Warrior Love

Chapter 3

As the girl looked up at me, her tear-streaked face filled with curiosity, she asked softly, "Who are you?"

Before I could respond, a sharp, familiar tug rippled through the air. I froze, sensing the presence of Selene, my fiancée, calling out to me through the winds. My heart tightened. I wasn't supposed to be here-not in this form, not in this realm. The laws were clear: mortals were not meant to see me. And yet, here I stood, caught between my world and hers.

I looked back at the girl, her fragile state pulling at something deep within me. I couldn't leave her like this, but I also couldn't risk being discovered.

"I'm sorry," I murmured, my voice barely audible.

She tilted her head in confusion. "What-?"

Before she could finish, I raised my hand, a soft wave of wind swirling around her. Her eyelids fluttered, her body relaxing as I gently guided her into a peaceful sleep. As she drifted off, I whispered, "Everything will feel like a dream. You won't remember me... but I will remember you."

The sorrow in her voice, the weight of her tears-they lingered in my mind as I stepped away. I cast one last glance at her sleeping form before vanishing into the wind, the faint call of Selene pulling me back to Skyskeep.

I couldn't help but wonder, as the mortal world faded from view, why this girl-this fleeting moment-had affected me so deeply.

...

Zara blinked her eyes open, the soft light of dawn spilling through her window. Her head throbbed, and a strange dizziness settled over her as she struggled to sit up. The familiar surroundings of her chamber greeted her, but something felt... off.

She pressed a hand to her forehead, her thoughts muddled. What in the world just happened? She tried to recall the events of the night before, but her mind was blank-a swirling haze she couldn't grasp. There was a faint, fleeting sensation in her heart, like she'd lost something she couldn't name.

"Was it a dream?" she whispered to herself, her voice trembling. She glanced at the floor, the corners of her room, searching for anything that might explain the strange ache she felt deep within her chest. But there was nothing. No trace of the figure she couldn't quite picture, no clue to the odd peace and sorrow mingling in her heart.

Her breath hitched as she lay back down, closing her eyes tightly. "It must have been... just a dream." But the nagging feeling lingered, a faint whisper in the back of her mind that refused to fade.

Elara entered the princess's chambers quietly, her familiar presence bringing a sense of calm to the room. She found Zara sitting on the edge of her bed, her expression distant, as if lost in thought. The faint light of the morning illuminated her features, making the troubled look in her eyes more apparent.

"Good morning, Your Majesty," Elara greeted warmly, bowing slightly before approaching. "You seem troubled. Did you sleep well?"

Zara turned to her with a faint smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Elara, can you assist me with a bath? Perhaps it will help clear my head."

"Of course, Princess," Elara replied, her voice steady and reassuring as she began preparing the bath. She noticed Zara's hesitation, the way her fingers fidgeted with the hem of her gown. "What's on your mind?"

Zara let out a soft sigh before speaking. "I had a dream. Or at least, I think it was a dream. I met someone... a man. He had golden hair and eyes as blue as the summer sky." Her voice wavered slightly, as though she were trying to make sense of her own words. "It felt so real, Elara. His presence was comforting, yet there was something... otherworldly about him."