Chapter 42
Lark
A full moon later
Above the wet road, the moon hangs low and large, its glow catching on wagon ruts where sleigh tracks once lay. No more whispers of runners over snow—now the clatter of wheels and loose boards accompanies traders’ wagons like this one beneath me.
I meant to return well before the full moon.
A broken wheel, a mule with more stubbornness than stamina, and a delay in Ylvara stretched the end of my journey even longer.
By the time Daria fed me and shoved me into a hot shower, exhaustion had its claws deep.
Much as I want to jump down and run to Rimne, to Talvie and the kids, going on foot isn’t an option.
So here I sit, jostling along at the wagon’s steady pace, itching to be back.
Hugo stirs under my coat, poking his nose into the night.
“Nearly there, buddy,” I murmur. “We’ll see the little beasties soon.”
He chirps, questioning.
“Yes, her too,” I say, my heart flipping at the thought of Talvie. Best not to picture her face when she sees what I’ve brought, or nerves might pitch me clean off this wagon.
Finally, the dark blue foliage and shadowy trees thin. Rimne’s lights bloom on the horizon, strange and dazzling after days of forest roads. The trader drops me at the city gates, and I thank him before slipping into the flow of travelers.
Walls tower high around the capital. A Point Fae city, once forbidden territory, but no more. Tonight, the gates stand open.
Drawing a deep breath, I follow the crowds.
I keep waiting for someone to shout that I don’t belong and come toss me out. Only the burning need to see Talvie and the promise she made that we’d face this together keep me moving.
“I must be insane, Hugo.”
He grunts disagreement, but the urge to bolt doesn’t leave me, even with my spiked warrior perched on my hat like a commanding force. I just have to get to Talvie and my kids.
Mine.
That word still stuns me. A lifetime of self-doubt hasn’t vanished overnight with the ruling, nor with finding someone who believes in me, though they both help.
I’m a work in progress. But this trip gave me time to finally believe they’re mine, and to realize I never want to leave for so long again.
Locke can have me for a sennight at most. The rest of the time, I’ll be glued to Talvie’s side.
Storms, I missed her. Her laugh, her messes, chaotic breakfasts with the kids, the warmth of falling asleep beside her. Thoughts of them all together carried me through.
My pulse thunders as the palace walls loom ahead, gleaming white with glittering crystals. Hugo’s quills brush my neck as he leans forward to chirp his excitement.
“Hold your quills! I’m going.”
I don’t make it far, though, because there in the courtyard, moonlight catches on a towering block of ice. Behind the shining wall, familiar wolven eyes stare back.
“Looking good, Mika,” I grin. “The frosted tips suit you. Brings out your eyes.”
He huffs foggy breath at the barrier. I chuckle, relieved to see him safe, though I trusted Talvie to take care of him.
Another block stands nearby. “Who’s your friend?” The smaller fenriswulf inside glares, like I’ve insulted its entire family line. “I see Talvie’s royal deep-freeze special is gaining popularity. Better view than a dungeon cell, at least.”
From here, they can watch the well-dressed revel-goers coming and going, all while showing there’s nothing to fear. “Clever, Talvie,” I mutter. Pride blooms in my chest that Mika was brave enough for this display. I clap a hand against the icy surface while Hugo chitters impatiently.
“Yeah, yeah. Let’s go find our girl.”
I follow the music spilling out into the night, kanteles thrumming. Inside, silver lanterns cast shifting patterns over marble floors veined with icy blue, and up flowering columns to where enchanted crystals drift above dancers.
I’m sorely underdressed in Ludo’s spare tunic, but at least I don’t smell of the road anymore. Point Fae glitter in fabrics I’ve never seen and even scattered Wilder folk in traditional dress are fancier than me. The air hums with magic and life, dazzling enough to push the weariness from my bones.
“Daunting,” I mutter. Hugo grunts agreement before squeaking a warning.
A blur of crimson hair shoots from the crowd and slams into me. Helkki in a fancy dress. With flowers in her hair. Who got Hellion to sit long enough for that? All I care about is how solid she feels as I squeeze her.
“Look, Lark,” she shouts, arms flung wide. “We got a castle!”
“Not bad for a band of misfits, huh?”
She beams, then races off into the crowd before I can ask where the others are. A silver glow slips between dancers, saving me from having to go looking.
“Lumi.”
Hugo chirps a greeting. The little moon is as bright as the one high in the sky, and her voice carries like a bell. “Lark has returned. Lumi knew.”
“Missed you, too, Lumi.” I laugh.
Without another word, she spins and streaks away, a silver comet through the crowd. There’s only one place she’ll be headed, and my heart draws me after her.
The crowd ripples and parts. Then there she is.
The Princess of the Hinterlands—radiant as winter itself, in a gown embroidered with silver and ice blue crystals, shimmering like fresh snow—turns and sees me.
The tiara in her iridescent hair throws light kissed by magic, but it’s her eyes that captivate me.
They find me at once, brightening as if the world has narrowed to just us.
A startled, joyful squawk escapes her, completely at odds with the dignified setting, and I barely have time to open my arms before she barrels into me.
“You’re back!” Her smile consumes me. “I missed you.”
“Sorry I’m late, kulta.”
“You’re just in time.”
Whispers rise around us, but they fade to nothing when she draws me into a kiss. She loves me, and we’re together again. That’s all that matters.
“I missed you, too.”
Her fingers twine with mine, tugging me through revelers and down a lantern-lit path into the gardens where ice sculptures blaze.
Wolves prowl beside reindeer, swans glide across frozen ponds, and flowers bloom in translucent crystal, all lit by colorful charms. It looks like Queen Taynia had some help this time from a certain Ice Princess.
But they’re not as beautiful as the vision standing in front of me.
Talvie draws me into a quiet alcove and another claiming kiss.
“Welcome home,” she whispers.
“Home,” I echo, because that’s where I am, here in her arms. I ask about the others, and she updates me on their whereabouts: the twins and Hellion raiding the buffet, Katja up in the nursery to check on Eevi, Aili last seen smiling with Queen Taynia.
I clutch my chest. “No. Grumpy was smiling?”
She laughs, and the sound fills me. “Oh, and she finally got her own room. She lasted one night before moving into Helkki’s room.”
I laugh so hard that Hugo abandons ship for the nearest shrub. When I straighten, Talvie pulls my hat the rest of the way off. Above us, Lumi floats lazily, bathing us in cool light.
“I’m so glad you’re back.”
My hand lifts to brush her cheek. “I never doubted you’d keep them all safe and happy. But I’m glad to be back, too.”
She catches my hand, her eyes going wide at the broad band circling my finger. “A ring? Is that what your secret quest was about?”
I nod.
“And you found it.”
“I found five actually…but that’s a whole other story.” I grin at her disbelief. “This is the one that matters. It’s a Lyslander tradition.”
In her open awe and trust, I see the very reason I went looking for this specific ring, and the reason I came back to her with it.
Realization dawns across her face. “Is this a V?kirengas? I think I’ve read about these.”
“Mhmm.” I steal a quick kiss, impressed she knows the name. Most Point Fae wouldn’t recognize Lyslander lore.
The band feels heavy with meaning. Growing up, Frederik told me the tales to give me a sense of my heritage, but I never thought I’d wear one.
Yet here I am, bearing the weight and honor the Guardian’s Bond represents.
As soon as the sentry board ruled in my favor, I knew I wanted this for the kids.
“In the old tradition, Lyslanders craft a ring for a guardian who takes the bond of love and protection for a family or community. But it’s always made of two halves.
When the Lynx chooses a mate, the band is split to signify partnership.
It doesn’t weaken or lessen the ring to split it; rather, the ring’s true purpose is fulfilled and the Guardian’s Bond strengthens.
Alone, it’s powerful. Shared and united, stronger still. ”
Her gaze softens with warmth. “That’s beautiful. But does that mean you went to Lysg?rd, to Lyslander territory? Alone?”
“Yeah.” My breath huffs out. “They wouldn’t craft one for a half-blood.
The old me might have taken the hint and left.
But I kept hearing the ruling, and your voice, and Mika’s.
I realized that being worthy means fighting for them in every way.
So I stayed. I pushed. An elder eventually told me of a ring forged long ago, hidden away when the intended guardian died before taking the bond. Hidden, then lost.”
I lift her fingers to my lips, pressing a soft kiss to them. “So I went looking.”
“And now it’s where it belongs,” she whispers.
“I’m sorry it took so long.” I laugh at Hugo’s commiserating squeaks and grunts from the shrub. “But it was worth it. I hope you agree.”
She turns the ring, moonlight sliding over dark runes etched into the metal. “I can’t wait to hear the whole story. It’s gorgeous, Lark.”
“It felt right the moment I took the vow,” I murmur. “But you already have half my heart, kulta. A V?kirengas is made to be shared—each half meant to share a heart. The same love. The same promise of protection. Together.”
My fingers brush hers, slow and steady. The glow of ice catches in her wide eyes.
“Lark, are you asking…?”
My chest burns with the words I rehearsed on the road, but they knot in my throat. I take a deep breath to calm my fluttering pulse.
“Talvie…I’ve spent my life trying to be enough.
To be worth loving. Then you came along and helped me see that I already was.
You never tied my worth to status or blood, or what I could do.
It isn’t something that has to be earned.
You made me see that all my wanderlust was because I was searching. For you.
“I’m not perfect. I’ll still struggle to feel I deserve you. But I can’t imagine my life without you. I wouldn’t share this bond or responsibility with anyone else. I love you, Talvie. More than I ever thought I could love or deserve to be loved in return.”
Taking her hand between mine, with the ring pressed between our joined palms, I kneel. “Will you accept the other half of my ring? Will you be the other half of my heart?”
Her breath trembles, but her voice is sure. “Yes. Always yes. Ask me a thousand times, and a thousand times, my answer is yes.”
Lumi twirls overhead, Hugo chirps, and my heart skips through a breathless laugh.
“I don’t know how I got so lucky with a fake fiancée like you, but I’ll spend our lifetime making sure you don’t regret making it real.”
“I could never regret you, Lark,” she says. “Not your restless soul or your forever heart. I love every part of you. I would choose you again in every lifetime, in every world, until we’re dust among the stars. And even then, I’ll be with you still.”
It’s everything I need. Whatever storms await, whatever mischief our little beasties stir up next, Talvie’s hand in mine is enough. Together, we’ll mend the Hinterland’s rifts and heal the endless winter’s scars. Side by side. Two hearts as one.