Sera's Pov
The guard who Lucian had sent to escort me out of the main building was silent the entire way, and honestly, I didn't mind. I needed the silence. My mind was still racing, my heart still fluttering from the interaction I'd just had.
Lucian said yes.
He actually agreed to forge a weapon for me.
I kept replaying the conversation in my head like it was some strange dream. I'd gone in, unsure if I'd even get past the front doors, and somehow walked out with permission to have a weapon custom-forged. And not just that—Lucian, the one in my waking life… teased me? That smug, infuriating, emotionally constipated male actually teased me. Said I couldn't go to the gathering without a weapon, just to watch me nearly lose my cool, before granting permission anyway with that same damn emotionless face of his.
It made absolutely no sense.
But at least I was getting somewhere now. I had a plan. A weapon was coming. Finally.
When I returned to the training ground, the instructor who had helped me earlier spotted me from across the clearing. He raised an eyebrow and walked over.
"Well?" he asked simply.
"Yes," I nodded, still a little breathless. "I spoke to him. I told him I wanted a weapon custom created and he agreed to have one forged for me. So, I won't need to choose from the regular stock anymore."
He gave a curt nod, no congratulations or surprise, just a small pat on my shoulder before gesturing toward the rest of the group. "Back to it, then."
Training was still in full swing, the clang of metal echoing in the air, sweat gleaming off bodies under the sun. I scanned the crowd until I spotted Kael—shirtless, of course—doing some sort of inverted push-up like he didn't just spar for an hour straight with the other trainees yesterday. Show-off.
I walked over and stood, my feet close to his head.
He glanced up at me upside-down, sweat dripping into his hair.
"Decided to grace us with your presence, princess?"
I rolled my eyes and nudged him with my foot.
He smirked. "Was that a love tap or an actual kick? Because I expected more force if it was the latter."
I nudged harder.
He fell onto his back with a groan, laughing. "There she is."
I offered him my hand, which he took, hoisting himself up with an easy pull.
"I had something to take care of," I muttered, brushing dirt off my training pants.
He arched a brow. "Something more important than watching me work out? I'm shocked."
"Lucian," I said simply.
Kael's smirk dropped. "What about him?"
I explained where I'd gone, what happened. I even told him about the weapon—well, most of it, leaving out the dream details and the awkward... tension. Kael listened, arms folded across his chest, head tilted slightly like he was trying to read between my words.
When I finished, he ruffled my hair. "Well, I'm glad you got to see your man."
I narrowed my eyes at him. "He's not—" I stopped. There was no point. "Whatever."
He grinned like a fox. "Come with me after training."
"Where?"
"You'll see."
I gave him a suspicious look, but he only turned away with a smug grin and returned to his workout. I rolled my eyes and got to mine, but curiosity itched at me the rest of the afternoon.
Later, when the sun had dipped and training was over, Kael found me near the water buckets.
"Ready?" he asked.
"For what?"
"You really don't know, do you?" He laughed. "You've been so buried in your weapon quest you missed the biggest gossip. We've been granted a pass to explore other parts of the fortress—especially the market. It's prep for the gathering. Everyone's out buying clothes and accessories."
"Oh." I blinked. "I didn't know."
"Clearly." He gave me a mock scolding look. "You've been living in the armory."
He didn't give me time to respond before grabbing my wrist and tugging me along. "Come on. You need something to wear. Unless you want to show up in those sweat-stained pants, which, by the way, are not doing your hips any favors."
I gasped. "Excuse you?"
"You heard me."
The fortress market was nothing like I expected.
It wasn't like the ones back home with earthy stalls and wooden carts. This market was luxury—stone floors, soft music drifting from hidden corners, stalls carved into the fortress walls with glass fronts and glowing lights. Even the scent was different—lavender, sandalwood, cinnamon. A touch of magic humming in the air.
Kael led me from one stall to another, occasionally holding up something he claimed "screamed alpha princess," which usually translated to outrageous frills or excessive sparkles.
"No," I said for the tenth time, shoving a feathered gown out of my face.
"What? It's dramatic. You'd look good being dramatic."
"Kael, I will set you on fire."
He laughed and carried more options over his shoulder anyway.
Truth was, most of the things I tried on looked good. Some even made me pause and stare. But I couldn't decide. Everything either felt too much or not enough. Too tight, too loose, too obvious, too plain.
And Kael? Completely useless since I rejected his suggestions. No matter what I wore, his response was, "Looks great."
"Could you be more helpful?" I groaned as I came out in yet another dress.
"I am being helpful. Moral support. And I'm carrying things. I'm practically a knight."
"You're a furniture rack with a smart mouth."
"I've been called worse."
The sky began to darken, and stall owners started folding up displays. Panic crept in. I still didn't have anything.
"Try that blue one again," Kael said suddenly, pointing to a dress I'd tried earlier and dismissed. "The soft one, with the slit."
I hesitated. "You liked that one?"
"I liked all of them," he said, then smirked. "But that one... that one made your eyes pop. And it looked like you."
I wasn't sure what that meant, but I grabbed it anyway and slipped it back on.
Looking at myself in the mirror this time... I saw what he meant. It was soft and strong at the same time. Flowing but defined. It hugged me in the right places and flared just enough. It didn't scream alpha or warrior or mate. It screamed me.
"Okay," I said, smoothing the fabric down. "This one."
"About time," he sighed, dramatically pretending to collapse. "I almost died of old age."
"Shut up."
Later that night, after returning to my room and placing the dress gently on a chair, I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.
Two days from now, I'd see my father.
I just hoped I was ready.