It was the morning of the death duel, and Valerie stood alone in the training grounds, his muscles gleaming with sweat. His once-effeminate appearance, with softer features and a leaner fra, had been replaced by a hardened, muscular physique.
His skin was bronzed from the sun, his body carved from endless hours of brutal training. This was no longer the Sumr Prince who had once fawned over Islinda, dreaming of a peaceful life beside her. No, that man was long gone, replaced by a warrior determined to survive, to win, and to fight for what belonged to him.
Valerie’s breath ca in ragged gasps as flas erupted from his palms, scorching the target dummies beyond recognition. The air around him shimred with heat, the acrid sll of burnt wood hanging thickly.
Yet, despite the destruction around him, Valerie didn’t stop. He couldn’t afford to. These target dummies were nothing compared to Aldric, the dark Fae prince who would soon face him in the duel. His half-brother was more powerful, more dangerous — and far more determined to kill him.
As the intensity of his fire grew, so did his anger. Valerie’s flas were directly tied to his emotions, especially his rage. And right now, he was seething. The thought of dying at Aldric’s hands made his blood boil, the fire within him blazing even higher.
Yet, no matter how strong his flas, it wasn’t enough. Aldric possessed ice magic, a natural counter to his fire. Valerie had been training relentlessly, trying to master the elusive blue fla but he still hadn’t perfected it.
He cursed his fate. If only things had gone differently. If only he had mastered the blue fla earlier, he wouldn’t be in this precarious position. It felt as though the whole world was against him.
Islinda had chosen Aldric over him, and fate had conspired to keep her out of his reach. His grandfather had refused to train him further in the blue fla, and worst of all, his mother had ruined him, leading him into this disaster.
Everything had been set. He had been re weeks away from being crowned king. The crown was supposed to be his, and he would have ruled Astaria.
Except his mother’s secret had co out, destroying everything in an instant. Now, he wasn’t fighting for his kingdom or his people — he was fighting for her. He was risking his life because of her mistakes. How was that fair? Why did the universe hate him so much?
The unfairness of it all boiled over, and Valerie let out a scream, releasing a blast of blue flas from his hands. For a mont, they roared to life, hotter and more powerful than before, but then they flickered and died as quickly as they had co.
Valerie fell to his knees, panting, his body drained of energy. That was the problem. He couldn’t hold on to the blue fla long enough, and every ti he pushed himself too hard, it left him weak. If he got drained like this in the middle of the fight, he would be as good as dead.
"That won’t be enough to put Aldric down once and for all," a voice said from behind him. Valerie whipped around, and there stood his mother, Queen Maeve, watching him intently.
His rage surged anew. He stood up, snarling, "Fuck off."
Maeve didn’t flinch. "I’m sorry, Valerie. I never ant for things to get to this point. Everything I’ve done was for your good. I wanted you to be king."
"And that involved abusing ?" he shot back, his voice trembling with barely-contained fury.
"You were weak!" Maeve snapped. "You were obsessed with that human girl, Islinda! It was obvious to everyone that you were playing right into Aldric’s hands. Look what happened. I was right!"
Valerie opened his mouth to argue, but he couldn’t. Her words rang true. She had been right, in a twisted way. His obsession with Islinda had blinded him, weakened him. His mother had tried to make him stronger, to prepare him for this mont.
Seeing that she had his attention, Maeve stepped closer, though cautiously. Despite everything, including the fact that her son had once tried to kill her, she still reached out, placing a tentative hand on his face.
"You are my one and only son," she said softly, her voice filled with a rare gentleness. "I couldn’t let anything happen to you. Maybe I hurt you, but look at you now. You’ve beco strong. It was all for your good."
Valerie closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. He was so tired. Tired of fighting. Tired of feeling like he was alone. He wanted soone by his side, soone who would fight for him, not against him.
"I don’t think I’m strong enough to defeat Aldric," he finally confessed. "You say I’m strong, but his very existence proves that I’m weak."
Maeve’s heart broke at his confession, and she gently stroked his cheek. "My poor child," she murmured. "I can’t create a distraction like before, your father wouldn’t allow it again."
For soone who just learned that his mother was responsible for the commotion that took the lives of many citizens of Astaria during the previous death duel, Valerie did not show any surpise or sympathy. Almost as if he had always known it had been her.
"So, I’ll die then," he said with a bitter laugh.
"No, you won’t," Maeve said firmly. "Not when there’s another way."
Valerie’s eyes flickered with hope as he straightened. "What way? What’s your plan?"
Maeve hesitated for a mont, glancing around the training ground to make sure they were alone.
Then, in a hushed tone, she said, "Spirit."
At the ntion of the forbidden substance, Valerie recoiled as if she had struck him.
"You must be out of your mind," he scoffed. "I shouldn’t have co to you for a solution."
"Valerie, listen to ," Maeve pleaded, her voice urgent. "I know it’s risky, but we don’t have any other choice. You don’t have any other choice."
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