Chapter 52 Quinn
QUINN
My heart swelled with something too large for language. The day’s last throes of sunlight spilled through the cottage windows. I sat on the low stool before the hearth, as Thistle braided ribbons and flowers into my hair.
A knock sounded at the door.
“Come in,” Thistle called around lips holding hairpins.
Devronica stepped through, her silver hair bound in its familiar coil.“Lady Quinn,” she said, unfurling the gown. “I think you’ll find this one suits you far more.”
I caressed the flowing ivory fabric, entranced as it shimmered with the colors of my Twilight aurora as it moved. “It is magnificent. Thank you.”
Devronica smiled, eyes misting. “Anything for a friend.”
Her hands were gentle as she helped me into the gown and fastened the low back. Sheer sleeves danced to my wrists, connected to a bodice with a V neckline. The gown hugged my waist before flowing to my feet in a waterfall of silk.
“How long does it take to get ready for a wedding?” Vesper griped from the doorway.
“Hush, you!” Thistle chided.
“You can’t rush perfection,” Devronica added.
Vesper rolled his eyes. “Could perfection at least consider a trot?”
“Let us go.” I chuckled. “I have waited a long time for this.”
Branrir stood at the center of the grove, beneath an arch of twisted wood and flower garlands. He looked equal parts reverent and uncomfortable, which fit perfectly.
Mav stood to Branrir’s left, dressed in dark trousers and a white shirt.
His expression was worth more than three centuries of waiting. No one had ever looked at me this way—as if I were the answer to every prayer he had not dared to speak aloud. Thistle and Vesper walked with me, only standing aside once Mav took my hand.
Branrir cleared his throat. “We are gathered here today because two reckless, stubborn souls decided that love was worth defying time itself.” Tears gleamed behind his spectacles. He took a shuddering inhale and retreated a step.
Mav turned fully to me, clasping both my hands in his.
I exhaled and smiled up at him. “Mavromichaeli,” I began, the full shape of his name reverent on my tongue.
“My Mav, you are the only constant in a world that has shifted beneath my feet countless times. When you first looked at me, you did not see a crown to claim or a weapon to wield. You saw me. And in that gaze, I learned what it meant to belong not to duty, nor legacy, nor fate, but to myself—and now to you. You taught me that love is not possession. Love—true, lasting love—is a choice made again and again.”
My fingers tightened over his, my next words barely more than a whisper.
“And I choose you, Mav. In this life and every other. My magic, my heart, my very breath are yours to share.”My voice trembled as the final vow left me, fragile and unbreakable all at once.
“You are my truest friend and my fiercest love. Everything I have endured was worth it for the honor of loving you and being loved by you.”
Mav’s eyes shimmered. He drew a breath, grounding himself.
“Quinn, before you, my life was survival. I drifted through disappointments and brawls, thinking there was nothing left for me in this world, and that even if there were, I wasn’t deserving of it.
Then you found me. Or maybe…you saw me. And when you did, I realized I’d been waiting my whole life without knowing why.
Now it’s clear. I was waiting for you. Every bad choice and wrong direction led me to you. ”
Warmth flooded my chest.
“I can’t promise you perfection. Saints know, I have none to give. But I can promise you this: I will never stop reaching for you. When the world tries to divide us, I will fight back with every breath. When darkness rises, I will stand between it and you, no matter the cost.”
My vision swam, tears blurring his beautiful face.
“I don’t believe in fate,” he whispered, “but I believe in you. And I vow, before Saints, men, friends, and a cat, that wherever this life takes us—I’ll always come back for you. I am yours. I was yours after only a fortnight.”
Mav lifted one hand to cradle my cheek and kissed me, a promise in and of itself. When we parted, the clearing answered with soft applause. Thistle danced flower petals through the air.
For the first time in centuries, there was no spell.
Only light.
Only love.
I smiled at Mav, my heart steady and sure.
And with his hand in mine, we stepped forward into forever.
THE END