That night, Caelan threw a grand ball in her honor. He wanted to announce their engagement to the entire kingdom. Elara put on the most beautiful dress, a gown of silver and blue. She had the servants fix her hair and put diamonds around her neck.
She walked into the grand ballroom, and all eyes were on her. She looked like a princess, like a queen. But inside, she was in a storm of pain.
Caelan came to her, a wide smile on his handsome face. “You are exquisite,” he said, kissing her hand. “Are you ready to be my bride, my love?”
Elara looked into his eyes. She searched for the truth. “Caelan,” she whispered. “Do you love me?”
For a fraction of a second, she saw it. A flicker of something in his eyes. It was not love. It was guilt. It was a plan. Then, just as quickly, it was gone.
“With all my heart,” he said smoothly.
And Elara knew. The truth was as cold as the sea that had swallowed Aethelgard. He would never love her. He only loved power. The Heart.
She smiled a brave, broken smile. “Of course you do,” she said. “And I have a surprise for you. I found something today. Something you’ve been looking for.”
His eyes widened. He leaned in, his voice a hungry whisper. “What is it, my love? Tell me.”
“A pearl,” she said, her voice trembling. “A beautiful, glowing pearl. It’s hidden in a cave under the cliff. I’ll take you there.”
The lie felt like poison on her tongue. But the voice of Lyra was in her head, guiding her.
“He must not be allowed to touch the Heart himself. But you can take it. You must return it to the sea. To me. And break the curse.”
She led him down the secret stairs, under the moonlight. The waves were rough, crashing against the rocks. He followed her, his eyes greedy, his hands trembling with excitement.
They reached the pool in the cave. The pearl pulsed gently, casting a blue glow on their faces.
“There,” Elara said, pointing. “It’s just there.”
Caelan gasped. “The Heart of the Deep… It’s real… It’s all real…”
He approached the pool. But as he reached out his hand to grab the chain, a terrible thing happened.
A giant wave came crashing into the mouth of the cave. It filled the cavern with water, knocking them both off their feet.
In the confusion, Elara reached out and grabbed the pearl. It was warm and thrummed with power in her hand. She saw Caelan get swept away by the water, crashing against the wall of the cave. He was unconscious.
Elara had the pearl. She could escape. She could run away, hide it, give it to the sea like Lyra had asked.
But she looked at Caelan, lying there, unmoving. The water was rising. He was going to drown.
All the pain, all the betrayal, all the love she had felt for him—it all swirled in her heart. She should leave him. He deserved to die. He had used her.
But she remembered Lyra. She remembered that Lyra’s heartbreak had cursed the world. Maybe hatred wasn’t the answer. Maybe a heart as true as the one he broke meant a heart that could love even when it was betrayed.
She couldn’t let him die. Despite everything, she loved him. Her heart was true.
She swam over to him, fighting the strong current. She grabbed his collar and pulled him up, up, out of the sinking cave. She dragged him onto the beach, her body screaming with pain. She collapsed beside him, coughing up salt water.
He was alive. He was breathing. She had saved him.
And she still had the pearl.