Chapter Text
The First Meeting
The prince’s breath came in shallow bursts as his pulse raced in his ears.
His eyes were wild, darting over the faces in the crowd, searching for something — or someone — that had eluded him for so long. His hands shook as he remembered his stack of hastily drawn sketches, the remnants of months of pain and desperation. His family was nearby, their royal composure radiating from them, but it was all meaningless in this moment. All that mattered was her.
He had to find her.
His mind was still whirling from the vision he'd just had—how the kidnapper had shaken his hand only moments before. The sickening feeling of recognition flooded him: he knew. He knew that man was the one who had taken her.
The one who had hurt her.
His body moved before he could fully process, tearing himself away from his family’s attempts to calm him. He felt a grip on his arm, his security team trying to pull him back, but it was too late — his feet were already moving, his legs pushing him forward with the raw instinct of someone who would not be denied.
The crowd looked in confusion as he sprinted through the streets, not knowing where he was going, only that he had to get there. He ran past buildings, through narrow alleyways, until, like a beacon in the distance, it appeared. The house.
The house from his drawings.
It was exactly as he had seen it. He could still feel the blood from his head bleeding in a strange, shared sensation. His heart hammered against his chest as he skidded to a halt in front of the gate.
This was it.
His gaze locked on the high fence surrounding the property, a wall that seemed to mock him with its height. Desperation surged through him like a tidal wave. He didn’t think; he just moved. He reached for the top of the fence, his fingers grazing the cold metal, but before he could pull himself over, hands grasped his arms.
“You can’t — Your Highness, it’s too dangerous!” a guard shouted, his grip firm and strong.
The prince fought against the restraint, his muscles straining, his heart threatening to burst out of his chest. “I have to,” he hissed, his voice raw, panicked. “She's in there".
“You’ll jeopardize everything,” the guard insisted, his voice a firm whisper. But it wasn’t enough to stop him.
His eyes searched the surroundings again, the house standing tall before him, almost taunting him with its silence. And then — his father’s arms, strong and steady, wrapped around him, pulling him back, holding him close. The prince
struggled for a moment, wild with the need toact, but the warmth of his father’s embrace grounded him, even in his madness.
“It’s okay,” his father whispered, his voice steady, calm. “She’s going to be okay. The police is going inside. They’ll save her.”
The prince’s eyes locked onto the door of the house, as if willing it to open, to reveal her. His heart clenched, but he didn’t pull away. He knew his father was right, but he couldn’t stop the overwhelming ache inside of him.
He barely registered the sound of police sirens, or the flashing lights that surrounded the house like a storm. His entire focus was on the door.
And then, as if in slow motion, it opened.
A figure emerged, her face pale, bruised, and utterly exhausted — but alive.
Their gazes met for the first time, and time seemed to still. Her eyes —green and full of untold stories — locked with his, and he felt a weight lift off his chest, even as the rest of the world fell away. In that single moment, everything made sense.
The bond, the connection he had felt every day for months, now came to life in full force. Every bruise she had felt, every ache and pain, every tear — he had felt it too. And now… now, there she was, right before him.
Her hand trembled as she took a step, and he was already moving toward her, the world be damned.
He reached out, his fingers grazing hers, the contact almost too much to bear. She blinked at him, her lips trembling, but she didn’t say anything. She didn’t need to. They had already said everything they needed to in that one
shared moment.
The ambulance was there, but the prince was beside her, just a few steps behind, his hand never leaving hers.
They didn’t need words to understand.
There was no need to explain.They were soulmates.