Two days before the expected wedding, King Mael and all of Prince Ciaran's siblings arrived in Hiraeth. News of Amaya's escape had reached him, and he wanted to verify their truth.
"Where is your bride?" the king asked his son.
"She is in her chambers. She hasn't been feeling well for the last few days." Ciaran replied.
"Words have reached me that she has escaped," said the king, trying to catch Ciaran in a lie.
"That's a lie," said Ciaran. "I can assure you that she will stand by my side in the Sun Temple."
"May I see her?" demanded the king.
"She doesn't feel well," Ciaran snapped.
"She is blessed by the gods, after all."
"She is blessed by the gods, not invulnerable. She is lying in her bed and resting. You want her to be fine on her wedding day, don't you?'
This time the prince succeeded. The king turned and let it to blown away by the breeze. However, he believed he had won and Amaya was truly gone. He still had plenty of time to prove his failure. He was sure that Ciaran was only delaying the inevitable.
Everyone in the palace who knew the truth received their orders. No one was allowed to reveal that Amaya had escaped. It was a secret they had to keep.
However, Mareena had to play the biggest show. Ever since Amaya left she had to walk into her rooms every morning as if she were still there. She had to stick to the traditional schedule. If anyone asked about her, she had to stick to the lie he made up - Amaya was not feeling well and was resting. No one is allowed to visit her. Even the guards had orders not to let anyone in.
"Why are you keeping your bride such a secret, Ciaran?" asked his sister Neila. "I brought her a gift, but the guards outside her door sent me away."
"Amaya is not feeling well," said Ciaran. "If you want, I'll give her your gift."
"I would like to give it to her myself. To get to know her a little," said Neila. "She'll be part of the family now, after all."
"She's not well enough to stand listening to you all the time. Sorry, sister, but you can often be annoying when you open your mouth. I don't want to scare her," Ciaran said.
"You're not stupid. Surely you know about the fact that they say she ran away," Neila told him.
"So you just came to find out if the rumors are true?"
"You know you've always been my favorite brother? You are different from the rest of us. Maybe it's because you grew up here." she gave him a fleeting smile. "I hope you're telling the truth because I don't want to watch you die."
Ciaran believed that Amaya would return, but with each passing day, his hope faded. He spent the nights in her bedroom, in her bed. Her scent on the pillow was fading. Maybe she was already gone and he was just imagining her. He lay there and dreamed that when he opened his eyes, she would be there. She will lie next to him and look up at him with her beautiful earth-colored eyes. He imagined how the balcony door would open. A fresh night breeze enters and she materializes from the moonlight.
But that never happened.
The morning came. He woke up. He was alone.
She was far away.
⸸
It was the last day before the wedding and Amaya was still gone. Ciaran was already thinking about what he would say if she won't come back. He had prepared the perfect lie about her being kidnapped. However, he hoped that that possibility would not come to pass.
Edric, king of the kingdom of Silla, also arrived at the palace. He was supposed to be the mediator in the negotiations for peace between Deira and Amorite.
"It is an honor to welcome you to Hiraeth, Your Majesty, King Edric," Prince Ciaran greeted him.
"I am pleased to finally meet the last descendant of the king of Deira. Thank you for your warm welcome," said King Edric. "And where is Miss Amaya?" he asked when he didn't see her by his side. "I would like to say hello to her. It's been years since we last met. She's an extraordinary girl indeed."
"I'm sorry, but she hasn't been feeling well the last few days. She rests in her chambers," Prince Ciaran replied.
King Edric laughed to himself. "Unusual for something to defeat Miss Amaya. I remember the courage with which she hunted the dark creatures."
"She doesn't hunt them anymore," said Ciaran.
"True," acknowledged the King of Silla. "Not for a few years. She stopped when the human sacrifices began. They say it changed her."
"She's definitely not like the others," said Ciaran.
"I hope she gets better soon. I would like to meet and talk with her. She will certainly be interested in news from home," said King Edric.
"There will be no problem to visit her," said King Mael. "She's definitely strong enough to listen. But if there is no other reason why we must not see her..." the king looked at his son suspiciously. A mischievous smile of victory graced his lips.
"Of course," Prince Ciaran agreed.
And so his game fell apart before it could come to an end.
Prince Ciaran led them to Amaya's chambers. He knew she wouldn't be there and this was the end. However, it was no longer possible to hide it. He was cornered.
The guards let them in on the prince's order. Her chambers were empty. An unnatural silence echoed through them. As they approached the bedroom door, Mareena came out and stopped them.
"I'm sorry, but you can't come in now," she said. "Miss is getting dressed."
"In that case, we'll wait," King Mael said, sitting down in the chair. It was only a matter of minutes before he got what he wanted. Prince Ciaran will have to admit that the witch has escaped.
"You could have said she was walking in the gardens or..." Ciaran whispered to Mareena, but before he could finish his thought, the bedroom door opened and Amaya stepped out.
Prince Ciaran stared at her in astonishment. He couldn't hide his surprise. She was wearing a light purple dress with white ornaments. Her brown hair fell to her shoulders. She looked tired like she really wasn't feeling well. As if the lie he told was no longer a lie.
"Your majesties." she bowed before them.
King Mael did not look enthusiastic. He was sure that his son's words were a lie, but it didn't make sense that the witch was standing in front of him right now.
King Edric approached her and kissed the back of her hand like a gentleman. "It is an honor to meet you again, Miss Amaya."
"The honor is on my side, Your Majesty," Amaya said. "What directs your journey here besides the wedding, King Edric?" she asked him. "I'm sure you didn't measure that distance just for that."
"Amorite and Deira negotiate for peace. The Kingdom of Silla is a neutral party that will make sure they don't destroy each other during the negotiations," King Edric replied.
"That's good news that the war is finally over," Amaya said. "It lost its meaning a long time ago."
"True," confirmed King Edric. "But I see you are well taken care of here," he said. "I'm sure the commander will be happy to hear that. And how is his son doing? The commander asked me to find out what happened to him."
"You can tell the commander that Mathias is doing fine," Amaya replied. "I made sure nothing happened to him."
"Always loyal to her friends." King Edric gave her a smile. "We'll let you rest now."
As they left, King Mael said to his son: "This time it worked for you. You won't be so lucky the second time around."
King Mael and King Edric left. For a moment they stood looking at the door in silence. Then Amaya opened the door to her bedroom from which Mathias and Drea came out. A flame was reflected in the prince's eyes. They passed by in silence and left together with Mareena. As the door closed behind them, Amaya leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor. She sighed deeply.
"It seems I came at the last possible moment," she said.
"Why did you run away?" Ciaran asked her with anger in his voice.
Amaya laughed to herself. "You can't expect me to be held here against my will and not try to escape," she retorted.
"Even after what happened between us?"
"That was not in the plan. But it's the only reason why I came back at all.''
"Did you have any remorse?" he crossed his arms over his chest, giving her a look full of contempt.
"No," Amaya said in a cold voice. "I just didn't want to see you die."
"Given the fact that you ran away, you wouldn't have witnessed it," Ciaran retorted.
"The gods would make me watch it. Well, even knowing that I was the one who caused your downfall wouldn't be very satisfying," said Amaya. " I don't betray those I care about."
"Despite this, you betrayed Zariah," Ciaran reminded her.
"But she betrayed me first," argued Amaya. "She can be glad that I wasn't the one who suggested her punishment. I am not merciful to those who betray me."
"That doesn't change the fact that you used that night to escape," said Ciaran.
"I took advantage of the party, not you," Amaya said. "The fact that I slept with you only complicated it. You could have woken up and caught me."
"How did you get out and back in undetected?" Ciaran wondered.
Amaya smirked. "That's the witch's secret," she replied.
Prince Ciaran rolled his eyes. He could not suppress the fleeting smile that graced his lips. He offered Amaya a hand which she accepted warmly and helped her back to her feet. He quickly lifted her into his arms. Amaya giggled lightly.
"You look downright awful," the prince told her.
"I didn't stop, I didn't sleep, just to get here on time. I'm sorry for the consequences it left on me, your Highness," Amaya said sarcastically.
"You should get some sleep before dinner. You need to be in full force tomorrow for our big day," Ciaran told her as he carried her to bed.
"Will you stay with me?" Amaya asked him.
"After our last night? No thanks." Ciaran replied, turning his back on her.
"Why didn't you send guards after me to catch me?" Amaya asked him a question.
Ciaran stopped. He hesitated for a brief moment before turning to her.
"I was hoping you would come back of your own will," he replied.
"And I'm here. I came back."
"And is it even good? You ran away."
"You know, Ciaran, I've never met anyone like you. Darkness chooses only exceptional people. I've never been so attracted to anyone before and that's why I have to stay as far away from you as possible," Amaya said.
Ciaran's gaze darkened. "Sleep," he told her. "I'll come for you in the evening."
Amaya closed her eyes and sleep claimed her almost immediately.