“I made flower crowns. Three of them,” he said, holding up the third, the elaborate one with trailing vines. “This one’s for you, but you were busy assembling the cavalry, so.”
“Those are the Queen’s dahlias.”
“Oh! I should tell her how lovely they are!”
“She has threatened execution to those who pick them.”
Pip laughed, and waved a hand. “I’ll have to ask her about these execution threats. We all know she can’t possibly follow through on them. She wouldn’t have any subjects left!”
“Pip, stop making jokes.”
He bit his bottom lip and stared up at me. “I told myself I would be honest with you the moment I saw you looked so scared, and you should know I love you. It’s important, even if it’s a scary thing to share.”
My heart leapt into my throat, and I swallowed, hard. “If you love me, why did you run?”
The brightness in his face flickered. “I wasn’t running. I was—taking a walk.”
“But why?”
He looked down at our hands. “Because I thought you didn’t want it. Couldn’t possibly want it. The Queen said marry and you just—froze. And where I’m from, when you bring up a long-term commitment with a man you’ve been casually fucking and he freezes, that’s not the best sign.”
“You think we’ve been casually fucking?”
“You’ve been searching for a way to send me home this whole time!”
“I was not searching for a way to send you home. I am a greedy bastard, Pip. I would keep you here forever if you let me. I was never trying to send you back, not unless you specifically asked me to. And even then I’d have some words for you about that plan.”
His breath caught. “You would? Could you perhaps… tell me those specific words? Very clearly.”
I laughed. “I love you, Pippin Crane. You’re my resonant, and our bond is soul deep, and I want you by my side for the rest of our lives.”
He gasped softly. “Then why were you searching?”
“I was trying to understand the portal, that is all. Because it pleased my Queen to do so. Because I was worried you might be in danger. And every moment searching left me worried that I might find an answer that would send you home.”
“So why search so hard, then?”
“Because it pleased the Queen. Maybe one day she’ll tell you her story. But for now, know that she deserves a little fun.”
He beamed up at me. “I knew you were a sweetheart, making sure the Queen is happy when she feels sad. But you don’t have to worry. Even if you did find a way for me to go home, I wouldn’t. I want to stay,” he said, and his voice broke on the word, and I felt it in the silver like a bell struck true. “My place is here, in this castle with its textile workshop, a horse I like to take on walks, and one very handsome commander of the Grey Guard.”
“Before you… Before we talk about marriage, I want you to understand what you’re committing to. The resonant bond is something that lives and grows within us. And should we allow it to become any deeper, it would bind us in more than affection for each other. It binds our minds, our souls and our life force. It will not be something you can walk away from easily.”
“Life force?” Pip frowned, eyebrows squishing together as he mulled that over. “What does that mean?”
I placed a hand over his heart. “A well of magic exists in every living thing. Different cultures have different words for it, but it is the essence of life, that which allows you to be sentient and aware.”
“Oh. In my world, we have quite a few theories about that.”
He smiled, brushing a hand over my cheek. “I believe we must all be the same in some essential way, or I could not have the bond with you. But in this world, magic is a type of energy, a finite thing that keeps all of us alive.”
I nodded. “Lyriel explained that part to me. You can’t use magic too much, or it shortens your life.”
“Exactly. The resonant bond changes all of that, though. The well is shared between the pair. The life force becomes something that bonds them both.”
“Wait. Will I be able to do magical stuff now?”
I laughed. “No, but you may feel stronger, and get sick less often. And you will far outlive a normal human lifespan. We share the magic that keeps me alive for centuries.”
