Chapter 215: Her Scars
Aelion cautiously peered through the window, hoping to see whether Ava had returned.
She had.
She lay asleep on the bed, the blanket having slipped to her waist, exposing the pale skin of her back.
His breath caught.
Her back...
It was covered in scars.
Old ones. Some were thin and faded, others cruel enough that even time had failed to erase them completely. They crisscrossed her skin in silent testimony to a past she had never spoken about.
For a heartbeat, Aelion could only stare... Then he noticed someone else.
A man stood beside the bed, leaning over her. His hand hovered just above those scars, as though he had been about to touch them.
Aelion’s blood ran hot.
Every thought fled his mind.
He forgot he had secretly climbed into the girls’ dormitory. Forgot the danger of being caught. Forgot everything except the sight before him.
"Who are you?" he shouted, his voice echoing through the room. "What are you doing?"
The man slowly turned. Dark hair. Black eyes.
The Crown Prince.
For a fraction of a second, Aelion froze.
Then instinct took over.
He vaulted through the open window, rushing toward the bed to pull Ava away from whatever was happening.
Before he could take more than two steps, a shimmering veil descended between them.
Space rippled.
The Crown Prince and Aveline vanished before his eyes. There wasn’t even enough time to reach them.
One moment they were there. The next... The room was empty.
"Ava?" he called.
------
After bringing Aveline back to her dormitory, Theron gently laid her on the bed.
The first thing he did was remove the rebel cloak draped over her shoulders. Somehow, the thought of her wrapped in another man’s cloak unsettled him more than he cared to admit.
She barely stirred.
Only a faint sigh escaped her lips before she settled deeper into the mattress, as though she had finally found a place safe enough to surrender to sleep.
He watched her for a long moment.
She trusted him.
Even asleep, she trusted him completely.
Only then did he notice the dirt clinging to her hands, the dust on her bare feet, and the stains marring her clothes. His gaze drifted to the water basin in the corner of the room.
Quietly, he filled a cloth and knelt beside the bed.
With slow, careful movements, he wiped the grime from her fingers before washing her feet, taking care not to disturb her rest. Her palms were lightly calloused, and the soles of her feet were rougher than he had expected.
They were not the hands and feet of a noble lady raised in comfort. They belonged to someone who had worked...Who had endured.
When he finished drying her feet with a clean towel, he found himself lingering. Without thinking, he lowered his head and pressed a soft kiss against the top of her foot.
The gesture startled him almost as much as it would have anyone else.
He had not decided to do it. He had simply... wanted to, as though some forgotten part of him believed it was the most natural thing in the world.
His gaze returned to the dust-stained dress she still wore. She deserved to rest properly.
After a brief hesitation, he carefully untied the ribbons at the back of her dress. Every movement was deliberate, restrained.
If she woke now, he feared she would misunderstand.
He swallowed.
Unable to bring himself to expose more of her than necessity demanded, he gently turned her onto her side so he could remove the dress while keeping her dignity and his sanity intact.
And then he saw her back.
His breath caught.
Scars.
Dozens of them.
Some had faded into pale silver lines.
Others remained jagged, cruel reminders of wounds that should never have been inflicted upon anyone.
His chest tightened.
Shock gave way to something far heavier. Sorrow and then it turned to anger. White hot anger.
Who had done this to her?
What kind of life had she endured before they met?
The questions crashed through him one after another, each one sharper than the last.
Before he could gather his thoughts, a voice rang out from the window.
"Who’s that? What are you doing here?"
Theron looked up.
Aelion Sylvarien.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he summoned the Aurelion Veil. Its shimmering light fell between them like a curtain.
No one would see Aveline in such a vulnerable state... certainly not Aelion.
-----
Aveline remembered little after resting against Theron’s chest.
After nights of restless sleep, exhaustion had finally claimed her there, wrapped in the warmth of his embrace.
The first thing that disturbed her sleep was a familiar voice.
"...Ava?"
Aelion?
Her eyes fluttered open. For a moment, she stared blankly at the familiar ceiling before memory returned all at once.
Theron.
The mountain.
The kiss.
She blinked.
Then realized her dress had been loosened. Her eyes widened.
Theron was no longer looking at her. His gaze was fixed toward the window, his expression colder than she’d ever seen it.
Following his line of sight, she saw Aelion climbing into her room. Before she could even think to pull her dress closed, a heavy cloak settled over her shoulders.
Theron’s.
He had wrapped it around her so quickly that Aelion never had a chance to see her. She instinctively clutched the cloak against herself.
Then... A slow smile spread across her face.
Didn’t he once tell her that covering a woman with a man’s cloak was an old wedding custom?
Was he... Was he doing it again?
Her smile only grew brighter.
This wasn’t even the first time.
Back in Aurelmont... Inside the tavern... He had covered her with his cloak then as well.
A soft giggle escaped before she could stop it.
Theron glanced at her.
"Go change."
She nodded obediently.
"I’ll only be a moment."
Aelion’s voice rang through the room again. "Ava! I can’t see you!" He sounded frantic. "It must be his veil! Is he hurting you?"
Theron’s jaw tightened.
"Tell me where he is!" Aelion shouted. "I’ll kill him!"
Theron let out a humorless laugh.
"Kill me?" His voice carried an edge sharp enough to cut steel. "You’re the one who climbed into a woman’s dormitory before sunrise."
He took one deliberate step toward the Aelion. "Tell me why I shouldn’t throw you out the window."
"I’m making sure she’s safe!"
"And I’m making sure you don’t become a criminal."
"You—"
"You—"
"I swear—"
"I would love to see you try."
Aveline slipped behind the folding divider, shaking her head despite the smile refusing to leave her face.
Were they really arguing... Like children?
She quickly changed into her academy uniform. Neither of them seemed to notice. Their voices only grew louder. By the time she stepped out again, they were still threatening each other through the shimmering veil.
Enough.
She stamped her foot against the floor.
"Enough!"
The Aurelion Veil dissolved instantly.
For one heartbeat... there was silence. Theron and Aelion finally saw one another.
Then both men lunged forward at exactly the same time.