past him, her steps quick and annoyed.
"Great," Darin muttered under his breath. "That went well."
He followed after her, catching up easily.
"Elara hey wait."
She didn't slow down.
He moved beside her, lowering his voice slightly. "Alright… I shouldn't have said that."
She glanced at him, still clearly upset.
"I mean it," he added, a small, almost playful smile tugging at his lips. "You're not careless."
She huffed softly. "You're terrible at apologizing."
"Yeah," he admitted. "But I'm trying."
They walked the rest of the way in a quieter rhythm, the familiar path leading them toward home.
Soon the warm light of their cottage appeared through the trees, glowing softly against the darkening sky.
Darin pushed the door open first.
"See?" he said lightly. "Alive and safe. Just like I planned."
Elara rolled her eyes as she stepped inside.
And just like that her anger faded.