Princess Of The Skulls - Chapter 25: Chapter 25

Dawn was breaking over the castle as we emerged from the depths, my grandfather leaning heavily on my arm while Prince Aldric supported his other side. The great hall was a battlefield of overturned tables and bloodstained tapestries, but the surviving guards and servants were already beginning to clean up the aftermath of our fight with the cultists.
Captain Thorne met us at the entrance, his weathered face showing relief when he saw we were alive.
"Princess, Your Highness—the castle is secure. Most of the cultists surrendered when they felt their leader's death."
I nodded, though part of my attention remained focused on the steady pulse of demonic energy far below. The binding held firm, anchored by the soul-bond that now connected Aldric and me more intimately than marriage ever could.
"What of the survivors?" I asked.
"Imprisoned in the lower dungeons. They're asking for mercy in exchange for information about other cells."
"Grant it," I decided. "We need to know how far this conspiracy has spread."
As we made our way to my chambers, I became aware of how the binding had changed us. Every step sent small ripples of magic through the stone floor, and I could sense the life forces of everyone in the castle like distant candle flames. Most unsettling of all, I could feel Aldric's presence as clearly as my heartbeat.
Are you all right? His voice whispered in my mind.
I think so. You?
I feel different. Stronger, but also responsible for something vast.
We helped my grandfather to the guest chambers, where the castle's physician was summoned to tend to his injuries. Twenty years of magical torture had left their mark, but he was alive, and that was what mattered.
"Rest now," I told him as the physician began his examination. "We'll talk more when you've recovered."
Malachar caught my wrist with surprising strength. "Seraphina, what you and the prince have done—the binding will hold as long as you both live, but it will also change you. The demonic energies you're containing will leave their mark."
"What kind of mark?" Aldric asked, moving closer to my side.
"Power. Dark power that grows stronger with time. You'll need to be careful not to let it consume you."
I squeezed my grandfather's hand. "We'll face whatever comes. Together."
Alone in my chambers at last, Aldric and I sat before the fireplace, both of us struggling to process everything that had happened. The soul-bond hummed between us, carrying emotions and thoughts we weren't quite ready to share.
"We're married now," I said quietly. "In the most binding way possible."
"More than married," Aldric replied. "Our souls are intertwined."
I turned to study his face in the firelight. "Do you regret it?"
"No." His answer came without hesitation. "Do you?"
"I thought I would. I've spent my entire life fighting against being controlled by others, and now I'm bound to you in a way that can never be broken."
"But?"
"But it was my choice. Our choice. And that makes all the difference."
He reached for my hand, and when our fingers intertwined, I felt a surge of warmth that had nothing to do with magic. "What happens now? We've saved both kingdoms, but at what cost to ourselves?"
"We learn to live with power we never asked for," I said. "We find a way to rule justly while keeping the demons contained. And we hope that the love between us stays stronger than the darkness we're holding back."
Aldric lifted our joined hands to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss to my knuckles. "I love you, Seraphina. Not because of magic or political necessity, but because of who you are."
"I love you too," I admitted, the words feeling strange but right on my tongue. "Though I still don't know if I'm the kind of person who can be loved without destroying everything around me."
"We'll figure it out together," he said. "We have time."
But even as he spoke, I felt the first whisper of demonic influence trying to seep through our mental connection. The binding was strong, but it wasn't perfect. The darkness below would spend eternity testing our resolve, looking for cracks in our united will.
Are you feeling that? I asked through our bond.
The whispers? Yes.
Can you resist them?
With you beside me, I can resist anything.
I hoped he was right. Because as the sun rose fully over the kingdom we had saved, I could already feel
The demons are beginning their long campaign to corrupt us from within.
The real battle was just beginning.