*Nemesia's POV*
After leaving the dimly lit meeting room, the weight of potential queenship pressed heavily on my shoulders. The inn's hallway felt colder, as though it absorbed the chill of my burgeoning fears.
I reached my room and, once inside, the door clicked shut behind me, sealing off the murmurs of the inn. The room was dimly lit by a single lamp on the table, casting elongated shadows that danced on the walls as the flame flickered. What surprised me was that it was not Jenna that awaited me here, but Evar.
"I asked Jenna to switch... I think they wanted to talk with Orion..." he stopped himself as if to add something but I guess I knew what he wanted to say so I just smiled.
Suddenly I heard a knock and Jenna's head showed in the door.
"You ok?"
"Yes. I'll update you later on... I need to think a bit and..." I started to explain when she stopped me.
"No Nemesia. It's ok. We are your team but we're lower than you in hierarchy. You do not have to update us anytime soon. What is important is that you're safe," she smiled and left.
I think I was starting to like her...
I moved to the window, gazing out at the sparse light of dawn that hinted at the horizon. Evar didn't speak immediately, giving me space to collect my thoughts, but his concern was palpable in the quiet room.
After a while, I sighed and looked at him.
"What did she say?" It was then that he finally spoke.
As I shared the details of my conversation with the Queen, the weight of my next decisions hung heavily in the air. The night grew deeper, the inn settling around us with the creaks and whispers of old wood and older secrets.
He didn't say anything, listing with that poker face of his. Even when I finished silence settled in the room again.
"This alliance with the Queen," I started again, turning to face him, "it's like navigating a dark forest blindfolded." I sighed, the weight of the crown that might soon rest on my head felt overwhelming yet again. I remember the first time I realised I'd be the queen next to Marco. But now I felt like it was new for me.
"It's a lot to process," I admitted, meeting his gaze. "A Queen who wants to dethrone her own son for the greater good—or perhaps for her own revenge."
Evar stepped closer, his voice soft but firm.
"I know the risks might seem unsettling. I must say it scares me too. But I also see the fire in you, Nemesia—the drive to right the wrongs inflicted upon you and this kingdom. So I know, you could do it..."
His words drew a half-smile from me, despite the turmoil inside.
"You make it sound like it's not just about retribution anymore," I confessed.
"Well... yes... It's about forging a new path, not just for yourself, but for all the innocents crushed under the old regime." Evar admitted.
"You think too highly of me... For me... my revenge... my urge to destroy them... it's stronger than anything you're talking about" I whispered.
"Shh... No one has to know. Let the world think otherwise," he smiles gently.
"Will I be able to go this path this way? Won't I slip?"
Evar reached out, his hands gently cupping my face, compelling me to look directly at him.
"Then let's carve out that path together," he said. "No matter how dark it gets, I'll be here, helping you get up, protecting you from everyone looking at your hands..."
The intensity in his eyes sparked a warmth that spread through my chest, battling the cold dread that had settled there. For a moment, we just stood there, the world narrowing down to the space between us.
"Why do you do this? Why me?" I murmured, not just questioning him but also voicing the doubts that plagued my own mind.
"Because I see the queen you can be—the leader who fights not for vengeance but for justice, even if you can't see it," Evar replied, his thumbs gently brushing my cheeks. "And because somewhere along the way, you became the reason I want to wake up every day, I notice the sun and colours around me... and dare to hope for a better future."
His words, so full of belief and emotion, weakened the barriers I had built around my heart. My eyes, usually so guarded, now glossed with unshed tears. I didn't deserve this... I would destroy his view of me with my actions and that frightened me... I would have to walk this road alone.
"I think you need glasses..." was all I was able to say trying to laugh at it. But his eyes on me were serious.
Without another word, Evar leaned in, his lips barely brushed against mine, a touch so light it was almost a sigh as if asking for permission to breach the last walls around my heart. The delicate touch was a whisper of possibility, fleeting and tender, stirring a warmth within me that contrasted sharply with the chill of the dawn air.
Pulling back slightly, I felt a turmoil of emotions. Desire warred with caution, the fear of what opening my heart could mean.
"We should rest," I said, my voice barely above a whisper, as I stepped away from his embrace, needing the space to gather my thoughts.
But why did it suddenly feel so cold when I've left his warmth?
*Evar's POV*
The ghost of her lips almost touching with mine lingered on mine, a reminder of what could be if only the world around us was different and I pushed forward urging for more than just a slight brush of our lips. Watching Nemesia retreat to her side of the room, I respected her need for distance, though it did little to ease the longing that her closeness had kindled.
I knew what I did just changed everything. As I looked into Nemesia's eyes, lit by the dim glow of the lamp, I saw the layers of her resolve and the flickers of vulnerability she so fiercely guarded.
As we prepared for bed in silence, the room felt smaller, charged with the echo of our conversation. Lying in the darkness, I listened to the rhythm of her breath, each exhale seeming to carry a piece of the heaviness that the day had brought.
Unable to sleep, I turned over the conversation with the Queen in my mind.
"Ragnar, what do you make of it?" I whispered internally, seeking the counsel of my wolf.
"She a fox, that Queen. But she also desperate. We use that," Ragnar's voice was a growl, tinged with mistrust.
Nemesia shifted in her sleep, a soft sigh escaping her lips. Watching her, I felt a resolve harden within me.
"We'll protect her, no matter what," I promised, both to Ragnar and to myself.
"We not match for her. She stronger. What you want protect?" Ragnar laughed at me.
"Not from physical harm but from emotional one... and from people learning about the dark deeds she did... and will probably still do..." I told him.
"True. We swear. For Nemesia and Athena. I sweat Evar. She my queen already," my wolf's whisper made me smile lightly.
While falling asleep I placed my fingers on my lips, lulling myself to sleep with the memory of her sweet lips as my own barely brushed them for a fleeting moment.
*
As dawn crept across the sky, we were already packing our belongings. The air was crisp, laden with the scent of pine and the fresh promise of a challenging day.
"We head back to the outpost first. We need to check on Rowan and the horses," Nemesia laid out the plan in a calm voice as we moved about the room.
We all nodded, Orion's face set in a mask of determination - I wondered what he was talking with Jenna about.
"We need to be swift and unnoticed. Let's ensure we aren't followed," Orion said sternly.
As we stepped out of the inn, the village was still bathed in shadows, the mist hanging low. The quiet was a balm, giving us a moment of peace as we set off toward the outpost.
And the Queen and her mysterious entourage? They were nowhere to be seen...