Thornwick Square
Dawn came cruelly early the next morning, painting Thornwick's sky in a pale, indifferent blue. Villagers gathered in uneasy clusters, murmuring, whispering, straining to see the raised wooden platform being prepared in the center of the square.
A gallows.
Ariella stood near the edge of the crowd, her cloak pulled tight, her hood shadowing her face. Her heart beat a frantic, breaking rhythm, each thud a sharp reminder of what the morning would bring.
Kael.
The enemy soldier she had hidden.The man she felt drawn to in ways she couldn't explain.The man captured—because of her.
Rowan stood beside her, jaw clenched, eyes straight ahead. He had barely spoken since yesterday. She could feel the conflict radiating from him—duty battling loyalty, fear battling love for his sister.
Trumpets sounded.
The murmurs fell silent.
Then Kael was led out.
His hands were bound, his face bruised, his shirt torn. But he walked with his back straight, steps steady. Even now, in chains, he looked unbroken.
Ariella's breath hitched.
He lifted his head—and saw her.
The world seemed to fall away.
She stepped forward before she realized she was moving.
A guard blocked her path. Back!
Please, she whispered, just let me speak to him.
No!
The Lord of Thornwick, a stern man with silver-streaked hair and eyes colder than winter, raised a hand.
This soldier of Ravenhold, he declared, was found hiding within our village walls. Whether spy or deserter, he is guilty of trespassing and posing danger to Thornwick.
A cheer rose from pockets of the crowd, fueled by months of fear and loss.
Ariella shook. No… please…
The Lord's gaze swept the crowd. He will be executed at dawn's highest light.
The executioner stepped forward.
Ariella couldn't breathe.
She pushed past Rowan, who grabbed for her too late. She stumbled into the open—toward the platform.
Wait! she cried.
Gasps rippled through the square.
The Lord frowned. You again?
Ariella's voice trembled. Kael is not a spy. He was wounded. I... I found him. I tried to save him.
The square erupted into shocked murmurs.
Rowan cursed under his breath.
The Lord studied her, expression darkening. Aiding the enemy during wartime is treason.
"No, Kael's voice rang out. She saved a life. Mine. Nothing more.
Their eyes met—and Ariella knew the truth neither of them dared say:
It was more.Far more.
The Lord sighed. The girl is young and foolish. Perhaps mercy has its place. But the soldier, he nodded to Kael, must die.
Ariella surged forward. Please! I beg you!
Guards restrained her, pulling her back.
Kael's voice broke through the chaos. Ariella.
She froze.
He held her gaze with a steadiness that nearly shattered her.
It's all right, he said quietly.
No, she whispered, tears flooding her vision. It isn't.
Kael gave her a faint, soft smile, one she had seen only once before, in the barn.
The executioner stepped behind him.
The rope tightened.
Ariella screamed.
Kael's eyes stayed on her—steady, calm, sorrowful, tender.
Ariella, he said softly, listen to me.
The crowd hushed.
You were the first person in this land to look at me with kindness. The first to touch me without hatred. He swallowed, pain flickering through his gaze. If fate were kinder… I would have stayed by your side.
A sob tore from her throat.
But remember this, he whispered.In another life… maybe I will.
Ariella struggled, but the guards held her fast.
Kael closed his eyes.A final breath.
I will find you, he murmured.Until again.
The platform shifted.
The rope snapped tight.
Ariella's scream broke the sky.
Lightning flashed, though no storm had been called.The ground trembled beneath their feet.A sudden wind tore through the square, scattering leaves and dust in a swirling, unnatural spiral.
Villagers gasped, stumbling back.
Old Mara, the Seer, appeared at the edge of the crowd, whispering words only Ariella could hear through the roar of her grief:
"A love that defies fate must pay its price."
The wind surged, rising into a haunting wail—a sound like mourning across lifetimes.
Ariella fell to her knees.
And somewhere in the unseen space where souls drift between life and death, a thread was tied:
A bond.A curse.A promise.
Your love will stretch beyond death…but never reach peace.
As the wind died and the world stilled, Ariella lifted her face—tear-streaked, hollow, broken.
The curse had begun.