No Escape From Fate

"Some even claim he's an alpha werewolf, one of the first and oldest. It's not impossible-some mages here can shift into animal forms and are what we call 'dual-faced.' Whatever the truth is, no one really knows anymore. But one thing is certain: Karadeylis has ruled for centuries, unchallenged."

Alaya sighed, brushing a strand of dark hair from her face. "To be fair, he governs wisely. Our people live well-no poverty, no beggars. He's a strong sorcerer and a proven warrior. Every few decades, foolish invaders from neighboring kingdoms try to attack us... and every time, Karadeylis crushes them. These days, such conflicts have nearly stopped altogether.

"The most remarkable thing," she added, lowering her voice, "is that the king never leaves his castle. Not once. When enemies come, he strikes them down with his magic from the tallest tower. Or he lends his power to his generals so they can fight in his name. For the last hundred years or so, he seems to have grown... bored. And that's when he decided to take a wife."

I sat perfectly still, like a mouse cornered by fate, listening to every word that might help me avoid becoming one of those missing brides.

Lost in my thoughts, I realized I had been sitting idle for far too long. Quickly dressing in the clothes provided to me, I went to the kitchen, where the lady of the house was already waiting.

"Alaya, please," I pleaded softly, "tell me everything you know about my upcoming fate-and... about your world."

"I figured as much-you're definitely not from around here," Alaya smiled faintly, unsurprised by my request. "Alright then, listen carefully."

From her story, I learned that everything here was vastly different from Earth, though there were also surprising similarities. Honestly, I felt this world wasn't exactly another planet, but rather a parallel universe closely tied to ours-too many details matched.

As we spoke, it grew dark outside-or at least as dark as it ever got here. The day here lasted twenty-seven hours, and the nights weren't truly dark, more like twilight. The light came from several moons and a sun that never fully set.

The brighter star, the one that completely dipped beyond the horizon, was called the Sun, while the dimmer one was Volar-it didn't disappear entirely, hovering low over the horizon even at night.

This planet, oddly enough, was also called Earth. The satellite seen at night was Luna, while the one visible both day and night in all its glory was Latz. Their year had twelve months too, though each month lasted forty-four days. Hours and seconds, thank heavens, matched ours. The week still had seven days with the same names. What a strange world... I still had so much to learn.

"As I mentioned," Alaya continued, "our king, Karadeylis, is a great mage." Her tone grew more serious. "He has ruled these lands for centuries-many generations of people have lived and died under his reign. How exactly he came to power remains a mystery. Some say he murdered the previous royal family and took their place. Others insist he's one of their secret descendants. And there are those who whisper that dark magic was involved-that he's an ancient alpha werewolf himself. That theory isn't far-fetched-some mages can take on other forms and become dual-natured beings. Whatever the truth, it's long been buried under centuries of rumors. What matters is that Karadeylis has remained the ruler for ages."

"To be fair," she added thoughtfully, "he governs wisely and efficiently. There are no homeless or starving people here. He's a powerful warrior as well as a mage, proven in countless battles. Occasionally, reckless fools from other kingdoms still try to attack us, but Karadeylis always emerges victorious. These days, conflicts are almost nonexistent. What's most curious is that he never leaves his castle. He doesn't need to-he can strike down enemies with his magic from the tallest tower or lend his power to his generals to fight in his stead.

"I suppose, after a hundred years or so of peace, he's grown bored. That's why he decided to take a wife."

I sat quietly, listening to every word, trying to absorb anything that might help me avoid becoming one of the "missing candidates."