"Have you?"
"No. I've forgiven exactly when I was ready. Which happened to be when you let me bandage your foolish heroic hands."
"That was what changed your mind?"
"That was when I realized you weren't just making big gestures. You were willing to bleed for something as simple as fixing my roof. That's not duke behaviour. That's... real."
"I'm real. This is real."
"I know. And it is terrifying."
"Why?"
"Because real things can hurt. Fairy tales just end happily ever after. Real things require work and patience and sometimes bleeding hands."
"I have two hands. I can spare some blood."
"That's disgusting and romantic simultaneously."
"I'm versatile."
She laughed, and he spun her, making her laugh more. Around them, other couples had joined the dancing, but he was only aware of Marianne; the warmth of her hand in his, the way she moved with him, the joy on her face.
"One minute to midnight!" someone called.
The dancing stopped, everyone turning toward the church tower where the bells would ring. Marianne stayed in his arms, not pulling away even though the dance was over.
"New year," she said softly. "New beginnings."
"New chances."
"New risks."
"Worth taking?"
"We'll see."
The countdown began, the crowd calling out the numbers. Ten, nine, eight...
"Marianne," he said urgently, "I need to tell you something."
"Now? With five seconds to midnight?"
"Especially now."
Three, two, one!!
"I love you."
The bells erupted, the crowd cheered, fireworks burst overhead, but Marianne just stared at him.
"You can't just declare love at midnight!"
"When should I declare it?"
"With warning! With preparation! With..."
He kissed her. Or she kissed him. Later, neither would be quite sure who moved first. All that mattered was that they were kissing, really kissing, in front of the entire village as the New Year began.
