THE EVE OF THE WEDDING
Vows, Lost Rings, and an Unwanted Devil at the Door
The last sunset before the wedding dipped low over Aurelthane’s estate, staining the sky gold and rose — the kind of colours that should have meant peace.
Inside the walls, peace did not exist.
Not even a little.
But for Sereth and Elaris, for one brief sliver of evening, they carved out a quiet, sacred space just for themselves.
TWO HEARTS, TWO DESKS, ONE DOOR BETWEEN THEM
Sereth sat cross-legged on the window bench of their chamber, quill in hand, boots kicked off, hair loosely braided from the dancing fiasco of yesterday. Her brows knit in concentration as she tried — and failed — to put an entire universe’s worth of love into a single vow.
She whispered to herself:
Sereth
“How do I write the words he deserves…?”
On the other side of the closed door, Elaris sat at the desk, parchment scattered like fallen snow, his quill tapping anxiously against his thumb.
Elaris
“How do I describe the way she saved my heart…”
Every few minutes, one of them would stand, reach for the handle —
— then freeze.
Neither wanted the other to know.
Not yet.
Sereth clutched her parchment to her chest whenever she heard the faint creak of Elaris pacing beyond the door.
Elaris stuffed his unfinished vow behind spellbooks any time he heard Sereth softly humming in thought.
For once, neither wanted to share everything immediately.
Tomorrow.
Tomorrow the truth of their love would finally be spoken aloud.
PANIC IN THE HALLS — “THE RINGS ARE GONE.”
Elsewhere in the estate…
Borin Stonebeard — master forger, hero of a dozen battles, survivor of Garruk’s cooking — lay face down on the floor.
Borin (muffled)
“…they’re gone laddie… gone… the rings… I’ve failed…”
Kaer crouched beside him.
Kaer
“…when you say gone—”
Garruk exploded through the door brandishing a broom like an executioner’s axe.
Garruk
“ARE WE FIGHTING SOMETHING?! WAS IT A THIEF?! POINT ME TO THEM!”
Laz hung upside-down from the banister like a slightly drunk bat.
Laz
“Please say it wasn’t me this time.”
Vex materialised in purple sparks.
Vex
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE RINGS ARE GONE—BORIN YOU HAD ONE JOB—”
Borin sat up violently.
Borin
“ONE JOB?! I GUARDED THEM WITH ME LIFE! THEY WERE HERE I SWEAR ON MA BEARD!”
Pancake raised a paw from atop a cushion.
Kaer
“He says he didn’t take them. This time.”
Vex
“THEN WHERE IN ALL NINE HELLS ARE THEY?!”
Laz
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
“Right. Recon. We split. We search. We panic quietly and efficiently.”
Garruk
“No panic. We FIND. We CRUSH.”
Kaer
“Garruk, please don’t crush the rings.”
Borin wept.
The search began.
NIGHTFALL — THE LOVERS’ LAST QUIET NIGHT
The moon rose high.
The hallways quieted at last.
Sereth and Elaris met in their chamber, vow pages tucked away, hearts warm and trembling.
Sereth leaned back on the bed, stretching her legs, sighing softly.
Elaris brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, gentle as falling snow.
Sereth
“Tomorrow… I’m yours.”
Elaris
“And I’m yours.”
Her fingers drifted to her stomach — barely noticeable, barely conscious.
Elaris’s hand came over hers.
Warm. Hopeful.
They shared a soft breath—
—and then the air turned wrong.
The candles flickered — once.
Then stilled.
Every shadow bent toward one point in the room.
Sulfur. Burnt ink. A whisper of embers.
And then—
Valthrix
stood at the foot of their bed.
She didn’t arrive.
She appeared, like a thought made solid, like a nightmare stepping into the waking world.
Elaris and Sereth jerked upright, instincts razor-sharp.
Valthrix smiled sweetly.
Valthrix
“I see you saved your daughter’s legs.”
Sereth’s blades were in her hands before the sentence was finished.
But Valthrix caught them between two fingers — delicately, almost bored — and slammed them into the bedpost behind her.
The wood cracked.
Sereth’s fury flared.
A manicured finger lifted.
Valthrix
“No. We’re not doing that, little ranger.
Not tonight.
Don’t make me hurt you on the eve of your wedding.”
Her voice was softness sharpened into a blade.
Elaris’ necrotic magic surged up his arm, storm-green and ready to tear the world apart.
Valthrix only sighed.
Valthrix
“I see you didn’t need my help acquiring the circlet.
How… impressive.”
Elaris
“As if you don’t already know who helped.”
A flicker in Valthrix’s eyes. Or perhaps he imagined it.
Valthrix
“…I don’t, actually.”
Lies wrapped around truth.
Truth wrapped around lies.
Sereth stepped forward.
Elaris caught her wrist — firm, grounding.
Valthrix’s eyes dropped to the touch.
Valthrix
“Mm. Sweet.”
Her hand lifted.
Valthrix
“So?
Where is it?”
Elaris blinked.
Elaris
“…Where is what?”
Valthrix placed a hand to her chest in theatrical offense.
Valthrix
“My invitation, Shepherd.”
Sereth exploded.
Sereth
“You get NOTHING from us, devil. You’re unwelcome in every realm. You slink around like a bad smell—”
A finger flick.
Sereth’s mouth sealed shut.
As if invisible thread stitched her lips closed.
Her hands flew to her face, panic immediate and visceral.
She clawed, nails scraping at empty air.
Her muffled cry — mmpH! — punched a hole straight through Elaris’ heart.
He grabbed her face, whispering urgently, trying to calm her.
Elaris
“Sereth—stop—stop, love, don’t hurt yourself—”
She shook, breath rapid, every instinct fighting the restraint.
Her eyes shone with fury and fear.
Valthrix twirled her quill.
Valthrix
“I do adore her spirit.”
Elaris stepped in front of Sereth, magic pulsing off him like heat.
Elaris
“ENOUGH. What do you want?”
Valthrix tapped her quill thoughtfully.
Valthrix
“Oh, little. Just a visit. A chat. A congratulations.”
A slow smile.
“And a comment… pregnancy does make tempers flare.”
Sereth froze.
Elaris froze.
Her hands fell from her sealed lips — not because the magic lifted — but because one hand went straight to her stomach.
Elaris’ hands followed hers.
Both trembling.
Valthrix clasped her hands in wicked delight.
Valthrix
“Oh?
Did I ruin a surprise?”
Sereth screamed through sealed lips, a raw muffled sound full of rage.
Elaris
“…get on with it.”
Valthrix sighed.
Valthrix
“Fine. I’ll speak to you both after your happiest day.
Wouldn’t want to ruin it.”
She turned —
And Sereth, still muted, hurled a dagger straight at her skull.
Valthrix vanished in ash one millisecond before impact.
The dagger embedded itself in the doorframe with a deep thunk.
Silence.
Then — snap —
Sereth’s lips unsealed.
She gasped like someone surfacing from deep water.
Sereth (hoarse, shaking)
“I… will… kill her one day…
Mark my words…”
Elaris barely heard her.
His gaze was locked on her stomach.
On the place his hand still rested.
Elaris (barely breathing)
“Sereth…
Are you…?”
She placed her hand over his.
Sereth (soft, trembling)
“I felt something this morning.
I haven’t spoken to Arden yet but…
I think…”
She didn’t finish.
He dragged her into his arms, holding her tight enough to shake, forehead pressed to hers.
They didn’t sleep for hours.
They simply held each other.
Breathing.
Hoping.
Dreaming.
Soon.
The word hummed between their hearts.
Soon.
Meanwhile, in the corridor…
Borin
“They MUST be here—!”
Kaer
“Try retracing your steps!”
Vex
“WHERE. ARE. THE. RINGS—”
Garruk
“IF ANYONE STOLE THEM I WILL—”
Pancake
(raises paw)
Kaer
“He says he didn’t take them! He’s sure this time!”
Vex
“Then we KEEP LOOKING!
Nobody sleeps until we find them!”
Laz
“This wedding is going to kill us all.”
