Flames (Under Revision)

Chapter Eight: Ashes and Accusations

Elias stood at the edge of the cliff, his gaze fixed on the roiling sea below. The last trace of Freya’s form had disappeared beneath the surface, swallowed by the dark, turbulent waters. His chest tightened, suffocating under the weight of everything that had transpired. What had he done? The cold air bit at his skin, but it was nothing compared to the burning regret that seared his heart. His carefully calculated plan—calm, measured, and controlled—had unraveled in a single, disastrous moment. And now Freya was gone.

A bitter laugh, hollow and strained, escaped him. It sounded foreign, like the echo of someone he didn’t recognize. The laugh was more out of frustration than anything else, the sound jagged with regret. He had miscalculated. And now, standing at the precipice, the enormity of his failure crushed him. His ambitions had led him down a path he could never have foreseen. He had wanted to control the future, to seize it with his own hands, but now it felt like his very grip had slipped. Freya had always been a pawn in his mind, but now—she was more than that. She was lost.

His gaze flickered over the cliffs, the sea crashing below in an unforgiving rhythm, like the beating of his own heart. His mind raced, replaying every moment leading up to this. He thought back to when it all began, to when he first learned of Greg and Freya’s bond. He remembered the spring festival, the night everything had subtly changed. He had been with his father, attending to matters of state, when Greg had walked into the room, looking as composed as always, his charming smile hiding the turmoil he tried so desperately to conceal. At the time, Elias had barely given his younger brother a second thought. Greg had always been the quiet one, the third prince, content in his shadows. But that night, something had caught Elias’s attention.

The conversation between Greg and one of the palace servants—casual, seemingly innocuous—had taken root in Elias’s mind. They were talking about Freya Michelle. The name itself had sent a shiver down his spine. Freya, the daughter of one of the wealthiest and most influential families in the kingdom, was a mystery to him. She moved in the background of royal life, a shadow more than a player in the intricate court politics. Elias had always seen her as irrelevant, a piece that didn’t matter. But that night, as he overheard Greg’s words, something inside him shifted.

Greg’s tone had been different. There was warmth in his voice, a tenderness that Elias hadn’t expected. It wasn’t the detached indifference Greg usually exuded, but something more personal, something deeper. The way he spoke of Freya… it unsettled Elias in a way he couldn’t explain. Greg was the youngest prince, with little power and even less ambition to claim the throne. But Elias hadn’t counted on this—Greg’s hidden affection for Freya had been a weak spot, one Elias couldn’t ignore.

The more Elias observed them, the clearer it became: their connection was more than friendship. It was secretive, quiet, but undeniable. The subtle glances, the way Greg looked at Freya when he thought no one was watching—it had all made too much sense to ignore. And yet, Elias had underestimated the power of it. He had assumed Greg’s feelings for Freya could be controlled, dismissed as nothing more than youthful infatuation.

But as the months passed, Elias saw how strong that bond truly was. His brother’s feelings for Freya were not fleeting. They were deep, serious, and it had started to weigh heavily on Elias. If Greg’s affection for Freya was real—and it was—then Freya was a threat. She was more than just a distraction. She could be a rival to Elias’s own ambitions. She could interfere with his claim to the throne, or worse—she could take Greg’s focus away from him.

In the back of his mind, Elias began to formulate a plan. He would have to step in, to take control of the situation. Freya had to be his. He needed to draw her in, make her see him—not Greg—as the one who could offer her everything. He needed her to fall for him, to want him. And once she did, he could use her to further his own claim, to secure his place as the next ruler of the kingdom.