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“Breathe,” he says. “You don’t have to go alone.” “I do,” I say. “I do. He’s not going to imprison me. He’s going to hang me, Quint. He’s going to do it as publicly as possible. He’ll hang anyone who comes with me, you know that—” “I do know that.” His voice is so quiet, his hands so gentle against my wrists. “I’ll go with you.” I stare into his eyes. I wasted so much time.
QUINT MY HEART
As I near the end, I look out the window at the darkness, thinking back on every moment I spent with my brother at my side. Every moment we’ll never have again.
SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP
“Haven’t you learned? Love changes things.”
corrick i’m loving these sweet moments but your brother is about to die and i can’t appreciate you as much as i want to
“We’re almost home,” he says. “I’ve missed Kandala so much.” He’s quiet for a moment. “Me too.” Longing fills his eyes, and when he says the words, I hear the weight in his voice. But it’s not Kandala that he’s missing so much. It’s his brother.
STOP
“You must go quickly. It’ll be dawn soon, and we can’t risk being found out.” “I’m not leaving you.” “Quint. Corrick needs you—” “No, Harristan.” He takes my hand. “You need me.” Of course he would say it now. This time my eyes go blurry with tears, and he steps closer, his finger gentle as he brushes them away. “No time for tears. There’s work to be done.” “You’re right,” I say, and I tug his hand.
STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP
Quint’s hand never leaves mine. I’m gripping so tight. So is he. I kiss him one last time, pulling his hand to my heart.
IM ALREADY SOBBING
Quint reaches out and steadies me, his fingers supporting mine. “For Kandala,” he says. I nod. “For Kandala.” Then I strike the match.
I CAN BARELY SEE THE SCREEN RIGHT NOW IM CRYING SO HARD
But then I realize that people are beginning to kneel, in a slow, rippling outward fashion, the way they do for King Harristan. And then I realize what they’re saying. Long live the king.
PAIN ALL I FEEL IS PAIN
He shouldn’t have to learn that his brother is dead while people are cheering for his safe return.
OUCH STOP IM TRYING TO RECOVER BUT I CANT
But Harristan is dead.
STOP NO I DONT WANT TO HEAR IT
His face falls into his hands. Then he doesn’t make a sound.
corrick😭😭😭😭
His eyes glitter with unshed tears, and he says, “I loved him so very much, Tessa.” The emotion in his voice breaks my heart. I shed the tears he can’t, and I nod. “I know,” I say. “I know you did. And he knew, too. I swear to you, he knew.”
SHUT UP THE BROTHERS HAD SUCH A STRONG BOND OMG IM SOBBING
“You’re going to be a great king.”
UGH SO TRUE
My dear brother. I keep thinking of the last words you said to me when you left Kandala. “Be here when I get back.” Cory, please forgive me. I’m so sorry I won’t be.
HARRISTAN PLEASE STOP MY TORMENT
Harristan’s letter is thirty-five pages long, but it takes me forever to read beyond the first few lines.
stop😭😭😭😭
Quint wrote me a letter, too, but his is short. My dearest friend, you will make a fine king. I hope you understand why I couldn’t leave him alone during his finest hour.
QUINT I LOVE YOU AND IM BAWLING
My brother is dead. My best friend is dead.
i can’t function
I immediately think of Quint, and my heart leaps for the briefest moment. But of course it can’t be Quint. He’s dead.
the way i’m literally going to throw myself off a cliff
The guard’s voice is low and somber when he says, “Master Cresswell said you would be expecting him, Your Majesty.” My body nearly flinches at the title. Every time I hear it, I expect to see Harristan—and I have to remind myself that I never will again.
ouch ouch ouch
It’s late and I’m tired and my brother is dead.
STOP
“Still breathing,” I say roughly. “Still drinking, too.” He pours an inch into each glass. “This time, you can have all you want.”
lochlan i love you so much now
He fetches the bottle and pours more immediately. Then he lifts his glass. “To brothers.” I lift mine and tap it against his, and the ring of the crystal is like a bell in the quiet of the room. “To brothers.”
TO BROTHERS 😭😭 SHUT UP
“No, you idiot. I’m on your side.” He pauses. “I can stay. If you need me to.”
omg stop
I also don’t mind when Baron Pepperleaf comes to pay his respects, and Lochlan tells him he should start packing for the Hold.
yes lochlan 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
“Our king,” says Saeth, with gentle emphasis, “was told by his late brother to visit you every week.”
THE PROMISE OMG IM GONNA CRY AGAIN
Mistress Saeth takes a step forward, and to my surprise, her eyes glisten, just a bit. Her voice is very soft when she speaks. “Your brother was a very good man, facing a horrible time. He had to make terrible choices. I am so sorry he’s gone.”
no no no no no no no i’m sobbing
I give Mistress Saeth a nod. “You can touch me,” I say. I don’t know if I expect her to put a hand on my shoulder or against my face, but she doesn’t do either. She thrusts the squealing baby at her husband, then wraps her arms around me in a hug.
SHDOCOENELSOSJXMSOSBSKC
I reach out and take Tessa’s hand. “No,” I say to Thorin. I look down at Tessa, then brush a kiss along her knuckles. “It’s a beautiful morning,” I say to her. “Would you care to go for a walk?”
corrick you deserve the world
As the weeks pass and the air turns cooler, Corrick and I walk among the people every day.
EVERY DAY
It’s at night that he shares his grief, in our quiet moments together where he doesn’t have to be an outlaw or a king. He can simply be Corrick.
“he can simply be corrick” 😭😭 sobbing
“I meant I could ask you to marry me.”
SHUT UP
“I love you,” I say. “Of course I’m going to say yes.”
CRYING FOR A DIFFERENT REASON NOW
Do it because you want to. Do it whenever you’re ready.”
tessa i love you 🫶🏻
He catches my hand and turns me back around. Without hesitation, he drops to one knee. There’s a ring in his hand, and a determined look in his eye. “Tessa Cade,” he says, “I’m ready now.”
CORRICK STOP YOU ARE SETTING MY EXPECTATIONS TOO HIGH
“Tessa, my dear friend.” Karri reaches out and puts a hand over mine. “You are going to make a great queen.”
hell yeah
“I’m not sure I could find another person in the kingdom who would say, ‘Shut up, Cory,’ directly to my face.”
i love this duo so much
Corrick has lost too much, and I’m staying right here by his side.
YES TESSA
Yours sincerely, Sullivan Lark
NO WAY NO WAY NO WAY NO WAY NO WAY OMG WHAT I CANT PROCESS THIS AND NOW IM CRYING AGAIN
Quint’s eyes flash my way with feigned annoyance. I reach up to brush snowflakes out of his red hair, and the annoyance is replaced with a smile. Miller, I think. Not Quint.
IF THIS IS A JOKE I SWEAR IM GONNA THROW MY WHOLE KINDLE DOWN THE GARBAGE DISPOSAL
Quint . . . will always be Quint.
STOP MY FAVS OMG
Then I find myself facing my brother, the king.
OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG
Then I reach out to rough up his hair the way I did when he was a boy. “It’s all right, Cory.” He practically falls out of the carriage to give me a hug. His arms are so tight against my back that I can feel his heartbeat. His breath shakes, just a little, but so does mine.
IM CRYING
He’s holding me at arm’s length, his eyes searching my face as if he still can’t believe it. “There’s a part of me that wants to punch you, you know.” “I do know,” I say. “And I’m sorry.” Tessa moves close, and she sets a hand on his arm. “And there’s a part of him that deserves it.”
harristan why you out us all through this emotional turmoil
“When I told you to take care of my brother, I’ll have you know that this isn’t quite what I had in mind.” Quint smiles, looking a bit too pleased with himself. “We were sharing a house together. I simply couldn’t help it.”
QUINT YOU DOG OMG
Quint could charm a brick wall into lively conversation.”
I KNOW THATS RIGHT
I reach out and ruffle his hair again. “Because I love you too much.”
HARRISTAN STOP ITS SO HARD TO BE MAD AT YOU WHEN IM CRYING OVER HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU
Corrick smacks me on the arm. “You thief!” I smile. “You outlaw.”
THE WAY THIS CANT BE THE END OF THE BOOK CAUSE I NEED MORE OF HARRISTAN/QUINT, CORRICK/TESSA, AND CORRICK/HARRISTAN OMG
