The next morning, everything feels quiet.
Not the scary kind of quiet. The soft kind. Like the castle is holding its breath.
I sit up slowly in bed. My hands shake a little, but not from fear. From hope.
Last night, I touched Kael.
He didn't burn.
He didn't flinch.
The curse stopped moving.
And he leaned into my hand like he needed it.
I stand up and get dressed. The room is cold, but I don't care. My heart feels warm.
I choose a simple dress and pull my cloak around me. Then I leave my room and walk through the hallway.
I'm not sure where I'm going. I just follow the light.
It leads me to the sun courtyard. The place where the frost doesn't bite as hard. Where small flowers still bloom.
And Kael is there.
He's kneeling by a patch of yellow blossoms, brushing the snow off them.
He looks peaceful.
"Morning," I say.
He turns. His eyes meet mine.
"Aria," he says.
My name sounds different when he says it. Softer.
"You remembered," I whisper.
He stands. "I never forgot."
I smile. He doesn't smile back, but his eyes are gentle.
He takes a step toward me, then pauses. "Can I show you something?"
"What is it?"
He looks up at the tall tower covered in vines. "A place I used to go. Before the curse."
I nod. "Okay."
He doesn't hold my hand. But he walks beside me.
We climb the stone steps of the tower. The door creaks as it opens.
Dust floats in the air. The room smells like old wood and magic.
The walls are covered in paintings.
"This was my mother's tower," Kael says. "She loved stories."
I walk slowly, looking at the murals. Some show Kael as a child. Others show the castle, full of light.
There's a stag with golden eyes.
"She painted this?" I ask.
"Yes."
"It's beautiful."
"She believed in hope," Kael says. "Even when everything fell apart."
We stop in front of a different painting.
It's darker. Rough. Painted in pain.
It shows Kael with red eyes and shadows around him.
"You painted this," I say.
He nods. "The night I lost her."
I don't know what to say. So I don't say anything.
After a moment, he speaks again.
"She tried to stop them. The High Council. But they didn't listen. They thought I was dangerous."
He stares at the painting, not blinking.
"She died protecting me."
I reach for his hand.
He flinches. But he doesn't pull away.
"You're not dangerous," I whisper.
His eyes flick to mine. "You don't know that."
"I do."
I hold his hand tighter. He lets me.
We stood there for a long time. Just holding hands.
Then we leave the tower and walk back together.
He doesn't speak much, but he walks close to me.
Later that day, I went to the stables.
One of the stable boys told me a magical beast was hurt. A gryphion.
It's curled in the corner of the pen, breathing hard.
I kneel beside it. "Hey," I say softly. "I'm here to help."
It growls low, but doesn't move away.
I place my hand on its side.
My power hums.
Warm. Calm.
I close my eyes and let the energy flow.
When I open them, the wound is gone.
The gryphion blinks at me. Then it rests its head.
I hear a sound behind me.
Kael.
He's standing there, shocked.
"You healed it," he says.
"I guess I did."
"That's not possible. No one's healed a magical beast since—"
"Since the curse," I finish for him.
He walks toward me. The gryphion lifts its head, then lays it down again.
Calm. Safe.
"You're changing things," Kael says quietly.
"I'm just doing what I can."
"No," he says. "It's more than that."
He kneels beside me.
"You're waking something up. In me. In the castle."
His voice is soft. Honest.
I look at him. For once, he isn't hiding.
"I don't know what's happening," I say. "But I'm not afraid anymore."
He nods. "Me neither."
We sit there beside the gryphion.
Two people who were once strangers.
Now something else.
Something softer.
Something growing.
Maybe it's not love yet.
But it's the beginning of it.
And that's enough for now.