shout their orders as the white cliffs she’d dreamed about came into view, looming over the ocean as its protector.
She imagined Bela beyond the cliffs, stretching into the distance, a patchwork of green fields and forests. There was no more peaceful place in all the Six Kingdoms.
Edmund rested his elbows on the rail at her side. “Home.”
She closed her eyes, letting herself soak in the simple fact she was returning to Bela, so different from the rocky Cana, a kingdom constantly at war, where even the simplest life was a struggle every day.
She hadn’t realized Edmund had left until a new voice replaced his.
“I believe you now.” Eirick lifted his gaze to the shore as it neared. “In Cana we hear stories of Bela and the magic wielders, but I didn’t know they were true. It’s like I can feel a heart beating in this place. I left everything behind to save my own life. Some would call me a coward to not fight for my power, my position, but…”
Ara reached up, running her fingers over his cheek. “You would have been a coward to stay.” Her thumb tapped his lips. “To fight for something you’d already lost. There’s more to this world than power, Eirick.”
“That’s easy for someone with magic in their veins to say.”
She pulled her hand back. “In Bela, we don’t use our magic to be powerful. All we’ve ever wanted is peace. It’s why our queen has tried so hard to broker an agreement with Cana, why she has devoted herself to her alliances. We could live in Bela, surrounding ourselves in bliss while ignoring the rest of the Six Kingdoms. But we want everyone to experience what we’ve found.”
She looked back out at the high cliffs. “It isn’t about power. It’s about love.”
He pressed a kiss to the side of her head. “Thank you for sharing this with me, for saving my life.”
She drew him in for a deeper kiss, breaking away long enough to whisper against his lips. “Don’t worry, Lord Eirick, I’ll always be here to save you.”
A chuckle rumbled low in his chest. “I don’t doubt that.”
As they watched their future in Bela near, Ara realized she was ready for her fight to end. She’d served as a general, leading her father’s men, and then as a spy. She’d seen multiple wars and killed too many warriors.
Fighting was her duty, her job.
But it didn’t have to be, not anymore.
Now, she prepared for a different kind of life. One with a certain warlord by her side.
Who was she kidding?
There’d always be another battle.
And she’d answer the call.
Chapter Five
Ara had only seen Madra once before, when she first took on her mission as a spy. This time, she didn’t marvel at the extravagant palace or the sheer size of the capital. All she had eyes for was the ocean spanning the distance between Madra and Bela.
Three days later, they boarded a ship with Edmund and the other delegates for the two-day journey.
Eirick didn’t speak much on the trip. He stayed mostly below deck.
Ara stood at the rail listening to sailors shout their orders as the white cliffs she’d dreamed about came into view, looming over the ocean as its protector.
She imagined Bela beyond the cliffs, stretching into the distance, a patchwork of green fields and forests. There was no more peaceful place in all the Six Kingdoms.
Edmund rested his elbows on the rail at her side. “Home.”
She closed her eyes, letting herself soak in the simple fact she was returning to Bela, so different from the rocky Cana, a kingdom constantly at war, where even the simplest life was a struggle every day.
She hadn’t realized Edmund had left until a new voice replaced his.
“I believe you now.” Eirick lifted his gaze to the shore as it neared. “In Cana we hear stories of Bela and the magic wielders, but I didn’t know they were true. It’s like I can feel a heart beating in this place. I left everything behind to save my own life. Some would call me a coward to not fight for my power, my position, but…”
Ara reached up, running her fingers over his cheek. “You would have been a coward to stay.” Her thumb tapped his lips. “To fight for something you’d already lost. There’s more to this world than power, Eirick.”
“That’s easy for someone with magic in their veins to say.”
She pulled her hand back. “In Bela, we don’t use our magic to be powerful. All we’ve ever wanted