Crown of Shadows

The golden trident pulsed in Valen’s grip, its light slicing through the black waters like fire beneath the sea. He raised it at Nerida, his growl vibrating in the currents until even the fish scattered. In this vast cathedral of water and silence, he had taken everything he thought was denied him — power, fear, a throne. But none of it quieted the old ache in his chest.

Memories pressed in, unbidden: his father’s cold, measuring stare. The way his mother had turned her face when he begged for approval. His brother, always chosen, always shining while Valen was shut away, condemned as dangerous, worthless. He had been left in the dark for so long that the shadows themselves had claimed him. And now — now he wore them as a crown.

Yet even a crown could feel heavy.

“Valen!” Nerida’s voice cut through his storm. Her hair billowed around her, silver with a faint blue sheen, her eyes as sharp and blue as jewels. “You’re not thinking of killing me, are you? After everything we’ve been through? You said I was your empress!”

The word cracked through his fury. Empress. For a heartbeat, he faltered, staring at her — at the only one who had ever stood beside him. The only one who had ever called him more than a monster.

The trident’s reflection caught his eye. What stared back was not a king, but a nightmare: scales, claws, teeth, blood-red eyes that glowed with fury instead of love. His breath hitched.

“Nerida…” His voice was raw, broken.

She drifted closer, cautious but unafraid. “Are you okay?” she asked softly.

The question pierced him deeper than the trident ever could. He swallowed hard, his chest tightening. At last, the words came out, halting, reluctant: “Yes.” Then, sharper, almost spat: “But look at me. I’m a monster.”

With that, he tore his gaze from hers and turned away, tail lashing violently. The current between them roared as he pushed himself back into the dark. “You should stay away! Everyone always did. My parents. My brother. They looked at me and saw nothing but a failure — a danger. And they were right.” His voice cracked. “I don’t deserve anyone at my side.”

He tried to vanish into the gloom, into the comfort of solitude. But before he could escape, Nerida surged forward, catching his arm in a firm grip. Her touch burned against his skin, not with power, but with defiance.

“Don’t you dare,” she said, her voice trembling but fierce. “Don’t you dare call yourself that. You’re not a monster to me, Valen. You’re the one who fought to be seen when everyone else turned their backs. You’re the one who clawed your way out of their chains. They were blind. I’m not. I see you.”

The words wrapped around him like warmth, startling, dangerous warmth. His chest tightened. The trident’s light flickered. His monstrous form wavered, dissolving as the energy drained out of him. His shoulders sagged. His face softened. Long black hair with deep teal streaks spilled free around him as the jagged sea-beast shrank back into the man he once was.

Exhausted, trembling, he collapsed into her arms. For a moment he could barely breathe, the silence pressing down like the whole ocean had turned its gaze on him.

“I… I don’t understand,” he whispered, eyes half-closed. “Why do you care?”

Nerida brushed her fingers across his cheek, her lips curving into a faint smile — softer than he had ever seen her. “Because you’re worth caring about. Worth loving.”

For a heartbeat, he couldn’t speak. Then, with a voice stripped of pride, stripped of rage, he whispered, “My empress.”

“My emperor,” she replied.

Their lips met, and in the dark of the ocean, surrounded by silence and shadows, Valen felt something he had never known before. Not power. Not revenge. Belonging.