I didn’t sleep.
Even after the fire burned low and the storm outside finally began to lose its fury, sleep never came.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw different faces.
My mother’s.
Vance’s.
Kael’s.
And somewhere beneath all of them, I felt the steady rhythm of two tiny heartbeats.
Twins.
The word still felt unreal.
I sat quietly beside the dying embers, one hand resting over my stomach while the other absently traced the rough wool blanket draped across my lap.
The cave felt different now.
Smaller.
Not because the space had changed.
Because I had.
Yesterday I had been running from rejection.
Today I was carrying the future of a fallen kingdom.
The realization was terrifying.
A faint rustling sound pulled me from my thoughts.
Across the cave, Vance was already awake.
Not that he had slept much either.
The old warrior methodically packed our supplies into a weathered leather satchel.
His movements were efficient and practiced, but something about them felt different.
More careful.
More deliberate.
As though every decision now carried greater weight.
Perhaps it did.
After all, he wasn’t escorting a runaway servant anymore.
He was escorting the last surviving princess of Astravia.
The thought made my stomach twist.
I still didn’t feel like a princess.
I felt tired.
Hungry.
Broken.
Afraid.
Vance secured the final strap on his bag before turning toward me.
“We leave now.” His voice was firm but not harsh.
I nodded.
The moment I pushed myself to my feet, pain stabbed through my ribs.
A sharp gasp escaped my lips.
The world tilted briefly.
Vance crossed the cave in two strides and caught my arm before I could stumble.
His silver eyes narrowed.
“You’re pushing too hard.” “I’m fine.” The lie sounded weak even to my own ears.
He didn’t argue.
Instead, he adjusted the heavy cloak around my shoulders and secured it beneath my throat.
The simple gesture caught me off guard.
Nobody had ever fussed over me before.
Certainly not like this.
For a brief moment, something warm settled in my chest.
Then Vance stepped back.
“Let’s move.” The mountain air hit me like a slap.
Cold.
Sharp.
Merciless.
Gray fog clung to the cliffs surrounding the cave while icy wind swept through the narrow trails ahead.
The storm had passed.
But its shadow remained.
We began climbing.
The path twisted higher into the mountains with every step.
Loose stones shifted beneath my boots.
Ancient pines stretched toward the cloudy sky.
The higher we climbed, the quieter the world became.
Even the birds seemed absent here.
Only the wind remained.
Whispering.
Murmuring.
Speaking in a language older than memory.
I understood then why these peaks were called the Whispering Mountains.
The sounds seemed alive.
Like distant voices carried across centuries.
At first I assumed it was imagination.
Exhaustion.
But the deeper we ventured, the stronger the feeling became.
Something ancient slept within these mountains.
Something watching.
Something waiting.
Hours passed.
My legs burned.
My back ached.
Several times Vance offered to stop.
Several times I refused.
If he could keep moving despite carrying decades of guilt on his shoulders, then I could survive a little pain.
Besides, every step carried me farther away from Blackfang.
Farther away from Kael.
Yet no matter how hard I tried, memories kept finding me.
I remembered the way he had looked at me during the rejection ceremony.
Cold.
Indifferent.
As though I meant nothing.
The memory still hurt.
Perhaps it always would.
But now there was something else mixed with the pain.
Confusion.
Because according to Vance, Kael’s ancestors had helped destroy Astravia.
The same bloodline responsible for my family’s downfall now flowed through the father of my children.
The irony was cruel enough to make me laugh.
Or cry.
I wasn’t sure which.
Suddenly Vance froze.
My thoughts vanished instantly.
The old warrior dropped into a crouch beside the trail.
His expression darkened.
“What is it?” I whispered.
He pressed two fingers against the ground.
Listening.
Waiting.
Then his eyes lifted.
“Hounds.” Ice flooded my veins.
“What?” “Hunting hounds.” His jaw tightened.
“And horses.” Fear exploded inside my chest.
“They found us?” “They found our trail.” The distant sound reached my ears a moment later.
Faint.
Barely audible.
But unmistakable.
Barking.
My stomach dropped.
The scouts had reported back.
The hunt had begun.
Vance stood immediately.
“We’re out of time.” He grabbed my hand.
“Come.” We ran.
The mountain path became steeper.
More dangerous.
The barking grew louder.
Closer.
The sound echoed between the cliffs like approaching death.
My lungs screamed.
My ribs felt ready to crack apart.
Still, I kept moving.
For my babies.
For myself.
For the future I refused to surrender.
At last the trail ended.
I nearly cried.
A massive wall of black stone blocked our path.
No opening.
No passage.
Nothing.
Panic surged through me.
“Vance—” “Trust me.” The command stopped me cold.
Vance placed both hands on my shoulders.
His silver eyes locked onto mine.
“Whatever happens next, do not be afraid.” Then he guided my hand toward the stone wall.
The moment my palm touched the rock, heat exploded from the Silver Crest hidden beneath my clothes.
I gasped.
Liquid silver raced through my veins.
The air trembled.
The mountain itself seemed to shudder.
Then the impossible happened.
The stone dissolved.
Not physically.
Magically.
Like mist burning away beneath sunlight.
A hidden world appeared beyond the illusion.
My breath vanished.
A vast valley stretched before us.
Emerald fields.
Crystal streams.
Ancient white buildings.
Towering trees covered in silver leaves.
The entire landscape glowed with peaceful energy.
The sky above the valley was clear blue despite the storm clouds surrounding the mountains.
It felt impossible.
Sacred.
Beautiful.
Home.
The word appeared suddenly in my mind.
Home.
Before I could understand why, Vance pulled me forward.
We crossed the threshold.
Instantly the sounds behind us vanished.
The barking.
The wind.
The world.
Gone.
Silence embraced us.
Safe.
Protected.
Ancient.
My knees nearly buckled.
Tears stung my eyes.
For the first time since leaving Blackfang, I felt something I hadn’t felt in weeks.
Relief.
Soft footsteps approached.
I looked up.
Several elderly figures dressed in white robes walked toward us.
Their faces were lined with age.
Their movements slow.
Yet immense power radiated from them.
The eldest stepped forward.
His silver eyes settled on me.
Not Vance.
Not the dagger.
Me.
Then his gaze lowered toward my stomach.
A knowing smile appeared.
Emotion tightened my throat.
The old man approached until he stood directly before me.
Slowly, he raised a trembling hand and rested it against my head.
The touch was gentle.
Warm.
Fatherly.
His eyes closed.
A long breath escaped him.
When he finally spoke, his voice carried decades of longing.
“It has been far too long.” My chest tightened.
The elder opened his eyes.
They shimmered with unshed tears.
Then he bowed.
Not slightly.
Fully.
Deeply.
To me.
“Welcome home, Daughter of Seraphina.” Everything inside me shattered.
Home.
Nobody had ever called anywhere home before.
Not Blackfang.
Not the servants’ quarters.
Not the forest.
Now, standing in a hidden valley surrounded by strangers, hearing those words for the first time in my life— I cried.
The tears came without warning.
Without control.
Because for the first time since the night Kael rejected me…
For the first time since I learned I was carrying twins…
For the first time in twenty-two years…
I wasn’t alone anymore.
And somehow, deep inside my soul, I knew this sanctuary wasn’t the end of my journey.
It was only the beginning.
[END OF CHAPTER 16]