Beyond the Glass Tower

Prologue

In the kingdom of Eryndale, where rivers shimmered with gold at sunset and marble towers kissed the sky, love was a privilege, not a right. Marriages were woven from politics, and commoners could only dream of royalty from afar.

Lior, a blacksmith’s son, had no place in the halls of nobles. Yet, from the moment he saw Princess Seraphina, he knew his heart would never belong to another.

But love was not always kind to those who defied fate.

---Chapter 1: A Glance Across the Courtyard

Lior first saw her at the Summer Festival, when the palace gates opened to the common folk. He was no more than a blacksmith’s apprentice, his hands rough from working the forge. But when his gaze met Seraphina’s beneath the great glass tower, his world shifted.

She was more than just a princess—there was something in her eyes, a silent yearning, a longing for something beyond the marble walls that confined her.

He knew he should have bowed and turned away.

Instead, he held her gaze.

And when she smiled, something inside him shattered.

---

Chapter 2: A Whisper in the Dark

Days passed, but the memory of her haunted him. He found himself drawn to the palace gardens at night, watching the flickering candlelight from her chamber.

One night, he was caught.

Not by a guard, but by Seraphina herself.

"You shouldn't be here," she whispered from the balcony, but there was no anger in her voice.

"Then tell me to leave," he murmured.

She hesitated—then let a handkerchief slip from her fingers. He caught it, holding it close.

A promise. A secret. A love unspoken.

---

Chapter 3: The King’s Wrath

Rumors spread. A commoner had caught the princess’s attention. It was only a matter of time before the king heard.

Lior was dragged before the throne.

"You are a fool," King Aldric spat. "A blacksmith's son dares look at my daughter?"

Lior clenched his fists. "Love does not know rank."

The king's laughter was cold. "Then let me teach you the cost of defiance."

That night, Lior was thrown into the dungeons.

---

Chapter 4: A Love That Fights Back

Seraphina could not let him suffer. She bribed a guard, slipping through the palace like a ghost.

"You have to go," she whispered, unlocking his chains. "My father will never stop hunting you."

"But you—"

"I will find you again," she promised, pressing her hand to his. "I swear it."

So he fled, vanishing into the night.

The princess was left behind, but her heart went with him.

---

Chapter 5: The Exile and the Return

Lior wandered far from Eryndale, forging himself into something more than a blacksmith’s son. He learned the sword, fought in distant wars, and became a man worthy of standing beside a princess.

Years passed.

Then came the news—Seraphina was to be wed.

Not by choice, but by duty. A nobleman of cruel reputation had been chosen as her husband.

Lior would not let it happen.

---

Chapter 6: The Night Before the Wedding

The palace was heavily guarded, but Lior was no longer the boy who had once been thrown into its dungeons.

He slipped through the shadows, reaching Seraphina’s chamber.

"You came back," she whispered, tears in her eyes.

"I never left," he said.

She took his hand without hesitation.

They ran.

Through secret tunnels, past the palace gates, into the unknown.

---

Chapter 7: A Kingdom in Pursuit

The king’s fury was boundless. Soldiers were sent after them.

Through forests, across rivers, they fled. Every town was a trap, every shadow a threat.

But together, they were unbreakable.

They found sanctuary in a distant land, where titles meant nothing, where love was enough.

And when Seraphina turned to him beneath the rising sun and whispered, "I would have waited a lifetime for you,"

Lior smiled.

"Then it was all worth it."

---

Epilogue: A Love That Became Legend

Eryndale never saw them again, but their story was whispered through time.

A blacksmith’s son and a princess—two hearts that defied kings, fate, and the world itself.

A love never truly out of reach.

The End.