A faint breeze stirs the branches overhead.
“I think I wanted it to be true too,” I admit. “Not because I felt like Iwasfae, but because it would’ve made everything simpler. It would’ve meant this place was more than just a detour in my quest to find myself.”
Sylvin’s gaze sharpens. “It meant something, even if it wasn’t what either of us thought.”
I nod slowly, but it doesn’t ease the knot forming low in my chest.
“I am grateful for the answers I found,” I murmur, “but I wish there had been more happiness in my visit to these lands.”
My voice catches at the end, not quite a crack, but close. Close enough that I know he hears it.
He drags a hand through his tousled hair, and when he looks at me again, there’s an open sadness gleaming in his eyes. It steals my breath for a moment.
“I’m sorry,” he murmurs as he takes my hand in his tenderly. “That your time in my court brought you so much strife. Especially because of my decision.”
His thumb brushes across the top of my hand as he continues. “To be honest, I’d do it again, if it meant protecting my people. But that doesn’t mean I don’t regret what it costyou.”
My breath catches at his admission and the crack that had formed in my heart this morning begins to slowly mend.
I wanted that acknowledgement this morning. I wanted him to see and understand how much it hurt me, even if it was what was right for his people. Two things can be true at once.
“You changed fate to save lives,” he says softly. “And somehow, the result still broke your heart.”
I breathe in slowly, trying to steady the ache curling through me.
“I wouldn’t change what I did either,” I say. “Saving the lands and your people felt right. I just wish there was a path to peace with the humans and the magical factions.”
His eyes search mine, and I know he wants to saysomething. To fix it, but he can’t. The lines have been clearly drawn, and the kings have shown me over and over that there is no going back.
“I never wanted to be the reason your heart hurt,” he says at last. “But I know I am, and I’m sorry for that.”
I glance at him, and for the first time, I see all the cracks in his mask. The carefully wielded charm. The aloofness. The deliberate smirks and distractions. They’re all still there, but dulled now in favor of his heart shining through.
“I understand why you did it,” I say gently. “I do. I respect that you’ll always protect your people. Maybe if I were fae, I’d have done the same…”
His throat bobs with a swallow.
“But knowingwhydoesn’t make it hurt any less,” he finishes for me.
We sit in the quiet divide formed between us, and I flip my hand over to thread my fingers through his. I give it a squeeze and nod.
“Thank you for letting me into your world and giving me the chance to seeyou,” I breathe out, smiling softly. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell the other kings what a softie you are deep down.”
Then he lets out a slow breath and lifts his chin, a flicker of that familiar drama returning to his features like a mask being pulled back into place.
“Well,” he says, voice a little too light, “I supposethis means your next stop is blood, brooding, and a lack of five course meals?”
Despite myself, I huff a quiet laugh. “You mean Riven?”
His answering smirk serves as a balm to my jagged emotions. I didn’t realize how much I needed this side of him again.
“I haven’t visited the nest in ages. Can’t wait to stir up a little chaos.”
A quiet breath escapes me–half a laugh, half a sigh–as the tension between us eases just enough to let the warmth settle again. The silence that follows isn’t heavy, no longer burdened by grief, confusion, or the aching feeling of unresolved conflict.
We just exist, understanding each other with a depth I never expected to find when I stepped through the first portal.
Maybe I didn’t find the answers I expected here, but I’m still grateful, because I found the answer I needed to move forward in my journey.
