Chapter 6 – The Knight's Choice
From the novel Oaths and Orchids by Makoto
The moonlight filtered through the heavy clouds as Vileal stood beside his steed, breath shallow from the sprint that had led him and Princess Selene to the edge of the forest. Her silken gown was torn, her cheeks flushed from the adrenaline, but her eyes were steady now—quiet flames beneath her storm-dark lashes.
Behind them, the soft thunder of hooves rolled closer. The royal army.
"They've found us," she whispered, chest rising and falling as she leaned against a tree.
Vileal's sword was still in his hand, blood drying on the blade from the skirmish back at the old bridge. He had killed for her—for the princess who now looked less like royalty and more like a frightened girl desperate to keep her soul intact.
"You should go back," she said. Her voice didn't waver, but her hands curled into fists. "If you're caught with me, you'll be branded a traitor."
"I chose to help you escape," Vileal answered, not moving from her side. "That makes me one already."
Selene looked away, hiding her face beneath loose strands of raven hair. "Why?" she asked. "Why would you throw away your title—your future—for me?"
The question struck deeper than any blade.
Because when he'd first seen her in the throne room, silent and icy under her father's command, he'd thought her proud. But the more time he spent near her—the more he witnessed the cracks behind her sharp words and noble mask—the more he saw someone who hadn't been given a choice in years.
And now, for once, she had one. So did he.
"I was never loyal to the crown," Vileal said, finally. "Only to what I thought was right. And right now, that's you."
The silence between them thickened, broken only by the distant clatter of approaching soldiers. Selene stepped closer, barely a foot between them.
"I don't know what you're hoping for," she murmured, voice low. "I'm still a princess. Even if I escape, even if I survive, I'm not someone you can save."
"You don't need saving." Vileal's eyes locked with hers. "You just need someone to stand with you."
It wasn't romantic. It wasn't dramatic. It was a vow—one quiet and fierce and full of meaning.
Selene's throat bobbed as she swallowed. Then she nodded once.
"All right," she whispered. "Then let's run."
Without another word, they mounted his horse. The sound of pursuit grew louder, steel ringing through the trees, but Vileal didn't look back. The princess pressed against his back, arms tight around him. For the first time since he'd drawn a sword, his heart wasn't in the fight—it was in the promise.
The forest swallowed them, shadows dancing with every thunderous hoofbeat. Behind them, the kingdom stirred with fury.
But ahead—somewhere in the unknown—was freedom.
And Vileal had made his choice.