LOGINRowan's POVThe first thing I noticed when I woke up was the smell. Fresh bread, warm honey and herbal tea.It drifted beneath my bedroom door, carrying a quiet comfort I wasn't used to waking up to. For a few moments, I simply lay still inside the blankets, listening to the peaceful sounds outside my room. Somewhere down the corridor, servants exchanged soft greetings. A fireplace crackled, and the castle was awake. There were no shouting voices. No insults waiting for me and no orders to make myself useful before sunrise. It still felt strange.In Nightfang, mornings had always begun with anxiety. I never knew who would find fault with me first. But here...silence wasn't frightening, but it was gentle.A knock came at my door. Three soft taps."My lord?" a young servant called respectfully. "The royal physician requests permission to examine you before breakfast."I blinked. "Again?""Yes, my lord.""They said His Majesty insisted."I couldn't help smiling. Kael had somehow convin
Rowan's POVThe first thing I noticed when I opened my eyes was silence. Not the cold, lonely silence I had known in Nightfang, but this silence felt...safe.Morning sunlight poured through the tall windows, painting warm golden patterns through the floor of my room. And somewhere beyond the walls, I could hear servants moving through the castle and distant voices drifting from the training grounds.Life continued. And for the first time in years, I woke without wondering who would insult me before breakfast.A small knock sounded. "Come in." I ordered. The door opened, revealing one of the younger castle servants carrying a silver tray.He couldn't have been older than seventeen, and he bowed so deeply I almost stood up in surprise. "Good morning, Lord Rowan."Lord Rowan!The title still sounded strange. "You don't have to bow that much," I said awkwardly.His eyes looked muddy."But... His Majesty ordered that every member of the castle show you the same respect given to the royal f
The Quiet PromiseRowan's POVNo one went quiet. The Queen Mother's words hit the room long after I lowered the letter.The fire burning deep inside the hearth. But outside, snow drifted past the tall windows. For the first time since arriving at the Northern Castle...the silence didn't feel empty, but it felt comforting.Lady Miriam finally broke the silence with words of wisdom. "She always believed the Moon guided people together for a reason."She looked at the letter in my hands. "Perhaps...she was right." Scholar Elias accepted the parchment. "I would like to preserve this." He said and smiled."After making a copy for the Royal Archives, it's yours." Kael's voice was too calm. "No document about you will ever be taken without your permission."I looked at Elias. "I don't mind if it's copied, but...I folded the original. "I'd like to keep this one." Elias smiled. "As you wish." He bowed his head before stepping back. And the others continued exploring the Queen Mother's residen
The Letter That WaitedRowan's POVEveryone stood still, no one moved. The envelope rested inside the hidden compartment as though it had been placed there only yesterday instead of years ago.Its ivory paper hadn't yellowed with age, the wax seal remained untouched. And across the front, elegant handwriting read only six words. FOR THE ONE THE MOON SENDS.The room had become so quiet that I could hear the fire crackling behind us. Lady Miriam lowered her hands. "I've lived in this castle for more than forty years."Her voice barely rose above a whisper. "I never knew this compartment existed."Neither had anyone else. Commander Selene examined the desk. "There are no hidden mechanisms."Scholar Elias, who had arrived moments earlier after being summoned by the Treasurer, adjusted his spectacles. "Then how did it open?" No one answered.Because no one knew. My eyes remained fixed on the envelope, and for some reason...it felt as though it had been waiting. Not for a king, and not for
A Promise Made Before They MetRowan's POVThe room fell into complete silence. I looked from the Royal Treasurer to Kael."I don't understand." I said. The elderly man rested both hands on the leather ledger before speaking."Neither did I...when I first read Her Majesty's final instructions." He carefully untied the faded ribbon around the ledger and opened it. Some official documents rested inside.Some were written in fresh ink, while others looked decades old. But one parchment stood apart from the others. Its edges had yellowed with age, and the wax seal of the Northern Royal Family remained perfectly preserved.Lady Miriam inhaled. "I remember that seal." The Treasurer nodded. "It has remained unopened since the Queen Mother's passing." Kael frowned."You never mentioned it." Kael said. "The Queen Mother's instructions were very specific." He looked directly at Kael. "I was ordered to wait.""Wait for what?" The old man smiled. "For the day Your Majesty brought someone into thi
The Weight of the CrownRowan's POVThe Queen Mother's chamber remained in my thoughts long after we left.Not because of the rumors, and not because Commander Selene had mentioned the nobles. But because of one simple sentence. "I wanted you to know the kind of kingdom I hope to leave your child."My child? Kael had never once called the baby a burden, never called the child Damon's. And never reminded me of my painful past. Whenever he spoke...he only saw the future. I wasn't sure anyone had ever looked at me that way before. The Royal Council Chamber was already full when we arrived. Long tables formed a wide circle inside a domed ceiling painted with the history of the Northern Kingdom.Kings, Queens, Great battles and peace treaties.The rise of the Blackthorn family, nearly thirty nobles sat waiting. Some old enough to be Kael's grandfather and others much younger. The moment Kael entered, every person stood up.Not out of fear, but of respect. I slowed my steps, because I wasn







