Noble Aesylium

The noise outside was the first thing I heard. Cheers, loud and relentless, rattling through the carriage walls.

Am I late for class?

The absurd thought jolted through me as I stirred awake, half-expecting to find myself still on Earth. But no. The air was thicker here, heavy with food and herbs. Not the hum of traffic, not the chatter of my siblings, not the beep of IV drips. A kingdom’s roar, not a city’s.

Right… I’m late in going “home”, not class.

I dared to lift the flap.

Tiered streets curved like rivers of stone, arching upward to levels upon levels of houses, shops, and towers. Bridges laced overhead, impossibly thin but somehow steady, supporting the weight of merchants and beasts alike. Windows flickered with colored glass, casting fragments of rainbow down on the crowds below.

‘How is this even possible?’

Children clambered onto rooftops, waving banners stitched with silver thread. Some people, well part human part unknown creature to me, burned incense from the balconies. The cheers didn’t just come from the main avenue, we were surrounded on every side by voices, rising in waves.

Oh…

My body tensed. They were waiting. For Raiona. And I wasn’t her. Not really. I wasn’t the princess they’re hoping for. Just Ina, stumbling through a world I barely understood.

The trembling started in my hands, small, traitorous shivers. Without thinking, I leaned into Celphi’s arm, nestling against him like a child bracing for punishment.

‘So this is why you took me away? You didn't want me to face this? Was Raiona trying to run away from this?’

‘Easy, Ina,’ Pan’s sweet voice cut through, soft and grounding. He crouched across from me, eyes searching my face. With a healer’s hands, steady as always, brushed mine to test for clamminess.

‘They can cheer themselves hoarse. Doesn’t mean you owe them anything.’

I swallowed, trying to laugh. ‘I’m not her…Maybe I was… But not anymore…’

Pan tilted his head, half a smirk on his lips, but his gaze was serious. ‘Then let them meet you.’

The smirk stretched wider, playful again. ‘Or we run. Slip out the back, vanish into the hills. Just you and me.’

That ridiculous suggestion should’ve made me roll my eyes. Instead, my chest loosened, laughter bubbling unexpectedly. Even Celphi’s limp arm shifted like he disapproved, which only made me giggle harder.

I looked at Pan then. Really looked. At his bright, teasing eyes. The way his presence wrapped around me like a warm hug. Playful and terrifyingly safe.

Before I could overthink it, I leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.

Pan froze. Utterly blindsided, blinking like his brain had short-circuited.

By the time he turned toward me, heat was already flooding my face. He leaned closer, slow, intent written across his face. He wasn’t aiming for my cheek

‘SCREECH!’

Mede launched in a feathery explosion, wings beating like tiny thunderclaps.

‘Mede! I squealed as Pan ducked, half-laughing, half-swearing, chased out of the carriage by relentless, vengeful pecks.

I collapsed into helpless laughter, clutching my stomach. Mede strutted back in triumph, puffed up and radiant, claiming my lap, glaring toward the doorway where Pan had fled.

I leaned down, unable to help herself, and pressed a grateful kiss to the top of the bird’s feathery head. ‘My hero.’

Mede cooed like he’d won the grandest battle of his life.

Poor adorable little thing fighting off every single men who’s bothered me so far… From Celphi to Pan.

I sat back, cheeks burning, realizing my heart wasn’t scared anymore. Not trembling from fear, at least. My heart forgot about the fear of the expectations.

Thank you Pan. My heart now races for a different reason. No thank you, Pan.

The noise swelled again outside, louder than before, shaking the wheels beneath us. My head whipped to the flap. Whoever was coming mattered. The air shifted. The cheer deepened into reverence

The king and queen wont actually meet me halfway right?

The blankets fluttered with the breeze as the carriage flap opened, and Riye stepped up as discreetly as he could, without exposing me.

Oh. Wow.

My heart pounded harder than it had when I first heard the crowd.

Ok I am worried again.

He lingered at the door, tall and unshakable, eyes flicking briefly to me before softening. ‘May I come in?’

‘You’re already in,’ I muttered, hugging Mede tighter. ‘But yes. Do come in.’

Riye crossed the space in two steps, locking the flap behind him. His eyes scanned me. My rumpled blanket, the feathers clinging to my shoulder, the flush I couldn’t hide.

His brow arched faintly. ‘Why was Pan pecked out of the carriage just now?’

Heat flooded my cheeks. I buried my face in the blanket, stammering something incoherent, but I knew he saw right through me. My blush was answer enough.

Riye’s expression didn’t change much. But I caught it. The quick sharp edge of jealousy, smoothed over in the span of a heartbeat. He hid it well, like everything else, but it was there.

I cleared my throat, forcing the words out. ‘Riye… I don’t think I can do this. Not yet. Facing them.’ I pointed outside.

I’m not…’ I swallowed. ‘I’m not her.’ I popped an annoyed bird Mede atop a sleeping Celphi. Both jolted a little. I giggled.

Riye moved closer, slow and deliberate, then crouched down so his eyes were level with mine, taking back my attention.

His voice was softer than I’d ever heard it. ‘There’s no need to appear until you’re ready. No one will force you. Not while I’m here.’

The sincerity in his voice made my chest swim in happiness. Without thinking, I wrapped my arms around him in a quick, clumsy hug before retreating under my blanket like a coward. It wasn’t a kiss, I wasn’t ready for that, but it was what I had to give.

I don’t think Riye is a person I can give a thank you kiss to and get away with it.

Riye froze where I left him, his hand partially raised, ready to return the embrace. But as he always does, he stopped, letting it fall slowly. His golden eyes never left me. For a moment, something unreadable flickered.

I’m not addressing anyone else’s feelings at the moment. I am overwhelmed with mine.

He straightened. His voice, when it came, was low, certain. ‘I won’t forget that. The hug. The blush. Your retreat. I’ll come back for what I’m due.’

Well shit.

Even Mede couldn’t squawk at that. I tugged the blanket tighter, hiding my face, even if Riye wasn’t there anymore.

Once the cheers trailed behind us, my trembling quieted only slightly, and I peeked through the flap again.

There it was. The court palace.

My breath caught.

The walls rose in pale stone, gleaming. Every surface is carved with intricate patterns. Great white columns ribbing the face of the palace. Balconies hung with trailing vines, and archways curved and covered by flowers.

Gardens spilled across the grounds, immense, wild but curated, some parts just like as I saw in Marik’s memory. Tall fountains in random corners, giving life to a few tiny rainbows. It was too much, too perfect.

If Olympus was real, it would probably look like this. Did I really play here? Did I run on those steps? Did I hide behind those very hedges, or sit on those stones with a journal on hand?

The convoy slowed to a stop, the creak of wheels and the shuffle of hooves and paws fading into quiet. I sunk into the blanket.

The flap opened fully. Warm daylight spilled in. Riye stood on one side, shield-steady. Pan on the other, hands half-raised in case I stumbled. I hesitated. My legs didn’t want to move.

Two hands reached out. I took both. Their touch was firm but careful as they guided me down.

The steps beneath my feet stretched like rivers of stone, leading to doors so tall they seemed to be meant for mythical creatures, not just men. Which made a lot of sense.

And at the very top, flanked by guards who might as well have been invisible to me, stood two figures. Not courtiers. Not the army. Not the endless nobles I had dreaded. Just them. The king. The queen.

’Are they my…’ I looked at Pan. He nodded.

My knees buckled, but Pan steadied me. Riye anchored me. I swallowed hard, clutching Celphi’s dress tighter around me, as though the fabric itself might remind me who I was.