Two Hours Later.
Before the royal carriage could even be dusted for the journey back to the Academy, Cassian found himself summoned to the Emperor's private solar. It wasn't an official decree; it was a quiet, high-stakes gathering of monsters masquerading as monarchs.
When Cassian strode into the sun-drenched room, his posture tall and his crimson eyes locked into their default expression of absolute, unbothered arrogance, he found Emperor Cedric sitting behind a massive desk of petrified ironwood.
Standing by the grand balcony, swirling a small glass of dark amber liquor, was Prince Vikra Madurai.
The air in the room was thick with the scent of burning cedar and raw, underlying political gravity.
"Ah, the star of the imperial press has arrived," Emperor Cedric rumbled, a deep, booming chuckle vibrating in his chest as he threw a copy of the morning gossip column onto his desk. "Sit, Cassian. Don't look at your father as if I've scheduled your public execution."
"I would never dream of it, Imperial Father," Cassian drawled, elegantly smoothing the front of his dark royal uniform as he sank into a plush leather armchair.
"Though given the creative writing skills of the capital's journalists, I am surprised you haven't sold the rights to my daily routine to the highest bidder."
Vikra turned away from the balcony, the morning sunlight spilling across his broad shoulders like liquid gold. His amber eyes settled on Cassian once more, carrying that same unnervingly intense gaze from the previous night—a gaze that seemed capable of stripping away every layer of pretense and exposing whatever lay beneath.
"A sharp tongue, even in the morning," Vikra remarked, amusement tugging faintly at the corner of his mouth. "I am beginning to understand why my brother is currently pacing the stables like a caged tiger, Prince Cassian."
"Your brother lacks basic boundaries, Lord Vikra," Cassian replied dryly, lifting a single, perfectly sculpted eyebrow.
"If he brings that chaotic Steppe energy into my Academy, he will discover that academic regulations are remarkably hostile to his lifestyle."
A low chuckle escaped Vikra's lips.
"An unfortunate truth."
"Unfortunate for him. Beneficial for everyone else."
The chuckle on Vikra's lips deepened.
For a brief moment, the room felt strangely light. Then Vikra's expression shifted.
The amusement vanished.
The warmth disappeared.
The man leaning against the desk was suddenly no longer an easygoing Prince indulging a conversation.
He was a ruler.
A predator.
A Prince.
"That is precisely why I wished to speak with you before your departure." Vikra set his crystal glass down with deliberate care, the sound echoed softly through the room and Cassian immediately straightened.
There it was.
The version of Vikra that had always unsettled him, the version that could command armies with a single sentence, the version that had terrified diplomats twice his age.
Even now, after living through countless timelines, Cassian felt an instinctive urge to sit up straighter whenever Vikra looked at him like that.
And honestly?
The man was infuriatingly impressive.
Vikra had always been the embodiment of everything the Eastern Chiefdoms considered masculine.
Tall.
Powerful.
Confident.
Handsome and Caring.
He was the sort of man who could walk into a battlefield or a royal court and somehow dominate both without raising his voice.
'Even in Timeline Eleven...' Cassian's chest tightened slightly at the memory.
When Thoris had been too consumed by his own ambitions to notice Cassian's suffering, Vikra had noticed. When Thoris had abandoned him to navigate his amusements and entertainments leaving him alone with the children, Vikra had quietly stepped in.
Not as a lover.
Not even as a friend, but as something far more reliable.
Family, an older brother. A terrifying older brother.
'Gods.' Cassian nearly suppressed a laugh.
'He was still so frightening that I almost peed on myself whenever he approached me.'
Cassian remembered countless occasions where Vikra had appeared without warning, towering over him with that unreadable expression while Cassian desperately wondered whether he was about to receive advice or an execution order. Even his children had been wary around him.
Respectfully wary, the way one might be wary around a sleeping lion.
'Although...' Cassian frowned, a strange realization surfaced.
'Vikra never had children in Timeline Eleven.' Cassian's thoughts paused.
'That wasn't entirely unusual for rulers.'
'Yet–...the memory feels oddly empty.'
Cassian remembered his gruelling life with Thoris.
He remembered his own children every one of them.
The political alliances.
The wars.
The succession disputes.
But never a future Queen of the Iron Steppes by Vikra's side.
Never even a secret consort or a partner of another race or region to conceive for him.
Never an heir carrying Vikra's blood.
Nothing.
The realization settled heavily in Cassian's mind.
'Why?...why can't I remember the sole person's life who cared for me in timeline eleven?'
'Is this caused by the trauma?, –could timeline eleven's trauma be overriding my memories to forget about it?..For someone as powerful as Vikra, securing an heir should have been among the highest priorities and yet the memory remains stubbornly blank in my mind as though that part of Vikra's life had never existed from my line of sight. Was I truly isolated in darkness by Thoris?'
Cassian found himself studying the barbarian Prince even more closely.
The sharp jawline.
The broad shoulders.
The golden eyes currently watching him with unsettling focus.
A man like this should have left behind an entire dynasty.
So why—
"Prince Cassian."
The deep voice cut through his thoughts instantly. Cassian blinked.
He had completely drifted away and Vikra was looking at him now with obvious amusement. The corner of his mouth twitched.
"Were you listening?"
Cassian cleared his throat.
"Of course I was."
"You were staring at me."
"..."
"You were also frowning."
"..."
"And judging by that expression, you were either planning a military campaign or questioning my existence."
A dangerous smile appeared on Vikra's face.
"So which one was it?"
Heat crawled unexpectedly up Cassian's neck.
'Ridiculous.'
'Absolutely ridiculous.' Cassian chomped down his lips.
Why was he embarrassed?, He had negotiated peace treaties, survived executions.
Raised children. Yet one teasing smile from Vikra somehow left him feeling like a student caught daydreaming during lectures.
"I was thinking," Cassian replied with dignity.
"A dangerous pastime[1]." Vikra counted with a smirk planted on his lips.
"Honestly, I was wondering why you've never married." The words escaped Cassian's mouth before he could stop them.
Just then silence hovered.
Complete silence.
For the first time that morning, Vikra looked genuinely surprised. Then something unreadable flickered across those golden eyes.
Gone almost instantly.
"You ask very personal questions Prince Cassian."
"You asked me to marry your brother yesterday."
"A fair point."
The smile returned.
Softer this time and more manly. For some reason, that expression felt infinitely more dangerous.
"And if I answer?" Vikra asked quietly while Cassian held his gaze.
"Then I'll listen."
For several seconds neither of them looked away. The air between them seemed strangely still.
Not tense.
Not uncomfortable.
Simply... charged.
As though they were standing on the edge of a conversation neither of them had expected to have. Then Vikra exhaled slowly.
"My reasons are complicated, Prince Cassian." His voice had lowered.
Not enough for most people to notice. But enough for Cassian to notice.
"And perhaps one day," Vikra continued, his amber eyes never leaving Cassian's, "I'll tell you all of them."
Something in the way he said it made Cassian's pulse skip. If felt truly familiar, so familiar that it made his old chest scorch.
As though Vikra was offering him something he offered very few people.
Trust.
And somehow, that felt far more intimate than flirting ever could and undoubtedly familiar. Very familiar that it made his heart race and his pulse stumble.
Not because it sounded romantic to his ears.
No it wasn't, at least, not openly.
'I have to stay away from Vikra....my instincts can't stop screaming at me that something truly deep happened between us that I am forcefully forgetting. And if I try to remember it now.... I'll regret ever prying into the past so let's just stay far away from him and his lunatic brother as much as we can.'
The silence stretched.
Neither man looked away from each other.
The morning sunlight painted the room in shades of gold and amber, catching in Vikra's eyes until they seemed almost molten.
Then—
"Ahem."
The sound was pointed.
Deliberate, and thoroughly unimpressed.
Both men turned.
Emperor Cedric sat behind his desk, fingers interlocked beneath his chin. Watching them. Watching them very closely and the emperor's expression was perfectly neutral.
Which somehow made it infinitely more threatening.
Another cough followed, slightly louder this time.
Cassian immediately straightened. Vikra, meanwhile, had the audacity to look mildly amused.
Cedric's eye twitched.
"Excellent," the emperor said in a smooth voice that promised future suffering. "I am delighted to know that everyone has become so comfortable that they have entirely forgotten I am present."
"Your Majesty—"
"No, no." Cedric raised a hand. "Please continue staring intensely at one another. I would hate to interrupt whatever mysterious exchange was occurring in my presence. But let's not forget that the young Prince Thoris, was the one allowed to court and evaluate my second son for his hand in marriage. Not you Prince Vikra. And if you suddenly feel the need to change that then we need to follow proper protocols that abide by my empire's ways and customs."
Cassian felt his soul attempting to leave his body as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
For perhaps the first time in all his timelines, he genuinely wished the floor would open up beneath him and swallow him whole.
Vikra's shoulders shook once, he was laughing. Internally, but laughing nonetheless at the fact that Cedric noticed.
'Of course he noticed, the emperor notices everything.' Vikra mused internally and the emperor shifted his gaze to Vikra.
"You seem particularly entertained, Lord Vikra."
"A little, Your Majesty."
"A little?"
"Perhaps more than a little."
Cedric sighed deeply.
The exhausted sigh of a ruler who had spent decades dealing with impossible people. Then he looked directly at Cassian.
"Prince Cassian."
"...—Yes, Your Majesty?" Cassian unknowingly stuttered as he caught his breath in the air.
"Would you care to explain why I have spent the last three minutes watching you analyze Lord Vikra as if he were a particularly difficult research material?"
Cassian froze and Vikra looked delighted.
Cedric looked patient.
Which was somehow worse.
"I was merely thinking."
"Another dangerous pastime," Vikra commented.
Cassian shot Vikra a murderous glare but the barbarian Prince looked entirely unrepentant.
Cedric pinched the bridge of his nose with a loud sigh.
"I see." The emperor leaned back in his chair before opening up once again.
"Unfortunately, while this has been a fascinating exercise in social observation, I did not invite either of you here to witness a staring contest."
His silver eyes sharpened and the playful atmosphere immediately dissolved. Just like that.
The emperor of the empire sat before them once more. A man capable of deciding the fate of nations with a single decree.
"I believe Lord Vikra mentioned that he wished to discuss something with Cassian?"
Vikra nodded as his amusement faded.
Instantly. The transition was so smooth it almost seemed unreal. One moment he had been teasing Cassian.
The next he was every inch a refined Prince.
"Indeed.. Prince Cassian, as you may know my brother Thoris is the First Blade of the Horde. In our lands, power is not negotiated through silk contracts; it is carved out with heavy iron. But you... you handled him without drawing a single drop of blood. You redirected an entire diplomatic trap designed by your own brother and Duke Reinhardt. Now I truly believe that you will be able to handle my brother during these months of evaluation towards each other."
Cassian didn't even blink.
'So the Eastern Crown Prince knows exactly what Adrian was trying to pull,' he thought dryly.
'Oh well of course he does. A man doesn't lead a continent of barbarians by being mathematically stupid.'
"I merely dislike sloppy management, Lord Vikra," Cassian replied smoothly, putting on his best corporate damage-control face disguised as old Cassian's supreme arrogance, as if he was never embarassed and blushing towards Vikra a few moments ago.
"If the Reinhardt faction wishes to play with divine poison, they should learn how to pour a drink without shaking like an unweaned calf. It was an insult to the vintage."
Emperor Cedric let out another booming laugh, slamming his heavy fist against the armrest of his throne.
"Hear that, Vikra? The boy doesn't care about the assassination attempt; he cares about the service! I must admit, Cassian... you have grown remarkably terrifying over these past three months. The sniveling, wine-wasted boy who used to scream at the servants has been replaced by a fox."
The Emperor's eyes narrowed, a sudden, heavy pressure settling over the room as he stared deeply into his second son's crimson gaze.
"Go back to the Academy. Show the Eastern horde the strength of the Valemont line. If Thoris wishes to court you, then let him try to survive your standard of excellence first. But remember... you represent the crown."
"I represent myself, Imperial Father," Cassian corrected softly, standing up from his chair with a slow, hypnotic grace that perfectly asserted his independence. He offered a flawless, borderline mocking noble bow. "But I will ensure the school remains intact. Lord Vikra, keep your brother on a short leash. My underclassmen are currently in a very... volatile phase of their training, and they do not take kindly to uninvited guests."
Vikra's smile turned thoroughly delighted. "I look forward to the reports, Prince Cassian."
Cassian slightly nodded before excusing himself entirely from the King's throne room.
*****
Cassian marched towards the exit before his thoughts betrayed him any further.
But unfortunately for him, Vikra was not a man easily avoided. Vikra also excused himself from the emperor with a respectful nod before chasing after Cassian.
"Prince Cassian, a moment."
The deep voice halted Cassian instantly and Cassian suppressed a sigh as he slowly turned around to face him, a sign of boredom all over his face and Vikra was watching him the entire time.
Not casually, not politely but he was just watching him. The same way a hunter studied unfamiliar tracks in the snow and also the very same way a king evaluated a political opponent. Nothing escaped those amber eyes of Vikra Madurai.
And that was precisely the problem Cassian couldn't bear to be in his presence any longer, especially when he was possessing secrets from timeline eleven.
"Prince Cassian..." Vikra repeated, his voice softer this time as he slowly approached Cassian at the hallway. The servants dispersed and the silence of the hallway became quite heavy around the two of them as the princes of the two nations were left alone. To someone else this would seem like a normal engagement between two royal bloods of different backgrounds and nations that were friendly to each other. After all with Cassian and Thoris promised to each other, they are bound to be family as well.
But no one would know what was truly underlying amidst the conversation of the two royalties.
"—why does it suddenly feel as though you are avoiding my presence?" Vikra asked, his eyes squinting into slits of profound curiosity as he directly looked at Cassian in the eyes, unflinching and steady with confusion.
The hallway they stood on felt truly silent, that even the time had seemed to have also stopped moving.
Cassian cursed internally.
There were many unfortunate traits shared by the Northern-East Royal Family.
And their persistence was among the worst he couldn't stand.
"A moment ago," Vikra continued, taking a slow step forward, "you were merely cold and distant towards me and my delegation. Of which was understandable since we were merely strangers and a royalty from another nation that wouldn't pique your interests."
Vikra carefully took another step.
"But now you cannot seem to look me in the eye Prince Cassian."
He took another.
"As though you suddenly remembered something..... something only you might know."
Cassian's grip tightened around the hem of his tunic.
"Or perhaps–..." Vikra added, his voice much lower and more gentle that expected as he finally closed the distance between Cassian and him.
"It's as though you realized something additionally to what you remembered about me."
Cassian unknowingly let a gasp escape his lips and Vikra tilted his head slightly. A surprisingly gentle gesture for a man who looked capable of wrestling bears.
"Talk to me, young prince." His voice lowered and his eyes towering above Cassian's bloody marbles that remained fixated on each other.
"What is troubling your mind?" Vikra let out a soft pure that vibrated against Cassian's skin, the concern sounded genuine, which only made everything worse.
Cassian looked away first.
And it was his mistake, because Vikra immediately noticed.
"Vikra–..." Cassian exhaled slowly taking a step back and for the first time, he used Vikra's name without a title. And for the first time ever he didn't feel any resentment towards the character of his past lives. If anything he was slightly glad to see him. And Cassian didn't like the sound of it.
The strong man's gaze sharpened across Cassian and Cassian's breath hitched for a moment.
"I have nothing against you Vikra."
That part was true.
Painfully true and perhaps that was the problem this entire time.
Cassian had spent so many timelines distrusting people, fearing betrayal, expecting abandonment and experiencing death over and over again.
Yet Vikra had never betrayed him, not once and not even in Timeline Eleven.
Not when Cassian had lost everything.
Not when he had become politically useless to become Thoris's baby maker.
Not when Thoris grew tired of him and had stopped looking at him with yearn and desire when he was finally bored by Cassian and discarded him like a ragged cloth with his children to exhaustedly raise alone while he ventured for new amusements.
Vikra had remained. He had remained by his side, steady, reliable and unmoving.
Like a mountain.
And now...
Now Cassian was beginning to realize there were countless things about that timeline that he had never questioned himself of.
Things he should have questioned.
Things that suddenly felt significant just by being close to Vikra like this.
Dangerously significant at that.
"Now please," Cassian continued, forcing his usual detached tone into place, "if you don't mind, I have a journey to prepare for."
His voice carried its familiar cold edge, elegant and almost bored.
Anyone else would have accepted it and they would have backed away. But Vikra didn't, he simply stared.
And stared.
And stared.
Until Cassian felt the beginnings of panic creeping beneath his skin.
'Gods–...Why is this man so perceptive?, It would have been easier if Vikra were an idiot. Or cruel, or even selfish. Anything except this.' Cassian internally sighed as a long silence passed between them.
Just then—
"You are lying...and you are lying loud." Vikra finally spoke up and Cassian blinked.
Vikra folded his arms, squinting his eyes.
"You always lie the same way."
"I beg your pardon?"
"The corner of your mouth tightens when you lie Cassian."
Cassian froze.
"And your right eyebrow twitches." Vikra added he eyes not leaving Cassian's eyes not even by a millisecond.
"..." Cassian blinked, totally caught off guard.
"You also become excessively formal when you lie."
"..."
"And you suddenly find the nearest exit fascinating."
Cassian choked on his words for a brief moment. He wanted to disappear. And immediately....Preferably forever.
It would be nice if he could go back to earth, immediately.
"Have you been studying me?" Cassian asked his eyes wavering across Vikra's amber eyes.
The question slipped out before he could stop it.
To his horror, Vikra actually considered the answer.
"Perhaps." Vikra shrugged
"Well that is not reassuring Prince Vikra of the Iron Steppes."
"It was not intended to be Prince Cassian."
Cassian shot him a look but Vikra stepped even closer that Cassian could also feel the warmth of his skin across him and just enough to make ignoring him impossible. Cassian's back hit the wall and he was locked between the cold wall and the firm tattooed chest of the barbarian prince towering across him and invading his space entirely. And once again he was reminded of how insignificantly short he was against this towering brute towards him.
"Whatever conclusion you reached earlier in the throne room," Vikra said quietly, "—it seems like it has unsettled you."
Cassian just looked at him, his insides twisting into a knot...still unable to find his voice to speak up
"And it concerns me." Vikra added, as the silence remained.
"And for some reason, rather than speaking about it, you have decided to flee instead."
"Strategic withdrawal." Cassian corrected, his voice finding its ground.
"You were running away." Vikra countered, a faint smirk forming on his lips.
"I still say that it was a strategic retreat."
"It was still running my prince."
Cassian glared and Vikra looked entirely pleased with himself.
For a brief moment, the familiar dynamic from Timeline Eleven resurfaced so clearly that Cassian's chest ached.
The teasing.
The patience.
The quiet certainty that Vikra would remain standing there until he received an answer.
As though leaving unanswered had never been an option for him. And as though Cassian himself had never been an option to abandon.
The realization struck Cassian harder than he expected. Because suddenly he remembered something else.
A memory buried beneath countless others and the one he had forcefully pushed at the back of his head to forget entirely.
A winter evening, a slightly much older Vikra.
Whom was then the Chieftain of the Iron Steppes.
Cassian's youngest daughter asleep on the Chief's shoulder.
The palace servants whispering that the child adored him more than her own biological father Thoris.
And Vikra was smiling, actually smiling genuinely as he patted the child on his shoulder.
It was a rare sight and a precious one to Cassian.
Yet there had still been no queen on Vikra's side.
No consort.
But only Vikra with his first child with Cassian and Cassian's last born child conceived from his sexual infidelity with his brother-in-law Vikra. It was their secret in that life. But now it was only a memory that made something twist painfully inside of him.
"Prince Cassian."
The voice dragged him back to reality once more and this time Vikra sounded almost concerned.
Cassian finally looked up and their eyes met.
The golden amber eyes against his bloody crimson eyes.
And for the first time since entering the room, Cassian held the gaze.
And a strange emotion flickered across Vikra's face. It was a brief shift...but it was there.
"I am not avoiding you," Cassian said quietly.
"Then what are you doing?"
Cassian hesitated. The truthful answer was impossible. Because he wasn't avoiding Vikra but he was avoiding the questions.
Questions that had followed him across timelines.
Questions he had never thought to ask.
Questions that now refused to leave him alone.
"Tell me the truth....Have we ever met before, my prince?"
The question landed like a stone dropped into still water and Cassian froze.
For the briefest moment, his heart stopped, Vikra was watching him carefully now, his amber eyes narrowed with concern rather than suspicion as if he genuinely wanted an answer.
Cassian opened his mouth but nothing came out, after all what was he supposed to say?
'Yes, we've met?...In another life. You watched my children grow and raised them on behalf of Thoris?
You taught my son how to ride a wild beast of the Eastern mountains and you carried my daughters on your shoulders while you played with them?
Am I supposed to tell you that you took care of me when Thoris couldn't, we secretly had an affair, fell in love and even had a daughter together that you cherished so much, is that what I am supposed to say?
That you probably stood beside my grave when I finally freed myself from Thoris's grasp and it probably hurt you so much?'
Cassian's fingers tightened.
'Hell no!'
'Absolutely not. The last thing that I need right now is for people to think I had finally lost my mind. And mostly importantly I'd hate to relive timeline eleven all over again. It was truly painful.'
"I think—" Just as Cassian tried to speak up a loud burst of laughter suddenly echoed from the courtyard below.
"HAHAHA!"
Cassian immediately recognized the source.
It was Thoris.
Of course it was Thoris, after all who else could laugh like a barbarian warlord who had just discovered fire?
The interruption shattered the tension between the two and Cassian silently thanked every deity that existed as he stepped on the side.
Then another step.
Finally putting distance between himself and Vikra's searching gaze.
"Please excuse me, Lord Vikra."
Vikra frowned.
"Wait—"
His hand lifted instinctively, but not enough to stop Cassian.
Just enough to make Cassian notice.
And for some reason, that made fleeing even more urgent.
Without another word, Cassian turned sharply on his heel and marched toward the exit of the hallway. His robes billowed behind him. Elegant, graceful and absolutely not running away.
Not at all.
The moment he disappeared into the corridor, however—
'Great escape!' Cassian nearly sighed in relief.
'Let's never come across Vikra of the Iron Steppes ever again.'
*****
The courtyard had long since emptied.
Thoris had been dragged elsewhere before he could cause further diplomatic incidents.
Yet Vikra remained standing where Cassian had left him.
Silently.
Motionless and watching the corridor that was now completely empty.
"...Great Warrior?"
A familiar voice approached cautiously and Vikra blinked.
His most trusted aide stood nearby.
The man had served him for nearly twenty years and possessed the rare talent of knowing when to speak and when to remain silent when he was lost in thoughts just like now.
At the moment, he looked concerned.
"Is everything alright?" Buja asked and Vikra was quiet for a long moment.
Then—
"Buja."
"Yes, Great Warrior?"
"Is it possible to forget a fragment of your life?"
Buja's brows rose.
"What kind of fragment are we talking about first?"
Vikra stared toward the distant horizon, his eyes squinting just slightly.
"A memory."
His voice was unusually quiet and Buja paid attention.
"Something that should not be forgotten at all Buja."
Buja waited.
"Something that feels completely unfamiliar....But at the same time–"
Vikra's hand drifted unconsciously to his chest.
"—at the same time it feels as though it has happened before." A strange expression crossed his face.
It was confusion, or probably unease or even longing.
All emotions Buja had never seen on the face of the Iron Wolf of the Steppes since five years ago, have now resurfaced causing him to freeze in shock.
"Warrior of the Horde..." Buja stepped closer.
"Did something happen while you were with His Majesty and Prince Cassian in the throne room?"
Vikra released a slow breath.
"Perhaps...yes."
The answer sounded uncertain, even to him.
"Or perhaps not." His amber eyes lowered.
"But I can say this much Buja, something inside of me had shifted. A tiny fracture, or perhaps a forgotten piece of a puzzle suddenly moving back into place?...I truly don't know and I resent not understanding why is that so."
"Something definitely changed inside of me." His voice grew quieter.
"Something that shouldn't have."
Buja remained silent and just then Vikra laughed softly. A bitter sound.
"And the most absurd part is that I know exactly what it feels like."
The aide looked confused and Vikra looked away. Toward the distant palace and toward the direction Cassian had gone.
"Buja you know the truth, there was only one person who ever made me feel this way."
Buja immediately knew who he meant.
His expression softened.
"Lina."
Vikra nodded.
Lina.
His wife.
His first love.
The woman who had stood beside him before crowns and wars and responsibilities had swallowed their lives. The woman who had died far too young for his sake.
The woman whom he still carried in his heart.
Even now, years later.
"After she passed away," Vikra said quietly, "I swore I would never allow anyone else to have that kind of hold over me again."
His jaw tightened.
"I buried that part of myself."
A breeze swept through the courtyard and for a moment, neither of the men spoke.
Then—
"But the prince..."
Buja's eyes widened.
"W-Warrior!" His hands immediately flew over his mouth.
The look of pure horror was almost comical and Vikra shot him a flat stare.
"Do not start."
"But—"
"Buja!" Vikra warned
"But that's Prince Cassian great warrior!"
"I am aware of that as well."
"The same Prince Cassian?"
"Unfortunately."
"The one promised to Prince Thoris?"
"Yes."
"The future father of your nephews and nieces?"
Vikra pinched the bridge of his nose and then reluctantly nodded.
"Yes, Buja."
The aide looked ready to collapse.
"Oh, ancestors preserve us."
"I said do not start."
"I am trying not to!" Buja trembled biting his fingers and Vikra sighed heavily.
And watching the distant palace, he finally spoke up.
"He is Thoris's promised partner."
The words felt strange, as though he were trying to convince himself.
"He is meant to build our family's future. And I will not stand in the way of that."
Buja studied him carefully.
"You don't sound very convinced."
"I am convinced."
"You sighed before saying it."
"I always sigh Buja."
"You absolutely do not."
Vikra ignored him.
After a long silence, he finally shook his head.
'This was foolish...completely foolish.'
The prince merely reminded him of someone.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
"After all..."
His voice became quieter, almost thoughtful.
"It's just his eyes. Those cold red eyes that somehow felt familiar. Comforting and painfully so....His eyes resemble Lina's that's all."
The words settled into the air.
Yet for some reason—
Neither man looked convinced.
Especially not Vikra.
Because deep down, where no one could hear it...a small voice whispered.
"No...That's not it, it's something else something much more profound."
And somehow, that realization was far more frightening than anything else.
*****
[1] An enjoyable activity or hobby that you do to pass the time in your spare time or for recreation.