The next day, she received a letter:
How should I interpret your absence? Are you taking a break or are you resigning from your throne?
Lizaar
With a tight throat, she replied:And what answer would you prefer?
When she received a second letter, she paused before opening it. When she’d first gone to Goldfrost, she’d reckoned that no one had wanted her there. Now the thought of their rejection hurt.
Eventually, she took a deep breath and read:
I would prefer you appoint me Chancellor before Ashared’s longing destroys the city.
Seeing her smile, Souhi asked, “When do we leave?”
***
Ashared’s chamber was located on the outskirts of the barracks and was guarded by five guardsmen who were tasked with reacting to the slightest signs of seismic activity. Like Nuadd and the soldiers who had greeted her at the portal square, they too straightened when they saw her. She noticed that there was no shadow of disdain in their eyes anymore. Instead, they looked at her in the way the soldiers in Goldenshadows looked at her father.
Lannahi flushed. She could handle suspicion and hostility, and she knew how to react when someone complimented her performance, but the blatant admiration on the landshapers’ faces flustered her.
“You have a visitor,” one of the guards informed Ashared through the door.
Lannahi smiled at him, but when the door opened, the smile froze on her lips.
“Your Highness,” Sevii greeted her with forced calm. “Welcome back.”
The girl noticed Lannahi’s surprise and reflexively lowered her gaze but immediately raised it again as if she remembered that she should look people straight in the eye. As if someone was teaching her that she shouldn’t show fear. That she shouldn’t feel inferior…
“Sevii is helping me get my bearings,” Ashared said as the young girl stepped aside and Lannahi entered.
She expected Ashared to be pacing the room, stubborn as always. Instead, she found him propped up in bed. He didn’t attempt to stand when she entered. Her heart squeezed when she realized that despite all the healing enchantments, the shapeshifter still hadn’t fully recovered.
But there was no pain in his eyes, only a quiet plea.
Lannahi swallowed her pride and looked at Sevii. The girl not only fulfilled the condition set before her and took the same oath as the rest of the palace residents but also apologized for her actions. If Lannahi had nursed a grudge, wouldn’t she be like Nihhal?
“By helping Ashared, you have also helped me,” she said. “Accept my gratitude, Sevii.”
The girl smiled shyly and having made a bow, left the chamber.
Lannahi turned to Ashared. Seeing his warm gaze, she felt a tightness in her throat. She’d almost lost him…
…but now he had the magic of landshapers. He could live as long as she did.
“How do you feel?” she asked, trying to contain her emotion.
He smiled. “Weak and strong at the same time.” He watched her closely. “Has your father handled the situation?”
“Danihel swore he didn’t know about the son’s plans, and when my father freed him, he relinquished the title of prince taking on the role of advisor instead. Letiri will take over his former duties.”
When she moved closer, Ashared extended his hand. She embraced him by the neck, and he put his arm around her waist.
“I missed you,” he murmured, inhaling the scent of her hair.
“I missed you too…” Her voice faltered, and the tears began flowing freely down her cheeks. An uncontrollable sob escaped from her throat. “I was so scared…”
He stroked her back. “Me too, Lannahi,” he said hoarsely. “He enslaved you and I didn’t know. This entire time… And, in the Arena, I could do nothing but stand and watch.”
