Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

For the first nine years of his life, Dex knew exactly what his destiny would be.

He would leave home to go on heroic quests, rescue his true love from some great evil, marry her, become king and happily rule Rimeshire until his heir was married.

The future queen grew up at Everglen. Her family was one of the most noble and rich. The marriage would benefit everyone.

He had only met her once, when they were both six. 

His father had declared that it was high time for his son to meet his bride (apparently forgetting that his son was only six.) All he could remember of her were her teal eyes. 

He also remembered that her brother had accidentally called him Deck.

Dex didn’t see her again for another three years. 

Until her brother was exposed as a traitor.

“Alvar Soren Vacker,” Councilor Bronte read, using that tone of voice that could make an epic story sound dull. “You are hereby banished from the kingdom of Rimeshire.”

The entire audience yawned in unison. Councilor Oralie’s eyes glazed over, but Councilor Alina kicked her in the shins.

Only the Vackers and King Kesler seemed to be paying attention.

“Brand him a traitor,” Bronte ordered. He sounded more like he was reading a census then ordering a man to be burned.

Dex closed his eyes for the next time, but the sickening scent of burnt flesh invaded his nose.

When he opened his eyes again, a black eye stared at him from the back of each of Alvar’s hands.

He glanced over and saw his future bride with tears pouring down her cheeks.

She caught him watching her and turned bright red. She wiped the tears from her cheeks and stared at him defiantly.

“You are no longer welcome in Rimeshire or any of its territories.”

It took all of them a moment to realize that the banishment was over. They all applauded as Dex’s dad touched the center of both of the eyes and Alvar vanished, instantly transported to the border of Rimeshire.

Councilor Emery stepped up to the podium. 

“Thank you Councilor Bronte for the, uh inspiring speech.”

Queen Juline rolled her eyes and the triplets snickered until the king glared at them. The triplets, not Juline. He would never glare at his soulmate.

“For the sins of one, the family must suffer,” Councilor Emery read. “Since they -seriously, who wrote this? It sounds like it belongs in a romance novel.”

The rest of the councilors looked at Oralie, who smiled sheepishly. 

Emery quickly read the rest of it, muttering quietly to himself.

“My goodness Oralie, were you writing a legend or a speech?”

He took out a quill and started revising the paper right there in front of most of the kingdom. 

Dex’s dad cleared his throat, and Emery looked up, evidently forgetting that he was supposed to be talking.

“In summary,” he said. “The council has decided that you must pay a fine of four million lusters.”

The crowd gasped. Four million? That was enough to make even the richest family, well, less wealthy. The royal family had about nine million lusters, and the next richest (the Vackers) had about half of that, so…

Alden looked determined, but Fitz looked angry. Considering that was his inheritance, Dex didn’t blame him.

“In addition, Biana is no longer betrothed to the heir. The royal family does not associate with traitors.”

If it was possible for a crowd to gasp MORE, this one did.

“Finally, Alden Vacker, we understand that you have been a widower since your wife Della died of the last plague.”

Alden nodded.

“Therefore, we have one final ruling,” Lord Prentice added. “You must marry. Immediately.”

Alden looked startled. On second thought, everyone looked startled. Except the council.

“My lord,” Alden asked. “May I ask why?”

Councilor Bronge smirked. “Because it is obvious that you are incapable of raising your children properly.”

Chapter Text

“Could you be any more worthless, your majesty?” Keres taunted as Biana carried the teapot into the room. “You’re five minutes late.”

Biana didn’t say a word as the three sets of eyes watched her elegantly set the kettle on the table.

“Is there anything else I can get you, my ladies?” She asked, curtsying. She made sure to leave no trace of sarcasm in her tone, otherwise she would be locked in her chambers again.

“Get me more of those little cakes,” her stepmother ordered. “And be quick about it.”

Biana decided not to point out that the kitchen was on the far side of Everglen.

Deirdre tried to trip her on the way out, but Biana daintily stepped over her other stepsister’s foot.

“Why did Alvar have to ruin everything?” she grumbled, half-addressing a painting of Della. 

The painting of her family before her father had married Alina watched her as she hurried through the reception hall. She was the only one left.

Della- died in the plague.

Alden- attacked by a band of rebels. Also dead.

Alvar- banished.

Fitz- off to seek his fortune, since Alina and her two horrible daughters had stolen his.

She couldn’t bear to think about it any more. She hustled through the rooms that had once been covered in gems and expensive cloth. Now, it was almost all gone. Off to go pay for those luxury items that her stepmother and stepsisters thought were essential. 

Once in the kitchen, she piled tea cakes onto a silver platter. Her mouth watered at the sight of them, but she knew from experience that if she touched even one of the pastries, Deirdre would make her wish she had never been born.

She passed the entrance hall, where the chandelier that Fitz had gotten stuck in when he had scaled the walls hung limply. It looked as hopeless as she felt.

A conveniently timed knock on the door got her attention. She opened it, feeling self conscious in her maid’s uniform. 

“Biana?” Councilor Emery asked. “Why are you wearing that ?”

She wanted to say something like, “because you forced my dad to marry and stole all of his money, so of course I have nothing elegant to wear like my horrible stepsisters,” but she knew that it wouldn’t help the situation. She would also be locked in her room for a month if she told anyone. 

“I’m re-embroidering my gowns,” she lied. 

“All of them at once?” Emery asked.

“Yes,” she said, tucking one of her uncombed strands of hair behind her ear. “I’ve been up all night working on it. You have to do them all at once because the threads have to be embroidered in a certain way so that the stitches all-”

“Of course!” he nodded like she hadn’t just thrown out whatever excuses came to mind.. 

“I would invite you in,” Biana said, blocking his view with her body, “but my stepmother is having the house redecorated, so the entrance hall is quite unsuitable for receiving guests.”

“Of course,” he said. 

He pulled a white envelope sealed with the Rimeshire crest from the pocket of his coat. She examined it.

Fitzroy Avery Vacker was written in a gorgeous font across the front.

“What is this?” she asked the councilor.

“I can’t tell you,” he admitted. “Just make sure your brother opens it.”

“It probably won’t be for awhile,” she informed him. “His last letter said he was in Gildingham and was boarding a ship for Marintrylla.”

“No one else is allowed to touch it,” Emery ordered.

“Of course,” she curtsied and closed the door. 

She stashed the letter behind a painting of her brother and resolved to move it to a more secure location later.

Then she brought the tea cakes to her stepfamily.

As the sun set over Rimeshire, all the Noble unmarried young ladies prepared to try to find their true love at a ball.

All the young ladies except Biana.

“Get me another necklace, Biana,” Dierdre ordered. “I need to look my best. Lord Valin will be there tonight.”

Keres snickered from the corner where she was standing. Her aquamarine gown had taken Biana almost half an hour to adjust. She was draped with scarves and whatever gems they had around the house until she shimmered like starlight, and that was intentional. Former-councilor Alina taught her daughters to use their beauty as a weapon.

“You will not be courting Valin until one of you marries the prince,” Alina snapped. 

Biana clenched her jaw at the mention of her former betrothed, but quickly steeled her face. She didn’t want any more taunts from Keres.

“Won’t it be poetic when I’M the next queen,” Keres said. 

“No, I will,” Dierdre argued, forgetting all about Valin in her quest to be better than her sister.

“I guess we’ll just have to see who dances with him more at the ball tonight then,” Keres said, before twirling menacingly. 

Biana had to fight to not tackle her stepsisters. They were talking about their prince as if he was a prize, not a real living person. Just because she would rather marry the chandelier that Fitz has gotten stuck in then her literal soulmate didn’t mean that they could talk about him that way. 

She knew that even the-jerk-who-didn’t-try-to-stand-up-for-her-family would feel the same way about her.

“What’s the problem Biana?” Keres asked. “Missing your soulmate? ”

“I’ll be sure to tell him how lucky he is to have gotten out of marrying you when we dance,” Dierdre snickered.

“And I’ll be sure to tell him all the juicy details when we dance,” Keres added.

Deirdre stuck out her tongue at her sister. “I’ll tell him even more when I dance with him more than Keres.”

“I’m going to be dancing with him while you’re waltzing with Valin all evening,” Keres teased. 

“How dare you!”

“How dare YOU!”

“Girls, quit bickering,” Alina ordered. “We’re going to be late.”

“But it’s fashionable to be late,” Keres pointed out.

“You’re more likely to get a chance to dance with the heir if we arrive early,” Alina argued.

It went in like this for quite a while.

When they were finally gone, Biana swept the floors, dusted the few remaining antiques, threw forks at a portrait of Alvar and finished all her chores for the day.

Biana couldn’t resist a stroll in the elegant gardens before returning to her quarters.

The gardens were one of the few places at Everglen that still had an echo of the estate's former beauty. Alina had kept only two servants after Alden died. The gardener (who was also now assigned the job of stable master) and the cook.

Her favorite spot to think was a branch hanging over the edge of the lake. The water turned a deep blue and reflected the thousands of tiny stars hanging overhead.

***

The sun was setting on the kingdom of Rimeshire, and Dex’s life was in mortal danger.

Not in danger of being killed by a dragon.

Not in danger of contacting the plague.

Not in danger of being whacked on the head with a mace one too many times.

In danger of being trampled by the stampede of girls who all wanted a chance to dance with him.

And for some reason, they wouldn’t just let him check their names off the list of “girls who have danced with the prince.” They would dance with him and then look all offended when he moved onto his next partner. 

His current partner, Lady Trlla, apparently thought it was romantic to pretend to faint. He had to support her limp body about every three seconds.

After the twenty seventh catch, he decided that enough was enough.

“Have a seat,” he said, guiding her to a cushion bench. He clapped his hands, and a servant brought her an iced drink. 

“I’m fine,” she protested. 

But it didn't matter because he was already, once again, under attack.

He chose his next partner randomly, desperate to escape the horde of girls, and swept her onto the dance floor. 

She had dark brown hair with caramel colored highlights that was pulled back in an exquisite bun, aquamarine eyes that matched her dress and a pleasant expression on her face. He liked her immediately. 

“Hello, your highness,” she said quietly, like she wasn’t sure if she was supposed to talk to him. 

“Thank you for saying something other than gossip or flirtatious comments,” he said, utterly relieved. “I have had FAR too much of that today.”

She laughed. It was a sweet sound, like the chiming of distant bells. He admired the way she flowed through the dance, even when he fumbled and almost tripped her.

“What do you want to talk about then?” she asked, twirling as she spoke.

Dex thought about it for a moment.

“I have no idea,” he admitted. “No one has ever asked me that before. It’s always whatever they wish to discuss.”

She nodded knowingly.

“Would you like me to tell you a story?” she asked. 

“That sounds delightful.”

“Tell me to stop at any moment if it gets too dull,” she ordered.

She began to tell him an amusing tale about a land where there were these creatures called “elves.” In this land, the councilors weren’t allowed to marry or have children, which seemed odd to him. How were they supposed to produce heirs if they couldn’t have families? She was in the middle of explaining this thing called “Matchmaking” that seemed completely absurd, when the dance ended.

“Thank you for the dance, your highness,” she said, turning to join the crowd. 

He grabbed her arm and twirled her back, before the horde could get to her.

“Dance with me again,” he begged. “You have to save me.”

She laughed and obliged, followed him into the next dance. And the next. And the next.

The grumblings of the rest of the horde grew louder, but they slowly resigned themselves to dancing with councilor’s sons and earls.

And somehow, at the end of the evening, he found that he had danced every dance with the girl.

“I’m sorry,” she said, when there were only a few stragglers left. “I really must go.”

“Will you at least tell me your name?” he asked.

She curtsied. “Lady Keres of Everglen, your highness.”

He gaped at her. “The stepsister of-”

“Biana Vacker?” she interrupted. “Yes. I won’t dare to tell her that I danced with you tonight. She has grown quite bitter towards your family.”

He stared at the tiled floor. “I suppose we do deserve it.”

“I don’t really blame her,” Keres continued thoughtfully. “I mean, imagine everyone looking down on you for something you can’t control.”

She probably noticed the look on his face, so she added, “not that you would ever be in that position, of course.”

A girl who looked like Kere’s twin in a yellow dress tapped her on the shoulder.

“Keres, we better go,” she said.

His partner curtsied one more time before turning towards her lookalike. 

“You better not tell Biana that I danced with the prince, Deirdre,” she ordered. “She might start throwing knives at his portrait again.”

“Or at you,” Deirdre pointed out. “I won’t tell her, but only because your blood might stain that dress and I wanted to wear it next time I see Valin.”

The twins walked away.

The king walked over to him as he watched quite possibly his one true love walk away.

“She would make a good queen,” he said.

Dex’s face turned as red as his hair. “Surely I don’t need to think about that now!”

“We need to stop all this gossip about the Vacker girl as soon as possible,” his father sighed. “We can’t risk any more unrest with the rumors of rebels.”

“I barely know her,” he protested.

“Well, then it’s fortunate that I arranged a visit to her estate tomorrow with her mother,” Kesler said. 

“What about,” Dex gestured to his heart, where an undetectable string was said to tie him to Biana, wherever she was in the world. “I can’t just sever her.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Kesler sighed again. 

***

Biana scrubbed the floor until her hands bled. She paused, wrapped her hands in the rag, and began scrubbing again. 

She glanced out the window at the rising sun and tried to shake away the Fatigue that threatened to overwhelm her.

The cook was making every kind of pastry imaginable for the prince’s visit. The gardener-stablemaster was fixing up the house to make it more presentable.

When she had scrubbed what had to be at least five miles of hallways, she brought Keres and Dierdre their breakfast.

“Porridge again?” Dierdre complained, taking the bowl from the tray.

“Cook was too busy to make anything fancy,” Biana explained.

(Except for the pastries that Cook had set aside for her, but the sister’s didn’t need to know about those.)

Keres set down her bowl and searched Biana, as if looking for something. She obviously didn’t meet expectations, because Keres shook her head distanfully, got to her feet and started to circle her.

Like a monster hunting its prey.

“There really isn’t anything I can use against you, is there?” Her step sister asked, but not like she actually believed it. “Your brother is out of my reach and the servants are protected. Even your reputation is already ruined.”

“She does have a weakness though,” Dierdre offered, between stealing spoonfuls of her twin’s porridge. 

Keres pretended to be surprised. “And what is it?”

“The prince,” Dierdre said, like this was a script they had practiced.

“What do you mean?” Biana asked. 

“You think that the prince is a person, but he’s not,” Keres said, flicking her brown hair over her shoulder in one deadly elegant motion.

“I’m pretty sure he is,” Biana argued.

“He isn’t,” Keres shouted. “He’s a privilege. A fast track to power for those who deserve it and are smart enough to take it.”

Keres returned to her now empty (thanks to Dierdre) bowl of porridge. Before she could snap at her twin, the doors to the room burst open and Alina stormed in, flanked by Cook and the gardener-stablemaster.

“As you well know, Prince Dexter is coming to visit us in only a few hours,” she said. “And as you well know, there is a problem in this house that needs to be dealt with.”

Everyone shifted uncomfortably, not sure which of the many problems she was referring to.

“Biana Vacker,” Alina said. “The prince will be expecting you to be treated five thousand times better than you deserve.”

Cook coughed, like she was trying to get Alina’s attention. Biana’s stepmother ignored her.

“So,” she continued. “The official story is now that you went to go visit that friend of yours. Margatha, I believe.”

“Maruca,” Biana corrected.

She was pretty sure that this was going to turn into a Biana-gets-locked-in-the-attic and not a Biana-goes-and-visits-Maruca sort of conversation.

“The prince will expect for us to have servants, however,” Alina said. “So we can’t just lock you in the attic and be done with you.”

She handed Biana a bundle of black fabric. 

“Your name is now Muriel,” she said. “And you are Keres’ personal maid.”

Biana glanced worriedly at her stepsister, who for once looked just as anxious as she was.

“What’s stopping her from revealing her true identity?” Keres asked.

Alina smiled menacingly. “Then the same group of rebels that killed her father will get their hands on her brother.”

The cook gasped. Biana clenched her hands into fists to hide their shaking. 

“I won’t reveal my identity,” she promised.

“Good,” Alina said with a smile. “Now go get your future queen ready, Muriel .”

Keres swept out of the room and Biana followed. 

It was late afternoon when Keres walked elegantly down the grand staircase wearing a blood red gown.

The prince was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, somehow wearing that exact same color. His mouth dropped open, like he had never seen anything more gorgeous in his life, which was a pity, since Keres’ soul was a pit of vipers that slithered over her beauty and made it all seem worthless. 

Keres ran down the last three steps, grabbed both his hands and gently squeezed them. She smiled shyly at him, which was a lie in and of itself since Keres was NEVER shy.

Dex didn’t see through her act and smiled back, revealing his dimples.

She felt a small burst of pity for the prince who thought he was in love with the girl of his dreams, but who was in reality a pretender who only wanted his title and power.

His eyes swept over the frayed rugs and dusty mirrors, finally stopping on her. 

His brows clenched together, like she was a puzzle he couldn’t solve and wasn’t sure he was supposed to. 

After a long, tense moment, he released his grip on Keres’ arm and took a step towards her.

“Biana?”

Chapter Text

Biana stared back at him, like she wasn’t quite sure how he recognized her. 

But he remembered those bright teal eyes. And the way that her hair seemed to fall in gentle waves, even when it was stiffened by dust and dirt.

“I’m…” her voice trailed off. 

Biana glanced at Keres, as if asking her stepsister a question. Keres must have answered it because all the emotion drained from her face, leaving a mask behind.

She curtsied. “I’m Muriel,” she said. “You must have confused me with my lady Biana Vacker, who is currently visiting her friend Maruca.”

It sounded forced, like she was reading off a script written for her. He opened his mouth to confront her but closed it when he noticed the flash of fear in her eyes when she looked at him. 

“Muriel, you are excused,” Keres said, so sweetly that it wiped all suspicion from his mind.

Until Biana -it clearly was Biana, he wasn’t gullible enough to believe that she was Muriel- curtsied and left. 

Why was Biana Vacker a servant?

Then Keres smiled her sweet smile and led him out into the gardens.

The rest of the evening was delightful. He had a picnic with Keres and they talked and laughed together as they walked through the gardens. 

When it was time for him to return to Rimeshire, he mounted Greyfell and galloped off into the night, thinking about the box. 

The box holding a ring made from a thousand diamonds.

The ring waiting for Keres.

“I’ve changed my mind,” Keres announced. “I’m not going to be queen.”

Everyone froze and stared at her. Even Biana stopped mending Deirdre’s stockings in shock.

“I mean, I am,” Keres corrected. “I just don’t want to marry the prince. He’s irritating and has the personality of a snail.”

She snatched a pastry from her twin’s hands and took a bite.

“I’m thinking maybe a well timed assaination,” she said thoughtfully. “Maybe after I’m pregnant with the heir.”

Biana groaned. “Out of all the people to fall in love with, he had to choose you.”

Keres smirked. “It was way too easy. I just pretended to be you.”

Biana froze and nearly dropped the needle. She fumbled until she stabbed herself in the palm. Glancing around for something to bandage it with, she selected a dishrag.

“Think about it,” her stepsister said, taking another bite of Deirdre’s pastry. “Originally, you were his true love, so he had to love something about you, as ridiculous as it sounds.”

Deirdre snorted, like she found this whole conversation hilarious.

“You are nothing like me,” Biana snarled.

“No talking back to your queen,” Keres said, her eyes sweeping the room for a fitting punishment. Her eyes stopped on a painting of Della holding baby Biana.

No.

Biana watched helplessly as Keres plucked that painting from the wall and threw it into the fireplace.

No.

She ordered herself not to react. Not to give Keres any satisfaction, but she couldn’t help it.

Choking back a sob, she threw down her mending and traced out of the room, down the hall and through the first door she came to.

She exited in a small garden she called Della’s Glade. Alden had once told her that he had proposed to her mother in that very spot. Della was so delighted that she accidentally threw the ring down the well.

Biana barely remembered her mother. It felt like every painting they burned, every necklace they sold was stealing a bit of her mother’s soul. 

This was where she felt closest to her mom. 

She collapsed at the edge of the well and sobbed.

Sobbed for the memory of her mother. 

Sobbed for her father, murdered by rebels hired by his own wife. 

Sobbed for Fitz in danger. 

Surprised herself by crying for Dex, who didn’t realize who he was trying to marry.

Night had fallen when the tears couldn’t come anymore. She could hear her stepfamily calling from inside the manor.

Glancing down at the water as it reflected the moon, she realized she should probably wash the tears off her face.

She drew in the bucket.

And nearly screamed when her hand brushed something in the water. Something that glittered in the evening light.

Could it be her mother’s ring? She pulled it from the bucket and sighed in disappointment. It was only a hair pin. 

Biana held it up to the light, watching the light pass through the gem.

“Hello dearest,” a voice said from behind her. 

She screamed and nearly dropped the hair pin.

“Don’t let it fall or I won’t be able to talk to you.”

Biana turned slowly to find an older woman with dark brown hair, pale skin and blood red lips watching her. She was tinted blue, like the light coming through the hair clip. She held herself like a queen, although she was no queen that Biana recognized.

Biana curtsied, accidentally lowering the pin and causing the queen to sink into the ground.

“No need for that yet dearest,” the queen said. “We’ll work on that tonight.”

“Tonight?”

“Listen dearest,” the queen ordered. But more of a gentle order, so unlike those of her stepfamily that Biana instantly wanted to obey. “You are about to be caught by your mother-”

“Stepmother,” Biana corrected.

“Exactly,” the queen said with a small smile. “Take the hair pin with you, but don't let anyone find it. Hold it to the light of the tiny window in your chambers and step into the beam it casts. The starstone will do the rest.”

The footsteps grew louder.

“Hide it now!” the queen ordered.

Biana slipped the hairpin into her slipper, where it pressed against her ankle.

“Biana?” Deirdre’s voice called.

And yet, just as the queen had predicted, it was Alina who found her. 

A window opened on the third floor and her stepmother spotted her immediately. 

“Get in here,” Alina ordered.

Biana sighed and hurried inside. All three members of her stepfamily were waiting for her with their arms crossed.

“Keres,” her stepmother said without taking her eyes off Biana. “Go get two pails. One empty and one filled halfway with water.”

So they were planning to lock her in her chambers for at least a day or two. One pail for her to use the bathroom, the other so she didn’t die of dehydration.

Keres snapped her finger. “Deirdre, go get them.”

“Why should I do your job?” Deirdre whined.

“Because I am your future queen and I order you to do so.”

“You’re not queen yet,” Deirdre pointed out.

“Stop bickering and just go get it!” Alina shouted.

Deirdre scowled and scampered out of the room.

“Does three days in the attic sound like a fitting punishment?” Alina petitioned a portait of her eldest brother that Biana had stabbed with a fork far too many times.

“Without food,” Keres added.

Alvar stared down with approval.

Biana didn’t care. Maybe she would in a day or two when she was starving in her room. Her stepmother and future queen escorted her to the attic where Deirdre was waiting with the buckets.

“Set them there,” Alina ordered her daughter.

Keres shoved Biana into the room, waited for her twin to escape before locking the door with a loud CLICK .

After checking through the keyhole that her family was truly gone, she fished the hair pin out of her shoe, held the tiny stone up to the moonlight and stepped into the beam it cast.

She was everywhere and nowhere. Weightless and heavy. Dragged along abu some invisible force, but she hadn’t moved at all.

She screamed at the unfamiliar sensations, but she had no mouth.

And suddenly, it was over.

Biana threw the hair pin to the ground, prepared to, well probably not smash the metal, but at least get the stupid thing off her body.

That wasn’t the wooden floor of her attic room. It was some sort of silver rocks .

She slipped her shoes off. The pebbles were cool and smooth.

Biana glanced at her surroundings. A forest of delicate silver trees with tiny leaves made of mirrors. Everything was sprinkled in a layer of silver powder, like the whole forest was covered in frost. 

Biana ran down the trail, running her fingers along the smooth glass of the leaves and digging her bare toes into the frost.

It was also impossible.

And yet so beautiful.

She tripped and nearly fell headfirst into a lake. 

The water was unnaturally smooth. There were no ripples. No waves.

Biana plucked a single mirrored lead from a nearby tree and dipped it into the water. The lake rippled like molten glass, gently rising and falling. Suddenly the leaf burned in her hand, probably capturing the heat from the glass, if that was what it was. She let go and it sank beneath the surface. 

“Hello dearest,” the queen said, materializing behind her. 

She spun around and gasped. The queen was even more stunning in person. She wore a magenta gown and a matching headdress dripping with gold and gems.

“Are you ready for the ball?” the queen asked.

“What ball?”

The queen gestured at her hands. Where there had once been a hair pin, there was now a delicate silver invitation. Whoever decorated this place must really love the color.

Lady Biana Vacker of Everglen is hereby invited to the ball at Nightfall. It begins at twilight and ends at sunrise. Appearance is mandatory.

The queen snapped her fingers and a boat of silver (seriously, what was it about this place and silver?) made its way across the lake towards them. The queen crossed the shore and left into the boat gracefully, before gesturing for Biana to follow. 

Much more awkwardly, Biana fumbled in behind her. 

The molten glass gently rippled as they crossed the lake, somehow not heating up the silver. No one was rowing, so this whole scenario was impossible. But it was also impossible for her to be in a silver forest, crossing a lake of glass. 

In the middle of the lake was a castle (also silver), with twisting silver towers reaching up to the glowing gray sky.

The boat moored itself beside a small pier, which was illuminated by small glass orbs holding dancing blue fire.

An eerie music filled the island and the queen frowned. 

“The ball has already begun,” the queen informed her. “Are you ready to join them?”

Biana glanced down at her tattered maid’s uniform and blushed. “I do believe that I am quite underdressed.”

The queen laughed. “Let me help, dearest.”

The queen led her inside the castle and into a room of gowns made from every expensive cloth imaginable. Biana ran her fingers along the sleeve of a silky, violet gown. She sighed, since there was no way she could ever afford anything so elegant.

“No, not that one,” the queen said, without even glancing at her. “I have just the one.”

They passed rows and rows of elegant gowns, each more striking and elegant than the last. How did she have so many? She doubted Princess Bex owned even one so fine. 

What was she doing here? She was the sister of a traitor. A girl without a dowry. A servant in her own house.

They rounded another corner and Biana gasped. 

A dress the color of burning sunsets stood in the center of it all on a pedestal. Without thinking, Biana ran towards it. 

The queen clapped her hands and a team of maidservants made of silver helped her out of her servant's uniform and into a bath where they washed the years of grime and dust off of her. 

They helped her into layers upon layers of the gown. 

Then they added the jewels. 

Necklaces of ruby and tourmaline. Bracelets of garnet.

The queen smiled. “You look perfect.”

Biana twirled and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. As smooth as a sunset. As deadly as fire. 

The queen clapped her hands again and a silver maid entered, holding a pair of slippers on a satin pillow.

“Put these on,” the queen urged. 

The slippers didn’t exactly match, as they were made from mirrored glass, but the dress would hide them anyway. And the queen was so kind.

They felt as light as a feather. Almost like she was floating above the ground.

“Thank you, your majesty,” she breathed.

The queen smiled. “Please, call me Vespera.”

Chapter Text

Dex glanced nervously at the trees as he rode through the dark forest. His heart pounded to the name of his true love.

Keres. Keres. Keres.

Unfortunately, he wouldn’t be of much use to anybody if the rebels attacked and killed him. 

His horse was getting nervous too, prancing across the path uneasily. He nearly bolted when they went around a bend and nearly ran into a figure talking to his horse (a perfectly normal behavior).

“It’s useless Greyfell,” the figure said. “I‘ll never find her at this rate.”

Greyfell (the boy’s horse) wisely said nothing. 

“Mother wants me to give up and go back to Candleshade. Father wants me to marry the girl with the personality of a slug he picked out for me. But I won’t give up. I know she’s here somewhere.”

A wind whipped through the trees, sending a dead branch skidding across the path. 

Dex’s horse reared, knocking Dex to the ground and galloped off in the direction of the palace. Dex didn’t blame him. He would rather be safe at home than lost in a creepy forest.

The figure spun around, his dark black cloak falling around his shoulders, revealing a young man with blond hair and striking ice blue eyes.

The young man dismounted, drew his sword and pointed it at Dex.

“What did you hear?”

It felt like such an odd question, that Dex had to resist the urge to laugh. He forced himself to focus. He couldn’t marry Keres if this young man stabbed him with his sword.

“Not much,” he promised. “I literally just ran into you talking to your horse.”

The young man glanced at Greyfell. Or rather, where Greyfell was supposed to be. The horse had bolted.

Apparently, the horses had good instincts because a bolt of lightning struck a tree and it fell towards them.

“Look out!” the young man shouted as he tackled Dex, out of the reach of the tree’s branches.

“Thanks,” Dex said, helping the young man to his feet.

“I’m Keefe, by the way,” the young man said, in a way that made Dex feel like he should remember something.

“I’m Dex.”

It immediately started pouring.

“Come on!” Dex said, taking off down the road. Keefe followed. Fortunately for both of them, Dex had been here before. He had only been twelve, but it was practically impossible to wipe a castle off the map.

Through the rainstorm he spotted it. A small manor, surrounded by a large estate.

Of course, it was abandoned now, after the lord and lady and the rest of them had fled or vanished.

“Havenfield,” Keefe said.

“Let’s get inside,” Dex suggested.

They took off through the pastures and burst through the slowly rotting wood of the front door.

A layer of dust covered everything. The armchairs were ripped and there was a large scorch mark in the middle of the floor. Evidently, the spider population of Havenfield had decided that the grand staircase was now their capital.

“It’s so hard to see it like this,” Keefe breathed. “I haven’t been back since-”

“Since what?”

“What do you mean?” his companion asked, plastering a look of false innocence to his face. “I’ve never been here before.”

“Let’s split up,” Dex suggested. “You explore that hallway on the left, I’ll take the one on the right. Holler if you find anything we can use to get out of here.”

Keefe nodded. Dex stepped into a huge banquet hall, followed by a kitchen. The kitchen was a dead end, so he backtracked and went through another door in the banquet hall.

It looked like some sort of sitting room. Chairs and tables were centered around the centerpiece of the room: a fireplace with a portrait of the lord and his family sitting on the mantle.

There were four of them, but it looked like the painting had been burned, because all that remained of one of them was a hand grasping Lady Jolie’s.

Dex hadn’t seen his cousins for several years, but he knew what had happened to them. 

They were the daughters of Lady Edaline and Lord Grady Ruewen. The younger of the two, Sophie had been kidnapped by rebels when she was twelve. She had escaped a year later, but accidentally brought the rebels back with her. 

The whole family was never seen again.

“I want you to know that I have this whole situation under control!” Keefe shouted. “But if you want to come watch I’m just letting you know that this could be your only chance to see this!”

Dex took off and found his way back to his companion who was fighting a pair of dragons. 

One of them had sand colored scales while the other had what looked like auburn. They both had bright blue eyes.

That didn’t matter, because they were also about to eat him.

Keefe drew his sword and charged. The sand colored dragon blasted him with a torrent of flames, but he ducked behind a throne.

This was a throne room apparently. A throne room-turned-dragon’s lair. 

Why were there dragons? For some reason, a picture of the painting flashed through his thoughts.

“Grady and Edaline?” he guessed.

Both dragons turned to him.

“Were you cursed or something?” Dex asked. 

Dragon-Edaline nodded. 

“Can you please stop trying to kill my friend?”

Grady bobbed his head, but made a chuckling noise in the back of his throat, like he was saying, well, if that’s really what you want.

Dex turned to his companion and gasped. His sleeves had protected him from the fire, but had been burned away in the process. The tattered remains of his cloak hung limply from his shoulders.

But on the back of his hands, which had been hidden by the cloak before, were two burns.

Two burns, each in the shape of an eye.

The castle was full of mirrors, but none of them reflected her.

As Biana passed each one, a different person was there.

A girl in a dark cloak with a traitor’s eye on the sleeve, begging for mercy. 

A man covered in scars who glanced towards her hopefully, before realizing that she wasn’t who he was looking for.

“Who are these people?” Biana asked, as they passed a young woman with dyed blue hair.

“Gifts,” Vespera said. “My gifts to those who dance at my ball. Reflections of the ones they hate the most.”

A girl in a torn yellow gown screaming in the light of the blue fire.

A bored gentleman, with the initials YWW on a chain around his neck.

And Alvar.

Biana nearly screamed when she spotted her brother. He looked like he hadn’t slept in years. He also looked, almost ...scared?

Alvar looked past her to Vespera, and unlike the other reflections, he could actually make noise.

“Why is she here?” he shouted. “SHE SHOULDN’T BE HERE! YOU PROMISED ME!”

“Your promise was annulled when you couldn’t hold up your end of the deal,” Vespera said calmly.

He suddenly turned to her.

“Biana,” he begged. “I know you don’t trust me and I don’t blame you, but you have to get out of here and far away from her. PLEASE .”

A flash of anger covered her rational thoughts.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done to me?” she asked. “To Dad? To Fitz? You even caused the future assasination of Prince Dex. You are the last person I would listen to.”

He placed his hands against the glass, eyes pleading.

“You have every right to hate me, but please, please get out of here. You don’t know what-”

Vespera tapped the glass and the sound died instantly. He looked at her with desperation in his eyes.

Traitor.

“Sometimes the trapped spirits try to trick you,” Verspera said, turning and continuing down the hallway like nothing had happened. “It is wise to ignore them.”

“Of course.”

She followed her down the corridor, not even glancing at the reflection of her broken brother.

And yet, his words still echoed in her brain.

“You have to get out of here and away from her. PLEASE. ”

Keefe’s face was flushed, but Dex’s brain was still struggling to figure out what was going on.

“You’re a-”

“Traitor?” Keefe guessed sadly. “I guess so. Unless you remember the fact that I got these when I was little.”

Dragon-Grady snorted a burst of fire. 

“Traitors are supposed to be killed on sight if found within Rimeshire’s borders,” Dex whispered. 

He couldn’t exactly get out of it. He was the prince. The ultimate supporter of the law. But what if the law was wrong?

“Who are you really?” Dex asked.

The young man sighed. “Prince Keefe of Candleshade.”

THAT knocked Dex back a step. Even the former lord and lady of Havenfield looked stunned. Candleshade was originally a province of Rimeshire, but it had broken away and was now rumored to be planning to attack Rimeshire.

“Why are you here?” Dex asked. 

Keefe sighed and glanced over at the dragons.

“To find my true love,” he muttered.

Dex glanced at him suspiciously. “Aren’t there enough true loves in Candleshade?”

The other prince glared at him. “Do you even know how the true love thing works? I know my parent’s wish they could control it.” He smirked. “Fortunately, they can’t.”

Dex decided to hear Keefe out before killing him. After all, what was the worst that could happen?

Keefe glanced up at Grady and Edaline.

“I don’t suppose you know where she is?”

The elegant dragons sighed sadly (accidentally sending out a burst of flame) and their neck’s drooped.

“Where who is?” Dex asked, struggling to keep up.

Keefe fidgeted with a single bead on a string around his neck. It was painted like an unfamiliar pink-purple-blue flower.

“My true love. Sophie Ruewen.”

Chapter Text

Dex blinked. Keefe was his cousin’s true love?

“How did you meet her?” he demanded, guilty and angry and confused and sad and…

Something else.

Kinship, maybe?

“I was part of the group of rebels that kidnapped her,” Keefe admitted. Dragon-Grady snarled at him, and he wisely backed away. “That’s how we met.”

“How did you figure out you were, um, yeah?” Dex asked.

Keefe’s face flushed bright red and he looked away, making Dex guess that they took the traditional method.

According to the unofficial rules of whatever force controlled the universe , you discovered your soulmate either by kissing them, and a burning sensation when you did so, or tiny ropes tied their wrists together that only certain people could see. That was how parent’s generally betrothed their children when they were little. Of course, every person had more than one soulmate, so sometimes the ropes would untie themselves and reattach to someone else’s wrists. Of course, Rimeshire’s last Thread Seer had disappeared several years ago.

Lord Grady growled. 

Dex glanced at the two dragons. “Are you okay if he stays with me to look for Sophie?”

Grady shook his head, but Edaline shoved him over so hard that the ground rumbled. She shot a blast of fire at the far wall, scorching the letters WE WILL TAKE YOU TO RIMESHIRE CASTLE SO YOU CAN LOOK FOR OUR DAUGHTER.

Grady reluctantly nodded. Dex ran over to whisper in Keefe’s ear.

“I’ll take Grady, since he looks like he would eat you if you sat on his-”

Dex didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence, because Grady grabbed him gently in his talons and took off through a hole in the wall. Edaline grabbed Keefe and followed. 

The thunder had stopped, but it was still pouring rain. And since Grady had accidentally pinned his arms to his sides, he couldn’t block the water that was pelting his face.

Around a mile away from the castle, Dex shouted for Grady to land. He didn’t get a chance to check if Edaline was following, because the rush of wind pressed his face into itself. He guessed that the whoop of excitement was Keefe, but he couldn’t be sure.

The dragons dropped them off in a farmer’s field. No one except the royal family knew about a secret entrance to the city's catacombs inside the farm’s well.

“That was AWESOME!” Keefe exclaimed. Dex rolled his eyes. 

“Come on,” he said, diving into the well. From above the surface, Keefe stared at him like he was insane. 

“What are you doing?”

Dex turned red, realizing he shouldn’t have betrayed one of the family secrets to a traitor. 

“Do you vow not to tell anyone?”

Keefe blinked. “It depends on what the secret is. If it’s going to put lives in danger, then no.”

“It’s not going to put lives in danger,” Dex said. “It’s the entrance to the catacombs under Rimeshire.”

Keefe’s eyes went so wide, they looked like they might pop out if his head. “I won’t tell anyone, except Sophie if she asks.”

“Then come on.”

He ducked out of the way as Keefe jumped in. The foreign prince flailed all the way down.

Dex ducked into the water filled tunnel, and Keefe followed. 

“Was there any less wet way to do this?” his companion moaned. “My clothes are so full of water that I think I’m going to sink.”

Dex ignored him as he slowly worked his way to the tiled shore.

“This place is neat,” Keefe said, staring at the torches lit with a magical blue fire that didn’t need any fuel.

Dex could navigate the tunnels blindfolded, so he hurried through the labyrinth until he came to the trapdoor he was looking for.

“Um, where are we going?” Keefe asked, following him up the ladder.

“A secret chamber under my room,” Dex said. “There should be enough supplies to help you change into some dry clothes and eat before I start stealing food from the kitchens.”

“Is it really stealing if you own it anyway?” Keefe said.

“Good point. Don’t look as I type in the code.”

Keefe covered his eyes with his soaked sleeve as he typed in the letters.

B. I. A. N. A. D. I. Z. Z. N. E. E.

He should really get it changed to the name of his real soulmate. Keres Dizznee. He liked the sound of that.

“Are you done yet?”

The door clicked and slid open. 

“Yep. Come on in.”

The room was designed as a dustier, less covered in paper version of his quarters, so that the heir could hide from rebels in comfort.

“Nice place you’ve got here,” Keefe said, plopping down on the bed and sending a cloud of dust into the air. It stuck to his wet clothes, and made him look like he had been dipped into a vat of tan paint.

“Stay here while I go get you some fresh food,” Dex ordered. “I’m pretty sure those biscuits have been there since the reign of my great-great-great grandfather.

Keefe smirked, “yeah, maybe not the welcome home meal I had imagined.” He got up and started dusting the room as Dex scurried up the ladder to his room.

Dex burst out of his room and changed into some dry clothes, combing back his hair and heading for the kitchen.

Only to be intercepted by the triplets.

“Where have you been?” Bex demanded. 

“Dad’s freaking out,” Rex added.

“Your stallion just showed up,” Lex said. “Mom thinks you were attacked by rebels. Please tell them that you are okay. If ONE MORE person congratulates me on being the new heir, I will probably throw them off the highest tower. I think they're just trying to earn my favor. It’s way easier to manage six girlfriends if you aren’t the heir.”

Bex stared at her brother. “What happened to Ursula?”

“It’s Sloane, actually. She started courting Hans.”

Rex snorted. “Like that’s going to stop you from kissing her behind the stables.”

“That’s horrible,” Dex said. 

“No kidding,” Bex said grimacing. “He still hasn’t told any of them about the others either.”

“Wait,” Rex said, turning to Lex. “I’M the next oldest.”

Lex shrugged. “Guess they like me better.”

Dex left his siblings to their bickering. 

He stopped at the kitchens and grabbed a few slices of bread and some cheese, since he wasn’t about to serve a traitor a seven course meal.

And of course his parents caught him on the way out. It seemed like his whole family was prowling the corridors looking for him. Who would he run into next? The ghost of his great grandmother?

“Where have you been?” his mother sobbed as soon as she saw him. “I’ve been worried sick.”

“Whatever you did, don’t do it again,” King Kesler said, pulling him into a hug. 

“My stallion bolted right beside the entrance to the catacombs,” Dex explained, deciding that breathing must not be essential if his parents wouldn’t let him do it. 

“Next time at least let us know you’re alive,” Queen Juline scolded. 

“I will,” he said, wrestling away from his parent’s grip and continuing back down the hallway.

His parents would never protect a traitor. Even a traitor they felt a kinship for. 

So why was he?

Biana twirled in a flurry of skirts, before returning to her partner’s hands. Keir, one of Vespera’s sons, guided her through the unfamiliar steps of the dance, but she didn't need his help. The slippers the queen had given him seemed to be guiding her, as she danced better than she had ever danced before.

“Thanks for the help, but I’ll take her now,” someone said from behind her.

Keir looked disappointed as the girl led her to a small bench at the edge of the ballroom and gestured for her to sit. 

“Wonderful, isn’t it?” the girl asked. Her blonde hair hung down to the middle of her back and was sprinkled with tiny braids. 

Biana blinked. 

“Oh, sorry,” the girl said, noticing her expression. “Vespera is trying to get me to remember to introduce myself properly, but I always forget.”

The girl curtsied a simple curtsy and gestured for Biana to mimic her. The slippers guided her through the steps.

“I’m Marella Redek of Candleshade,” the girl said. 

“Lady Biana Vacker of Everglen,” she said, curtsying much more sloppily.

The girl studied her, until Biana worried she was doing something wrong. 

“Mare, what are you doing?” a girl with curly brown hair broke away from her partner and joined them. 

Marella glared at her. “I told you, no nicknames.”

“Whatever, Ella,” the girl said, rolling her eyes. 

“I’m sorry, should I go?” Biana asked, edging towards Keir, who stood in the center of the ballroom, looking confused.

“I wasn’t going to wait for Soph to get her majesty’s approval for learning everything about Miss Traitor over here,” Marella snapped.

Curly-hair glared at her. “I assume you know her life story after a minute long conversation then?”

Marella smirked. “In fact, I do.”

She said it loud enough that the other three girls immediately abandoned their partners and joined them. 

“This is Biana,” Marella introduced her. “Her brother was that traitor banished from Rimeshire a few years back. She’s the prince’s soulmate, as you can probably tell Soph-”

“Wait,” Biana interrupted. “How can Sophie tell?”

All five girls glanced at each other. One of them, the other blonde one, nodded.

“Sophie can see Soulmate Threads,” a girl with black hair tipped with silver said hesitantly. “That’s why the rebels kidnapped her.”

Sophie pulled a black feather from her hair. “It turns out, black swan feathers can block the sight. My sister, Jolie was one too, but she died during the attack on Everglen.”

Biana blinked. “Wait, YOU’RE Sophie Ruewen?”

Sophie nodded. 

“Where have you been all this time?”

The Thread Seer sighed. “I can’t tell you. It’s like every time I try to tell someone, my voice just fades away.”

“Try and tell her,” Curly-hair said, a wicked smile on her face. “It’ll be such a relief from all the constant yapping.”

Sophie shoved her so hard, she fell into the last girl’s arms. 

That was when she realized that she recognized the last girl.

“Maruca?” She asked, recognizing her close friend. She embraced her and they both started chattering. 

“I can’t believe-”

“I had hoped, but-”

“It’s such a relief-”

“Isn’t it amazing-”

“Wow,” the girl with silver tips on her hair said sarcastically. “I never realized that anyone could talk quite as much as Marella.”

Marella’s glare was as fierce as her short orange dress.

“Did you get a reading of her, when she came in?” Maruca asked Sophie eagerly.

The girl nodded hesitantly, staring at something only she could see. 

“I did, but it’s, well, the best word for it is odd. It’s like she doesn’t have a completed thread connecting her to her soulmate. Or like it’s shared with someone else.”

Sophie met Biana’s eyes with a serious expression on her face.

“She’ll really have to fight for her happy ending.”

Everyone’s eyes widened. 

The black hair with silver tips cleared her throat delicately. “Girls, we forgot proper introductions!”

All of the girls, aside from Maruca and Marella, got into a line and faced her.

The girl with the silver tips and blue gown that seemed to be melting into the floor like a puddle of water went first.

“I’m Princess Linh Song of Choralmere.”

Biana’s jaw dropped open. Everyone knew about the Song triplets, Nguyen, Tam and Linh. Nguyen was the heir to the empire of Choralmere, as he was the firstborn. The other two had been banished until they came of age “for their own safety.” Although, because of the rumors of their troublemaking that rivaled the Dizznee triplets, Biana had long suspected they had pranked Emperor Quan and Empress Mai, one too many times.

“Your highness,” Biana dipped into another elegant curtsy.

The princess blushed. “Please, call me Linh.”

“I’m Stina Heks of Rimeshire,” Curly-hair said, curtsying. She seemed to be glaring at the Thread Seer for no reason.

Biana curtsied back. 

“And I’m Lady Sophie Ruewen of Havenfield,” the last girl said. Her curtsy was wobblier than the others, which made Biana feel grateful.

The chime of a huge bell caused the girls to glance up. 

“Come on,” Stina said, racing up a staircase.

“Wait!” Biana shouted after them. “Where are we going?”

Only Maruca shouted back to her. 

“Lessons. With Vespera.”

“I see you have all met Lady Biana,” Vespera said.

Marella smirked, and Stina rolled her eyes. 

“I see the slippers are already having some effect,” Vespera said to her, an echo of a smile on her lips.

Biana curtsied the same curtsy she had done by the well, but this time she actually did it properly.

“That’s better,” Vespera said approvingly.

She turned back to the group. “Tomorrow, you will have your first mission.”

All of the girls started chattering excitedly. 

Vespera clapped her hands and a picture of a ballroom appeared in one of the mirrors. A FAMILIAR ballroom. 

“You are all going to the annual masked ball at Rimeshire castle. You won’t have to do anything, but you will all end up there. You will all come here for your costumes.”

She clapped her hands again and a painting of a young man with dark skin and hair replaced the ballroom.

“Linh, your target is General Prentice Endal’s son Wylie.”

Sophie gasped, but Biana didn’t hear her. She was too busy wondering what Vespera meant by target .

“I understand that you’ve never met, but your slippers will guide you, dearest.”

Sophie sounded like she was about to choke, so Vespera turned to her.

“But Wylie’s her soulmate!” She exclaimed. “You can't expect Linh to-”

“I’m well aware of that,” Vespera said calmly. “But I seem to remember you saying that everyone has multiple soulmates, dearest?”

Sophie flinched. “Only if something happens to the first one.”

“Precisely, dearest.”

“But you’re making HER be what happens to Wylie!”

Vespera laughed. “Oh trust me, nothing’s going to happen to Wylie. Physically anyway. The whole point is for him to fall in love with her, but then she will break his heart.”

“But-”

“”Do I have to remind you of this?” Vespera asked. She snapped her fingers and a picture of Wylie attacking a pair of dragons appeared in the mirror.

Sophie flinched.

“Good.” Vespera turned back to the group. “I want to remind you that all these targets are a danger to the fragile peace of our world. If their hearts remain unbroken, then disastrous things will happen.”

 She clapped her hands and the picture shifted, revealing a boy with tan skin and curly hair. Stina covered her mouth with her hands. 

“Yes, Stina,” Vespera said coldly. “Your darling Sir Jensi is a danger to society. He is also your target.”

Sophie gasped again, but covered her mouth when Vespera glared at her.

Keir’s mother focused on Linh. “This next target is going to be hard for you, Lady Song.”

Linh’s lips pressed together, but she looked determined. “Tell me. I can handle it.”

A picture of a boy who looked like Tam with silver bangs appeared in the mirror. Linh gasped. “Tam? I thought you meant Nguyen!”

Vespera rested her hand on Linh’s shoulder. “Tam is Marella’s target, dearest.”

Linh gasped at her friend and burst into tears.

“I don’t know,” Marella said slowly. “Couldn’t I-”

The glare Vespera pinned on the poor girl could’ve stopped time. “Do you remember why we’re doing this, dearest?”

Marella gulped, her confidence gone. “Yes, Vespera.”

“Good.”

She turned to Maruca, and everyone relaxed.

Biana glanced around the ballroom while they were talking, until Sophie nudged her.

“Are you okay with this? He is your brother, after all.”

Biana tried to remember who they were talking about. Alvar.

“He deserves this and worse,” she said darkly. “Nothing can excuse what he did.”

Sophie glanced at her, concerned and took a step away. Maruca’s face was a mask that hid her emotions.

“Biana, you’re next, dearest,” Vespera said. 

“Wait, she’s coming too?” Maruca said, startled. “But she hasn’t had any training.”

“She isn’t going to need any training,” Vespera said impatiently. “She’s going to be fine with just the slippers and the costume.”

She snapped her fingers and the last face Biana had expected appeared. 

Dex’s face.

She got to be the one who broke the heart of the one who hadn’t cared when her family was ruined? This was the greatest gift Vespera could’ve given her.

“Thank you,” she said, suddenly excited. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Sophie took a significantly larger step away from her.

“Sophie, you’re last,” Vespera said, snapping her fingers. The painting of Dex disappeared, but no new painting replaced it.

“I’ve decided that your performance will be greatly improved if you do not know who your target is.” She smiled sweetly. “Don’t worry, dearest. You’ll know him when you see him.”

She clapped her hands. 

“I’ll see you all tomorrow night.”

And just like that, Biana was back in her room at Everglen.

Chapter Text

“BIANA!” Alina shouted through the attic. “IT’S TIME TO GO!”

Biana stumbled to the door, and flung it open, surprised it wasn’t locked. Her stepfamily was waiting for her, eyeing her like a pack of starving wolves.

“I thought I had two more days locked in the attic,” she said sleepily. 

“Well, now you don’t,” Dierdre said. “Aren’t you grateful?”

Keres held up a golden invitation, and Biana snatched it from her hands, trying to hide how her heart pounded.

By Royal Decree, all eligible young ladies and their guardians are invited to the annual masked ball at Rimeshire Castle for a chance at winning the hand of Prince Dex the Crafter in marriage. 

“All eligible young ladies?” Biana asked.

Dierdre laughed. “Evidently Keres wasn’t enough for him.”

Her sister glared at her. “No, it just means he wants to propose in a spectacular way.”

“Pack our bags,” Alina ordered. “You’re coming as Kere’s personal lady in waiting.”

Dex had hated the idea of a royal ball as soon as he had heard about it, until his father pointed out that it was the best place for him to propose to Keres.

But, of course everything had to be complicated by the fact that it was a masked ball. What if he proposed to the wrong girl?

But he would be able to recognize his true love, no matter what.

Right?

“Talk about pressure,” Keefe said from behind him, watching the hundreds of girls flood into the ballroom. He was dressed in a sailor costume made from a bunch of leftover costume parts.

“Do you think she’s out there?” Dex asked, not even needing to clarify who she was.

Keefe sighed. “I mean, I hope so, but I seriously doubt it.”

Dex slowly worked his way through the crowd towards his father. Thankfully, he was dressed in an inconspicuous gardener costume, so none of the hundreds of young ladies hoping to win his hand even glanced at him.

“Dad?” Dex whispered, as they reached the dais.

“Dex?” King Kesler glanced up and down his costume. “Couldn’t you have worn something a bit more noticeable?”

Dex gestured to the mob of girls. “I was trying to survive the night. My survival odds have gone down significantly now that you have started to talk to me.”

His father sighed. 

“Dex, I would like you to meet their imperial majesties, Prince Tam and Princess Linh Song of Choralmere.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you both,” Dex said, bowing. 

“Thank you for inviting us,” Linh said, curtsying. 

“Nice bangs,” Keefe said sarcastically, from behind him.

Dex looked up, and realized Keefe was right. Both of the triplets had silver tips at the edge of their hair, but Tam’s silver bangs were especially obnoxious.

“Nice hair,” Tam said, also sarcastically.

“Uh,” Dex looked for a way to break up the immediate hatred between the two. “This is Lord Keefe of, where did you say you were from again?”

Keefe smirked. “The most amazing place in the world, obviously.”

Tam opened his mouth to argue, but Linh put her hand on his arm.

“Look,” she whispered, gesturing to something.

Dex turned around and there she was.

It couldn’t be anyone other than Keres. No one else could carry herself with such confidence and grace.

Her dress was made of some sort of teal fabric and settled gracefully around her. Her mask was pointed at the tips, like a butterfly had settled over her eyes.

Dex nervously strode over, desperately trying not to wring his hands. It was his duty as the heir to start the ball.

The room grew quiet as he drew near. He dipped into a bow.

“May I have this dance?”

It was meant to be said quietly, but due to some long forgotten magic, the words echoed off the walls.

Keres (for who else could it be?) nodded.

“You may.”

He held out his hand and she took it. They began slowly, forcing the crowd to create a clearing in the center of the room with her graceful turns.

Then the music got faster.

Dex grinned. It was time to see if Keres really was his soulmate. He had tried this game before, but it had never succeeded. Although game wasn’t the best term. Joust? Challenge? A test was the best word for it.

A test to see if his partner was THE ONE.

No skill in dancing would help his partner succeed. They could step on his feet a thousand times and Dex wouldn’t care. His gardener’s boots were thick.

The test was to see if they could match his cleverness and playful spirit. Because if she couldn’t, there was no point in dancing at all. 

It also had the added bonus that it would very publicly humiliate any partners who refused to respect his personal space.

He began with the classic step-on-her-toes technique gently stomping on her foot while the music (and the dance) grew faster.

Most opponents would squeal and/or collapse. Even the hardiest would wince. 

Not Keres, but that wasn’t to her credit.

His boot hit something hard, like her slipper was made of stone.

Keres glanced up curiously. 

“Sorry,” he whispered, his tone indicating the fact that he wasn’t sorry at all.

She smiled mysteriously.

Slightly annoyed that he couldn’t test the first possible soulmate candidate he had ever had with that technique, he attempted to snag her skirts so she would trip and embarrass herself in front of the country.

Her eyes twinkled as she nimbly dodged everything attempted. Dancing faster and faster until they were both a blur.

He tried to run her into a column while she was distracted.

To throw her into a mob of bloodthirsty girls.

And she miraculously evaded both.

Hope blossomed in his chest that he had found her , but he wasn’t done yet.

He spun her around and around until she was sure to be dizzy, and released her, still spinning too fast for the eye to see, across the dance floor.

He waited for her to collapse, but she didn’t. She spun, but her teal eyes were still locked on his.

The onlookers gasped and pointed, and it was obvious why.

Her dress was a swarm of butterflies around her while she swirled. The butterflies surrounded her, until only her eyes were left.

She spun around the edge of the clearing in a wide loop, circling back to him. Never ceasing the awe inspiring phenomenon.

She circled behind him before he could catch her and swept his feet out from beneath him.

Her skirts hid him from the crowd as Dex stumbled to his feet.

Keres’ dress finally settled gently around them as they realized that the room had gotten so quiet, the mere drawing of a sword would sound like a thunderstorm.

Even the orchestra had fallen silent.

NO ONE, not even Queen Juline, could dance like that.

And then the clapping started.

It began with Dex’s mother and was picked up by her spouse. It slowly spread across the ballroom until the two of them were the only ones not clapping. Well, the two of them and Lex, who was sneaking off with Lady Margery (another of his girls) to go kiss in some abandoned corridor.

They waited for the music to start again, and when it did, they started dancing again (what else could they have done?).

“I see that the dance is all a game to you,” Keres said, a smaller smile flashing across her lips. “Luckily, I know how to play.”

He led her through the next set of complex steps, trying to trip her. She grinned and retaliated, nearly slamming him into a viscount.

Miraculously, he managed to right himself and pretend it was all a part of the dance.

Back and forth they went, like they were playing a game of chess.

When he tried to spin Keres into the dessert table, she sidestepped, almost causing him to face plant into the elaborate displays.

Dex tried to twist her into a position that would probably sprain her wrist, but she twisted away and it backfired on him.

When Keres forced him to support her, he stepped back, and she collapsed to the floor in an elegant curtsy.

And just like that, the dance was over.

He bowed as the room burst into applause.

Dex led her off the dance floor as the overeager nobles hurriedly began to claim their partners.

“May I escort you to the dessert table?” he asked loudly, upon seeing the carnivorous expressions on the girl’s faces when they flocked towards him.

Keres glanced at the mob, realization dawning. “I would be honored,” she said, just as loudly.

The girls all looked disappointed, but scampered off to claim the remaining councillor’s sons and dukes.

“Now I feel bad,” Keres said, watching them glumly stalk away.

“Don’t,” he said, guiding her to the array of chocolates. “They would be fighting over me like I was the last piece of bread in a starving village if you weren’t here.”

He reached over and handed her a chocolate covered strawberry, which immediately smudged her teal gloves.

Keres glared at her gloves as she popped the strawberry into her mouth

“Whoever came up with the idea of wearing gloves to a party with chocolate was a monster,” she muttered,

“I have to agree with that.”

“What should I do with you?” she asked the gloves.

Keres glanced around to see if anyone was watching.

They were, but they acted like they hadn’t been when she looked their way.

“Here goes to hoping I’m not breaking some unspoken rule of society,” Keres said, stuffing the gloves into a display of iced treats.

He gasped when he saw her hands. They were covered in thousands of blisters.

Keres flinched.

“What happened?” he asked.

She buried her hands into the fabric of her skirts. 

“Can we just forget about them?” she asked. “Just like how you would want me to act if you told me you were hiding a rebel under your bed?”

It took all his willpower not to flinch.

“Okay,” he agreed, not missing the relieved expression that flashed across her face.

“I've never experienced anything like that,” she quickly changed the subject. “It’s like I knew exactly what you were about to do.”

“Me too,” he agreed.

The spark of hope exploded. That was exactly how his parents described the finding of a soulmate. 

The Thread Seers had gotten it wrong. She was the one he was destined to be with. The only one who could match him.

Keres smiled and twirled, causing the fabric butterflies of her skirt to swirl around her.

“How did you manage that full ballroom twirl?”

She gave him a look that clearly said he should’ve figured it out sooner.

“I thought you were supposed to be a genius,” she teased. “The prodigy prince of Rimeshire.”

“Sorry, I haven’t had a lot of time to embrace my inner genius since our dance.”

Keres jokingly rolled her eyes. “I thought it was obvious. I slowed down halfway across the ballroom and turned slowly. The skirt just made it look fast.”

Keres wrung her hands. “It was fun, you know.”

The overwhelming urge to tell Keres he thought she was his soulmate crashed over him.

“I-”

Suddenly, all the blood drained from his partner’s face, leaving it pale white. He spun around and spotted a girl who looked a lot more like Keres stomp over.

“I can’t quite put my finger on it,” Keres said to Biana. “But I feel like I know you.”

Biana glanced at Dex, but he just looked confused. She would pity him, if he hadn’t stood uselessly while her family was ruined.

“That’s odd,” Biana said, ordering her voice not to tremble. “I have the same feeling as well.”

To anyone else, it would sound like a polite conversation, but Biana could hear the venom in Kere’s voice. Just like she could hear the challenge in her own.

For once, she might actually be able to win this hidden battle, without being forced to surrender.

But Dex had other plans. 

“It’s nice to see you again, Keres,” he stammered. “I have someone I’d like you both to meet.”

He escorted Biana and Keres across the ballroom, one of them on each arm. Completely missing the angry glares that were sent back and forth.

He stopped in front of a young man with blonde hair who was dressed as a sailor of the royal navy.

“Prince Keefe, at your service,” the young man said, bowing.

Biana and Keres curtsied. The slippers burned as they forced her feet into the proper position. As they forced her down down down until she was sure her body would be snapped in half. She gritted her teeth and tried not to scream with relief when they finally released her.

“Have you found her yet?” Dex whispered to Keefe. 

The foreign prince shifted from one foot to the other, looking uncomfortable. 

“Not yet,” he admitted. “I’m still looking. I don’t think I’m going to find her here, but thank you for your help.”

“As payment, could you take one of these girls off my hands?” Dex asked, quietly. But not quiet enough. Both Biana and Keres overheard.

Keefe shrugged, and before Biana knew it, she was being swept off in the arms of another young man. 

Watching Keres and Dex waltz away.

“It’s that the girl who was dancing with the prince?” Someone whispered. 

“What is she doing with him ?”

Keefe grimaced. “Sorry about that?”

“It’s fine,” Biana said, with a shrug. “They were already gossiping about the new girl who stole everyone’s chances with the prince. What’s one more rumor?”

Suddenly, Keefe froze. Stopping the whole dance floor in its tracks. 

The crowd murmured in annoyance.

A girl with golden hair that fell in soft waves around her shoulders had just entered the ballroom. She was dressed as a water nymph, starting with pale white around her shoulders and slowly fading to a deep indigo around her feet. Her gown covered her shoes, but Biana caught a glimpse of a mirror by her feet.

That, mixed with the black feather in her hair and her brown eyes that seemed to see something that no one else could even dream of, told Biana exactly who she was.

Keefe looked overjoyed and worried, hopeful and terrified all at once, and Biana immediately knew that Keefe was Sophie’s target.

She squeezed his hand and let go. 

“Go,” she urged. 

He smiled gratefully, before sprinting through the crowd.

“Sophie?”

Her brown eyes were disbelieving as she whispered “Keefe?”

“The last words I said to you were ‘take care of yourself, Ruewen,’” Keefe said.

Sophie blinked. “What?”

“Now you know I’m not a trick.”

Sophie smiled. A full, perfect smile of the overjoyed feeling you get when something you love was missing, but now it has been found again.

“The last thing I ever said to you, was ‘I love you, Keefe,’” Sophie whispered. 

They embraced and Keefe kissed her, like he was a man who had been lost in the desert for years and had only just found a source of water.

Everyone else stood there awkwardly.

The orchestra slowly started to play again, since it had been unable to continue while the dancers had been stuck. The ball slowly resumed, with Biana standing alone in the middle of it, unsure of what to do.

Biana watched Keefe and Sophie chatter in the corner, with both of them standing protectively over each other, as if they were both fully prepared to defend themselves if anyone came to steal their partner away.

“Hey,” Dex whispered, appearing beside her. Biana yelped.

“Sorry,” the prince apologized. “I didn’t mean to scare you. And sorry for ditching you.” 

Biana smiled. “Oh, it’s fine.”

Dex shook his head. “No, it’s not. I finally found my soulmate, only to abandon her immediately afterwards.”

Everyone glared at them as they were forced to improvise while sweeping past them, but acted like they hadn’t been when they realized who they were glaring at.

“I had to drop Keres off at the Healing Center, when she fainted unexpectedly. I’m taking that as I sign that I’m supposed to dance with you.”

Or it’s Queen Vespera meddling.

He leaned in to whisper in her ear. “Because no one matches me like you do.”

Biana blushed.

Stop liking him, she ordered herself. He is a target, nothing more. It doesn’t matter that you were betrothed when you were little. 

Unfortunately, she was awful at following orders.

“That’s Sophie Ruewen, right?” she asked him, even though she already knew the answer.

Dex looked impressed. “Yes.”

They passed Maruca dancing with a young man in a soaked travel cloak. She was dressed as an innkeeper’s wife, which made Biana suspect that Vespera had purposely created each of their costumes to match.

“You know you’re amazing, right?” Dex said, turning bright red. 

“What?” 

Was it possible, her ex soulmate ( You’re still soulmates, some annoying part of her whispered.) was actually in love with her? Biana almost giggled at the ridiculous thought. 

“Sorry,” Dex said, turning a cute shade of red. “I’m still new to the whole soulmate thing.”

Oh wow . He had called them soulmates . The mushy part of her wanted to sink into a pile of goo right then and there. 

She ordered the mushy part of her to shut up and focus on the mission. 

She enjoyed the rest of the evening with Dex, getting more and more nervous as the night continued. She lied to herself that she didn’t enjoy his company.

Midnight was approaching, and she couldn’t stop fiddling with the star stone hairpin smuggled in her sleeve.

She spotted Linh twirling in the arms of a handsome young man, who must be Wylie Endal.

Stina flirted with Jensi in a corner while they shared a slice of Mallowmelt.

She only saw Marella once, but she was pretty sure she had been over by the dessert table, stuffing chocolates into Tam’s mouth.

And as the night wore on, she kept feeling like Vespera was wrong. Why should she break Dex's heart when he was so sweet and perfect?

Until Dex pulled her into a room branching out from the ballroom.

The room was decorated like a cozy sitting room in a cottage. A merry little fire danced in the center, crowned by a picture of Dex as a child sitting on the mantle. The room was stuffed with tiny couches, just big enough for two people to sit comfortably, but not awkwardly. They seemed to sink beneath you as you embraced their fuzziness.

“I didn’t want to say this out there,” Dex said in a low voice, glancing around as if he expected his mob of girls to appear at any moment, “but I keep feeling something right here.” He pointed to his heart.

“Me too!” Biana exclaimed, sinking into the couch that they were sharing. “I mean, I’ve only known you for one night, but I keep feeling like I’m getting tugged towards you, and-”

“Whatever it is keeps popping and sparking like a fire!” Dex guessed. “Me too!”

She laughed.

“Is it a soulmate thing?” She wondered out loud. “Because I haven’t heard of it before.”

The door banged open and they both froze.

“No way are we calling our future daughter Keeferina,” Sophie said with a giggle, as she stepped into the room with Keefe. “I’m thinking something like Soraya. It means ‘princess’.”

“Look at you, Miss I-have-all-the-names-memorized,” Keefe teased. 

He twirled her around, but she accidentally tripped on the leg of a sofa and they both sprawled across it with a loud ooof!

“Actually, Soraya isn’t bad. Then I can call her Raya.”

Sophie opened her mouth to say something, but Keefe pressed a finger to her lips.

“Don’t tell me what it means,” he ordered, smirking. “I want to guess.”

Sophie gestured for him to go on.

“It means Keefe-is-going-to-be-the-best-dad-ever-and-he-has-great-hair.”

The Thread Seer laughed and kissed him.

“It means ‘friend’.”

Biana and Dex exchanged a glance that said aren’t they cute? and snuck out a back door to a balcony.

The marble reflected the full moon and stars twinkled in the lake below. Ghost-white roses covered in a delicate layer of her frost seemed to be holding their breath. Waiting.

Biana shivered in the windless night, but she didn’t want to go back inside. It was too perfect. So perfect it didn’t deserve to be real.

Dex took her hand and squeezed it, twirling her around to face him. Just for fun, she purposely twirled the other way.

“I’ve only known you for one night,” he said, his periwinkle eyes full of sincerity. “But I feel like I’ve known you forever.”

“Me too,” Biana agreed, her breath fogging as it hit the air.

“I can’t think of anyone as charming, clever-”

Biana couldn't help teasing him, “You don’t even know my name!”

“No interrupting,” he jokingly scolded. “or more beautiful than you, my soulmate. Or anyone as generous and kind. You would be the perfect queen.”

She watched with wide eyes as he continued, her brain unable to process what was happening.

He kneeled, pulling a delicate silver ring crowned with a thousand diamonds from his pocket.

“I ask you, on the behalf of myself and the people of Rimeshire. Would you do me the great honor of being my wife and queen?”

For a moment, Biana was frozen. Like the air and roses.

What just happened? her brain asked. What’s going on?

Even the mushy part of her had no answer. 

She wanted to shout yes and kiss him so badly, but a memory of the painting in the side room flashed through her brain.

A painting of Dex.

And herself.

Her betrothal had been broken before. He had been useless to stop it.

And she could never marry him.

Dex looked so hopeful as she struggled for the words to say.

BONG!

The bells of the castle rang at midnight.

Biana froze.

“I’m sorry,” she said, hating Dex’s heartbroken expression. “But I really have to go.”

BONG!

She took off through the ballroom, elbowing barons and duchesses aside in her flight.

BONG!

All she could think about was the other girls and the meeting place. 

BONG!

Vespera’s voice from earlier that evening rang through her mind.

BONG!

“You must escape to the main fountain at midnight, for my illusions fade when the night turns towards dawn and you will be stuck in the daylight realm. The main fountain is the only place where no one will be able to sense my illusions while you flee.”

BONG!

She spotted the other girls fleeing through the palace doors.

BONG!

Racing towards them, she threw the doors open, ignoring Dex as he pursued her.

BONG!

She took the steps two at a time, spotting Sophie and Stina reach the fountain.

BONG!

Biana ignored the confused shouts as she hurried towards the fountain that seemed to get farther away with every step.

BONG!

Maruca held her hair pin up to the moonlight as she waited. Linh and Marella shouted for her to hurry.

BONG!

She was suddenly at the bottom of the steps, racing across the lawn. Her silver shoe caught in the fabric of her skirt.

The girls shouted her name, but they had no choice. They had to leave before midnight or they would be trapped there until the next night.

The light swept them away.

BONG!

The final chime of the giant clock sealed her fate.

Her dress faded back into her maid’s uniform. Her hair returned to it’s previous, tangled state.

Only her now useless star stone hairpin was still there. The hairpin and- one of her slippers?

She glanced back at the steps, searching for her missing shoe, but she couldn’t find it.

Because Dex had grabbed it chasing after her.

He froze when he reached her, out of breath. His face locked in confusion and panic and recognition.

“Biana?”

Chapter Text

Dex’s brain was malfunctioning. He knew it was.

And all because of the girl crouched before him in a dress made of rags and cinders, a look of pure terror on her face.

His hand clenched the forgotten ring, as the gears in his brain wouldn’t turn.

What emotion was he supposed to feel? Anger? Betrayal? Annoyance?

Fear?

What were emotions anyway?

What were emotions when his soulmate was a liar?

And just like that, he knew what to say.

“You lied to me.”

It could’ve been an accusation. Or a statement of fact. 

Dex wasn't sure.

He didn’t really care.

Biana fixed him with a glare that used to make him love her more. Now… he wasn’t sure.

Didn’t she understand what she had done? He was bound by the laws of his country. He could never marry the sister of a traitor. 

“I never lied.”

“You never told me the whole truth either.”

“It was never requested.”

They stared each other down, not sure how to act.

Keefe arrived, huffing and puffing and looking genuinely heartbroken.

Dex saw Biana’s face soften at his despair. She glared at him when she noticed him notice.

“Where is she?” Keefe demanded. “What happened to her?”

Biana stared at him defiantly, as if to say I will help him and you can’t stop me . He decided it would probably be best if he didn’t respond.

“She’s at the…”

Her voice trailed off mid sentence.

“Where?” Keefe asked, a ember of hope flickering across his face.

“At the…”

It happened again.

Biana glared at herself. “I literally can't say it.”

“Does she still love me?” Keefe blurted.

Biana gave him a strange look, as if it wasn’t a question he should have to ask. But Dex felt the same way.

He had been about to pledge his life to a girl who hated him as soon as the clock struck midnight.

Everything felt wrong. He felt wrong. The world felt wrong.

“Of course she still loves you,” Biana said soothingly.

She reminded Dex with a pointed glare that the statement was not for his ears.

“I found her, only to lose her again,” Keefe said, trying to disguise the sobs that were shaking his whole body.

“You didn’t lose her,” Biana said firmly. “She’s at the-”

Her voice cut off abruptly. Biana’s face turned white and she started shaking violently.

“WHAT’S GOING ON?” Keefe shouted over her silent screams.

“I HAVE NO IDEA!”

***

When Biana finally forced her eyes open, Keres was hovering over her.

She immediately regretted waking up.

“Biana, are you alright?” She said, in a voice full of veiled hatred. Biana was pretty sure that Keres was hoping she wasn’t.

“I’m fine.”

She groaned, and forced herself off the bed with a groan.

“Don’t get up, just yet,” a man wearing spectacles ordered.

“Who are you?” She asked. 

“I’m Elwin, the royal physician.” He adjusted his spectacles and the lenses were tinted orange.

“Why am I here?”

Keres glared at her from her cot on the other side of Biana.

“Don’t you know?” Keres snapped. “The crown prince himself escorted you here after you randomly started violently shaking ”

Her voice was full of loathing, like she wanted to be the one who had a medical emergency at the feet of a traitor.

“I can’t see anything that would cause that to happen,” Elwin said, adjusting his spectacles again so they were tinted green. “I’m going to suggest that the royal family put you in a separate chamber here at the castle so I can check in on you to see where the problem is.”

Keres scowled. 

“Clearly, I should stay with her,” her step sister said sweetly. “So she has some family here. Just in case anything bad happens.”

She looked like she fully intended to be the bad that happened to Biana.

“Excellent idea,” Elwin said, oblivious to Biana’s glare.

His spectacles changed to teal.

“Are you up for some visitors, Miss Vacker?” The physician asked. “I know Prince Dexter has been eager to check in on you.

No no no, her brain ordered.

Yes yes yes, her heart sang.

Horrible idea, she thought. It would just make everything awkward considering I can never marry him and I practically lied to him and he is awful and-

“Sure,” she heard her own voice say.

“Excellent.”

“Let me help prop her up,” Keres suggested, in her fake friendly voice. 

Biana flinched as her step sister roughly forced her into a sitting position. 

“Don’t try anything,” she ordered. “Or I will have your brother’s head on a platter by morning.”

Biana nodded. Keres scratched her skin with her razor sharp fingernails, grinning when she yelped.

“Are you alright?” Dex asked, barging into the room.

She still thought of him as Dex. It was too informal a way to address a traitor.

“I’m fine, your highness.”

Dex didn’t even meet her eyes. “Please, call me Dex.”

“Whatever you say, your highness .” She felt a burst of satisfaction when he flinched.

“DEX!” Keres cried, shooting Biana a look of both triumph and suspicion.

Biana couldn’t help her out there. She wasn’t sure what to feel herself.

“You’re bleeding,” Dex said, staring at where Keres had scratched her. Biana winced. She didn’t want him feeling protective of her.

“Elwin, don’t you have anything to help her?” Keres asked melodramatically.

“That scratch wasn’t there a minute ago,” Elwin said coolly, extracting a bandage from a drawer.

“I scratched it in the bed frame,” Biana lied as he wrapped it around her arm.

Dex glanced doubtfully at the polished wood of the bed frame, but wisely said nothing.

“I suggest that Biana stay here at the palace while I try to figure out what the problem was,” Elwin said casually, in a failed attempt to break the tension in the room.

“Thanks Elwin,” Dex said, turning to leave. “I’ll go tell Dad.”

“Aren’t you going to ask how Biana is doing?” Elwin asked.

“I already did,” Dex pointed out.

“But you didn’t get an answer.”

Elwin’s spectacles faded back to their normal color (or rather, lack of color.)

“Keres, why don’t you come along and we’ll discuss your step sister's health?” Elwin suggested. The physician winked at the two of them, as if he was doing them a huge favor. He wasn’t.

He ushered Keres out of the room.

“But-”

Keres’ protests died as the door slammed closed.

Biana miserably stared down at her maid’s uniform. How would she be punished for sneaking into a ball?

Dex cleared his throat awkwardly. “Hey.”

She decided to pretend to ignore him. Not that it would work. Dex was too persistent for that.

“What happened out there?”

She ignored him.

“Seriously, Biana. I need to know.”

Why? She thought bitterly. So you can steal my fortune and ruin my family? Oh, wait, you already did that.

“Was it all a trick?” Dex said, pacing between the cots. “Were you lying the whole time? Mimicking Keres to try to win my heart?”

No. That’s what Keres is doing.

He sounded so sad, so vulnerable, that the mushy hooray, we’re soulmates part of her wanted to hug him and explain everything.

But she had spent every waking moment, since Alvar was banished, quenching those feelings. And she wasn’t about to give in now. 

“Don’t try anything,” Keres had said. “Or I will have your brother’s head on a platter by morning.”

She could only think of one way to keep Fitz’s head where it belonged, but it was harsh.

Don’t do it, Mushy Biana begged.

Shut up, she ordered.

She forced herself to laugh.

“Oh, Dex,” she said, mimicking Keres every time she inflicted pain on Biana. Reminding herself that it was his fault that she had to live with her stepsister to silence the hesitant part of her. “You really thought I loved you. Surprise! No one loves you for who you are. They only want your throne and your power. Stop wishing for things you will never have.”

The hurt look on his face made her want to cry and scream and-

No. He deserved every bit of hurt after he had stood by useless.

The words that had once made her feel determined and rebellious, didn’t have the same effect. Maybe because she had met him, and he wasn’t as awful as she had tried to convince herself.

“You are nothing more than a pawn in a game, so stop pretending,” she felt like her heart was breaking, even as she lied that it wasn’t. “Even my foolish sister, who fancies herself in love, will see reason soon. I wouldn’t be surprised if she disposed of you herself.”

Dex clenched his chest, as if her words physically pained him. 

Good. She had done her part. And warned him about Keres. If he was clever enough to figure it out.

“Goodbye, Miss Vacker,” he snapped. “I hope you have a speedy recovery.”

She ignored him as he stomped to the door and flung it open.

Keres was waiting for him.

“Oh, hello Dex!” She said, sounding like Biana with the plague. “Fancy seeing you here!”

Biana snorted aloud at her stepsister’s horrible impersonation. The two lovebirds ignored her.

Dex bowed and kissed Keres’ hand, which made Mushy Biana scream in outrage and jealousy. “Would you like to meet me for a walk in the gardens tomorrow evening?” 

“That would be lovely,” Keres said, sounding far more proper than Biana could ever be.

Elwin glanced suspiciously between the three of them as he returned to his desk, stroking the neck of an unidentifiable furry creature.

“Please, sir,” Keres said, like she was trying to be quiet. She was so awful at it, that Biana could tell it was purposeful, so she could torture Biana with whatever was said. “Will my stepsister be punished?”

Biana tried to pretend like she wasn’t interested in their conversation as she settled back into the cot, feeling utterly exhausted.

Dex shook his head. 

“Technically, she hasn’t done anything wrong. All eligible young ladies were invited to the ball and your sister technically counts as one. As for not identifying herself, it was a masquerade, so that was sort of the point.”

Keres’ disappointed expression almost made the whole thing worth it, but she hid it before Dex could see.

“What about unauthorized use of magic?”

Biana held her breath.

“No. My great great grandmother did the exact same thing. You know, getting a magical patron and going to the ball. It turned out better for her, however.”

Everyone was silent for a long moment. Except for Biana, who released her breath all at once.

Finally, Keres got on the tips of her toes and kissed Dex on the cheek. His face flushed bright red, which made Mushy Biana want to throw things. Dex’s blushing was reserved for her and her alone.

“See you tomorrow, Keres.” 

He ignored Biana as he left.

Elwin reached over and unhooked her cot. He rolled it down the corridors with Keres following. They passed the ballroom doors, where the musicians could be seen packing up instruments.

Biana heard a small sob as they hurried past the thousandth painting of the royal family. She briefly saw Keefe huddled in a corner, his arms tucked around his knees.

Elwin reached into one of his many pockets and retrieved a key, which he used to unlock the door to a spacious room lit with a blazing fireplace. The whole room was colored with the same obnoxiously bright yellow.

“Welcome to the Yellow Room,” Elwin said, wheeling her so she faced the window.

“I wonder how it got that name,” Biana said sarcastically. The physician laughed. 

“I’ll ask for a personal maid to be sent up here for the two of you. Biana, you are not to leave your cot until I say you’re better, and since the royal family has given me authority over anyone needing medical attention, consider that an order from the king himself.”

“Fantastic,” Biana muttered. 

“Thank you, Elwin,” Keres said in a voice as sweet as honey.

Elwin hesitated as he turned to leave. He pointed to a cord on the wall.

“Just pull that if there’s an emergency,” he ordered. 

And then he left. Leaving Biana to her doom.

***

Whoever had decided that Dex was the best person to console a group of heartbroken young men, deserved to be banished.

Well technically, not all of them were acting heartbroken. Tam Song, for example. 

“Where’s my sister?” he demanded. 

He glared at Lord Wylie Endal, who was staring blankly at the rug.

“For the twentieth time,” Fitz snapped. “None of us know where she is. Just like we don’t know where your soulmate is or why the kitchens haven’t brought up your plate of ripplefluffs.”

Dex wasn’t quite sure how to act around Biana’s long lost brother. He seemed like a machine about to explode at any second. To be honest, he hadn’t actually mentioned that it had been Biana he had been dancing with at the ball. Fitz was a bit too unpredictable for Dex’s liking.

Unfortunately, he seemed to get along perfectly with Keefe.

“Yeah, Bangs Boy,” Keefe said. “Try to remember that you aren’t the only one having problems right now.”

“I’m still honestly a little surprised to be included in this group,” Sir Jensi muttered.

“Me too,” Wylie agreed.

“Then you shouldn’t have danced with the princess of Choralmere,” Tam snapped.

“Tam, just be quiet for a second,” Dex said absently. “I need to think.”

Tam glared at him, thankfully keeping quiet.

Why did this happen? Dex wondered. Why did six completely unrelated girls attend a ball, only to flee when the bell struck midnight?

He grabbed a piece of parchment and began to write.

Tam Song

Wylie Endal

Dex Dizznee

Fitz Vacker

Jensi Babblos

Keefe

Should he put Keefe’s last name? Before he could decide, Keefe grabbed the quill from his hand and wrote,

AKA Lord Hunkyhair

Tam snorted. Dex snatched the quill back.

“Tam, what was your partner’s name?” he asked.

“Marella,” Tam said instantly.

“What’s her surname?” Dex asked, twisting his quill nervously.

Tam hesitated. “She never told me.”

Dex blinked. “You never asked your partner’s name?”

Tam glared at him. “It was a masquerade, genius. Of course I didn’t ask for her last name.”

“It’s Redek,” Keefe interrupted. “Marella Redek. R-E-D-E-K.”

Dex added the girl’s name besides Tam’s on the list.

“How do you even know that?” Tam asked suspiciously. Keefe held his hands up as if surrendering.

“Calm down, Bangs Boy. We grew up together.”

Dex decided not to mention that Redek was the surname of a lord who had been banished when he was a baby. He added Linh and Sophie’s names to the list.

“Fitz, who was your partner?”

The young lord looked embarrassed. “She was my little sister’s good friend, Maruca Endal.”

Wylie flinched. “You mean my second cousin was roped into this as well.” He groaned. “Her mom’s going to kill me.”

Dex added Maruca’s name to the list. 

“Jensi?”

“Stina Heks, your highness,” the young knight reported. “She’s the stable mistress’s daughter.”

Dex set the list down on the table. “Anyone see anything odd? Or anything that any of them have in common.”

“It might help if you wrote yours down.”

Dex hesitated, glancing at Fitz who only looked mildly interested.

“Come on,” Wylie urged. “None of us are going to murder you.” 

Dex seriously doubted that as he added Biana Vacker to the list.

Tam sucked in a breath, and everyone looked at Fitz, who was studying the paper as if it held the secrets of the universe.

“ You ,” he said, in a dangerous voice. “ You did this to Biana. ”

Everyone scooched away from him.

His rage faded to tears. “I thought she would be safe.” He wiped the tears away. “I thought she would be fine, even with our awful stepfamily.”

He said it so quickly that Dex was worried he had misheard him, but the words played on auto repeat in his brain. Awful stepfamily. Awful stepfamily. Awful stepfamily.

He sank down onto one of the couches, his head buried in his hands. Keefe tried to put a comforting hand on his shoulder, but Fitz brushed it off.

“I’ve lost both my parents and my brother,” he said, in a hollow voice. “How can I lose her too?”

“Wasn’t she your soulmate when you were little?” Jensi asked. Dex nodded.

“We don’t have a Thread Seer to rearrange the threads,” he explained. “So I’m stuck with her.”

Tam snorted, like this whole conversation was below him. Keefe sounded like he was choking.

“That’s what you would use a Thread Seer for?”

Tam rolled his eyes. “Obviously. We’re royalty. We don’t get to pick our soulmates, so we make Thread Seers rearrange the threads to give us the best possible match.”

Keefe looked EXTREMELY disturbed by this revelation.

“What do you mean, stuck with her ?” Fitz asked. “No one’s stuck with Biana. She’s perfect and amazing and gentle. Most likely, she’s stuck with you .”

Dex sighed. “I’m sure that’s how she thinks of it too. She absolutely despises me.”

Fitz raised his eyebrows.

“Isn’t Biana the one who had the attack?” Wylie asked.

“WHAT?” Fitz got to his feet. “WHAT HAPPENED TO MY SISTER?”

“Relax,” Jensi said, blocking his exit. “I’m sure she’s fine.”

“She is,” Dex confirmed. “I got her to Elwin with Keefe’s help. He says she should be fine in a few days.”

“A few days,” Fitz muttered, slowly returning to his seat.

“Back to the ball,” Keefe said loudly, clearly trying to get everyone back on track. “I don’t see anything all of these girls have in common.”

“Me either,” echoed around the room.

Tam sighed. “So basically, this was all a waste of time and all we did was sit around accomplishing nothing.”

“And I need to go talk to my sister,” Fitz said, trying to get to his feet while everyone coaxed him back to his chair.

“How about we all do our own investigating today,” Dex said. “And we’ll regroup tomorrow.”

“We should pair up,” Keefe suggested. “So if something happens to Tam, we’ll still know what he learned.”

“I’ll pair up with Jensi,” Wylie suggested. 

“Keefe and I will work together, since we already know each other,” Dex suggested.

“No way,” Fitz snapped. “You’re my sister’s soulmate. I’m supervising you, to see if you’re even worthy of her.”

Dex sighed. “Fine.”

Keefe and Tam glared at each other.

“I guess we get to spend some quality time together, Bangs Boy,” Keefe said, smirking. Tam rolled his eyes.

“All of you are welcome to stay at the castle as my guests,” Dex said. “Including you, Jensi, even though you already live here. We need you closer than the knight’s quarters.”

“Yes sir!”

“See you, today, I guess since it’s after midnight, at noon?”

Everyone nodded. Keefe and Tam dragged each other away to do some investigating.

“Take me to my sister,” Fitz ordered. 

Dex didn’t mind that he wasn’t using his proper title. He would probably act the same way if Bex was in danger.

Then again, it was Bex they were talking about. She was always in danger.

He led Fitz to Elwin’s office, but Fitz stopped him in the middle of a crowded passageway.

“Someone shoved this into my hand,” Fitz said, showing him a scroll, with the name Fitzroy Avery Vacker written across the top.

He broke the wax seal and skimmed the scroll’s contents, turning white with fear and red with anger simultaneously.

“Who wrote this!?!” He demanded, shoving the scroll into Dex’s hands.

Fitz,

You are to never talk to your sister again, if you want her to survive. You are to never attempt to contact her or let anyone tell her you are here and alive. If you do, she will die.

Sincerely,

A concerned peer

***

Biana woke up in the afternoon, to someone forcing a sludge down her throat. She groaned and tried to roll over

“Hello, Biana,” Elwin said, “Can you drink this for me?”

He handed her a vial of foul smelling liquid, and she drank it hesitantly, gagging at the awful taste.

“What happened?” She asked, rubbing her eyes.

“Keres said you were having another of your fits,” Elwin said, pointing to a smug looking Keres in the corner.

Now you owe me, her smile seemed to say.

I owe you nothing, she glared back.

Keep telling yourself that.

“Thank you,” she said, fighting another wave of dizziness.

Why was she feeling like this? Was it because she had tried to tell someone about the ball at Nightfall? In her sleep?

Elwin gave her the full checkup, but once again, he couldn’t find anything wrong with her.

“I’m going to rope the health alarm here,” Elwin said, looping the thread around one of her bed posts, easily within her reach.

“Thank you so much for your help, Elwin!” Keres said, ushering the physician out the door. “I’m sure Biana will have another emergency in the future that you can use to try to figure out what’s defective about her.”

Elwin stopped halfway through the door and glared at Keres, before meeting Biana’s eyes.

“Biana,” he said. “Whatever’s happening to you isn’t because you’re defective. I don’t think that anyone is defective, and I’m old enough to remember a time when anyone who was different was labeled with that word.”

Biana shrugged. It wasn’t like it mattered.

Keres slammed the door on the old physician's face.

“What was that?” Keres demanded, actually looking shaken. “You turned white and started shaking and started screaming, but I couldn’t hear what you were shouting. You wouldn’t respond when I threw a wet rag in your face, so I had to call Elwin.”

Biana shuddered.

“You’re not doing it again, are you?” Keres asked, looking ready to fling the door open and sprint after Elwin.

“No,” Biana said, wrapping her blankets tighter around herself. “That’s just a disturbing mental image.”

“It’s even creepier in real life,” Keres informed her.

She glanced down at herself, as if just remembering that she was supposed to be mean to Biana.

“Just don’t do it again,” she snapped. “I’m going to be late for my walk with your soulmate.”

“Yes, my lady,” she said, diving under the covers, too exhausted to care.

When she woke again, she wasn’t in her bed at Rimeshire any more.

“Do you think she’ll be alright?” A girl’s voice asked.

“I hope so,” a deep, masculine voice answered.

“Biana,” someone said. “Get up!”

She forced her eyes open, and rubbed them.

She was lying in the middle of the ballroom floor at Nightfall. The chandeliers glittered menacingly above her.

“Is she up?” Keir asked.

“She’s up,” Stina reported. “Unfortunately.”

Someone that Biana couldn’t see threw a brooch at the girl’s head, but she caught it in midair.

And then the pain started.

Biana’s entire body shook, feeling what felt like a scorching iron dragged across her.

She screamed as it burned across her body, but no one could hear her.

Maybe her tongue was getting burned too.

Stop!

Everything burned. 

The whole world burned, and no one noticed it. 

She was a sail whipping in the wind.

She was cut in half.

She was on fire and she was broken.

And the pain. It wouldn’t stop.

She shook, but that didn't help either.

Because she was already alone.

Biana clenched her frayed ribbon and ordered it stay.

But ropes only go taunt when both sides are holding tight.

And although Biana was clenching tightly, 

The other side was letting go.

Fire.

Broken.

Shattered.

Ribbons.

Pain.

Stop.

STOP!

A whisper of calm, of relief glided over her pain, stopping the shuddering. 

It gathered her frayed ribbon and handed it to her.

Here, it whispered. Hold tight.

But I don’t want it, she protested. It’s a burden.

Burdens are meant to be carried.

He doesn’t want the burden, she argued.

Hold tight, the whisper ordered. Come what may. 

Always hold tight.

Biana coughed, as seven concerned faces watched her.

“She’s awake!” Marella said.

“Hooray,” Stina said unenthusiastically. But she didn’t put her heart into it. Even she sounded worried.

“What happened?” Linh asked.

Biana wasn’t the one with the answers.

“You were the whisper, weren’t you?” She asked Sophie.

The Thread Seer nodded, looking more than a little ill.

“That kind of agony, it’s hard to watch.”

“Will someone please explain what’s going on?” Maruca asked.

Sophie shuddered and grabbed something out of thin air. Biana felt a small tug in her chest, so she assumed it must be her soulmate thread.

“I’m so sorry,” Sophie muttered, stroking the ribbon like a frightened animal.

“ Hello ,” Stina said. “We’re right here.”

Sophie stared up at them, tears pouring down her cheeks.

“Her soulmate,” she said, clenching the thread only she could see. “He’s proposed. To someone else.”

Chapter Text

Dex fiddled with the ring as he waited for Keres by the fountain. The ring originally meant for Biana, then Keres, then Biana, now Keres again.

Am I making a mistake? He wondered. Am I going too fast?

His father seemed to think the opposite.

“ The kingdom needs stability , ” he had said, when he talked with Dex that morning. “After the unfortunate incident at the ball, they need something certain to hold onto. They don’t need indecision. They need a queen . ”

Unfortunately, he couldn’t quite banish Biana from his brain, either.

“Oh, Dex. You really thought I loved you. Surprise! No one loves you for who you are. They only want your throne and your power. Stop wishing for things you will never have.”

Stop it! He ordered her. Hating how her taunting words could still feel like they were shredding his heart to ribbons.

“You are nothing more than a pawn in a game, so stop pretending. Even my foolish sister, who fancies herself in love, will see reason soon. I wouldn’t be surprised if she disposed of you herself.”

Leave me alone! I’ve moved on.

But he hadn’t. 

He still saw her every time he closed his eyes.

“Hey,” Keres said, nervously fighting with the skirt of her ghostly white gown. 

She looked like she was ready for a wedding, which he supposed was fitting considering what he was about to do.

“Uh, are you ready for our walk?” he said awkwardly. Why was he so awkward around Keres now? He had never been this awkward before…

Biana.

What was it about her that made Keres seem fake and inadequate? It made him feel like he had been lied to his whole life and someone had just shown him the truth.

But Biana was the liar and Keres was the truth.

“I would be honored.”

He took her arm and led her to the palace gardens.

“You know,” she said cautiously. “I never got to finish that story from the night we danced.”

He smiled at the memory.

“Please,” he pretended to beg. “Spare me! I’ve been dying of agony not knowing how it ends!”

She pretended to laugh at his awful joke and resumed her tale.

Dex watched her while she talked, trying to solve this riddle in his heart. Unfortunately, she caught him staring at her.

“Do I have something on my face?” Keres asked, turning pink.

“Oh no,” he said, rivaling her blush with one of his own. “I was just thinking-”

“So you weren’t listening to my story,” she teased. 

“You didn’t let me finish,” he reminded her. “I was just thinking about the future.”

Dex glanced around at where they had stopped. With the lake to the left and the palace to the right, he hoped it qualified as a romantic setting.

Praying he wouldn’t regret this, he knelt and pulled the ring from his pocket.

“Keres,” he said, when she gasped at the realization of what was happening.

“I can't think of anyone more charming or clever or beautiful or amazing as you.”

He could actually, but he ordered himself not to think about her .

“Would you, for my sake and the sake of the people of the kingdom of Rimeshire, marry me?”

Keres glowed triumphantly.

“Yes!” She cried and kissed him.

At that instant, his chest burned and it felt like he was being sliced in half. 

It felt wrong .

Like he was broken.

Dex gasped and collapsed to the ground, getting leaves in his strawberry blonde hair.

“Dex, are you alright?” Keres asked, kneeling beside him looking frantic.

He groaned and got to his feet.

“I’m fine,” he said, kissing her and ignoring the echo of pain when he slid the ring onto her finger.

Keres grinned.

“DEX!” Someone shouted.

They both froze. Rex was sprinting towards them, completely out of breath.

“Oh good, you’re here too,” he said when he spotted Dex’s fiancée. “Elwin doesn't know what happened!”

Dex and Keres stared at him in confusion.

“What happened?”

Rex glanced back at the castle in panic.

“It’s Biana. She’s gone!”

Biana tried not to act like she was panicking while she danced with Keir, but she was sure he noticed. 

Honestly, she wasn’t sure about the point of the dancing anymore. It wasn’t like it would improve their skills.

“Time for a break!” Sophie called. 

All six of Vespera’s sons exchanged a glance, but their partners were already gone, having retired to their sitting room.

Sophie forced Biana to lay down on a couch.

“I don’t understand why Vespera’s having you dance,” Sophie said, running her fingers through Biana's carefully styled locks. “She could kill you. Severing isn’t an exact science. She has no idea what could happen.”

“I know,” Stina said. 

“Oh, don’t look at me like that,” she snapped, when everyone glared at her. “I do know useful information. Surprise! ”

“Blow us away,” Marella said sarcastically.

“She’s trying to force Biana’s thread to pair with Keir,” she explained. “Whoever she spends the most time with, could end up tied as her new soulmate.”

Biana felt like vomiting. Right there.

“That’s just a story,” Maruca reassured her. “Right?”

No one answered.

“ Right ?”

“I’ve heard of that,” Linh said, completely unhelpfully. “That’s what some families have done in earlier dynasties. I’m pretty sure that’s what happened to Emperor Kaemon. You know, the murderous emperor. That’s why he went crazy. They say he fell in love with an enchantress after his soulmate died and together they had six sons, each with a soul as black as death itself.”

Even though Biana had heard the story several times, she still shuddered, which was ridiculous. It wasn’t like Emperor Kaemon, his wife or his children could get to her. But somehow the fact that Emperor Kaemon had been a real, actual person made the story that much scarier.

“What happened to them?” Maruca asked.

The tale was well known, but every storyteller put their own spin on how it ended. Biana was pretty sure she had heard them all. Her father had hosted a lot of storytellers before Alvar.

“The Emperor had already conquered all of the surrounding lands, so he had only one goal left- to conquer death itself. He finally discovered the secret, but before he could gain immortality, his nephew killed him with a spear. They say his sons and wife conquered death, and vowed to continue their husband and father’s legacy, but before they could they were attacked by the emperor’s killer, and were driven into the heart of a maze of mirrors, where they became reflections and were never seen again.”

Biana didn’t actually see how this story was helping with her thread problem, but this was a version of the story she had never heard before.

“The nephew became the new emperor. He was my great-great grandfather.”

“Wait,” Stina said. “You’re related to Emperor Kaemon?” 

Linh flinched. “Unfortunately.”

“Forget about Linh’s evil great-great-great uncle,” Sophie said. “If Vespera’s trying to force a bond between Keir and Biana we have a huge problem.”

“Why?” Marella asked. 

“Because every time a forced Bond happens, it ends in tragedy. Trust me, I know.”

“Please tell me this is all a joke,” Fitz begged.

“I haven’t even told you what happened,” Dex said, his hand still positioned to knock on Fitz’s door.

“Well, there’s only a few reasons why you would knock on my door this late at night, and none of them are good.”

He stepped aside and motioned for Dex to join him. 

Dex tried to keep his ring finger hidden, but Fitz spotted the engagement ring immediately.

“Keres or Biana?” Fitz asked, leading him to a chair by a struggling fire.

“Keres.”

The young lord’s expression was a mixture of fury, horror and grief.

“You do realize that severing always ends in tragedy?” Biana’s brother asked.

“It's worth it,” Dex snapped, feeling defensive of his fiancée. 

Fitz raised his eyebrows and poured both of them some lukewarm tea. “Are you sure about that?”

“Your sister hates me,” Dex pointed out. 

“For good reason,” Fitz said, taking a sip of his tea.

“What do you mean?” Dex asked, wincing at the bitter flavor. How could Fitz drink this stuff? 

“She thinks that you could’ve done something. That you should’ve done something. If you were literally supposed to marry her, then you should actually care about her life and not leave her destitute with nowhere to stay except for with an awful stepfamily.”

Dex blinked in surprise. “What do you mean, awful stepfamily?”

Fitz held up three fingers. “Dierdre is incredibly selfish, and likes making people miserable.” He lowered one of his fingers, like he was counting down. “Alina just wants what’s best for herself and her daughters. And Keres, well, I shouldn’t be saying mean things about your fiancée , but she’s the worst of them all.”

He settled comfortably back into his chair and sipped some tea. “Of course, all three of them would kill me for saying that, but I'm definitely on Keres’ To-Be-Assassinated list, so I suppose it doesn’t matter.”

Was Fitz right? Was he making a mistake by marrying Keres?

Dex shook those thoughts away. It was just his torn soulmate thread talking. 

“So, what happened to Biana?” 

He took a deep breath. “She disappeared again.”

“WHAT?”

Fitz got up, but froze when he spotted the note laying in his desk. The ominous reminder that Biana’s punishment would be swift if he even dared to set foot in her room.

“Where are you going?” Dex asked.

“I’ve got to do something,” he said, his voice breaking. “Biana’s all I have left.”

“What about Maruca?” Dex teased. 

Fitz whirled on him. “You think this is funny? No, I don’t have Maruca. She might be my soulmate, but there’s no way it’ll work out. Your fiancée and her family stole my house, your dad stole my inheritance and I’m an outcast. There’s no way I could possibly marry her.”

He threw his teacup into the dying ember of the fire and it shattered on the polished stones. 

“Biana’s all I have left,” he repeated quietly. “And I can’t even help her.”

Before that moment, Dex had never really thought about what life would be like as a Vacker. To see Fitz so vulnerable made him understand. It would be awful to have everything, and then because of something you couldn’t control, have nothing in an instant.

Maybe that was why Biana hated him. 

Maybe he deserved it.

Fitz stared blankly at the fire as Dex got up. 

“Sir Audric!” He called.

The guard hurried over from where he had been flirting with a maid, who was clearly irritated by his presence. Dex made a mental note to make a law against harassing the maids when he was king.

“Yes, my lord?” the young knight said, dropping to one knee.

“Call me Dex,” he ordered. “And, I’m sorry about this, but we’re going to need your armor.”

***

Biana collapsed into her bed, utterly exhausted. Keres screamed, probably because she had just appeared out of thin air.

“Keres!” Dex said, bursting into the room, followed by one of the royal guards, who had unsheathed his sword.

He spotted her a moment later. “Biana?”

“Hello, your highness,” she said coldly.

She spotted the ring on Keres’ finger and inwardly screamed in frustration.

“Congratulations, you two,” she said, mimicking her stepsisters. “I’m glad to see you found a replacement, your highness, since your real soulmate is so disappointing.”

He flinched.

He still cared about her, which was interesting. Maybe she could use that to her advantage when she tried to stop his marriage.

She felt her soulmate thread pull anxiously towards him, needing that comfort of another half.

Not yet, she told it. Not ever. He chose this.

He wants us, it urged, tugging on her heart. His thread rejects the Oath Breaker. He wants you.

She ordered it to stop, rubbing her chest to soothe it. She stopped and sat on her hands when she noticed Dex doing the same thing.

Dex noticed her noticing him and his eyes narrowed. 

“What happened?” Dex asked his fiancée quietly.

“She just appeared out of thin air,” Keres said dramatically, pointing an accusing finger at Biana, like it was somehow her fault that Vespera had awful timing.

The knight glanced at the clock.

“It’s exactly midnight,” he said. His voice sounded familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it. Biana acted like nothing was going on when she noticed Keres’ eyes widening.

“Where have you been?” Keres asked her.

“I can’t tell you,” she replied honestly. 

“She actually can’t,” Dex agreed. “She tried when the other girls fled.”

The knight clenched his sword tighter.

“Dex?” King Kesler said, poking his head into the doorway.

“What is it dad?” Dex asked.

The king stared at the extremely noticeable diamond ring on Keres’ finger. “You’re engaged?”

Dex nodded, looking slightly embarrassed. The king wrung his hands.

That’s when Biana remembered. The present king only got to rule until his heir got married. Clearly the king wouldn’t be on the throne much longer.

“It’s the Songs,” he said after a long silence.

Dex groaned. “What now?”

“Did the emperor declare war or something?” Keres asked, grabbing onto Dex’s arm like she was claiming him as her own. Biana’s soulmate thread buzzed angrily.

Why was her thread so loud all of a sudden? It had always been quiet and at ease. 

Probably because it was connected to its other half. 

Biana forced herself not to think about how Dex was her soulmate. Because as much as she wanted to loathe him, her thread wouldn’t let her. 

We’ll get him back, it promised.

“It’s much stranger than that,” The king said. “Princess Linh was one of the girls who went missing last night at the ball.”

“ Yes ,” Keres said impatiently.

“Well, she’s back,” the king hesitated one more time. “But part of her legs are missing.”

Biana froze. “Take me to her.”

She forced herself out of her cot, but collapsed instantly. Her gown parted to reveal-

Nothing?

Where her leg had once been from the knee down, there was only air. Everyone in the room sucked in a breath.

“Why only your left leg?” the king asked.

“I don’t know,” Biana said, her voice rising in panic.

“Does it have anything to do with this?” Dex pulled her right slipper from the night before from his cloak.

All the color drained from Biana’s face.

GET THE SLIPPER, a new voice ordered. YOU NEED THE SLIPPER TO SURVIVE. 

“Give me the slipper , ” someone said in Biana’s voice.

What are you doing? She asked the voice, but it didn’t respond.

“Biana?” Dex asked, taking a step back.

“Give me the slipper,” she said, her voice threatening.

“I don’t think that's a good idea,” Dex said, taking a step back.

“You heard me, worthless prince. Give me the slipper.”

“Whoa,” the knight said, taking a step back. “Biana hates Dex, but she would never say something like that.”

“She hates him?” the king asked. 

“Yeah,” the knight said, drawing his sword and pointing it at her. “I don’t know who you are or what you’ve done with my sist- I mean, Lady Biana Vacker, but I demand you return her immediately.”

“This isn’t over!” whoever it was hissed. “The Empress of Night is coming for you.”

And then the Empress of Night was gone.

***

Biana stared at her missing leg as the knight wheeled her into Linh’s chambers.

“Here you are, Bia- I mean, Lady Vacker.”

“Thank you, sir,” she said. Dex looked offended, like a great injustice was happening when she was polite to the knight and not him. She ignored him.

“BIANA!” Linh cried upon seeing her. She was propped up on a bed that looked to be primarily made of feathers.

“LINH!” She wheeled herself towards her friend. 

The princess gasped at the sight of her leg. “It’s happening to you too?”

Biana sighed. “Yes, and I think we both know who’s to blame.” She glared at Dex just because his perplexed expression was absolutely adorable.

Linh froze. “Wait. Is that-”

“Yes,” Biana interrupted. Linh’s eyes darted from Dex to Keres to the diamond ring on her finger.

“And is she-?”

“Yes.”

Linh’s eyes narrowed. “I hate them both already.” She glared at Dex and Keres like they had personally offended her.

“What did I do?” Dex asked, a mixture of innocence and outrage.

Linh went from mostly calm to full on mother bear in an instant. 

“I’LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT SEVERING IS THE MOST AGONIZING THING YOU CAN DO TO A PERSON,” she snapped. “I’VE HAD TO WATCH IT HAPPEN TO YOUR SOULMATE .”

She pointed at Biana like she was proof of a crime and she winced at the memory of earlier that evening.

“I didn’t-” Dex protested. “I wasn’t trying to-”

“YOU LITERALLY MADE HER EXPERIENCE THE SENSATION OF BEING CHOPPED IN HALF,” the princess shouted. “DON’T EVEN TRY TO APOLOGIZE I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT SHE STILL HAS ECHOES OF THE PAIN!”

Dex looked horrified. 

Keres spun him around to face her.

“Look at me,” she said soothingly. 

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. Dex melted into her embrace.

Biana’s thread protested. Loudly.

She mentally ordered it to stop, but it felt like her heart was being tugged out as it struggled to find it’s other half.

She was broken.

She was burning.

She was shattering. 

Into a thousand.

Tiny.

Pieces.

“Make it stop,” she begged no one in particular. “Please, please , make it STOP.”

But no one was there to hear her.

Burning.

Shattered.

Alone.

“BIANA!” someone screamed.

She opened her eyes to Elwin standing over her. 

“She’s awake,” Linh announced. Dex appeared in her peripheral vision looking panicked.

“How do we fix her?” he asked frantically. 

Elwin smiled weakly. “Don’t worry, Dex. She’s not going to die.”

And then, in a quieter tone, “Yet.”

The old physician had clearly not been meaning for anyone to hear him, but Biana and Dex did.

“YET?” He said, looking even more frantic. And helpless. “What do you mean, yet ?”

Elwin sighed.

“Severing is incredibly complicated,” he explained. “So none of my hypotheses may be correct.”

“But they probably are,” Dex interrupted. “You’re usually right.”

“This time, I hope not,” the old physician muttered. 

He adjusted his spectacles nervously, studying her in lime green and magenta.

“Biana’s bond with you is odd, but an essential part of her. If she continues like she is, she has maybe a week to live.”

“How do we save her?” the knight asked.

“She has two options,” Elwin said with a sigh. “She could either rebond with Dex.”

Keres grabbed Dex’s arm protectively, making Biana gasp with pain. 

“ABSOLUTELY NOT,” Elwin said, grabbing their shoulders and forcing them apart. “Physician's orders. Neither of you can even think of the other until Biana is cured.”

“You can’t do that,” Keres protested. 

Dex looked sheepish. “Actually, he can. The castle physician’s orders are equal to the orders of my father himself.”

“What’s the other option?” Linh interrupted, before Keres could murder Elwin.

“Biana could Bond with someone else.”

“And make someone else experience this pain?” Biana asked. “Not an option. And there’s no way I’m rebonding with Dex.”

“Are you sure you want to make that choice?” Elwin asked. “Because in this state, you’re basically sentencing yourself to death.”

Everyone went pale.

No. Her thread begged. Please no.

Think of Fitz, she told herself. 

Fitz would want you to survive, her thread argued. 

Fitz deserves better.

She looked into Elwin’s eyes.

“I’m sure.”

“No!” the knight cried. “No Biana! I won’t let you do it!”

Everyone looked at him in shock, but Biana had finally realized how she knew him. She struggled to her foot and limped towards him. 

“Fitz?”

Keres turned pale. The knight glanced from the prince, to Biana to Keres and slowly removed his helmet, revealing a familiar pair of teal eyes.

Biana threw her arms around him.

“I thought you were in Marintrylla!”

“Clearly I’m not.”

The door burst open, revealing one of the princes of Choralmere.

“Tam?” Fitz and Dex asked simultaneously. “What are you doing here?”

“Keefe and I,” Tam said, panting. “We found Jensi’s partner. And we figured out how we’re going to get the rest back and stop this mess forever.”

Chapter Text

“So here’s the plan,” Keefe said, slamming his fist down on a map of Rimeshire usually used for battle strategy.

“We agreed I could share it,” Tam hissed.

“But it would sound better if I shared it,” Keefe argued.

“Just tell us the plan,” Deputy Councilor Wylie sighed, clearly exasperated. “I’m looking for a way to rescue my soulmate, not for a shouting match between her brother and a mysterious foreign lord.”

Dex cringed.

“What we want to do is replicate what’s been happening to them,” Tam explained. “And find out a way to make them take us with them.”

So…” Keefe interrupted. “If we’re with one of the girls when they disappear to their mysterious location-”

“We might be able to tag along!” Fitz jumped in. “You guys are geniuses!”

“I figured out most of it,” Tam grumbled. “Why does he get to take the credit?”

“Stina still refuses to share anything,” Sir Jensi reported. “Deputy Councilor Wylie and I escorted her to Elwin when her legs started to become reflections.”

Dex froze. “What did you call them?”

“Reflections?” Jensi asked, glancing around at the other young men’s confused expressions.

“You didn’t figure that out?” Wylie asked.

Dex shook his head. “We were a bit busy with the part where my soulmate is dying.”

“She’s my sister,” Fitz snapped. “And the part where she’s dying is your fault. Biana’s stubborn. She’s not going to rebond. There’s no way she’s going to let anyone go through the pain she’s in.”

“I hate to interrupt,” Tam said sarcastically. “But we only have a few minutes before the girls are due to disappear. I suggest we get to our stations. Fitz and Dex, you take Biana. I’ll be supervising Wylie with my sister and Keefe and Jensi will take Stina.”

“We regroup here at midnight, since that seems to be when they always come back.”

***

Come to me.

Biana raised the hair pin to the light, ready to be swept away. Needing to leave the pain behind.

Just as the world faded, she felt two strong arms on her shoulders.

“Dex?” she asked, as she appeared on the shore of the lake of glass. 

“What is this place?” Fitz asked.

“You’re not supposed to be here,” Biana hissed.

“I couldn’t just let you die,” Fitz snapped, glaring at Dex.

“I really am sorry,” Dex apologized. “I would rebond, but-”

“You care more about our evil stepsister than you care about your real soulmate,” Fitz interrupted. “Don’t worry, we got the message.”

Dex flinched.

“I’m not sure what to believe anymore,” he muttered.

“You have to get out of here,” Biana hissed. “She’s going to be here any minute and you can’t be here.”

“Relax,” Fitz said, never stopping his glaring at Dex. “We do have a plan, you know.”

Dex handed him something and they both wrapped something around their shoulders and vanished instantly.

“Biana, are you coming?” Linh asked, sprinting towards her.

“Of course.”

She stared at her friend. “You can walk?”

The princess of Choralmere shrugged. “Evidently.”

“Are Dex and Fitz with you?” An invisible Prince Tam asked.

“We’re here,” Dex said, from somewhere to her left.

The bells of Nightfall Palace chimed in the distance. Biana grabbed Linh’s hand and they started sprinting towards where the sleek boats were waiting.

Stina was already in her boat with Tynan, halfway across the lake. “I’m going to go ride in Maruca’s boat,” Fitz whispered, the soft sound of his invisible boots hitting the silver sand was muffled by the music playing from the castle.

“M’lady,” Keir said, helping Biana into the boat. It rocked as Dex jumped in over the side.

“What was that?” The prince of Nightfall asked.

“Sorry,” Biana apologized. “I tripped.”

Keir glanced around the boat suspiciously, but snapped his fingers so it took them across the lake.

The boat deposited them on the dock next to Linh, Denzel and invisible Wylie and Tam. Invisible Dex tripped over Tam, and Linh covered up their “ooof” with a dainty cough.

“Come on!” Marella hissed, grabbing their hands and yanking them into the castle.

They changed into gowns made of an odd silver material that sparkled when it hit the light. 

“Did it happen to you, too?” Sophie asked, gesturing to her leg. Biana nodded.

“The boys better not have followed us,” Linh whispered as she pinned up her hair.

“Dex? Fitz?” Biana hissed. “Are you here?”

No response.

“I can’t tell if that’s a good sign, or a really bad one,” Linh said worriedly.

“What are you whispering about?” Maruca asked. The silver gown didn’t look good on her at all and she stared at it awkwardly.

“Tell you later,” Biana said.

Together, they hurried to the ballroom, where Vespera and her sons were waiting.

“You did well, my chosen ones,” the queen said, folding her hands in a way that seemed both elegant and deadly.

All six girls glanced at each other before answering.

“Thank you, your majesty.”

“And yet,” her voice raised in anger. “You failed!”

She clapped her hands and six mirrors appeared, each reflecting images of one of the six boys. The mirrors each had at least one crack, but Dex’s mirror was completely demolished.

“Your objective was to break the heart of the one whose reflection you see in these mirrors. The condition of the mirror reflects the heart of the one it reflects. Noticeably, only one has shattered.”

She glared at the other five and they screamed and grabbed their legs.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO THEM?” Biana shouted, rushing to their sides.

“Calm down, dearest,” Vespera said. “They’ll be fine in a minute.”

As she watched, the girls slowly returned to normal.

“Don’t worry, dear princesses. There’s a simple solution to all of these problems,” the Queen said.

“All you have to do is marry my sons.”

***

Dex’s mouth went dry as he stared at the shards of his mirror.

“When you marry Keir, Biana, you will rebond to him and your life will be saved. You will stop becoming reflections when you bow to my will. And since Biana was the only one who succeeded in her mission, she will become my heir.”

Fitz’s grip on Dex’s hand grew tighter with every syllable.

The lady (although perhaps a better word was queen) glanced at the girls and smiled. “I’m hoping you chose to stay here willingly.” She clapped her hands. “But if you don’t, you will become reflections, destined to reside in mirrors forever.”

The six girls grew pale.

“Princes Dexter and Tam, along with your little friends, it’s been so nice having you,” the queen said. “I hope you enjoyed your stay, but I cannot allow you in my realm. Just like you can’t allow Lord Keefe in yours.”

The world twisted, swirling and knotting Dex’s stomach.

How did she know? he asked himself. How did she-

Keres screamed.

“Again?” She glanced up from where she had spilled tea all over her gown.

“Sorry,” Dex apologized.

“Biana,” Fitz said, sinking to the floor. “Maruca… how could I leave them?”

“It’s not like she gave you much of a choice,” Tam said, picking up his Vanisher Cloak and brushing off invisible dust.

“That monster has my sister,” Fitz muttered.

“Are you alright?” Keefe asked.

Dex wrung his hands again and again and again. 

“Not really,” he admitted.

“Is she right?” Deputy Councilor Wylie asked, snatching the rest of the cloaks from the floor. “You know, about your heart?”

He sighed. “I think so.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Thanks,” Dex said, helping Fitz to his feet. “But it doesn’t really help.”

Keres grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently. “Dex,” she said. “Your father told me to send you to the west wing if you appeared.”

“Why?”

“Um, Dex?” Tam said, from the window. “You might want to see this.”

Dex rushed to the windows, and stared out. Tam pointed beyond the castle wall to where rows upon rows of soldiers all bearing the mark of a single white eye on their black armor were camped.

“Oh no,” Keefe breathed.

***

It’s not like there’s a set plan for when someone besieges your castle. Dex sprinted down the steps towards the west wing.

“What are we going to do?” Fitz shouted. 

“I have no idea!”

Dex burst through the doors, and instantly spotted his father. He was talking to Councilor Prentice and Councilor Emery.

“We need to be prepared,” he said. “The Neverseen haven’t attacked, but they’re looking for any excuse. Currently, they demand the safe return of two of their members.”

Prentice grabbed the scroll in the king’s hand and squinted at it. “Prince Keefe Sencen and Marella Redek? I’ve never heard of them.”

“I mean, obviously we’ve heard of Sencen before,” Emery said. “But how are we supposed to turn over two prisoners we don’t even have?”

King Kesler sighed. “We can’t do anything. Lady Gisela will not accept no for an answer. I guess we will enjoy our last week alive.”

Keefe grabbed Dex’s sleeve and pulled him into a room. The other boys followed.

“Wait…” Tam said, fidgeting with the Choralmere wolves on his cape. “They were saying Prince Keefe Sencen and Marella Redek. Marella’s my partner. If you said you knew her, Keefe, does that mean… ?”

Keefe nodded.

“Wait here,” Dex ordered. He burst through the door and snatched the scroll out of Prentice’s hands. 

“Sorry!” he called over his shoulder. “I need to borrow this!”

“I’M GLAD YOU’RE ALIVE!” the king shouted after him. 

“Thanks, dad!”

Tam grabbed the scroll from him as soon as he returned and rolled it out on the table.

“By the order of the high king and queen of Candleshade, the residents of Rimeshire castle will either surrender the castle or return Prince Keefe Sencen and Marella Redek one week from today.”

The prince of Choralmere rolled it up solemnly.

“So, we’re doomed,” Jensi said solemnly. “There’s no way we could smuggle everyone out through the catacombs without the Neverseen noticing.”

Keefe groaned.

“What do you have to be whining about?” Tam snapped. “At least they won’t kill you. Or hold you hostage, or torture you.”

“Severing’s worse,” Keefe said glumly. “My parents are determined for me to marry the girl that they pick, which definitely isn’t my soulmate.”

“You don’t have a Thread Seer either?” Tam asked. 

“Thread Seers aren't property,” Keefe snapped. “You don’t just have them. People aren't objects.”

“Oh, is that one of your Neverseen suggestions for the betterment of the universe?” Tam asked. “I hate to break it to you, but every great empire was built on slavery.”

“It doesn’t have to be that way,” Keefe said through gritted teeth. “We’re people, not animals. We can change.”

“Thread Seers aren’t people, they’re tools.”

But even Tam didn't look as if he believed it.

“And that isn’t Neverseen propaganda,” Keefe said. “That’s mine.”

“You sound particularly defensive of Thread Seers,” Tam said. “ Interesting .”

He let the word hang in the air, raising his eyebrows skeptically.

Keefe flinched. 

“You only die of Severing if you’ve met your soulmate, right?” Jensi asked. “Because my parents aren’t soulmates.”

“Exactly,” Keefe said. “I spent almost a year with Sophie before she went missing.”

Die of Severing.

Was Kere’s soulmate suffering? Biana was dying because of him. And she refused to rebond so no one had to go through her pain.

But Dex had refused to make the same self-sacrificing decision.

So had Keres.

Would he be willing to live with the guilt for the rest of his life? To tell his children that his soulmate had died because of him?

Keefe seemed willing to do anything for his soulmate. Even Tam, who didn’t seem like the kind of person to believe in that sort of thing, seemed willing to do anything for Marella.

“Wait,” Dex said, grabbing the scroll. “The first thing to do should be getting the girls back. Marella’s one of them.”

Was he willing to have the lives of two innocent, well, more like one innocent, one sort of innocent, people on his hands?

“I have to go see if Linh’s back,” Wylie said.

“I’m going too,” Tam snapped. He grabbed Keefe’s wrist. “You’re sticking with me. I’m not letting you out of my sight until I learn what you’re hiding.”

Jensi glanced at Fitz and made his decision.

And so Dex was left in the same room as the protective older brother of the girl he was killing.

“You’ve made your decision,” Fitz said quietly. “I can see it in your eyes.”

Dex opened his mouth to say something, but Fitz clapped his hands over it. 

“Don’t tell me,” he ordered. “Just know that, even though I can’t believe I’m saying this, I trust you.”

Dex nodded and took a deep breath. He stopped at the door and glanced back at the penniless heir.

“Fitz?” he looked up. “Thank you.”

***

Keres watched them go, and stared back at where her step sister had been laying. It’s so unfair, she thought to herself. I did everything I was asked to and I got nothing.

She stared at Dex’s retreating back and hesitated. Is it really worth Biana’s life?

No one’s going to give you anything if you follow the rules, she reminded herself. Your whole life has been proof of that.

She had expected to feel at least slightly excited by Dex proposing to her, but she really wasn’t. 

Biana had done NOTHING and she got everything. And when Keres tried to get what she deserved, all she got was pain.

Don’t think about him, she ordered herself. Don’t think about how he’s suffering because of you.

She hadn't met her soulmate when she had agreed to marry Dex, but now that she had met Galen, she couldn’t imagine life without him. 

Who would love a girl like me?

Her mother’s words echoed in her brain. 

Your life is worth more than any of these fools. So use everything you have to make yourself the best.

What if her mother was wrong?

She got up at the soft knock on the door, still undecided. Broken. Confused.

“Hello?” Galen said, sticking his head through the door. He smiled upon seeing her. A huge, adorable smile that lit up his whole face that made her want to throw Dex’s ring out the window.

She had never felt like this before.

“Hi Keres,” Elwin’s son said. “Dad wanted me to deliver these vials for Biana-”

He screamed suddenly, and curled up on the floor. 

“GALEN!” She ran to his side. He was clutching his chest, right above his heart. Right where his Soulmate Thread was supposed to be.

“Sorry,” he said, wincing. “I shouldn’t let you see me like this.”

“In pain?” She asked, looking around for something to help.

“Because of you. You might change your mind and I don’t want you to do that because of me.”

“Oh Galen.”

“I’m not joking, Keres,” the healer’s apprentice said, getting to his feet and struggling to the door.

Keres blocked him.

“Seriously Galen,” she said. “You make me want to throw it all away.”

He turned away, his face bright red. Keres was pretty sure she was redder. The first boy she didn’t try to manipulate, and it was already so DIFFICULT.

But a nice kind of difficult.

Sorry mom, she thought, slipping the ring off her fingers. I found something better.

“Keres?” her soulmate asked. “What are you doing? I know how much that means to you.”

“Not as much as you.”

She set the ring down on the table, knowing she would ruin everything and break her own heart if she picked it up again.

“I love you, Galen. I just want to be with you.”

Galen glanced at the ring. “Does that mean I can kiss you now?”

Keres shrugged. “I think so.”

He kissed her. She melted in his embrace.

“Keres,” he breathed. “I love you.”

“I know.”

“Say,” he said. “I know a place where we can talk and watch the moon.”

“I’m intrigued,” she said grinning. No, more like glowing.

“Are you afraid of heights?”

“Me, afraid ?” She scoffed. “Never.”

“I believe it.”

“Moonlight reflecting off the armor of an attacking army. Sounds romantic.” She grinned, her eyes teasing.

Galen grinned. “Anything for my queen.”

Keres pointed at the ring. “I gave that up when I set the ring on the table.”

“For me, I know,” he kissed her again, this time on the cheek. “But you’ll always be a queen to me.”

“Ok, my king ,” she teased. “Let me quickly write a letter to the prince so we can go watch the moon reflect off our doom.”

She grabbed a quill and explained the situation to Dex, stuffing the letter and the priceless ring representing all she was leaving behind in an envelope.

She grabbed Galen’s hand and together they ran off to embrace their new life. Together.

Chapter Text

Vespera practically glowed as she showed each girl to their quarters, which reminded Biana of a prison cell. Although they were each decorated with silks and elaborate tapestries, the silver that coated everything and the bars in the windows ruined the effect.

Linh gripped Biana’s hand tightly as they were escorted to her room. 

The water fountain in the center added a unique touch, but that didn’t necessarily make it any better.

“Go on, Miss Song,” Vespera said. “Get well acquainted with this room. It will be your chamber until the wedding.”

The Empress of Night slammed the door on Linh’s face.

“Come along, heir,” she said tenderly. She led Biana through the maze of rooms to a mirrored door. Biana stared at her feet in the mirror.

If she had any doubt that Vespera was evil, the fact that she was turning innocent girls into reflections - 

Her feet burned at the disloyalty to her “empress.”

Struck by an idea, she curtsied to Vespera.

“Your majesty,” she said, “If I may ask you for one favor.”

Vespera’s eyebrows raised an inch. “What is it, dearest?”

Biana mentally noted that she was the only one that Vespera only used this term with now, since the other’s had disappointed her.

“Your majesty-” 

She hesitated. Did she really want to do this? Vespera was not someone you wanted to be your enemy.

Then she thought about the other girls, trapped without any hope in their chambers. That gave her strength.

“What is it, dearest?” Vespera asked, somewhat impatiently.

“May I please go say goodbye to my brother before the wedding,” she blurted. “Just for five minutes.”

Vespera opened her mouth to say something, then closed it, considering it.

The seconds ticked by and Biana grew more and more nervous. Right as she was opening her mouth to take back her request, Vespera interrupted.

“Of course, dearest! Go tell your brother about your happily ever after! I’ll see you in five minutes.”

She snapped her fingers and the world disappeared.

***

Dex pushed open the door to Keres’ chamber, but she wasn’t there. 

A fire crackled in the fireplace, and a fly attempted in vain to escape through the window, but apart from that, the room was still.

A bulging envelope on the table caught his attention. His name was written in Keres’ elaborate handwriting. 

He picked it up and examined it.

A loud thump by the bed caught his attention. Biana was lying there, in a simple silver gown sprawled across the bed.

“Biana?”

Her eyes flew open in terror.

“Dex? Where’s Fitz?”

“He’s on the other side of the castle. I’ll go get him.” 

He hurried to the door, but Biana whimpered, staring at her feet and he stopped.

“There’s no time,” she said. “I have only a few minutes left before she takes me back. Dex, I’m really sorry, but I need your help. She’s going to force us to marry her sons and she won’t let us come back again. Please come with me.”

She didn’t look like she was joking. In fact, tears were streaming down her face. 

Dex tucked Keres’ letter into the pocket of his cloak and scribbled a hasty note on a piece of paper. He grabbed his sword and threw one of the Vanisher cloaks around his shoulders.

“Okay,” he said finally. “I’m ready.”

“Hopefully she isn’t monitoring you since she thinks I shattered your heart,” Biana said, twining their fingers together.

Dex wasn’t sure that was a good thing.

“Get ready,” Biana warned as the world twisted.

***

“A whole day,” Biana moaned, spiraling in her bed. “A whole day stuck in here with you.”

“Do you really hate me that much?” Dex asked. It sounded like he was teasing her but she could hear the pain in his voice.

“How would you feel about me if my family had led to your father’s death and the disappearance of your brothers?”

Dex sighed. “I know, but it still hurts.”

“Well you can go take your hurt out into the corridor,” Biana said into her pillow. “I'm going to take a nap.”

Biana was the only one of the girls Vespera hadn’t locked in her chamber, so Dex had access to most of the castle. 

He was relieved to note that his mirror was blank in the ballroom (although it was still shattered), so Vespera hopefully couldn’t tell she had an intruder. 

The mirrors of the hallways were filled with pleading victims, but only one caught his attention. He was wearing a crest with two elegant wings on his cape. His eyes widened at the sight of Dex standing there, even though he was wearing the cloak. That was something Dex had noticed about mirrors. They had a habit of reflecting the truth.

The young man didn’t have Biana and Fitz’s teal eyes, but Dex still knew exactly who he was.

“Alvar?”

The traitor examined him in a way that made Dex feel odd.

“You look so much like her,” the eldest Vacker muttered.

“What?”

Biana’s brother froze, then sighed. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter anyway. I tried to save her, just like I tried to save Biana, and it didn’t work.”

“You tried to stop Biana?” Dex asked, not sure why he was striking up a conversation with this traitor. 

Maybe Keefe had made him less judgmental.

Maybe he should’ve cared.

He was surprised to discover he didn’t.

“This is what happens to those who try to save their soulmates from her ,” Alvar said. “It’s what’s going to happen to you, since you decided to be brave and come after her.”

Dex glanced around at the people in the mirrors. A man covered in scars. A girl with ginger hair and freckles. A mysterious figure slashing at the glass with a sword that didn’t even dent it.

“Are all of them-?”

“Maybe,” Alvar said with a sigh. “She never really bothers to talk to us, except for when she parades our loved ones by the glass. I only know a few of them. The ones who were in my group.”

He nodded at the scarred young man. “That’s Brant. Wolfgang’s the one on the other side of him. I don't know where she stuck Ranulf and Colin, but I’m sure they’re around here somewhere. Ruy’s the only one who made it out, but she probably caught him. You can never escape her for long.

“I’m not sure where she stuck the girls, but they’re probably in another wing of the castle. In the hall of her great achievements. The ones she likes become the servants. I think that’s what happened to Talia. I didn’t get the impression that she liked Izz or Jolie or any of the others, so they’re around here somewhere.”

He sighed. “It drives you crazy after a couple of years. You can only talk to yourself for so long. And we can only hear people who aren't reflections.”

“I thought she’d get Fitz, but I guess she didn’t want him. Skipped right to Biana.”

Dex winced. “Actually Fitz is one of us too.”

He ignored the other cries for help as he focused on Biana’s brother. He didn’t exactly seem sane , but he was certainly more rational sounding than any of the others. Dex didn’t blame them.

“Why does she do it?” Dex asked.

“To keep her sons alive,” Alvar said, kicking the side of his mirror angrily. “You know the story. The Empress of Night married Emperor Kaemon and they had six sons. She trapped the emperor in a mirror to become immortal, but the people chased her and her sons into this cursed realm before she could-”

“Wait,” Dex interrupted. “In the story, the emperor’s nephew killed Kaemon.”

Alvar shook his head. “They have it all wrong.” He nodded to a mirror containing a slumped figure in faded robes. “That’s emperor Kaemon. The higher potential a person had to do good or bad with their life, the more centuries added to their immortality. Massacring millions of innocents was good enough for a few millennia.”

Alvar kicked the edge of the mirror again. “Anyway, her sons were destined to die like normal people, until she started trapping more young men and women in her castle. She added all the extra drama later, when she got bored. She likes to play with her victims now. Enjoys it more when they’re broken, I suppose.”

Dex needed to sit down. He plopped down on the floor beside the mirror like a child listening to a lecture. 

“And why are you here?” he asked. 

“My soulmate had a lot of potential to change the future of our world. Rimeshire especially. I was her biggest supporter, even though I would've gotten no power from it . I still am, if I get out of here before I go insane. I hope dearest Prince Denzel enjoys his extra century.”

“What do you mean, Rimeshire especially ?” Dex asked, suddenly remembering that he was talking to a convicted criminal.

“She wanted to change the way things were done. And the first step was to become queen. She should’ve been allowed to. She was the oldest, after all. But no, apparently only sons can inherit the throne, and anyone who disagrees gets banished.”

“A q-queen ?” Dex stammered, in shock. “The oldest? What do you mean?”

Alvar casually leaned against the throne with his arms folded. 

“My soulmate was Hex Dizznee. Your older sister.”

Chapter Text

“I have another sister?”

The words seemed to fill the empty halls. Making him wonder. Shattering the little glass walls he had been forced to build. 

The council had ordered a worldwide mind wipe, using a cache, since it could erase the memories and mentions of a person.

But even the slightest mention of the thing that was erased could bring back a flood of memories.

Memories of a girl who looked like him. Her hair was a little more red and wavier, but the family resemblance was definitely there. 

And there was more.

Memories of the girl teaching him how to fight with a sword, and then laughing when he tripped over his own feet.

Hex chasing the triplets through the castle while Dex collapsed in a fit of giggles.

Dex catching Hex and Alvar kissing in the gardens, their faces flushed in embarrassment.

Hex arguing with the council, and Kesler catching Dex eavesdropping when he was supposed to be in bed.

Dex whispering, “You’ll be a better queen then I could ever be as king,” in Hex’s ear as she flipped through old law books with Alvar, looking for a loophole in the laws of succession.

“Hex Dizznee,” Councilor Bronte read. “You are hereby banished from the kingdom of Rimeshire for attempting to steal the throne of the kingdom and for attempting to break the laws of succession.”

“There’s nothing in the laws against research,” Hex argued.

“But there is against taking action,” Bronte snapped. “Councilor Alina reported that you requested that she sign a petition to allow women to ascend to the throne.”

Hex shot Alina a look of such utter disgust that the councilor took a step back. Several of the other councilors shuffled their feet.

“Wait,” Dex said. “Please don’t banish them. They asked me for permission, and I told them that it was fine. The laws are unfair. Bronte-”

“You will hold your tongue,” Emery snapped. “This involves the laws that built Rimeshire, and you are interfering with the council. Would you like to be banished?”

“I-what-did-how?” Dex stuttered.

“Would you like to be escorted from the courtroom?” Bronte asked.

Hex shook her head at him. She grabbed Alvar’s hand. 

“Fine. You may banish me to preserve your precious laws, as long as you let my soulmate stay here,” she said.

Dex stared across the courtroom to where his soulmate was standing, her face buried in her brother’s shoulder.

Hex didn’t scream while they branded her arm, but Alvar did. 

“NO!” he shouted. “Let me go with her! Please!”

“You are no longer welcome in Rimeshire or any of its territories,” Bronte said.

Their father’s hands shook as he touched the center of the eyes. The whole world crumbled as Dex realized what had just happened.

“HEX!” Alvar shouted, tears rolling down his cheeks.

“Councilor Kenric,” Bronte ordered. “The cache. Now.”

Kenric stared at Alvar apologetically as he pulled a small glass orb from a pocket in his cloak. Dex realized what was happening a moment too late.

Kenric cracked the marble in two and held it up to the light. “All memories of Hex Dizznee and her rebellion.”

And then, it was gone. 

What was gone?

Kenric snapped the cache shut and tucked it back into the pocket of his cloak.

“You remember,” Alvar said with satisfaction. 

“I don’t understand how this is going to help stop Vespera,” Dex said with a sigh. 

“Does it have to?”

“I thought you were giving me advice on how to stop her.”

Alvar leaned against the frame of his mirror and smirked. “I am. You just need to figure out how to use it.”

***

Biana jumped at the knock on the door. Dex wasn’t back yet, but she was pretty sure he wouldn’t knock and announce his presence to the whole castle. Her soulmate was smarter than that.

She realized that she still thought of him as her soulmate, even though he was marrying Keres. Like her brain was fighting a pointless battle to claim he was hers. Not in a possessive way, but in the way that only soulmates can understand. Not like ownership, more like how you would say my friend or our teacher.

Her brain was hurting just thinking about this.

Biana got to the door and opened it. The maid laid the gown for that evening on her bed. She motioned for Biana to start putting in on, so she did.

“Listen,” the maid hissed as she pulled a string on the back of Biana’s gown and the whole dress unraveled. “I’ve heard you’re one of her favorites, like I was, so I’ll give you some advice.”

She picked up the threads and threw them into the fireplace where they dissolved in a puff of smoke. 

“Use your advantage as her favorite to get out of here. I’m pretty sure that you’ve figured out that the whole place is a trap by now. I would explain how the whole thing works, but I don’t have a lot of time. Run . Run and don’t look back.”

“I can’t leave my friends,” Biana protested. 

The maid sighed. “You’re just like your brother. That’s probably why she likes you so much. She knows how to control you.”

“No one controls me,” Biana snapped. 

“I know,” the maid said sadly. “That’s what Alvar said too. But after you marry Keir, you won’t have a choice.”

“Marry Keir?” Biana asked, staring at the gown. “Is that what this is for?”

“Thankfully no,” the maid said. “This is for your friend Sophie’s wedding.”

“SOPHIE’S GETTING MARRIED?” Biana exclaimed. “TO MAEL ?” The maid nodded. 

“Sophie won’t agree to it,” Biana snapped, even though the maid wasn’t the one she wanted to snap at. 

“They’ll threaten her soulmate,” the maid said with a sigh. “She’s a Thread Seer. If they threaten her soulmate, she won’t have a choice. Thread Seers aren't completely human. They have a little bit of other that forces them to make decisions that a human wouldn’t make.”

“But breaking her bond would literally kill her,” Biana protested.

The maid sighed. “I’ll let you in on a little secret. They don’t care whether you live or die, as long as they trap you in one of those mirrors. The mirror will keep her alive, but she might just be better off dying.”

They didn’t speak while she helped Biana put the gown on. There was nothing more to be said.

***

“Dex is missing,” Fitz announced, bursting into the room. “And so are Keres and Biana.”

Keefe groaned. “This just keeps getting better and better.”

“The king’s going to kill us,” Jensi said. 

“If the army outside doesn’t first,” Tam added, turning to Keefe. “Hey, you’re their prince. Can’t you ask them to call off the attack?”

Keefe sighed, adding exasperation to the overwhelming mental list of emotions he was feeling. 

“Not unless you want me to kill Sophie when my parents force me to marry the girl they picked out for me.”

Keefe noticed with satisfaction that Tam didn’t immediately agree to sacrifice Sophie for their lives. The prince of Choralmere really had matured in the short time Keefe had known him.

Keefe had learned a lot since he had first met his soulmate. Sophie was the bravest, most determined, most gorgeous girl he had ever met. But being a Thread Seer had its disadvantages. And they didn’t just affect the Seer herself.

Keefe had felt a flash of terror the first time his fingers brushed Sophie’s arm, and her emotions never faded. Usually she was feeling defiant or panicked or peaceful, but right now she was terrified. 

“Sophie’s in danger!” 

He hadn’t realized he’d said it aloud until the others looked at him.

“Of course she is,” Deputy Councilor Wylie said, looking at him like he had just managed to solve a problem the rest of the universe had answered centuries ago. “She’s being held captive by an evil empress in a castle full of creepy mirrors.”

“She’s in more danger now,” Keefe insisted. They didn’t get it. They wouldn’t get it. None of them would ever feel this panic spiraling through their brain.

“How do you know that?” Fitz asked. “For all you know she could be totally safe having just killed that awful Vespera.”

“I want that job myself,” Jensi muttered, gripping the hilt of his sword. 

“Something’s  happening,” Keefe insisted, needing to help her. Knowing he could do nothing.

And then suddenly...

Broken, but not quite.

Shattered, but not yet.

A few threads not severed. 

A few threads clenched.

“ Keefe! ” Sophie exclaimed from Nightfall. “ I’m sorry! ”

He knew what was happening unconsciously. He had listened to Vespera outline her wicked schemes and Keefe knew all he needed to know.

“ It’s not your fault .”

The thread tore, and his soul felt like it was shattering. Sophie’s emotions felt like they were gone. Where were they? Why was he so empty?

Sophie sent him one last frantic mental image. The last strands of their thread, clenched in her fist.

“ Don’t let go ,” she begged.

“ I won’t .”

And then he was empty. 

It was so lonely only feeling his own emotions. How did other people feel like this all the time? How could he have felt like this once?

Keefe glanced down at his fist. It was clenched so tight, his fingers were white. Tam was trying to pry it open, a concerned expression on his face. 

But Keefe wouldn’t let go.

And with a jerk he returned to reality.

“That’s what it feels like to be severed,” he breathed. 

“Whoa,” Jensi said, stepping back in horror. “You were just severed .”

“No, he just decided to lay down on the floor screaming and clenching his chest because he wanted to,” Tam said sarcastically.

“I knew he got severed,” Jensi snapped. “I’m not an idiot. I was just stunned at how fast Vespera is moving.” He froze when he realized who he was talking to. “Sorry, your highness.”

Tam waved it off. “This isn’t my empire. I’m sorry for acting like you didn’t know what was going on.”

“Marella would probably kill you if she had to bow to you all the time,” Keefe said absently. “She isn’t the type to listen to orders.”

Tam smirked, but his expression was absent, like he was off in a dream. “That’s what I love about her. She isn’t a pushover princess, like the girls I had thought I would marry. She thinks for herself.”

A small part of Keefe’s brain realized that this was the first time he could remember hearing Tam admit he loved Marella, but his entire being was so shaken from the severing that he didn’t dwell on it. 

“You might lose your hand if you don’t give it a break,” Wylie noted.

Everyone looked at Keefe’s clenched fist. He felt like screaming when he noticed the frayed edge of the thread sticking out from one side.

“I can’t,” Keefe said, covering it protectively with his other arm. “It’s my last connection to her .”

Fitz got to his feet. “I thought you lost all connection with her when you were severed.”

“That’s what should’ve happened,” Tam agreed.

“It must have something to do with Sophie,” Keefe mused. “She must have done something.”

He squinted at the threads and spotted the flash of glowing gold of his soulmate thread he spotted whenever he held Sophie’s hand.

But it wasn’t leading towards his heart like it should be. It was leading away.

“How is that possible?” Jensi asked. “Severing is complete when you marry someone else. Even if you don’t want to marry them.”

Keefe knew he had to tell them. They wouldn't follow the thread to Sophie if he didn’t. And he would need backup where he was going.

He took a deep breath.

“What I’m about to tell you must never be repeated without my permission or my soulmate's permission.”

“WHAT?” the other four exploded in unison.

“Vow you won’t tell ANYONE. Not even your soulmate, although I suspect they already know.”

“I won’t tell anyone,” Jensi said instantly.

Wylie hesitated. “I have a duty to the council-”

“This might be our only lead to Nightfall,” Keefe interrupted. “To save your soulmate . Which is more important to you?”

“Fine,” Wylie agreed, glancing at Tam.

Keefe turned to the last two. 

“Will it help us get Maruca and Biana back?” Fitz asked.

“I think so.”

“Then yes,” Biana’s older brother said, adding a glare that clearly said this better be good to emphasize his point. “I won’t tell anyone.”

And only the prince of Choralmere was left.

“What if I think I already know?” Tam asked.

“Still.”

“You can’t keep a secret like this forever,” Tam pointed out, somehow summarizing Keefe’s deepest fear in one sentence.

“Then let me keep it a secret for as long as I can.”

“She has a duty to her country! To the people of the world!” Tam said, some of the haughty tone from earlier creeping back into his voice.

“She isn’t an object,” Keefe snapped back. “She isn’t a tool to break others apart!”

Tam sighed. “You’re right. I promise.”

“As you probably guessed from my conversation with Tam,” Keefe said, glaring at the prince. “Sophie’s a Thread Seer.”

Keefe had worried and dreamed about telling someone for years. It was a carefully kept secret among the Neverseen. Only those who had actively taken part in the attempt to kidnap one of the few remaining Thread Seers knew. 

He felt oddly satisfied with their stunned expressions. Even though they may have guessed, it was still quite a world shaking revelation to have confirmed. 

“This is bad,” Wylie muttered, starting to pace. “You do realize that all of us could be imprisoned for not reporting a Thread Seer to the king.”

Keefe sighed. “I know. But I can’t let them turn her into a puppet. That’s why we have to get her back.”

“How are you planning to do that?” Fitz asked.

“By using this,” Keefe said, holding up his fist. The others clustered around him, as he examined it. “I think Sophie tricked the thread into thinking that I was the one who severed. It cut on my side. She gave my part of her thread seer ability, so all we have to do is follow that thread-”

“And it will lead us straight to her,” Tam finished. “I have to admit, Sophie is a genius.”

***

When Sophie collapsed, Biana knew it was over. She broke away from Keir, and ran towards her friend, who was clutching her chest.

“Stop!” Keir ordered. 

Biana ignored him. 

“Sophie!” she screamed, kneeling besides her friend. “Sophie, what happened?”

The girl thrashed, and clutched her chest. Biana knelt beside her, unsure of what to do. 

“Keefe,” Sophie muttered. “I’m sorry.”

Biana glanced up at her friends. “Somebody help me! I’ve never seen a Severing before, much less helped the person!”

“Neither have we!” Stina said, joining her. “Sophie did all of the work. All we were supposed to do was to make sure your head was stabilized and not let you hurt yourself.”

“I’ll take the head,” Linh volunteered. “Maruca and Marella, you grab her legs. Biana and Stina, the arms please.”

All five girls got to work pining Sophie to the floor so she didn’t hurt herself. Biana glared up at Mael. 

“Aren’t you her husband now? Do something!”

He stared at her coldly, a smirk flashing across his lips. Biana wanted to scream and kill them all, as the residents of Nightfall, seemed to be holding back laughter.

“DON’T LET GO!” Sophie screamed. And then she went limp.

Vespera and her sons glanced towards Keefe’s mirror. It seemed to be slowly crumbling, but stayed mostly intact.

“Impossible,” Vespera breathed. “That should’ve shattered him.”

The sound of breaking glass caused them all to turn. 

On the other side of the hall, a mirror reflecting Sophie shattered into a thousand tiny pieces.

“She tricked the string,” Linh explained. “She made it think that Keefe had severed and not her. She sacrificed herself for him.”

“She really loves him, doesn’t she?” Marella asked.

“Yeah,” Maruca said wistfully. “Makes me wish I could be like that with Fitz.”

“He cares about you,” Biana said defensively. “Fitz is just really bad at showing it. He’s had to spend most of his life covering up his emotions.”

Maruca sighed. “I know, but it still hurts.”

Vespera clapped her hands. “I’ve had enough things go wrong today. Mael?”

The prince scooped Sophie’s twitching body in his arms and carried her out the door of the room. The rest of them followed.

“What are you doing?” Biana snapped. “She’s not well!”

“It doesn’t matter,” Keir said, tightening his grip on her arm.

He paused in front of a vacant mirror and Biana finally understood what was going on. 

“NO!” She screamed.

“You be quiet,” Vespera ordered. “Mael, do it.”

“May the potential in you, bring life to me,” he chanted. 

Sophie began to glow a ghostly white. Brighter and brighter until Biana couldn’t see her anymore. She heard Sophie’s screams of pain. 

When the light finally faded, Sophie was kneeling on the floor.

Inside the mirror.

Mael grinned, looking refreshed and youthful and immortal.

“Thirty one years,” he announced. “Not bad. Makes up for the time I lost with Talia.”

Biana twisted her arm free of Keir’s grip and rushed to the glass. Sophie rubbed her arms and shivered. She tried to say something, but Biana couldn’t hear her. She pointed at her ear and shook her head to let her know.

Sophie’s eyes widened with understanding. She got to her feet, eyes blazing with fury and pulled her glass slipper from her foot. Her legs had come back. Sophie threw the slipper at the glass, but it just bounced back at her. 

She glared at Vespera and Mael and shouted something at them.

Mael smirked and walked up to the glass.

“We can’t hear you,” he said tauntingly. From Sophie’s expression, Biana guessed that she could hear the prince. “No one will be able to unless I let them. And I won’t let them unless you’re a good girl and settled down.”

Sophie said something that was probably not something a “good girl” would say based on Mael’s expression.

“Usually I give my wives a cloak to keep themselves warm inside the mirror,” Mael said. “But I think I’ll just let you freeze.”

Sophie glared at him, but he just laughed. 

“And you ,” Vespera said, turning to Biana. “I thought you had potential as my heir, but you’re just like the others. Far too much like your brother, although he was easier to manipulate.”

“I’m sorry I don't want to gain immortality by breaking people’s hearts and trapping them in mirrors,” she snapped.

A hand tightened on her shoulder and she spun around, glaring at Keir.

But Keir was on her other side.

“Try not to anger her too much,” Dex whispered in her ear, making her jump. She concealed her surprise with a cough.

“I wish to retire early to my quarters,” she said, curtsying to the Empress of Night.

“Of course,” Vespera said, pointedly excluding the dearest .

Biana sent Sophie one more hang in there glance before turning on her heel and marching away.

***

“What are we going to do?” Biana said, pacing the room.

“I’m going to scout out more of the castle,” Dex said, starting to clasp the Vanisher Cloak. “You should get some rest. I’m pretty sure Vespera is going to try to marry you off tomorrow after your outburst today.”

“ Outburst ?” Biana snapped. “It’s not like I was throwing a tantrum. She traps people in mirrors .” She sighed. “I’m already Severed. I’ve only got a few days left, so why does it matter?”

Dex slipped off the Vanisher Cloak and sat down in an armchair. 

“I was meaning to speak with you about this,” he said.

Biana groaned and flopped down on the bed. “I’m really not in the mood for this conversation right now.”

“Well, we need to have it. And I’d rather not have it with you stuck in a mirror.”

“I get it,” Biana said, burying her face in a pillow. The fabric was metallic, and reminded her of the cold glass of Sophie’s mirror. “You fell in love with my evil stepsister and the happiness of a king is more important than the life of a random girl.”

“You’re more than a random girl,” Dex protested. ”You’re my soulmate. ”

Biana sighed. “Not anymore.”

Dex stared at the ground. “Was it really all an act?”

Biana picked herself up from the pillow and stared at him. “Which Biana are you asking about? The one who danced with you at the ball or the one who snapped at you afterwards?”

“You pick.”

Biana got up and started pacing, refusing to even make eye contact. “I really wanted to hate you. I spent every moment since Alvar’s banishment hating you.” She sighed. “But I can’t.”

She didn’t want to look at Dex, so she just kept pacing. It felt like she was betraying herself. Biana was stunned to feel that she still cared. 

She still loved Dex. How was that possible? They were severed.

Biana ignored the sound of the prince getting out of his chair, until he blocked her pacing.

“Fitz told me I had a choice to make,” he said quietly. “To either let you die or save you. I don’t want to live with the guilt of knowing that your death was my fault.”

The guilt?  

Biana loved Dex, but there was NO. WAY. she was going to tell him that if he was doing this because he felt like he had to. 

She wanted all his love, but he just pitied her. Well, too bad for him. She had spent the last several years of her life learning to shut out emotions. This was no exception.

Biana shoved the feeling in a mental dungeon, reserved for all the things she refused to acknowledge.

“Don’t worry,” she snapped, recoiling when he tried to grab her hand. “I don’t want your pity . Go on, marry your precious Keres. I would rather die.”

Hurt flashed in Dex’s eyes, and she wasn’t sure why. She ran to her bathroom, and slammed the door.

“Biana!” Dex called through the door. “I didn’t mean it like that! Please-”

She rang the bell to call for a maid to bring her some warm water for a bath, and his words stopped. 

The maids couldn’t find him here. And he couldn’t talk to her until they were gone, which was a relief.

She just wanted to be alone.

Chapter Text

Biana’s words echoed in his head as she ran into the bathroom and slammed the door.

“Biana!” he called through the door. “I didn’t mean it like that! Please-”

The loud CLANG of the bell cut him off.

“-I love you,” he finished quietly to himself.

He froze when the words slipped from his mouth. Did he really mean them? He wanted to be certain before he offered his heart to anyone who could break it.

The fact that it felt like it was already seemed like proof. With the words, he could feel the unstable bond he shared with Keres dissolve.

But his thread couldn’t quite rebond with Biana. She was too upset.

Oh, why did he have to mess everything up? 

Dex wrapped the Vanisher cloak over his shoulders and slipped into the corridor, not sure where he was headed. 

Or at least, he tried to. The door was locked from the outside.

Frantic for a good hiding place, he dove under the bed.

Biana was clearly mad at him for implying that he felt sorry for her, but that wasn’t what Dex had meant at all. 

Something about Biana felt so right. Unlike every time he was with Keres, he was understood. 

Speaking of Keres…

Dex untucked the Vanisher Cloak and pulled the letter out. It was bulging, like there was something inside.

Dex had forgotten all about Keres and how this would make her feel.

He crawled on his forearms towards the edge of the bed. Dex broke the seal on the letter and eased the object into his hand. His eyes widened. Was she serious?

He unfolded the note and struggled to read it in the faint light.

Evidently, she was.

The note strengthened his resolve to tell Biana.

He lay under her bed, and tried to stay still. It was cramped and all the dust made his nose itch. 

Eventually, he drifted off to sleep.

***

Biana couldn’t find Dex afterwards. She didn’t want to. No way was she going to rebond to him because of his ‘chivalry.’

A tiny part of her whispered that she was probably overreacting. She shoved it back into her mental dungeons and crawled into her bed. 

Tomorrow she would be Kier’s wife .

Somehow the words eased the pain. Like a reassurance that soon her thread wouldn’t be alone anymore. Even if it was reconnecting to a cruel prince.

And with that, the comfort died.

Biana buried her face in her pillow and sobbed hopelessly until she fell asleep.

***

It was still dark when Dex woke up.

His neck was curved at an odd angle and ached angrily at him when he tried to crawl out from under the bed.

It took his eyes a second to adjust, since the only light came from a single candle on the far end of the room. Dex clenched the ring on his fist as he remembered his conversation with Biana. 

Even with a tangled mess of hair from tossing and turning, she still looked gorgeous. Dex crept beside her bed and gently kissed her cheek. She stirred and rolled onto her back.

Careful not to wake her, Dex pressed the ring into the palm of her hand and closed her fingers around it.

***

She yawned and rolled over. Unfortunately rolling herself off the bed and forcing herself out of her nightmares.

Something bounced across the floor as she caught herself and she dove after it. Biana studied the… ring? 

What was that doing here?

“Dex?” she called.

A soft snore came from a chair beside her bed. Biana giggled and crept towards where Dex was sleeping. She lifted the end of the Vanisher Cloak and placed the ring back in his palm.

“You dropped this,” she told him, even though he was still asleep.

The door creaked open and she shoved the Vanisher Cloak back over him.

“I’m sorry,” Talia apologized as soon as she entered. No words were necessary. The elaborate wedding gown said enough.

“Let’s get this over with,” Biana sighed.

“There’s no hope then?” Talia asked.

“Unless you know of a secret rescue mission arriving in the next five minutes.” 

They were quiet while she slipped into the dress. 

“How are the others?” Biana asked, trying to distract herself from what was about to happen.

“Worried about you, mostly.”

Finally, they were all ready. Talia gestured to the door.

“Can you give me a minute?” Biana asked, “I need to, uh, mentally prepare.”

“Of course,” Talia said. “Take all the time you’d like.”

Biana didn’t miss the flash of hope across the woman’s face that she attempted to conceal. Talia had only been a Silver Maiden for a few years, and Biana shuddered to think that the transformation into cold metal would soon be her fate.

Talia slipped from the room and Biana got to work. 

“Dex,” she said, nudging him with her foot.

“Not today,” he groaned sleepily.

“We don’t have much choice,” Biana said, yanking him off the chair. He woke up halfway to the floor.

“Seriously, Biana?” He asked.

“We don’t have much time,” Biana said, handing him the Vanisher Cloak and his sword.

“Biana,” Dex said nervously. He unfolded his fist to reveal the ring. “I have to tell you something.”

“It’s going to have to wait,” Biana said. “I have to go right now.”

Dex strapped on his sword and threw the cloak around his shoulders. 

“Are you coming?” Talia asked, sticking her head back inside the room.

Biana started after her, but Dex grabbed her hand, pulling her back. 

“I don’t have time for this,” she snapped.

“I just want you to know,” he whispered, his breath tickling the tiny hairs on the back of her neck. “That it wasn’t pity. And it wasn’t guilt. I think you’re amazing, Biana. I just wanted to let you know that, since today’s definitely going to be a rough day. I don’t regret a single moment spent with you.”

She felt her cheeks grow warm, but she ignored the words and marched after Talia.

Why was she blushing now?

***

“Lady Biana Vacker of Everglen. Do you vow to serve and submit to your husband all the days of your life?”

“Not really,” Biana admitted. “I’ve never really been the submissive type. Besides, I don’t like Keir that much.”

Vespera glared at her, and Biana knew she had gone too far. 

Her feet burned and she muffled a scream.

“Yes, fine,” she said, willing to do anything if the pain would just STOP. “I vow to submit to Kier all the days of my life.”

“Good.”

“Then I pronounce you husband and wife,” the empress said. 

“Can we move this along?” Maruca’s partner (Biana was pretty sure his name was Calder) snapped. “Some of us are actually counting on these extra decades.”

Marella’s partner snorted. “You already get one hundred and two. What’s eleven more?”

“Hari, Calder, be quiet,” Vespera hissed. Her sons fell silent instantly. “Keir, do your thing.”

Keir turned towards Biana, and she recoiled when he placed a hand on her shoulder. 

“Is a man not allowed to touch his wife?” he asked tauntingly. He knew it was bothering her, and she could tell it was amusing him. She bit her tongue to bite back her retort. 

“We all know you’re the cleverest of all the girls from the daylight world,” Keir said, in a tone that reminded her of a cat playing with it’s cornered prey.

“Stop the fake flattery,” she snapped. “It doesn’t suit you.”

“Speak only when spoken to,” he ordered. 

Instantly, her mouth clamped closed. All of the girls' eyes widened in panic.

“That’s better,” Keir said. “Who likes a wife who doesn’t know how to hold her tongue?”

She tried to snap back, but the question was meant rhetorically. 

He placed his hand on her shoulders again, and she stepped away from him. 

“Stay where you are,” he ordered. 

Instantly her entire body froze. 

“That’s no fun,” Tynan called. “Now we can’t see her flinch!”

Keir smirked and made a dismissive gesture with his hands. She crumpled to the floor as her body unlocked.

“Get up,” Keir ordered.

She got to her feet.

“Stop toying with her,” Vespera shouted. “Get to the point.”

Biana had never been more grateful for the wicked enchantress in her entire life.

Keir started pacing in a circle around her, making her feel more and more like a cornered animal. “On the day my mother allowed you to return to Rimeshire, you said you were going to talk to your brother, but your brother was halfway across the castle.”

Biana felt all the blood drain from her face. 

“So…” Keir asked. “What did you actually do there?”

***

Dex watched helplessly as Keir played with Biana, like she was a mouse. He wanted to run over there and stab him with his sword, but it would do nothing. 

He was outnumbered seven to one, and Vespera and her sons had the advantages of hostages and being on their home turf. And probably a ton of other super creepy powers he didn’t know about. 

Biana’s eyes were panicked, screaming for him to come help her, but he couldn’t. There was nothing he could do. 

Until he got knocked over by something that didn’t exist.

“Ooof,” he grunted.

“Reveal yourself,” the something ordered quietly. “I have a sword, and I’m not afraid to use it!”

“Tam?” Dex asked incredulously. “What are you doing here?”

“Dex, is that you?” Another something asked. 

“Yeah,” he said. “Fitz?”

“How’s Maruca?” he asked.

“She’s fine,” Dex reassured him. “It’s Biana you should be worried about.”

They watched Keir’s cruel treatment of his new wife for a second and Fitz surged forward.

“Not going to happen,” Wylie said, tackling him. 

“Shhh! They’re going to hear you!” Jensi hissed.

“Fitz, cut it out,” Keefe ordered. “You’re going to give us away!” He turned to Dex. “Where’s Sophie?”

“In a mirror,” Dex answered, his brain struggling to keep up. 

“Did you tell her?” Fitz said, seizing Dex’s shoulders and shaking him. 

“She wouldn’t let me,” Dex admitted. “When I tried to tell her, she thought I was going to try to rebond because I didn’t want the guilt of letting her die on my conscience and that upset her.”

“Girls are like that,” Tam offered helpfully.

“I think…” Keefe whispered thoughtfully. “She cares about you a lot more than she wants to admit and she doesn’t want you to rebond with her because you feel like you have to.”

“Besides, you’re literally marrying her nemesis,” Fitz jumped in.

“Not anymore,” Dex said, poking the letter though the folds of his cape. “I found this in Biana’s room when I was going to tell her that I wasn’t going to marry her.”

Invisible hands snatched the letter and opened in.

“Whoa,” Jensi breathed. “She must really love this Galen. You don’t just leave the prince of Rimeshire a letter to tell him you’re calling off the wedding and are eloping with some other guy.”

“I’m amazed Keres is capable of love,” Fitz muttered. 

“Shhh!” Wylie ordered. “I’m trying to listen!”

They all fell silent as Keir asked Biana the question that made Dex freeze.

“On the day my mother allowed you to return to Rimeshire, you said you were going to talk to your brother, but your brother was halfway across the castle. So… What did you actually do there?”

Biana’s eyes widened and she clamped her hands over her mouth.

“Tell me,” Keir demanded. 

Biana screamed something into her palms.

“Just as I suspected,” Vespera said, a satisfied look on her face. “Dex, you may reveal yourself now!”

“You guys stay here,” Dex ordered. “She doesn’t know about you yet.”

“Dex, wait!” Keefe ordered, grabbing at the air where Dex had been a second ago. Dex slipped away and to the other side of the ballroom.

“I’m waiting,” Vespera called impatiently.

Dex stuffed the Vanisher cloak behind a column and sheepishly peeked out the other side.

“Hello, your highness,” Keir said with a smirk. “I’m so glad you could join us.”

***

Keir snapped his fingers and Biana felt her mouth snap shut. She hated this powerlessness.

“Why don’t you go sit and have some tea, my dear ,” her husband said, emphasizing the last two words. Even though he phrased it like a suggestion, Biana knew it was an order. Her body moved against her will, forcing her to sit on the edge of the ballroom and sip some cold, bitter tea. 

She winced at the taste, glad Keir’s orders didn’t stop her from hating the beverage. At least she still had control over her feelings.

Now that the order was complete, she felt her body returning to control. She wanted to spring to her feet and help Dex, but somehow managed to realize that keeping the glitch in Keir’s power to herself would give her more of an advantage.

“Would you look at that?” Keir said tauntingly. “My wife’s ex soulmate came to save her. Too bad you failed her already.”

Dex glared at Keir and drew his sword.

“Go ahead,” Keir smirked. “You know who I can order to jump in front of me.”

Biana forced herself to take another sip of the awful tea, but ended up just spitting it back into the cup. 

She completely missed Dex’s concerned glance in her direction that made the heart of everyone else watching melt. Well, everyone except the empress and her sons.

“You want her back?” Keir asked. “Then fight me for her.”

“She’s not property,” Dex snapped.

“She vowed to serve and submit to me,” Keir said casually. “That makes her my property.”

Biana had never wanted to murder anyone more in her life. 

Dex gritted his teeth. “Fine.”

Clearly he didn’t want her back. He only was fighting because it was the right thing to do. And she didn’t care. 

Or, she kept telling herself she didn’t.

Still Dex’s words assaulted her brain. She ordered herself to stay focused, but it wasn’t exactly easy.

***

“Please, take a seat,” Keir said to his mother and brothers. Each of the princes ushered one of the girls to a table with a single teapot in the center. 

Maruca stomped on her partner’s foot and marched over to Biana. “Are you alright?” she asked her friend, concern filling her voice.

“Not really,” Biana admitted. “Here, try some of this tea. It tastes awful.”

“Ready, little prince?” Keir asked, drawing a saber out of thin air where a scabbard should be.

“I’m all set,” Dex retorted. “I’m just waiting on you, little prince.”

And with that, they began.

The clang of metal on metal shifted Dex into a new mindset. Suddenly he noticed the location of every single person in the room. He calculated the distance between each mirror  and noted it’s inhabitants. All the teapots and teacups, and each of the balefire lanterns were registered in some part of his brain.

His mind was working a thousand times quicker than usual, ordering him to parry, duck left, swing, step back. 

Keir seemed a little stunned that Dex hadn’t been chopped in half within a few seconds. It took him a moment to regain his twisted confidence. Still, it didn’t take long to tell who the superior swordsman was.

A Choralmere prince with hundreds of years of experience or the young prince of Rimeshire, who spent most of his training sessions in the workshop instead of practicing. Dex didn’t stand a chance.

Practically dancing across the floor, they exchanged blows faster than the eye could follow. 

“I thought love was supposed to conquer all,” Keir taunted. “Oh wait, shadows will always be faster than light.”

Dex grunted in response. His brain was too busy trying to figure out how to stay alive to come up with a clever response.

Keir’s smirk grew larger as he forced Dex backwards. Dex ducked, his blade trembling against the force of the prince’s blows.

Dex hastily retreated, but forgot to watch where he was going. He slammed into the table where Linh and her partner were seated, knocking a lantern to the ground beside him as he landed on his back. His sword skidded across the floor, finally stopping in front of Keefe’s hiding place. 

Keir stomped over and placed his boot on Dex’s chest, pinning him to the floor. He pointed his sword at Dex’s head.

“Finally where you belong,” he said. “I must admit, you lasted longer than expected.”

A muffled scream came from Biana’s direction and Keir looked up. Dex couldn’t see Biana from where he was, but he didn’t want her to have to watch him die.

“Or maybe I’ll have my wife do it for me,” he continued.

Dex tuned him out. He fumbled around, his hand closing on the lantern. Struck with an idea, he smashed it against Keir’s sword. 

The bright sparks temporarily blinded him, but Keir was unfazed.

“What was that supposed to do?” He asked. “You’re under my control now. Biana-”

He didn’t get any farther, because at that moment, the light from the lantern finally hit his eyes after its journey halfway across the castle. Dex had spent hours exploring and he knew that the mirrors would only reflect the light after a short delay. 

Keir grunted in surprise, and instinctively brought his hands up to shield his eyes.

Dex sprang upwards, knocking Keir backwards and seizing his sword. 

“Love does conquer all,” he said. “That’s why I’m going to give you one last-”

Keir swept his legs out from under him, and Dex dropped the sword. It fell towards the floor, piercing Keir straight through the heart.

Keir laughed as the life slowly faded from his eyes. “You think you’re so clever. You might have defeated me, but Biana is already gone.”

NO .

Dex spun around in horror, but Keir was right. He was too late. There Biana stood, no longer human. She was now made entirely of silver. Vespera must have transformed her once Dex was distracted.

“My son!” Vespera wailed. Dex glanced down at Keir’s body. It had turned into molten glass, which was slowly getting absorbed into the floor of the castle. 

“Biana,” the empress called. “Dex just murdered your husband. What do you want?”

Biana grinned and produced a pair of silver daggers from her new silver clothing.

“Why, revenge, of course.”

Chapter Text

Biana was trapped in her own head. 

“There you go, dearest,” Vespera’s mental projection had said, shoving her in a prison made of silver. She had grabbed Biana’s wrist and pulled it until she was split in two. One half -the bitter part of Biana that despised Dex for everything he had done to her- went with Vespera. The other half, well, that was the part that was trapped.

She could watch everything through a gap in the bars. She could go anywhere in her head, except for the main control room. 

“Please,” she begged herself. “Think about what you’re doing!”

“Oh, I’ve thought about it,” Bitter Biana snapped, making their body get to its feet. “Dex deserves it after everything he’s done to us—”

“Listen,” she ordered. “Dex has made some mistakes, but who hasn’t? Besides, he also told us he doesn’t regret a single moment spent with us.”

“Lies,” her bitter self declared. “Where was he when the council forced Father to marry Alina? Where was he when Fitz had his inheritance stolen? Where was he every time we needed him?”

It wasn’t looking too great, but Biana believed in Dex.

At least until she realized how sappy that sounded and until her body landed a series of blows that made him cringe.

Too bad. She wasn’t about to sit around doing nothing. There had to be something in her brain that would put her back into control.

Biana turned away from the view of the outside world and threw herself into the abyss of memories.

***

“Biana, this isn’t you,” Dex insisted, attempting to pin his ex soulmate to the ground without stabbing her.

Biana twisted away and tried to stab him in the back. He ducked at the last second and she stumbled past him without the expected resistance of her knife in her body.

“Who are you to know who I am?” she snapped. “You barely even know me!”

He tried to grab her hands, but she sliced through his glove, leaving a trail of blood. 

“I may not know you well,” Dex said, “but the Biana I know would never hurt anyone.”

The Silver Maiden spun around, striking from above. Dex ducked, but at the last second, she changed directions and attempted to stab him in the gut. 

Dex could only watch the last seconds of his life with the horror that Vespera had won.

***

Biana knew she had mere seconds left. Being a Silver Maiden came with a whole lot of advantages that Dex wouldn’t be able to beat.

She dove through the pile of memories, looking for something, anything that she could use to distract her evil self.

Thrusting through years worth of Keres torturing her to the side, Biana wove through a maze of blurred memories of her mother and father.

“Come on, come on,” she begged and tried to teleport to a place that could help.

She closed her “eyes” until the distant sound of Dex grunting in pain forced them open. 

To her surprise, she was standing outside a sinister-looking gate. The name ALVAR SOREN VACKER was written across the top in twisted letters.

Biana cautiously nudged open the gate, cringing at the ear-splitting metal screech . 

Every memory with her brother in it was here. Even the fun ones, like playing games of hide and seek in Everglen’s halls or giggling together when Fitz got caught in a chandelier glowed an eerie shade of red. 

“ Biana ,” the words echoed around the mental graveyard in Alvar’s playful tone, only darker. “ where are you hiding ?”

She forced herself to take a step forward and examine the memories. 

Some of them had such an inherently dark feeling, she didn’t want to look. But she forced herself to anyway.

Something about the memory of finding Alvar by himself in Della’s glade felt wrong. And why did he have two horses, but only rode one?

Determined to find the answer, Biana pressed on through the mental graveyard towards the very center.

The mental thorns scraped her legs as she pushed past rows and rows of family dinners. 

And then she was there. 

It wasn’t anything spectacular. Just two words. But those two words had power. Those words could change things. 

If she would just acknowledge them. 

She didn’t want to. What if she got trapped here? Who knew what those words could do to her!

But Biana had gotten used to shutting out her cowardly side. 

Taking a deep breath (if her mental projection could breathe, which it couldn’t) she shouted the name.

“HEX DIZZNEE!”

***

Getting thrust back into ownership of your body wasn’t a sensation Biana ever wanted to have to experience again. Even the dim lights of the ballroom blinded her and she tripped over her own two feet, completely missing stabbing Dex in the stomach. 

She screamed, dropping the daggers. 

She glanced down at her hands. They were still silver.

Of course they were. They would stay that way unless she rebounded with her proper soulmate.

“Biana?” Dex asked hesitantly. “Is it really you? The real you, I mean?”

“Dex,” she said, collapsing with relief and exhaustion. He managed to grab her before her head banged into the floor hard enough to knock a normal human unconscious, curling his arms around her in a protective embrace.

“I remember,” she whispered.

Dex blinked in confusion. 

“Your sister,” she clarified. “Hex?” His eyes widened in understanding. “I’m sorry for hating you.”

Dex laughed. A pure, sweet laugh that filled the halls of the castle normally filled with fear. 

“I really, really care about you,” she admitted.

“Me too,” Dex said, hugging her tighter. 

“She’s going to take me back,” Biana said, interrupting the moment , if it could even be called that. 

“Right,” he said, awkwardly unwrapping himself from her a little, as if just remembering that an evil empress, her five remaining sons, their friends and a bunch of reflections from other generations were watching. “How do we save you?”

Biana’s cheeks would be pink if she wasn’t made entirely out of silver. “We, um, need to, um-”

“Girl, this isn’t the time to be awkward,” Stina called from where she was trying to kick Tynan in the shins.

Biana took a deep breath.“Dexter Dizznee of Rimeshire, I rebond to you as my first and final soulmate, now and forevermore.”

She felt a tiny zap on her chest and the silver faded a little. 

Dex’s hands flew to his heart, so she knew he could feel it too. He stared at her like he wasn’t sure which emotion to be feeling. 

“Sorry,” she apologized. “I should’ve asked you before doing it.”

“I don’t mind,” Dex said. “I’m just surprised, that’s all.”

“I’m surprised that worked,” Biana admitted, examining her partially restored skin. “It shouldn’t have worked, since you’re still technically Keres’ soulmate now.”

“About that,” Dex started.

“Silver Maiden,” Vespera ordered. “To me.”

Biana screamed and tried to fight off the order, but it was no use. She felt her Bitter Self force her to her feet.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Biana choked out as her body rebelled against her will.

“Of course,” he whispered back. “You truly are the most amazing girl I have ever met.”

It was meant to be quiet, but somehow the words were amplified. Linh and Marella glanced at each other with a SO CUTE!!! sort of glance. 

“Biana Vacker of Everglen,” Dex said, winking at her, even as she crawled away. “I rebond to you as my first and final soulmate now and forevermore.”

***

Dex learned quickly that there were two advantages in confusing battles. The first was the element of surprise, which they had.  The other was the advantage of communication and a plan, which they did not have. 

The other five young men burst from their hiding places, completely throwing the princes and the girls off guard. Vespera didn’t look surprised, and Dex couldn’t tell if that meant she had known that they were there all along, or if she had seen so much that she couldn’t be surprised by anything anymore.

Fitz drew his sword and began battling Calder before Dex even had the chance to blink. Maruca assisted by throwing everything within reach at Calder’s head.

Jensi and Tam were close behind. They and their partners kept Hari and Tynan busy.

Wylie and Keefe took a smarter approach to the whole battle thing. They wrapped their cloaks around their shoulders, and fought with them on, completely confusing their opponents as they tried to fight off someone they couldn’t see. It seemed a little cowardly until he remembered Mael’s treatment of Sophie. From Linh’s actions, Dex guessed that her relationship with Denzel was similar.

“Well?” Biana asked. “Are we going to let them do all the work?”

And that’s when they realized that they had been ignoring the biggest threat of them all.

Vespera stamped her foot on the floor of the ballroom and the castle came alive. 

Mirrors sprouted from the floor, turning the ballroom into a maze. Dex grabbed his soulmates hand and they sprinted down a passage towards the sounds of a commotion-

Until they crashed into a mirror. This whole mirrored maze thing was driving Dex crazy.

“This way,” Biana said, pulling him left down a corridor he didn’t remember seeing before. She made a quick right, and then a left again. 

“How are you so good at this?” Dex asked when Biana avoided colliding with her reflection for the fourth time. 

“It’s all about the angle of the light,” she informed him. “You probably would be able to figure it all out if you had an extra minute or two.” She nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Keir was Vespera’s eldest son, and I was the first of his wives to not be trapped in a mirror, which apparently made me her heir. I inherited a whole lot of information on mirrors and illusions that I never particularly wanted to know.”

Biana glanced back at him like he was doing something weird.

“What?” Dex said, glancing at one of the mirrors to check if he had something on his face. Were his eyes actually that periwinkle?

“You don’t think that makes me into a monster?” Biana asked.

“Not particularly,” Dex admitted. “It just means that you learned a whole lot of useful information that we can use against her.”

Dex spotted an opening to their right and darted through it-

And he banged into the mirror.

Biana smiled and yanked him through themselves. 

“It’s an illusion of a mirror over there,” she explained. “You can tell because the mirrors don’t reflect illusions.”

She led him right once more and they arrived just in time to see Denzel yank Wylie’s Vanisher Cloak from his shoulders. 

The cloak was streaked with his blood. 

“I’ll handle this,” Biana said, letting go of his hand and running towards the battle. 

“Biana, WAIT!” Dex whisper-shouted after her, but it was no use. He tried to go after her, and ended up banging into another mirror. 

Helpless to do anything but watch as Biana walked calmly towards the two young men. They both turned towards her.

“What are you doing?” Wylie asked. “Get out of here!”

Dex banged on the glass as Denzel stabbed Biana with his sword. 

But she just kept walking, unfazed. 

Denzel stared at confusion, like he couldn’t quite figure out how she was still alive. 

 And that’s when the real Biana tackled him from behind.

“Now, Wylie!” She ordered. 

The councilor in training gawked at her. He fumbled with his sword, but somehow managed to finish off the prince. The molten glass thankfully saved them from having to deal with the body. 

“Go find Linh,” Biana told Wylie. 

“Thank you for your help,” Wylie said, kicking his cloak to the side and helping Biana to her feet. “You’re going to be a great queen someday.”

“Oh, um,” Biana’s face turned bright red. “Thanks.”

Biana hurried back to where Dex was trying to get to her. 

“Don’t do that again,” he ordered, tackle-hugging her as soon as she was within reach. 

“I make no promises,” she said with a smirk. “It’s easier to do a sneak attack without you giving my location away with your so called stealthiness. ”

Dex folded his arms. “Um, who snuck around this castle for DAYS without getting caught.”

“We’ll continue this discussion later,” Biana said teasingly. She pressed her hand to the glass of one of the mirrors and it split in half, creating a doorway. The two of them stepped through, nearly knocking Stina and Tynan over where they were struggling. 

Tynan was too busy pinning Stina to a mirror to notice them. Dex spun him around to face him. 

“Do you surrender?” He asked.

“Never,” Tynan snapped.

“Alright then,” Dex said, turning him into a pile of molten glass.

He turned back to the girls, to notice Biana’s expression. She looked like she had just swallowed something awful.

“Are you alright?” He asked his soulmate. 

“Fine,” Biana said, turning pale when she caught another glimpse of Tynan’s body. 

“No you’re not,” Stina snapped. “You think that feeling sick when you see someone die is a sign of weakness, but you’re wrong. Hold onto that feeling. It will stop you from turning into Vespera.”

“What do you mean?” Biana asked.

“Vespera has gone numb,” Stina explained. “She did a long time ago.” She grabbed Biana’s shoulders. “Promise me you won’t turn out like her.”

Biana nodded.

They left Stina and continued onward, Biana leading them through the maze with ease. They watched Marella stab Hari with Tam’s sword through a window-like mirror. Biana wanted to go help Jensi and Fitz as they battled Calder, but Dex assured him they would be fine. After all, it was three against one. And Maruca wasn’t letting the young men defeat her partner on their own.

With one prince to go, they hurried through the maze, occasionally stumbling upon their allies. Biana pointed them all in the opposite direction than the one they were headed in. 

The clanging of swords grew louder and louder as they went. Biana stuck her hand out to block him, bringing a finger to her lips. 

“Mael and Keefe are around the corner,” she explained. “Get ready.”

Dex drew his sword and she nodded.

The two of them burst around the mirror. Dex needed a second to realize that he wasn’t seeing an illusion. 

For there, on the ground lay Keefe, with Mael standing triumphantly over him. Keefe’s own sword stabbed through his heart.

Chapter Text

“No!” Dex screamed, drawing his sword. Biana wasn’t about to let him rush into a dangerous situation without her, so she pulled him back.

Mael glanced up at them, and smirk flashing across his face.

“Why hello there, sister-in-law,” he said. “You do realize that we are technically related by marriage now.”

Biana shook with fury and grief. Although she didn’t know Keefe well personally, she knew how much Sophie cared about him. Sophie would be destroyed.  

“You are the most despicable, awful, loathsome relative I’ve ever had!” Biana’s voice trembled with anger. “And my stepmother hired rebels to kill my father, so that’s saying something.”

“Oh, you’re angry about the little pretender with big dreams,” Mael said, kicking Keefe’s limp body with disgust. 

“ People aren’t objects ,” he said disdainfully, sounding like a more high pitched version of Keefe. “ We’re people, not animals. We can change. How’s that suiting you now, runaway prince?”

“You monster,” Dex said, trying to charge and ramming into a mirror.

“Just wait until I tell your precious Thread Seer soulmate,” Mael taunted Keefe, which made no sense to Biana as he was dead.

A wave of nausea washed over Biana. She had helped kill Mael’s brothers, but they could hardly be counted as human. Keefe was a friend. Someone she had known personally. Someone who had looked at her with respect.

And here was Mael disrespecting his memory.

“I think I’m going to be sick,” she said. Dex glanced over at her with concern, but she barely registered. 

She was too busy throwing up all over the floor.

When her stomach was finally, mercifully emptied, she got to her feet. Ignoring Mael’s amused expression, she proceeded to sob into Dex’s shoulder.

He didn’t try to comfort her. He knew that there were no words to make this any better. Her whole body shook with her deep, heartbroken sobs. 

“I know it’s hard,” Dex whispered in her ear. “But Keefe would want us to keep fighting. We can grieve once the battle is over.”

Biana nodded slowly.

“So what’s the plan?” her soulmate asked quietly.

She needed one last sob, and then she clenched her fists, determined to fight for Keefe’s memory.

“Follow my lead,” she instructed.

She glanced from mirror to mirror, her inheritance from Vespera telling her exactly how to position them to create the illusion she needed.

“Can you keep him distracted?” She asked.

“Can I what ?” He pretended to be offended. “You’re talking to the boy who set off firecrackers in his older sister’s birthday cake when he was five.”

“What are firecrackers?” She asked while he drew his sword and stepped around the mirror he had rammed into before. 

“An invention from Choralmere,” he said, seeming to finally get the hang of navigating the maze. “I’ll show you some later. Maybe we can have some at our wedding.”

Biana’s cheeks blossomed red. She ordered herself to stay focused.

Dex threw his sword at an odd angle and it bounced off several mirrors until it whizzed right past Mael’s face, before skidding back in front of Dex.

“Are you challenging me, little prince ?” Mael asked. “You saw how well that worked out for your friend here.”

Dex sighed. “Seriously, you and your brothers have no imagination. Keir called me the exact same thing.”

Mael didn’t like that comment too much, as he plucked the sword from Keefe’s chest and looked at Dex like he was expecting him to do something.

Biana caught a glimpse of the blood staining Keefe’s tunic and would’ve thrown up again if her stomach wasn’t already empty.

Biana ordered herself to focus. Dex had only defeated Keir by being clever and using a whole lot of luck. She hated to admit it, but Dex’s sword fighting skills were less than exceptional. Actually, they were barely passable.

But Mael could almost equal Dex in cleverness, so they don’t have much time.

Biana ignored Mael as he charged at her soulmate. She was too busy creeping along the edges of the clearing, tilting various mirrors to weave the illusion she needed. 

She tuned out Dex’s grunting as she stepped delicately over Keefe’s dead body and tilted a mirror toward the ceiling.

Perfect. There was only one left.

“Biana!” Dex shouted. “Look out!”

Biana never got to find out what he was warning her about. It was kind of obvious as Mael pinned her to the wall and wrapped his hands around her throat.

“I think the ultimate act of revenge for the death of my brother would be forcing you to watch as I choke the life from the one you love,” Mael said, tightening his grip.

The world slowly turned black as Biana pounded on Mael’s fists. It felt like the world was fading away.

“Biana!” Dex called from thousands of miles away.

“Dex,” she choked out. “Behind you. 45 degrees.”

And then the world faded to black. Hopefully Dex could figure out what she meant.

***

Mael dropped Biana’s limp body to the floor. Dex wanted to run to her side as she took a single shaky breath. She was so pale…

But Mael looked like he would skewer both of them if Dex took even a step towards them.

Biana’s last words to him rang in his head. 

“Behind you. Forty-five degrees.”

Trying not to look too threatening, Dex glanced behind him. There was nothing there except a few mirrors reflecting the blood of Keefe’s body.

What was he supposed to do with that?

Wait… Biana had been doing something with the mirrors, right? Struck with an idea, Dex took a step away from Mael.

“What are you doing?” The prince hissed.

Dex’s ankle collapsed under him and he flailed backwards, knocking into the mirror and hitting it just hard enough to tilt it…

Forty four degrees. So close.

“Stupid prince,” Mael muttered. “I swear you get clumsier with every generation.”

“We also get cleverer,” Dex said with a smirk, reaching up and tilting the mirror one more degree and praying that something wasn’t about to explode.

Instantly, a bolt of light burst from the mirrors and struck Keefe’s body.

“What did you do?” Mael said. “Send a bolt of light? That isn’t going to work on me like it did with Keir.”

And then Keefe got to his feet.

“Mael,” he said, the stab wound slowly closing over his heart. “I’ve come back for revenge.”

“So have I,” a girl with blonde hair that was tied back in a messy ponytail said. Dex had only met Sophie once, but the accuracy of the illusion was chilling.

And then Hex poked her head around another mirror.

“And me.”

Alvar joined her a second later. And several young men and women Dex had never met. How illusions were able to speak was beyond Dex’s comprehension. 

“You useless fool!” Keir said, walking right through Dex. “You could have saved me. That was your job as the second born, wasn’t it?”

Mael whimpered as Hari joined the crowd. Followed by Calder and Denzel and Tynan. 

Even though Dex had just watched four of the princes die, it was still really hard to watch. Maybe if the princes had been raised differently…

“I trusted you,” Calder said, in his wired slimy sort of voice. 

“Where were you when I needed you?” Hari added to the chorus.

“STOP IT!” Mael said, gripping his head like it was the source of the illusions. “STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT!”

“You’re my twin,” Denzel said quietly. “Twins are supposed to stay together.”

The illusions closed in a circle around Mael, adding their thirst for revenge to the chant.

“Please,” Mael begged, a single tear made of silver running down his cheek. It was perhaps the first sign of emotion Dex had ever seen from one of the princes.

He felt a stab of pity for the prince, until he realized that every member of the crowd was a person that Mael had hurt.

And then Dex saw an illusion of himself. Somehow he knew that Biana wanted him to be right there. He stepped into his own shoes, Biana standing by his side. He tried to slip his hand into hers, but it just went through it. 

“Make it stop,” Mael begged. “Please.”

Illusion-Dex stepped forward with Real-Dex a step behind. They drew their swords in unison.

Dex gritted his teeth as he stabbed downwards. Mael let out a strangled cry before falling limply to the floor.

Dex squirmed inwardly when Keir gave him an appraising glance. 

“Tilt this mirror like this,” Illusion-Biana instructed, making the illusion of the mirror face the ground.

Dex nodded.

“Thank you,” he told the illusions, even though he knew they weren’t real.

“You’re welcome, Dex Dizznee,” Keir said, bowing to him.

Dex glanced at the illusion of Keefe one last time before tilting the mirror towards the ground. 

The illusions vanished in an instant, leaving the room empty except for Dex, Biana’s unconscious body, Keefe and Mael.

Dex sighed as Mael’s blood mixed with Keefe’s. Then he bent over Biana.

“Wake up,” he begged. “Please Biana. Don’t leave me.”

“She doesn’t have much time,” Vespera said, dramatically appearing in the center of the room. She made a tsk tsk noise in her throat. “Such a pity too. She had such potential. Creating a Vengeance Mirage on her first try.”

Dex growled. “Don’t pretend to care for her.”

Vespera stared at him. “Who said anything about caring? Caring makes you weak and vulnerable.”

Glaring at her didn’t make the pain any better, so he focused on Biana instead.

“You know,” she said, examining one of her brooches. “I could help her.”

Dex glared at her. “Don’t taunt me.”

“I’m not,” Vespera said. She snapped her fingers and all the mirrors formed a circle around them, with one glowing one in the middle. “If you carry Biana into this mirror, it will restore Biana instantly and transport you back to Rimeshire. You’ll have four children and your son will lead Rimeshire with wisdom and grace. What more could you possibly want?”

“I don’t believe you.”

Vespera smirked. “Oh, you don’t have any choice but to believe me. Not if you want her to survive.”

“What’s the catch?”

Vespera’s grin grew wider. “Clever boy. There is no catch.”

“What about my friends?” Dex asked. “I’m not going to leave them here.”

The evil empress raised her eyebrows. “Oh, they’ll be stuck here with me forever. But wouldn’t that be rather satisfying, knowing that I’m trapped in this prison forever.”

“Tell me how to save them,” Dex snapped, completely exasperated with the empress. He was so sick of these games.

“My, aren’t you pushy?”

She snapped her fingers again and a different mirror appeared beside the first, radiating darkness.

“Of course, if you want to try the hard way, you can carry Biana into this one. Everything will get restored to the way it would have been if I had never existed. You’ll slowly fade away to only the shadow of a reflection, Biana will die and your friends will have no idea of the sacrifice you made for them. Is that really what you want?”

Partial sentences slowly filled the hall from both mirrors, portraying the futures he would have to choose between.

“I now pronounce you, husband and wife!”

“Alvar, it’s only getting worse. He is dragging us closer and closer to war.”

“Daddy! Mommy! Look what I found!”

“No! Sophie! I’m so sorry…”

“All hail King Dexter and Queen Biana of Rimeshire.”

Dex threw his hands over his ears to block the noise, feeling a lot like Mael during the Vengeance Mirage. 

“Make it stop,” he begged.

But the chorus of voices grew louder. 

“Make your choice,” Vespera ordered. “Your soulmate has mere moments left.”

Dex got to his feet and carried Biana in his arms towards the mirrors. 

Didn’t he deserve a happy ending after all he had been through? What would be best for Biana? He gritted his teeth and made his choice, heart shattering with guilt.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered to his friends before carrying them both into the mirror.

Chapter Text

It was dark inside the mirror. Dark and draining.

Dex could feel all the energy fading from his body. 

He shuddered when he realized he didn’t even have a body anymore. He was a reflection now. 

A reflection like Sophie would still be if he had chosen the other option. 

He gently set Biana down on the ground and pulled the braided tangled mess of her hair away from her face. 

“Oh Biana,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

Something in him wanted to kiss her, but it wouldn’t feel right kissing a girl while she was unconscious and dying. 

Biana’s beautiful teal eyes fluttered open.

“Dex?”

A tear slipped down his cheek. “I’m so sorry. I traded our future for-”

He stopped when Biana pressed a finger to his lips. “You made the right choice,” she assured him. “and this has the added benefit of proving everything Vespera has never thought about selfishness and ruthlessness as wrong.”

She broke off into a coughing fit, making Dex seriously regret not choosing the other mirror. 

“I’m fine,” she insisted. “Just tired.”

“But Vespera said-”

“Vespera was counting on you giving up,” Biana interrupted again, sounding faint. “Promise me that no matter what happens to me, no matter how tired you feel, you must keep walking.”

Dex blinked. “What?”

Her voice faded to a mere echo in the dark mist. 

“Keep walking.”

He glanced down to where she was limp in his arms. He could barely see her in the nonexistent light, but she almost looked translucent.

Was she even breathing?

Biana was as light as a feather as he trudged through the mist. The ground was thick, and he sunk into the molasses-like liquid up to his knees before his foot hit the ground.

Dex couldn’t see even an inch in front of his face, but he kept walking.

And walking,

And walking,

And walking.

Hours passed, and the air turned cold. Dex could feel his breath against his cheeks, but he couldn’t see it in the pitch black. He tripped and began to sink beneath the surface of the thick liquid. Fighting his way to his feet, he glanced around desperately for Biana. 

But she was gone. He groped with his hands, but it was no use.

“BIANA!” he called, his voice disappearing into the blackness.

A faint giggle by his ear caused him to turn.

“Just keep walking,” Biana’s voice instructed.

He turned and groped with his hands some more, but there was no one there.

“Keep walking.”

“I’m not about to leave you here,” Dex protested to the air. He groped around some more before finally giving up.

“What would Biana do?” he asked himself.

He groaned at the realization. “She would tell me to just keep walking and want me to trust her. She’s managed to not die before, so the chances of her being dead are somewhere in between Irrational Hope and Too-Cliché-to-Happen.”

So he set out again, trudging through the molasses-like liquid, fighting his way to his unknown destination.

Time was warped inside the mirror. Minutes could have passed. Or days. Years or mere seconds, Dex would have had no idea. Every step he ordered himself to stop, but Biana’s words forced him onwards.

The mist curled around him, disorienting everything. He could be walking in circles for all he knew. 

All he knew was that he had to trust Biana. 

Dex tripped over some invisible wall, and suddenly it was broad daylight again.

You would think after the past few days, Dex would be used to people pointing swords at him. 

He wasn’t.

“Aaah!” he screamed, flailing back from the weapons.

“State your name and purpose,” the first of the two young women ordered. Her blonde hair was tied back and her black tunic and pants made her seem menacing.

“Uhhh, Dex Dizznee and trying to stay alive?” he offered.

“He phased it like a question,” the girl with shorter hair and an identical outfit said with a giggle.

“Stop giggling, Shock,” the first one hissed. “We’re trying to act intimidating here.”

“Well, it isn’t very intimidating if you announce the fact that you’re trying to be intimidating in front of him, is it, Constellation ?” Shock pointed out.

The first girl (Constellation) groaned. Dex got the feeling that these conversations happened a lot.

Shock turned her attention back to him.

“Could you try to be a bit less vague with the details?” She asked sweetly. “Like maybe how you ended up falling out of a mirror we have been guarding?”

Dex shrugged. “I honestly have no idea. I was expecting to die in that mirror.”

He glanced around, finally realizing that he was in some sort of tent. The sunlight that had been blinding mere moments before flooded through a wide opening near the front. And the room was empty except for him, Shock, Constellation, and a large black mirror.

“So… I’ll be on my way, then?” he said, sliding towards the opening.

Both girls immediately blocked him.

“Not a chance,” Constellation said. “Her Majesty will want to hear about this.”

“She’s talking with that other girl,” Shock offered. “The one that fell out of the mirror an hour ago.”

Dex got to his feet. “Biana was here!”

Shock blinked. “Yeah, that was her name.”

“Apparently everyone who falls out of mirrors knows each other,” Constellation whispered, loudly.

“I know,” Shock whispered back. “I ship it.”

“He said his name is Dex, right? Maybe they can be Bex.”

Shock stared at her friend/partner/fellow guard (Dex wasn’t really sure how to describe their relationship.) “That's the name of the princess. How about Dexiana?”

All the blood drained from Constellation’s face. She turned towards Dex, struck with realization. “You said your last name is Dizznee, right?”

Dex considered denying it, but he knew she had already figured it out. He nodded slowly.

Shock gasped when she realized what Constellation had discovered. 

“We just caught ourselves a prince!” 

The white eyes that Dex had failed to notice on their sleeves told him just how much trouble he was in.

***

Somehow Biana had ended up on a different tier of the glass mirror than her soulmate. Only that plane had given her strength. She followed her own advice and kept walking. Praying Dex would trust her.

And then suddenly she was tumbling onto the dirt floor of a hastily set up tent.

Biana let her eyes adjust to the light, before immediately turning back to the mirror, trying to use her abilities to get it to release Dex. She thrust her hand through, but it hit the glass and stopped. 

“Come on,” she begged. “Let me through.”

Nothing.

Well, that was helpful.

Suddenly, strong arms seized her from behind.

“You have two seconds to explain who you are and why you’re in my tent before I stab you with my dagger,” a voice hissed in her ear.

Biana laughed, which would have been a death wish if she was being held hostage by anyone else.

“Hey, Sophie.”

The Thread Seer’s grip loosened and Biana slowly spun around to see her friend, suddenly pale.

“ Biana ?” she whispered.

Her blonde hair was several inches shorter and tied back in a loose ponytail, and her dress made her look like a misplaced princess, but she was still the Sophie that Biana remembered. She still had that fierce yet loving look that was unique to her.

Sophie rubbed her temples. “I thought it was all a dream.”

Biana blinked. “What do you mean?”

Her friend started pacing around her makeshift room. “I should probably step back a little.”

“Yeah, you should,” Biana agreed.

Sophie finally settled on the cot and patted for Biana to sit beside her.

“I was in one of the mirrors nearby when Dex carried you into the mirror,” she explained. “As soon as he stepped through, everything vanished. I woke up here with only a foggy memory. I’m guessing that’s linked to my Thread Seer ability, so Keefe probably remembers too, wherever he is. But your brothers and everybody else will have no memory of Nightfall.”

“So,” Biana said slowly, trying to gather her thoughts. “What you’re saying is…”

“Nightfall never existed, thanks to you and Dex.”

“Wait, WHAT?”

Sophie massaged her forehead, clearly overwhelmed. “It’s like I have double the memory or something,” she complained. “I can still remember the ball, and Dex being the heir to the throne and learning in history that Emperor Kaemon disappeared, but it seems fake. Now, this reality is what happened. Queen Hex and your brother Alvar got married last month, Jolie and Brant are fine somehow, and Emperor Kaemon forfeited his throne to his nephew when he grew old.” 

All this alternate reality stuff was making Biana’s head hurt. She copied Sophie as she rubbed her temples.

The entry flap to the tent fluttered to the side, and a woman Biana had never seen before entered with two guards on either side.

Sophie flailed, somehow managing to perform an awkward backward somersault to the other side of the cot. She dipped into a curtsy so low that her nose practically brushed the dried dirt that made up the floor.

“Your grace,” she said without looking up.

“ Sophie ,” the woman said dismissively. Biana flinched as she remembered the same tone in her stepmother’s voice. 

“Is there any sign of Keefe?” Sophie asked breathlessly.

“Queen Hex still refuses to surrender him,” the lady snapped. 

One of her assistants coughed. “Technically, we have no proof that they are even holding Prince Keefe captive-”

He squirmed under her glare. 

“All that’s important is getting Keefe back,” she said, returning her focus to Sophie. “Have you come to a decision about once we recover him?”

Sophie finally looked up and the glare she gave the woman could have withered grass, but the lady was unimpressed.

“I’ll take that as a no,” she sighed. 

“I’m not about to sever him for you,” Sophie snapped. “My gift is for bringing people together, not tearing them apart, Lady Gisela.”

Lady Gisela froze from where she had turned back toward the door.

“That’s what you thought I was asking?” she whispered.

Sophie blinked in confusion. “Isn’t it?”

“No,” Lady Gisela said slowly as if needing a moment to gather her thoughts.

“Her grace was asking if you would be willing to join Prince Keefe on the throne of Candleshade,” a guard with bright blue hair clarified. 

Sophie’s cheeks turned bright red as she realized what they were asking. Biana barely held back a fangirl scream. 

SAY YES!

Sophie looked at her future mother in law in the eyes and said, “No.”

Biana had to cover her mouth to hide her gasp. What was Sophie doing? Lady Gisela was practically begging her to marry her son and she had turned her down.

“What are you doing, Soph?” she asked without meaning to.

All six pairs of eyes turned to her, Lady Gisela’s mouth widening in shock.

“I can’t,” Sophie exclaimed hysterically. “Not without Keefe’s permission. This isn't the reality you remember, Biana. I haven't seen him in years . What if he doesn’t want to marry me? What if he’s found someone else? Being a Thread Seer’s soulmate isn’t easy.”

Biana ignored the looks on the other’s faces as she wrapped her arms around her friend. 

“Trust me,” she whispered, tucking a strand of hair behind her friend’s ear. “I barely know Keefe, but I know that regardless of the reality you’re in, he will ALWAYS love you.”

Sophie sighed, long and deep and terrified and hopeful and full of thousands of emotions that there would never be adequate adjectives to describe. 

Biana tugged the string that tied back Sophie’s hair and braided it into a weave that her nanny had told her would keep worries at bay.

“So… do we get an explanation now?” the blue-haired guard asked.

“Oh, yeah, sorry,” Biana said, brushing any nonexistent dirt from her silver skirt. She dipped her head in an attempt to curtsy without getting up from soothing Sophie. “I’m Biana Vacker. I just fell out of the mirror from an alternate dimension where there was this evil enchantress who was trying to kill us.”

The guards stared at her blankly, but Lady Gisela nodded.

“My soulmate and I sacrificed ourselves so that the world would be reset as if the enchantress and her sons had never existed. I lost my soulmate in the mirror somewhere, so he might fall out soon.”

Lady Gisela’s eyes widened. “Wait, YOU’RE the one.” She shook her head disbelievingly. 

“Cyan! Bramble! Bring this mirror to an empty tent!” she ordered. “And station Constellation and Shock to guard it. ‘Make up’ some wild story about a girl who fell out of the mirror.” She rubbed her hands together and cackled gleefully. “I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces when Prince Dexter comes tumbling out.”

Biana yanked on Sophie’s hair a bit too hard and Sophie yelped. She muttered a quick apology and turned to Lady Gisela. “Technically, there’s only a fifty percent chance that he’ll make it out.”

Lady Gisela waved her hands dismissively. “We’re talking about the young man who took out a champion jouster using science . I’m not worried about him.”

Outside the tent, the voices of Cyan and Bramble could be heard as they struggled with the mirror.

“Hey, Shock! Constellation!” Bramble called between grunts. “Come on! Help us!”

“Sure thing!” an unfamiliar voice called. 

“Am I allowed to ask why you’re hauling a mirror across camp?”

“Don’t ask questions, Constellation!” the first unfamiliar voice -who Biana deduced must be Shock- called sounding strained. “Help us! This thing is heavy.”

The sound of four young women grunting caused one of the attendants to snicker. Gisela glared at him, barely hiding her own amusement.

“If you must know,” Cyan said confidentiality. “Lady Gisela wanted it to be moved to another tent and for you two to guard it, since you are so skilled.”

“Why would she want it guarded?” Shock asked.

Biana couldn’t see Bramble, but she could imagine her shrug. 

“Something about a girl falling out of it. It didn’t sound very convincing to me. Her majesty should work on her lying.”

“Maybe it’s some sort of treasure,” Cyan suggested. 

“Books?” Constellation and Shock asked eagerly. 

The whole tent filled with snickering as their voices slowly faded.

“Shock and Constellation are great,” Lady Gisela said, wiping tears from her eyes. “But both of them have decided to join Keefe and Marella in a prank war. Probably the only reason we’re still alive is that my son got captured.”

Biana finished Sophie’s braid and tied it back into a bun as the Thread Seer sucked in a breath.

“Keefe is fine,” she murmured reassuringly. 

“He’s already died once,” Sophie protested. “He isn’t as invincible as you think.”

“Trust me, Sophie,” Lady Gisela said. “You would know if he was gone. It’s part of our gift.”

Sophie’s eyebrows practically flew off her face. “ Our gift?”

The lady of Candleshade sighed. “Come on,” she said, dramatically exiting the tent. We have much to discuss.”

Sophie and Biana glanced at each other and shrugged.

***

Biana wasn’t quite sure how she ended up on a walk with quite possibly the most dangerous woman in the world. Well, she didn’t look particularly dangerous, but she was the leader of the Neverseen…

Maybe she was only dangerous in Biana’s reality. 

Biana shook her head to dislodge the thought. This was her reality now. The only reality that ever existed.  

But if this was the only reality, why could she still remember the other one?

“Confusing, isn’t it?” Lady Gisela asked with a smirk. “I remember the feeling. I woke up one morning with a whole other life in my brain. A whole other me . Does that make sense?”

Biana shook her head, and Keefe’s mother laughed. “You’re right. It doesn’t.”

“I feel so out of place here,” Biana admitted. “It sounds like you and Sophie at least remember living this life. I don’t. It’s like I woke up in another person’s body and everyone is expecting me to act like her, but I can’t.”

Lady Gisela’s brow furrowed. 

“Vespera’s last revenge,” she muttered, cursing under her breath.

“Alright,” Sophie said, blocking them with her arms folded. “I’m dying of curiosity. What do you mean by our gift?”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Lady Gisela said in a motherly tone. “I’m not a Thread Seer.”

“That makes sense,” Sophie said thoughtfully. “I never would have suspected-”

“Cassius is.” Lady Gisela interrupted.

Biana felt her jaw fall open. Sophie’s mouth opened wider than Biana would have thought possible.

“Why do you think Vespera picked us?” Gisela asked, plucking a rose from a table nearby. “She hunted for all the Thread Seers. Some of them, like me and Cassuis, she replaced with her shadows.”

Biana froze when she spotted a familiar face. 

“Biana, don’t,” Sophie warned. 

Biana ignored her.

“Marella!” she called. “Marella! Over here!”

The petite blonde spun around a confused expression on her face.

“Hello?” she said, glancing curiously between the odd trio.

“Marella, it’s me,” Biana exclaimed. “I was so worried about you.”

The girl stared blankly back at her.

“Is everything alright?” Biana asked. 

Marella blinked once. Twice.

“I’m sorry,” she said finally, twisting one of her tiny braids nervously. “But… am I supposed to know you?”

Biana would have laughed at the joke. Of course, Marella knew her.

But her confusion seemed genuine.

“Is this a prank?” Tam’s soulmate demanded. “Did Constellation put you up to this?”

Biana shook her head, laying a hand on Marella’s arm. 

“It’s me. Biana . Remember?”

The girl gave Biana a smile that was a bit exasperated and a bit pitying as she shrugged her off. 

“Is she quite alright?” she asked Lady Gisela in a loud whisper. 

“She’s fine,” Gisela whispered back. “I think. But she fell off her horse and hit her head rather hard. Now she’s convinced she loved a whole other life. I’m taking her to Physic. It’s probably best if you keep your distance.”

Marella nodded, shooting Biana a pitying look.

“It was nice, uh, meeting you, Biana,” she said awkwardly, turning and sprinting towards a tent in the distance.

Biana watched her go, her heart sinking.

“She didn’t recognize me,” she said in a hollow voice.

“I know,” Lady Gisela said, leading her away. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”

Biana glanced back at Marella one last time.

“You have your own life to live and she has hers,” Keefe’s mom reminded her. “It’s best to let her go.”

Biana knew she was right.

But it still stung.

Chapter Text

Shock and Constellation each had a grip on one of his elbows. Luckily there were only two of them because Dex only had two elbows.

“Umm… where are you taking me?” he asked.

“Don’t ask questions,” Shock said, in a tone that sounded like she was trying not to laugh.

“What she said,” Constellation agreed, trying to sound gruff but failing. 

“Trying to act stern is harder than it sounds,” she whispered to her partner. 

“Just, stay in character until the book is over,” Shock whispered back, adjusting the pin on her cloak. Dex wasn’t sure what that meant. He must have heard her wrong.

“Come on,” Constellation said, yanking him left.

Dex watched the Neverseen camp go by in fascination. It was so colorful for a terrorist camp, where the group logo was black and white.

What looked like a message center was full of multicolored parrots with tiny sacks in their talons quickly passed in and out of view, followed by a bakery, an armory and…

Was that a school ?

Dex wasn’t sure why he was so surprised. After all, the Neverseen was a large organization. But the camp looked temporary, and the familiar sight of the six towers of Rimeshire castle told him why.

Stay focused, he ordered himself.  Keep on the lookout for your first chance to escape-

And there she was. 

Biana was laughing and talking with a middle-aged woman, and a girl who looked a little like Keefe’s soulmate. She hadn’t noticed him yet, but Dex froze in place.

She was perfect. She didn't look like a girl who had been dying in his arms only an hour ago.

 “Why did you…?” Shock’s voice trailed off when she saw where his gaze was locked.

 “Could that be the famous Biana?” Constellation asked.

“I think so,” Shock whispered back.”Now that I’m thinking about it, wasn’t Biana the name of the girl he was courting when they both ran off. Rumor has it they eloped.”

“Apparently they were getting lost in mirrors instead,” Constellation said.

And then Biana glanced up, her face twisting as it was trying to figure out whether to be thrilled or guarded.

***

Biana felt all of her emotions finally collapse like an ancient bridge that had been crossed one too many times as soon as she saw Dex.

Don’t get your hopes up, she told herself. It might be the wrong Dex.

She ordered her heart to stop fluttering as soon as she saw him, but hearts were such pesky things.

He noticed her noticing him, and his face lit up.

It was as if someone had poured a bucket of sunlight over Biana’s head, warming her to the toes and making her tingle with joy.

Two guards blocked him with their swords as he tried to run towards her.

“Oh, let him through,” Lady Gisela said, waving her hand dismissively. The guard’s faces flushed, but Biana didn’t notice. She was already running towards him.

They met in the middle since Dex had made up for his lost time with the unfair advantage of longer legs.

“Biana,” he said her name like an oath as he tackled her in a huge bear hug.

“Dex,” she giggled, melting into his embrace.

“I was so worried you were gone,” he said, hugging her so tightly that an army of chariots couldn’t pull them apart. “When I lost you in the mirror I thought you had faded, and I was so scared. I’ve never been that scared in my life.”

Something wet trickled down her cheek, and she realized she was crying. And so was Dex.

Both of them were shaking with sobs of relief.

They collapsed, clenching each other as if their lives depended on it. Both of them were sobbing like children in front of a bunch of strangers from an alternate reality and not caring because they were both safe .

And they were together.

At last.

“How are we still alive?” Dex asked. 

“Vespera wasn’t counting on you picking the dark mirror, so she didn’t finish the trap. All you had to do was keep walking and you would eventually walk straight off the edge of the mirror.”

Biana ignored Sophie’s “Aww! Look how cute they are,” focusing only on this shy, gentle, perfect boy, who was holding her like she was the most precious object in the world.

She finally pried her face away from his shoulder (even though she didn’t want to) and stared into his beautiful periwinkle eyes.

“You better be about to kiss me,” she whispered.

“So you want me to?” he whispered back, adorably hesitant. “I didn’t think you would want our first kiss to be in front of a bunch of members of the Neverseen and your best friend.”

Biana shrugged. “We’ve also just defeated the greatest villain the world has ever known. And we’re both alive. Sounds perfect.”

Dex hesitated for one more second before leaning down and 

OH

MY 

GOODNESS.

Minstrels and storytellers could never quite get the description of a soulmate first kiss correct, but whatever they did say couldn’t possibly describe this .

Every single sunrise and sunset, every heartbreak and joy, every single word of the story of Biana’s life had led up to this moment. The climax she didn’t know she needed.

Biana hugged him, and they hung there for a moment, two stars colliding in an explosion of celestial majesty.

And then they both wobbled, collapsing to the grass in a heap of giggles. 

“Well…” Lady Gisela said awkwardly. “Are you two done? It’s time we rescue my son.”

Dex grinned and got to his feet. He grabbed Biana’s hand and pulled her up beside him. Hand and hand they faced the future.

It may not have been the future they had expected, but it was theirs.

And this time, no one was going to take it from them.

Chapter Text

“Don’t you dare start having doubts now,” Keres ordered, adjusting a flap of Biana’s gown that returned to the exact same position two seconds later.

Biana wasn’t quite sure how she and the girl who had been her stepsister in another reality had become friends, but she was grateful for the company. She only got to see Sophie once or twice a year, now that she was the queen of Candleshade (unless they were saving the world, of course), and she hadn’t seen Maruca since Nightfall.

“Exactly,” Sophie agreed. “I’ve seen enough soulmates to know that you and Dex are perfect for each other.”

Biana grinned up at her friends. 

“My brother is so in love,” Queen Hex agreed from where she was trying to make a last minute decision between two brooches that looked identical to Biana. “Calm down. It’s your wedding day. It’s supposed to be the happiest day of your life.”

Biana glared at her sister in law. “Don’t you dare. You were the one stressing over whether the flowers in the great hall matched the beads on your gown.”

Keres’ cheeks flushed from embarrassment. “And sorry, your majesty, but they actually were several shades lighter.”
Hex spun around in mock horror. “Keres, I expected so much better from you.”

Keres winced. “I would appreciate it if you would start getting used to calling me Ciana. I’m sick of being named ‘evil spirit.’ I’m legally changing it after the wedding.”

“Right in time for you to marry Galen, right?” Sophie asked. “Ciana Heslege. I like it!”

“Back to the point,” Hex interrupted. “If I could survive dear Ciana lying to me about the flowers, you can survive this.”

“Somehow this isn’t making me feel better,” Biana joked. “What are you hiding?”
“Nothing,” the trio said in unison, confirming her suspicion.

“Spill,” she ordered.

“Fine,” Sophie sighed. “Just, don’t freak out.” She made her way to the door and unlatched it. In stepped… Maruca?

“Hi,” the girl said shyly. “Sorry I couldn't make it until now. It’s a long story, but the short version involves a curse, an apple, seven dwarfs and your brother.”

“Maruca!” Biana cried. “I would hug you right now, but-”

“I’m holding her hostage in this dress,” Keres (or Ciana apparently) interrupted.

“I know this is kind of a bad time, with it being your wedding day and all,” Maruca said hesitantly. “But Fitz sent me to tell you that apparently Dex has been kidnapped.”

“Please tell me this is a joke,” Hex begged.

Maruca shook her head. “This man stepped out of a mirror and grabbed him. His hands were on fire and everything.”

In spite of herself, Biana grinned. 

“Ciana, help me get this off,” she said, accidentally tearing part of the priceless gown in her rush. She slipped on a tunic, and double checked that her vial of silver was still strapped to her thigh. As the Empress of the Realms of Silver and Glass, she dealt with these things every other week. There was no chance her opponents were taking a day off for her wedding, so why should she?

She scribbled a quick note to whoever was supposed to grab them, and glanced back at her friends. 

“I’m going to need some help this time,” she said, tossing a bundle of more practical clothing to them. “Dex and I haven’t confronted Fintan since the time he threatened to burn Havenfield.”

The girls pulled the tunics over their heads and armed themselves with daggers and tiny bottles of molten glass.

“Hold on,” she ordered, double checking that everyone was secured as part of the chain.

Then she took her hand and thrust it into the nearest mirror.