[Third Person].
It was over—the challenge, the fight, the struggle. Everyone thought this was the end. But just then, with the last of her strength, Estella moved.
Her fingers shot upward and deeply plunged into redith’s shoulders. The pain was sharp and unexpected.
redith’s body jerked, and her grip loosened just enough for Estella to tear herself free.
redith staggered back a step as blood soaked through her shoulder where Estella’s claws had struck.
"redith!" Draven’s voice thundered, alarm breaking through his composure.
Before redith could recover, the remaining vampire soldiers surged forward. They seized Estella, and in a blur of dark motion, they retreated towards the shattered entrance.
redith lunged forward in an effort to stop them. Sadly, it was too late. Their forms dissolved into shadows and speed, vanishing beyond the palace gates.
But Estella’s voice lingered, echoing through the fractured hall.
"You are worthy, Queen of Stormveil," she called, her breath thin but proud. "We will et again."
A beat later, she finished, "And next ti... it will be on a battlefield."
Silence fell in her wake, leaving nothing but broken marble and the scent of blood, iron and dust.
redith stood still, her chest rising and falling as her claws slowly retracted. Her silver hair clung to her blood-streaked shoulders.
Draven pushed past Oscar despite protest and reached her. He caught her arms gently, his eyes scanning her wounds. "You’re hurt."
"It’s nothing," she answered, though her shoulders burned.
Around them, the Alphas and Elders stared not just at the destruction, but at her—at the truth they had witnessed.
The silence didn’t last long. It never did in rooms filled with power. Soon, murmurs started softly, then spread.
Did you see—
Purple light—
She used fae magic—
What is she—
Is she a Fae?
Just then, one of the Elders stepped forward, pale-faced but voice sharp. "Your Majesty, we demand an explanation. The Queen—"
"She used fae magic," another Alpha said bluntly. "Stormveil has hunted for faes for decades. And now—"
"Enough." Oscar’s voice cut through the rising tension like steel.
He stepped forward, placing himself slightly between the murmuring leaders and the injured royal couple.
"The King will address all matters in due ti," he said calmly, but there was iron beneath it. "Right now, you are standing in a hall that was just invaded by hundreds of vampires seconds ago."
His gaze swept across them. "Your King and Queen have just defended you."
The reminder landed heavily.
"They are injured," Oscar continued, quieter now but sharper. "And yet, instead of gratitude, you demand explanations?"
No one answered. A few Elders shifted uncomfortably. An Alpha lowered his eyes.
Oscar’s tone softened just enough to remain respectful. "Stormveil still stands because of them. Show so sense."
The murmuring did not stop completely, but it lost its bite. Then one by one, the Alphas bowed stiffly. Then the Elders followed.
"We await Your Majesty’s summons," one said cautiously.
Everyone began to file out of the broken hall, each carrying more questions than answers, but none dared push further today. Not after what they had seen.
When the hall finally emptied, only Oscar remained.
redith and Draven exchanged a look. Neither of them appeared surprised. This was expected.
Fae blood. Ancient prejudice. Political tension.
They had known this day would co, all thanks to redith’s grandmother informing them sooner.
Draven’s gaze dropped to redith’s shoulders once again. Blood darkened her clothes where Estella’s claws had pierced her.
"You are losing blood," he said again, softer now.
redith frowned slightly. "You’re bleeding more than I am."
His cheek was torn. His ribs bruised. Blood still traced a line from the corner of his mouth, but he just gave a faint huff of a laugh.
"I’ve had worse."
She did not look convinced. Before she could argue further, Draven bent and swept her into his arms.
She stiffened in surprise. "Draven—"
"Quiet," he muttered. "Let pretend I’m not the one falling apart."
Despite the ache in his chest, he held her securely. Her silver hair spilt over his arm. One hand instinctively curled against his shoulder, careful of her own wound.
Oscar turned away discreetly.
As Draven carried her from the shattered hall, his voice lowered so only she could hear. "You terrified ."
Her fingers tightened slightly against him. "You were the one with a vampire’s hand in your throat. Who do you think was more terrified?"
He glanced down at her. "She almost broke your arms, redith." He said, carrying her through the palace corridors, and all the way to their private chambers.
The doors closed behind them with a heavy thud, shutting out the noise, the politics, the whispers.
For a mont, it was just the two of them. He lowered her carefully onto the edge of the bed, and only then did he allow himself to wince.
redith noticed imdiately. "See... you shouldn’t have carried ," she said softly.
"I forgot you weighed a ton," he teased, already reaching for a clean cloth from the nearby cabinet.
Next, he knelt in front of her and gently peeled back the fabric at her shoulder. The claw marks were deep, but already beginning to close slowly under her accelerated healing.
His jaw tightened. "She dug deep."
redith gave a small shrug, then regretted it when pain flared. "I nearly had her." The frustration in her voice was unmistakable. "I almost ended it."
Draven dipped the cloth into warm water and began cleaning the blood from her skin with careful hands.
"She was gravely injured," he said. "You crushed her heart. She will not recover from that quickly."
redith stared ahead. "She escaped."
"She escaped barely alive." He t her eyes. "And wounded pride is worse than broken bone for soone like Estella."
redith exhaled slowly. "I hope she doesn’t make it past the border."
Draven’s expression softened. "You know her minions will die before letting her be captured."
She did not argue. They both understood the kind of loyalty vampires had for their leaders.
"They will lay down their lives so she can leave Stormveil," he continued quietly.
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