Throne of Ash and Shadows

Chapter 5 Katya Vasiliev

I stood beside Ometz, my hands clasped neatly in front of me, my gaze drifting over the throne room as the doors creaked open. Vlad entered, his steps slow and deliberate, and I couldn't help the ache that tightened in my chest when I saw him. He looked better than when I'd last seen him—no longer the beaten, bloody wreck from the dungeons—but still, something in his eyes was hard, colder than I remembered.

He didn't trust me. Of course, he didn't. Not after all these years. He thought I had forgotten everything—forgotten him—and that Ometz had somehow twisted me, stolen my memories, my mind. But it wasn't true. It had never been true. Every choice I made had been my own. Every step I'd taken had led me here, beside the man I loved.

I glanced at Ometz, who stood confidently at my side, his presence grounding me. He had been my rock for so long. My savior. The world might see him as a king or a conqueror, but to me, he was simply Ometz—the boy who had stolen my heart at a masked ball, the man who had saved me when my life was falling apart.

Vlad's gaze landed on me, and I felt the weight of his storm-gray eyes boring into mine. There was pain there, and anger. He didn't understand. He couldn't.

"Ah, Vlad," Ometz said warmly, gesturing for him to approach. "How nice of you to join us."

Vlad's eyes flickered between us, wary, but he walked forward with that stubborn pride he always carried. "I didn't have much of a choice, did I?" he muttered, the bitterness in his voice unmistakable.

Ometz smiled, the way he always did when he knew he held the upper hand. "Come, sit. Let's talk."

I watched Vlad carefully as he moved closer, every step filled with tension. He didn't know it yet, but he was safe here. Ometz had no desire to harm him, not anymore. He only wanted what was best—for all of us.

But Vlad wouldn't see it that way. In his mind, Ometz was the enemy, the one who had stolen me away, filled my head with lies. He still believed that I had forgotten everything—that I'd rebirthed, lost my memories when I "died" all those years ago. He didn't realize I never died, that I remembered it all. Every moment. Every choice. I remembered leaving the battlefield with Ometz, remembered the way he'd held me when I awoke from the chaos of war. I had chosen to stay with him. And it wasn't because of some manipulation or deceit.

It was because I loved him.

Vlad would never believe that. He still thought I was the girl who followed him into battle, the one who worshipped the ground he walked on. But I wasn't that girl anymore. I had grown, changed, become someone stronger, someone who could make her own choices. And my choice was Ometz.

Still, as I watched my brother sit in the chair Ometz offered, I couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow. I had missed him—more than I could ever put into words. The years apart hadn't been easy, but I had thought of him often, wondered what he would say if he knew I was alive, if he could see me now. But I knew Vlad. His loyalty to Avernia ran too deep. He would never forgive me for staying here. For choosing love over duty.

Ometz leaned back in his throne, the picture of calm confidence. "Vlad, I'm offering you a way forward," he said, his voice smooth. "A future where our kingdoms don't have to fight anymore. A future where your sister can live in peace, where you can return to Avernia without bloodshed."

Vlad narrowed his eyes, his jaw tightening. "You think you can offer me peace after everything you've done? After you've stolen Katya from me?"

My heart clenched at the venom in his words, but I stayed silent, watching the tension between them build. Ometz didn't flinch. He simply smiled, his green eyes gleaming. "I didn't steal her, Vlad. She chose to stay with me. You may not believe that, but it's the truth."