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November 13 - November 17, 2024
“I’m not going to fall in love with you,” she says. Her words are not a surprise. I sigh. “You won’t be the first.”
And then, because fate seems content to surprise me this season, she steps forward, presses her face against my chest, and wraps her arms around my waist.
“I don’t think I can keep hating you.” “Such sweet words of affection, my lady.”
I was never alone. The nights were never this silent. “Commander,” I say. He stops and turns, waiting for an order.
I have none to give. “Wait.” I set my own mug in the snow. “I’ll walk with you.”
“Whether the curse breaks or not, you are willing to help my people. I am the Crown Prince of Emberfall. If there is something within my power to give you, all you must do is ask.”
“When my sister died,” Freya says quietly, “it was very sudden. I had no time to say goodbye. But she knew I loved her. I knew she loved me. It is not the moment of passing that is most important. It is all the moments that come before.”
“I am always surprised to discover that when the world seems darkest, there exists the greatest opportunity for light.”
She turns to me and smiles. “I did it! I like this better than knives. Will you show me again?” I find it amusing that she keeps asking, as if I would not do this a thousand more times.
“Again?” “Of course.” I would give anything to touch her face again. Her chin, the soft curve of her lip. I settle for gently straightening her aim.
When I place my hand on her arm, I leave it there. She does not pull away. Maybe fate has finally found me worthy of mercy.
Rhen frowns. “Yet still you swore to me.” “Yes, Your Highness.” The woman bows her head. “You alone came back.”
“Is everyone staring at us?” she whispers. Very likely, but I do not turn my head to see. “Doubtful,” I tell her. “The night grows dark.” A bit of warmth heats my voice. “My own eyes see only you.”
For an instant, I allow myself to forget the curse. We dance in the moonlight at the edge of the cliff, surrounded by night air.
“Do not run from me.” “I will not run.” To my surprise, tears form in her eyes, a glint of diamonds on her lashes. “I want to trust you,” she says, so quietly that her voice could get lost on the wind. “I want—I want to know it’s real. Not that you’re trying to trick me to break the curse.”
“Do not run from me.”
“I will not run.” I pause, then rise. “But for now, my lady, perhaps you could avoid pursuit.”
All I can think about is Grey saying My duty is to bleed so you do not.
She trusts me. I trust her. This feels more monumental than love. More precious. More earned. I keep my hands to myself.
Grey steps up to me. He holds out a hand. I grasp it, and he grips tight. His eyes hold mine. There are no choices left. Every path leads to destruction. There is always a choice. “For the good of Emberfall,” Grey says quietly. I squeeze his hand. My voice shakes. “For the good of all.” I let go. I fall.
