52. Chapter 52 #3
He said, “I never want you to be small again. Not for a kingdom. Not for me. I never want you to feel isolated or valued only for what you can give.” He exhaled slowly as if he were allowing himself to feel something he would once have locked away.
“You are my superior in every way that matters—and you have never once let me forget it. Or myself,” he said.
“Your magic. Courage. Stubbornness.” A flicker, like a phantom smile, played at the edge of his lips.
“You’ve given me an identity and steadied me when I needed it the most. You suffered my worst and not only forgave me for it but helped me grow past it even when it would’ve been easier to let me stay broken. ”
Then he, a king, kneeled—against protocol, against expectations.
I heard at least one gasp from the crowd.
He bent his head over my knuckles, and when he lifted his eyes to mine again, there was nothing of king or demon or Dread Reaver left in them.
Only Owain. “I’m not asking you to be useful to me, Lunette.
I’m asking you to be mine. And I am offering myself—all of me, the darkness and the duty and the rest—to be yours. ”
The hum of the bond set a warmth flowing from him to me. It kept the chill of the air at bay like sunlight finding a room it had never reached before.
“I can’t imagine doing this without you. So…” His thumb traced across my knuckles, the touch so careful it made my chest ache. “Will you marry me?”
The gathered crowd waited. So did he—patient as ever, as if he had all the time in the world and would give every second of it to me.
Six months ago, my life was well-managed, but small and lonely. I hadn’t expected a broken stranger wearing armor to show up on my front porch. I certainly hadn’t expected him to turn out to be my prince—or, least of all, my mate.
Together we could change things for the better. We could save Selmont. Larethia. No, even more. We could save Avanfell.
My voice, when I found it, didn’t shake. That surprised me because I was trembling under the heavy fur cloak. “Yes, Owain, I will have you.”
As if I’d have it any other way. It didn’t matter what name or title he carried, what he had been, or what he would become. He was mine just as I was his—body and soul.
The pressure behind my eyes became tears before I could stop them. They streamed freely down my face, without warning or dignity. I blinked hard.
It didn’t help.
Owain looked to the side and nodded once to a servant. Muffin rode on Anne’s shoulder, looking dapper with his velvet collar. She presented Owain, still kneeling, with an ornately carved box.
Camrick almost smiled when Muffin ran down Anne’s arm to lick Owain’s hand, but kept it contained behind a general’s dignity.
He announced, “Even in these dark times, we will celebrate the return of the bond that once lifted Larethia to the height of her power. I can’t help but believe that this is a sign from Fate herself that our kingdom will rise above her enemies and prosper… more than ever.”
I prayed to the gods every day that it would be so.
Through wet eyes, I saw Owain open the box and pull out a ring. At its heart sat a rectangular emerald encircled by a halo of sparkling diamonds, all cradled within a gleaming gold band adorned with a detailed leaf etching. It was gorgeous.
I’m sure I looked quite the sight with tears streaming down my face and mouth agape, but Owain just smiled up from where he still kneeled like it was the happiest moment of his life. For a split second, I forgot what I was supposed to do and just stood there staring at his handsome face.
A draft of air gently pushed my hand upward. It was Camrick, acting like the brother I wished I’d had years before. He winked when I took over, presenting my hand. When Owain grasped it, a comforting heat spread through me as our bond awakened.
He slid the ring on, inspected it for half a heartbeat, then stood, still holding my hand. The unoccupied one lifted up and tilted my chin to meet his gaze. “I love you,” he said, shadows crowding the edges of his eyes with a kind of softness I hadn’t seen from them before.
He shifted to whisper into my ear, “I promise this ring won’t blow up.”
Exactly the right words to bring a smile back to my face amidst the overwhelming emotions.
The cheers crashed over us like a wave, until the stone walls threw the sound back doubled.
Reina was crying softly on Richart’s shoulder.
Camrick finally let the goofy smile blossom on his face.
And the snow scattered the light in every direction like the gods themselves had chosen to bear witness.
I looked up at Owain, and he was already studying me. He leaned to press his forehead to mine. The cheers in the courtyard became nothing more than background murmur as I looked into his indigo eyes.
Snow began to fall around us as I kissed my fiancé for the first time. A single flake caught in his lashes and melted before either of us thought to move.
“We’ll figure it out together,” he whispered. The words settled into the bond between us, becoming hope as much as truth.
The world would find us harder to break than it expected.