The Villain's Hero
As I slid to the ground, the maze disappeared around us, the magic dispersed, and the bloody, bruised, and filthy knights stared at us in disbelief.
“This is unexpected,” Prince Akyran drawled as he, Ecaeris and my father crossed the courtyard towards us. The crowds watching from the balconies seemed confused. Unlike the previous weeks, there was no cheering and celebrations, but rather a murmuring and restlessness. This was not how the tourney was meant to end and no one was entirely sure how it had come to be.
I felt the heat of Aien’s body against my back, the solid reassurance of his presence, bracing me to meet Akyran’s eyes. “For us, too,” I told him.