CHAPTER 475: THE UNSEEN TRAIL (1)

They stood hand in hand, not knowing how they had returned to the grand hall they had just escaped. Weren’t they lying in bed naked in each other’s arms? How did they get there? Ian and Shelby wondered at the same time but never let go of each other’s hand.

They were clad in a regal robe that looked to be made of only leaves but covered them entirely. In fact, from afar, it looked like a fluffy robe instead of a leafy one. Yet something felt different in there. Something that neither of them could pinpoint.

The air shimmered like a fragile glass on the verge of breaking, and every sound, every breath, every sound was distant, hollow, like echoes through time. The couple glanced at one another, realization dawning slowly. This was no return but a vision. It was a memory wrapped in a dreamlike state.

The two had already witnessed such a situation with their fathers and were not alien to it, but for Shelby, especially, it was discomforting because it also reminded her of the apparition she had seen back in the dungeon. She unknowingly increased her grip on Ian’s, and he tugged her arm through his for added emotional support.

There they were, across the room, caught in the very moment their lives had changed: he on the throne, cradling her with all the protectiveness and love of a man who had only wanted to keep his love close after that death call that was too close for comfort.

Ian never knew that, at that moment, he had already passed a test that generations before him had failed. Watching it now, the weight of what had happened.... what had truly happened and its significance, settled on them both. It had not just been an act of love. It had been a crowning, foretold, unbidden, and unstoppable.

They watched as the scene reversed like a movie to when he had started his steps towards what he had assumed then that it was the largest chair in the room.

The same throne room was the one that had erupted into panic from the ceremony’s disruption moments ago. Currey had guards restrained; The Time Witch’s spells had been deflected, and traditions, as the Faes knew, had also been shattered. And at the centre of it, all stood the half-human, half-royal-Fae male, Ian.

Looking at it from an observer’s point of view, combined with that feeling of being saved by the one she loved, Shelby knew that her husband was awesome and could not help but send him an admiring glance.

Obviously, Ian didn’t care for the gasps of all of them, including the elders, nobles and even the general populace.

The throne was behind him - looming, untouched for decades. A sacred seat reserved for one deemed worthy. Ian didn’t spare it a glance.

He felt better with her wrapped around him like a spider. So, he turned blindly and took the nearest set of steps.

The two noticed from the memory that as he climbed, the room... shifted.

A hush fell.... So resounding that it felt as if it could be cut. The ground beneath everyone else’s feet remained still... but it changed under Ian’s. Even though he had not noticed this when he had walked up those stairs, witnessing it hit home differently. Invisible enchantment stirred. Ancient wards carved on each step glowed as his foot touched them.

He didn’t notice ... at least not then.

With the first step, the stone flared red briefly. It was so fleeting that only a few noticed.

"What is he doing?"

One of the Faes closest to where the couple stood whispered, dread coating his whole frame, making Ian wonder what the fuss was about just a few steps to a chair. It could be noted that Ian only had eyes for Shelby at that time, so it never occurred to him that this was the throne.

Besides, even if Ian had known, it was positive that Ian would have still taken that step because he did not care for formalities and most importantly, he did not know that there were special tests and processes to go through before such a ’large chair’ could be taken by anyone.

This step was like a test of courage. The red glow was an illusion of fire, and it flared, licking his feet, threatening to consume. But he didn’t pause. He held her tighter and walked through it. Fear could not sway him. He had none for himself. All his worries, if any at that time, were for her ... only for her.

One could notice that his feet trembled slightly, but at that same time, Ian could see a warm orangish glow seep in from Shelby to him, which boosted his steps, making him take the second one.

With the second step, a cold gust swept around him. Ian thought back to that time, as he had not felt it that much. The warm power seep from his Elfin to hit had intensified by then. The piercing chill that settled around him, combined with the power flow, caused tiny beads of sweat to form on his forehead. Whispers, cruel and condemning, filled his ears.

’How did I not hear those at that time?’ He wondered; looking at it now, he could feel the doubts. The regrets. The resilience.

Yes, he had briefly thought back to his failures. These mainly were linked to the many times he had nearly lost his Elfin. The memories condensed, making Ian even feel like he had stolen the Thornston Winery from Brad as he was not related to Alex and the company was for his stepfather’s family.

Even his inability to have seen Aliya for what she was also flashed in his mind, making him berate himself. Those were his failures, his shame, .... And all surged like a tide. These may have seemed like nothing, but their weight almost became physical at that time. Still, he climbed, his hold on her unshaken.

He had unknowingly passed the test of Resilience. He stumbled slightly from exhaustion but never loosened his grip.

As he took the third step, the air thickened with illusions, hissing doubts and phantom threats. From the observer’s view, Ian could see tiny beings floating around him, whispering things. It was just that, at that time, he had not heard a thing. That warm glow from Shelby had intensified and formed some sort of a shield around him.

This was the test of Wisdom. He ignored it all, or he never even felt their presence, but thinking back to that, Ian did remember a fleeting thought on Shelby’s possible betrayal with that sleazy Prince. He had wondered what that was, but now, he saw a flash of light, and then a wall of mirrors emerged.

They contained reflections of him and her .... twisted, warped versions. Brief pictures and scenes of Shelby laying with other men. Betrayals. Deceptions. And many disgusting things, but even from the observer’s view, Ian scoffed. His Shelby never had eyes for anyone but him. Even that chicken-bodied man never stood a chance, how could many men do?

’Whoever did this trick was nuts! And they clearly did not know his wife!’ Ian knew that he would never be fooled by such filthy attempts. He knew her heart and his own. That was enough.

The gasps and exclamations around increased as Ian took the fourth step. The illusion of a gap appeared before him. The staircase had vanished just as he placed his feet, becoming sky. It was an illusion of a fall, where only faith could anchor him.

However, Ian’s eyes had only been on his wife, so his mind had never even registered that the fourth step had disappeared. This was the Loyalty. He didn’t look down. He didn’t waver. He kept walking, knowing she trusted him ... and he would not betray that.

Even Shelby watching this scene with him, sucked in a sharp breath, ’All of this happened?’ She wondered. She had felt so secure in his embrace that none of these had registered with her. From Shelby’s view, the only thing that mattered was the transfer of warmth and power between the two of them. Even she was not sure what that was, but she had a hunch that it had to do with Roman, Ian’s father.

With nothing in front of him, Ian took the last step, the highest one. A soft breeze rustled through the hall. The ’large chair’ glowed faintly. The staircase became whole again, and the gathered crowd had fallen into silence, not because of the magic but because they finally saw.

The whole room pulsed with rich energy. It had been so long since the Fae folks had felt such, and one could see from the shock registered on their faces.

At that moment, those who knew it knew exactly what had happened. They had come to witness Price Simon’s coronation. Though they all had some dissatisfaction that he had not tried to take the mandated tests, they had still honoured it.

Besides, the throne always chose, and if Simon was the next king, everything would have gone on smoothly, but it didn’t ... not for Prince Simon. However, at least, unlike his father, he had not gotten physically hurt for trying to take that throne.

Never in their wildest dreams did they know that the royal test could be taken this way. They saw that each step had tested him. And through his quiet, unwavering devotion to the one they had dismissed as nothing more than human, he had passed the ancient trials.

A voice whispered in the whole hall, and except for Ian and Shelby, who were still encased in that orangish cocoon, as well as a few of the Fae, including Lord Lent, they all heard the words:

**"Vel’arion shal thir’kai en’varien .... cairnith dor’vahl, rhaen’el en’syr, voryndil na’sharael, shael’anth ai’dorel, ai’meira... ehlorien na’thalor. En’Thalorn lys’verai en’dorin. Il’haern ven’kaelis — shael en’Velor’thal, kairan dor’venor — val’rei tharanai. Syl’dor, en’vahl, en’taelor... Shal’vahl ai’venor."**

[** ’He, who walks the untethered path of the stars, with courage ablaze, ingrained resilience, wisdom, as deep as the ocean, as well as unrestrained loyalty and above all love, is and will always be the right fit for the Throne. The throne has sung it’s truth..... Ian, the son of Roman, the son of honour, has passed the royal tests. He had endured and prevailed! By the witness of the sky, by the true hearts of the Fae folks, and by fate, the Throne accepts him" **]

Then, a large scroll dropped just above their heads, glowing the same colour as that of the throne.

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