CHAPTER 91: MEMORABLE.

Soren carried Eris back inside long after the courtyard had fallen still.

Eris slept soundly against him, her breath warm against the hollow of his neck, so light it almost didn’t feel real. The torches along the hallways sputtered as he passed, their flames bending in quiet submission, as if even fire itself refused to disturb her sleep.

Her body was warm, unbearably so and yet Soren held her as though she were the most fragile thing he had ever touched. One arm under her knees, the other cradling her back, careful not to jostle even the fall of her hair.

He moved through the inn’s sleeping corridors, past the half-awake guards who straightened immediately at the sight of him.

And then came the chatter.

A pair of Winter Knights, whispering near the stairwell, a harmless exchange about shift changes and routes, until Soren stepped into view.

His gaze alone silenced them.

But one, already nervous, stumbled over himself and bowed too low, his armor clattering in a miserable echo. The other, panicking, tried to steady him, which only sent the first man crashing into the wall with a metallic clang.

Soren’s smile curved slowly, dangerously.

"If either of you make one more sound," he murmured, his voice a low, pleasant blade, "I’ll freeze your tongues and hang them as wind chimes above the gates of Nevareth."

That shut them up. Completely.

The knights stood stiff as statues, terror written in their eyes, and Soren’s deadly smile lingered as he passed, not from cruelty, but quiet amusement.

He continued up the stairs and down the hall, her hair brushing his chin, her warmth bleeding into his chest. When he reached her door, he nudged it open with his foot. The chamber within was dim and heavy with heat, the sort that clung to the air and refused to leave.

He laid her down gently upon the bed.

For a long moment, he just stood there, watching her. Her hair had come undone, spilling across the pillow in a river of gold. Her lips parted slightly in sleep, her hand resting over her heart. The faintest shimmer of sweat clung to her brow, the fire inside her restless even in dreams.

So he lifted a hand, and frost whispered across his fingertips. The air cooled at once, soft wisps of ice curling through the warmth like pale smoke. He guided it carefully, letting it drift above her, enough to soothe, not to chill.

Eris shifted faintly, sighing, her expression easing into peace.

And Soren sat beside her, wordless, eyes half-closed as his power settled into the room. He stayed there long after her breathing steadied, the Ice Emperor keeping vigil beside the Fire Queen, the night itself holding its breath around them.

Dawn crept through the curtains in ribbons of gold.

Eris woke slowly, her lashes fluttering open to the sight of unfamiliar sunlight spilling across an unfamiliar ceiling. It took her a few heartbeats to remember where she was, the faint scent of river air, the murmur of distant gulls.

Then she realized she was in her bed.

Alone.

Her cloak had been folded neatly at the edge of the mattress. Her boots lined beside it. And the faintest trace of cool air lingered on the sheets, like the ghost of a winter breeze.

Oh.

Her face flushed hot enough to rival the dragon in her chest.

He’d carried her.

The realization settled over her like a weight. She could almost feel it now, the memory of his arms beneath her, the steady rhythm of his footsteps, the comfort of his chest against her cheek.

He’d carried her all the way back to her room. Tucked her into bed.

She sat up slowly, pushing the blanket aside, and looked around the room. It was empty now, of course. But the air still carried a faint chill that didn’t belong to Solmire’s heat, a lingering trace of frost that clung to the corners like a ghost.

He’d been here. Watching over her. Cooling the room so she could sleep.

Eris pressed her hands to her face, groaning softly into her palms.

This man. This insufferable, maddening, impossible man.

She didn’t know whether to be furious or... something else. Something she didn’t have a name for yet.

A knock at the door interrupted her spiral.

"Your Majesty?" Mira’s voice, timid and sweet. "Are you awake? His Majesty asked me to let you know we’ll be departing soon."

Eris lowered her hands, exhaling slowly.

"Yes. I’m awake. I’ll be out shortly."

"Of course, Your Majesty."

Dawn broke over the Ember River like a painter’s first stroke, soft gold bleeding into pale blue, mist rising from the water in lazy tendrils that curled and dissipated in the growing light.

The city of Crimson Port was already stirring, its docks alive with the clatter of crates and the shouts of merchants preparing for another day of trade.

The Winter Knights moved with practiced efficiency, loading the last of the supplies onto the wagons, checking harnesses and bridles, their breath misting faintly in the cool morning air.

Jorel stood among them now, no longer an outsider but not yet fully one of their own, a man caught between worlds, watching and learning.

Mira fluttered about like a nervous sparrow, triple-checking that nothing had been forgotten, her hands twisting in her apron every time she thought no one was looking.

She had chosen to follow Eris but wasn’t entirely prepared for the burden it meant.

And Soren stood at the center of it all, calm and composed, his pale cloak catching the light as he spoke quietly with one of his captains.

Then the inn door opened.

Eris stepped out.

The world didn’t stop, not quite, but it slowed. Conversations dipped into murmurs. Eyes turned. Even the horses seemed to pause, ears pricked forward as though they, too, recognized the shift in the air.

She was dressed simply, her traveling cloak fastened at her throat, her hair pulled back in a loose braid that left a few strands free to frame her face. She looked every inch a queen, even without a crown. Especially without one.

Soren turned, and the moment their eyes met, something unspoken passed between them, a current of understanding, of shared secrets, of the night that still lingered in the spaces between words.

He didn’t say anything. Didn’t need to. Just offered her a small, knowing smile and extended his hand.

She took it..

And together, they crossed the courtyard to the waiting carriage.

By noon,

The landscape began to change.

The rolling hills gave way to rockier ground, the soil darker, harder. Ancient stone markers rose from the earth like teeth, each one carved with Pyronox’s flame sigil, some worn smooth by centuries of wind, others still sharp enough to cut.

Weathered monuments dotted the roadside. Crumbled fortifications. Rusted swords embedded in stone like grave markers.

Evidence of battles fought so long ago that even their names had been forgotten.

They passed a massive structure, half-collapsed but still imposing, its entrance flanked by pillars carved with scenes of war and flame.

The Pyre of the Fallen.

A monument to the Battle of Ashenmoor, where Solmire had repelled an invasion from the North three hundred years ago.

Soren stiffened slightly as they passed it.

Eris noticed. "Your ancestors tried to take this land once."

He didn’t deny it. "And failed. Fire and ice have always clashed."

"And now?"

He turned to look at her, his expression unreadable. "Perhaps we’re rewriting history."

"Or repeating it," she said quietly.

....

The temperature was shifting. Subtly, but undeniably. The oppressive heat of the inner rings had begun to ease, replaced by something cooler, crisper.

Northern winds were reaching this far now, threading through the southern warmth like fingers interlacing.

Eris felt it. Felt the way the dragon inside her responded, stirring, restless, as though it could sense the change in the air.

They stopped at an ancient rest area built around a sacred spring. The water was crystal-clear, bubbling up from somewhere deep beneath the earth, and the stones surrounding it were covered in carvings, prayers, names, blessings scratched into the surface by countless travelers over countless years.

It was said to be blessed by Pyronox himself.

Eris stepped out of the carriage, drawn to the water despite herself. She knelt beside it, staring down at her reflection.

Pale hair. Hollow eyes. A face that looked too tired for someone who hadn’t yet lived thirty years.

Soren joined her, crouching beside the spring.

"They say this water can show you your future," he said lightly.

Eris didn’t smile. "I’ve already seen my future. It’s short."

He was quiet for a moment. Then: "Then perhaps we should make it memorable."

Their eyes met in the reflection, fire and ice, intertwined.

For a heartbeat, neither of them moved.

Then a knight called out: "Your Majesties, we’re ready to continue."

The moment broke.

Eris stood, brushing dust from her skirts, and turned back toward the carriage without another word.

But Soren lingered a moment longer, staring down at the water where their reflections had been.

Memorable, he thought.

Yes. He would make sure of that.