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“There has to be a way.”
“There is. But it involves total war between us and the elementals. And there is only one way that war ends with us both alive and free.” His words were quiet, but they didn’t need to be loud to express the weight of them.
She knew what he meant. Scooting back close to him, she rested her head on his chest, wanting to hear his heartbeat and feel the warmth of him. “If they all die.”
“Yes.”
“But…the island’ll just make more, right?”
“And I would hunt them down and put them to the blade before they could rise against us.”
That sounded like tyranny. She let out a wavering sigh. “I don’t know if…I don’t know if I can be a part of that.”
“Which is precisely why I have not suggested it. Let them think of me what they will, but if your heart turned cold in the wake of the destruction I could cause them—if your love for me faded—their deaths would be for naught.”
“So—wait.” She lifted her head now to look at him, brow furrowed. “You’re putting this on me? This is my decision?”
He finally met her gaze. “Yes. Forgive the cruelty of it.”
She dropped her forehead onto his chest. “Fuck.”
He chuckled. “Such an eloquent creature you are.”
“I haven’t had coffee yet, so this is the best you get.” Sighing, she rolled away from him, getting out of bed. She needed to walk. And get dressed. Finding her metal clothing, she slung it back on, tying the skirt around her waist. “I—you’re asking me to condemn them all to death so that we can be together.”
“Yes.”
“I don’t—there’s no other way? There’s no third option?” She shook her head. “There has to be a third option.”
“I commend you for believing that.” Mordred also climbed out of bed with a grunt. She was distracted by watching the muscles on his back move as he found his trousers. Okay, she was also distracted by his ass—but now wasn’t the time to comment on it. “But the world is not so kind.”
“No shit.” She tried to fight the urge to cry again. It wouldn’t help anything. She needed time to think. You have about a thousand years to think. Fuck. Just, fuck. She shut her eyes and tried to steady her breath.
Mordred walked up to her, gently catching her cheek in his metal palm before tilting her head up to capture her lips with his. When he parted, a sad smile graced his features. “If I must wait a thousand years, so be it. I will love you no less. It is your kind heart, your desire to give all souls more sympathy than they deserve, that is part of why I adore you. But I cannot be the one to make the decision.”
“I get it. I know.” It’d be easy to just tell him to do it—to just murder everybody. But those deaths would be on her head. And she didn’t know if she could handle it. Part of her wished he would just do it without her asking him to, but he was right. She didn’t know what that would do to them, knowing that he had slaughtered a hundred-something elementals just so they could be together. Why did he have to be so goddamn noble? She hugged him, her arms barely making it all the way around him. “This sucks.”
“Again, I stand in awe of your command of the English language.” She could hear the smile in his voice.
“Shut up.” But she was smiling.
There was a fast and insistent knock on the door. “Get up and eat before breakfast goes cold! The least you could do would be to get out of bed and let me feed you!”
It was Maewenn!
Smiling, Gwen ran for the door. The poor cook still likely thought that Gwen was on Earth, banished by Mordred what felt like ten years ago. She threw open the door and hugged the metal woman.
Mae let out a yelp of surprise. “Gwen—Gwendolyn? Oh, my dear girl! I heard rumors, the knights were muttering to themselves—but I didn’t believe—” The cook’s voice cracked. “Oh, who do I have to thank for this? And look at you—back to your fiery self.”
“Kind of. I’m not an elemental. I’m a wizard.” Gwen laughed. “Or a witch, maybe? I don’t know. I don’t know how you all classify things here.” She finally let go of the cook, but Mae wasn’t quite ready for that and hugged her instead. “The island wanted me to stay.”
“First good decision this stupid rock has ever made.” Mae sniffled, which was funny, seeing as she didn’t really need to breathe or, y’know, use her nose. But mannerisms like that were probably hard to shake, even with the metal body and all. “I am just so happy. But—but also?—”
“I know.” Gwen sighed. “I know.”
Mordred was pulling on a black linen shirt over his head. Gwen tried not to stare, again. “The keep will belong to you in my absence, Gwendolyn. You are now Lady Gwendolyn, in truth, if perhaps no longer a princess.”
Right. That whole thing. She had forgotten that she had been a princess for a hot second while all the other people were locked up in the Crystal. It really hadn’t mattered. “I’m fine being Lady Gwendolyn. I guess.” She smirked. “Still sounds weird, though.”
