Somethingwarmandsolidpresses against Elowyn’s side as she opens her eyes to a brilliant starry sky. They’ve never awoken to anything but daylight in the heartlanding. How intriguing.
“This is new,” Rominy says, and Elowyn turns toward his voice where he lies beside her, his arm around her shoulders.
“It’s beautiful, though. It feels as though we might fall into the stars.”
He clears his throat and chuckles. “I meant waking with you in my arms.”
“Oh, yes. This is a night full of new things.” Tentatively, she nestles closer to him, and he tightens his arm around her. Her fire magic is quiet at the moment. Thank the fates.
For a few minutes, neither of them says anything as their boat rocks gently beneath them on calm seas.
Then Rominy sighs. “Are we going to discuss what happened?”
She turns toward him. “What do you mean?”
“Elowyn.”
She thinks back to the moments leading to finding herself in Rominy’s arms here in the heartlanding. Some of her memories seem less concrete than they should be. Fuzzy images and confusing sequences.
She was exhausted, and he undressed her. She remembers that much. Is that what he’s talking about?
“You mean when you helped me with my clothing?” she asks.
“Yes. I mean, no. Not exactly. I’m worried about you. You were slurring Elvish into your Nunian, and then you practically fainted.”
He’s so sweet. She snuggles against him again. “I was just tired. I’m sure I’ll wake up perfectly myself again. And if it wasn’t true, I wouldn’t be able to say it.”
“I don’t think it works that way. Just because you believe it’s true doesn’t make it true.”
She looks up at the stars as she considers his words. “I suppose that’s reasonable. I really think I’ll be fine, though. And besides, we can’t do anything about it here, so we might as well try not to dwell on it.” She curls into the crook of his arm, resting her hand on his chest. It’s a strange sensation, feeling his heart beating beneath her hand and within her body. Strange, yet soothing, though his heart rate increased as soon as she put her hand on him. A smile tugs at her lips, but she says nothing.
“How about this?” Rominy says, his voice a little hoarse. “I will try not to dwell on it for now, but if you’re still feeling ill when we wake in the real world, I’m sending for the doctor.”
She scrunches her nose at the thought.
“I saw that.” His lips press against her hair, and she sighs.
“Very well. I agree to your terms. If I must.”
“Thank you.” His voice is soft as he whispers near her ear.
She looks up into the starry sky again. “Cerian loves the stars. As does my mother.”
“So does Arisanna. She and my father could stare at the sky for hours every night and still be convinced they hadn’t seen everything.”
Elowyn smiles at his words. Hopefully, Cerian is opening up to his human princess.
“What about you, Elowyn?” Rominy asks. “How do you feel about the stars?”
“They’re beautiful.”
He lifts his head to see her face. “But?”
“It’s like looking at a painting. I don’t need to stare at it for hours to see its beauty.”
Rominy laughs as he squeezes her closer and kisses her temple. “You get bored stargazing, don’t you?”
A smile teases her lips unbidden. “I would never admit to such a thing.”
