Warrior Love

Chapter 7

The royal library was quiet, save for the soft rustle of Zara’s dress as she moved through the aisles. Towering shelves surrounded her, their ancient tomes whispering stories of old to anyone who cared to listen. Zara had always loved this place, finding solace in the words of others when her own thoughts became too heavy. Today, she needed that solace more than ever.

The betrayal of her former fiancé and her best friend still lingered like a shadow in her heart, a wound she couldn’t quite close. She shook her head, willing herself to focus. Books wouldn’t judge her. They wouldn’t betray her. They offered a safe escape, if only for a little while.

Her fingers glided along the spines of countless volumes until her hand paused on one that seemed to call to her. Its cover was worn but ornate, its title gilded in faded gold: "The Eternal Bond: Myths of the Celestial and the Mortal." Zara hesitated, then pulled it from the shelf.

Carrying it to her favorite spot by the window, she settled into the plush chair and opened the book. Dust rose from its pages, illuminated by the golden light streaming through the glass. She flipped through its fragile parchment, her eyes scanning myths about gods and mortals, most of them whimsical or tragic. But then she stopped, her breath hitching.

A painted illustration stared back at her—a mortal queen with flowing robes and an emerald pendant, standing beside a celestial figure with golden hair and piercing blue eyes. The image stirred something deep within her, something she couldn’t name.

The words beneath the illustration seemed to echo in her mind as she read:

"When the wind descends from the heavens and whispers to the heart of a mortal queen, their union shall bring upheaval to the realms of both gods and men. Bound by fate, their love defies all, but it comes at the greatest cost: the balance of the skies and earth shall tremble, and only their choice will determine salvation or ruin."

Zara’s fingers traced the illustration, her pulse quickening. The mortal queen’s pendant was identical to her own—the emerald necklace her mother had given her long ago. It had always been a comforting presence, a reminder of her family, but now it felt heavier.

“This... this can’t be real,” Zara whispered to herself. The resemblance was too uncanny, the words too strange. Myths and prophecies were just tales, she told herself. Yet the unease lingered. What if it wasn’t just a story? What if it meant something

...

In the gleaming halls of Skyskeep, Zephyr stood before his father, Aureon, High King of the Sky. The throne room was immense, the storm-gray walls veined with gold radiating an air of command. Clouds swirled above, restless and charged with suppressed energy.

Aureon’s thunderous voice broke the tense silence. “You have both failed me,” he declared, his gaze shifting between his sons—Zephyr and Dylan.

Dylan, seated near the edge of the hall, straightened in surprise. “Father, I’ve fulfilled every duty—”

“Duty?” Aureon interrupted, his tone cutting. “You, who married beneath your station, who chose to build your life around mortal whims? The birth of your son Triton has complicated the balance more than you realize. You have diluted the blood of the gods!”

Dylan bristled, his expression hardening. “Marlia is my wife and the mother of my child. If that weakens the so-called ‘divine order,’ then perhaps the order was flawed to begin with.”

Aureon’s eyes flashed, his anger palpable. “Your insolence is what drove me to demand Zephyr’s union with Lirae. It was to salvage what you tarnished!” His glare fell to Zephyr, cold and calculating. “And now you, the calm one, the obedient one, reject this sacred bond as well?”