“I’m not expecting you to say it back,” Syrus went on when Eiri didn’t speak. “I don’t know if you feel the same way and it’s fine if you don’t. I just wanted to tell you now, before I lost my nerve again.”
One look at Syrus’ impossibly dark eyes was all it took to seethat he meant it. Eiri saw the fear there, the nerves, but also the determination and courage it’d taken to admit his feelings without knowing how Eiri felt in return.
He thought about lying. For half a moment, the span of a heartbeat, he considered saying the words back just to ease Syrus’ mind. He couldn’t, though. They’d promised to be honest with each other, no matter what, and he didn’t know if he could say it and truly mean it.
“I… I care about you,” he admitted softly, barely louder than the shush of water against the wooden boards of the ship. “I think I could fall in love with you once we have more time to just be together.”
“That’s more than I could ask for. We have all the time we need and I won’t push you for anything you’re not ready for,” Syrus assured him. “I’m more than happy with what we have right now and if this is how it remains, I’ll consider myself a very lucky man.”
“I’m really glad I never stabbed you like I wanted to when we were younger.”
It was Syrus’ turn to laugh in surprise and he did, grinning at Eiri. “I’m really glad we never killed each other, too.”
For now, that would be enough. There was no doubt in Eiri’s mind that, once they built their life together on Canjir, he would come to love Syrus. He’d always known him as a man of integrity, even when they’d been actively fighting each other. Syrus could have easily bowed to Queen Delia’s wishes. It would have been easier than battling his own ingrained hatred and putting aside a decade of antagonism to get to know his new raider husband. Instead, he’d gone against all expectations and put the needs of others ahead of himself and had nearly paid with his life. Every time he thought he had Syrus Vardor figured out, the man surprised him all over again. There was no question of whether he could fall in love with him, given time.
Luckily, as Syrus had said, time was one thing they had. Eiri didn’t have to rush, for once. With the arrival of Syrus on Canjir, things would change. They already were. Part of their agreement with the queen was the understanding that the impossible levies against Canjir would be lifted, finally allowing them to buy and trade like everyone else. They would no longer have to steal what they needed to survive, which meant that, like Syrus, Eiri was now retired. He’d have to figure out where he fit into the new Canjiri society that they were building, but he didn’t regret anything.
There was still work to be done. The long history of cultural and political differences between Canjir and Vaetreas was too vast to be overcome simply because he and Syrus had worked out their marriage. By essentially exiling them, Queen Delia had cut off their ability to create any change in Vaetreas. With time, he knew they could bring a good portion of the Canjiri around, particularly the younger generations. The older folks had suffered their entire lives under the cruelty of Vaetrean laws and were less likely to accept them, but Eiri still held onto hope.
Even in Vaetreas, they had allies. Ellis was far removed from the throne and Xan wasn’t in the line of succession at all, but they had power and influence in their own ways. Ellis more so than Xan, apparently, and Eiri realized only then he’d never taken the time to talk to Ellis to learn how he’d saved them. But whatever secrets the youngest Vardor held, perhaps he could use them to dismantle some of the systems of oppression in his country.
Right now, though, all of that was behind them. Ahead of them, their new life awaited. He could see Akari on the docks, waving frantically, a huge smile on her face. Behind her stood his mother, along with the rest of the council and what looked like half the population of Maizar, all watching them arrive with a mixture of curiosity and trepidation. Eiri and Syruswould have their work cut out for them as they forged a new future for their people, but he believed with all his heart that they could do it.
He held onto that belief as the ship docked, and he looked over at Syrus.
“Are you ready?”
Syrus took Eiri’s hand and he could see the same determination in Syrus’ eyes as he nodded. “I’m ready.”
Eiri took a deep breath, then he and his husband stepped off the ship to face their new future. Together.
Epilogue
The bright summersun beat down on the island of Canjir, driving even the most seasoned islanders indoors to seek relief from the unrelenting heat. The creeks and rivers cut into the landscape by the old volcano ran low, their banks dry and crumbling. Soon enough, the summer rains would come and bring the island back to life, but right now, all they could do was wait it out.
Eiri would love nothing more than to be inside the small house he shared with Syrus, napping through the worst heat of the day or perhaps passing the time in more pleasurable ways. When they’d first arrived, they’d spent several weeks living with his mother and sister. While he’d enjoyed reconnecting with them and letting them get to know Syrus, it didn’t take long before they were ready to go out on their own.
They’d lucked into the home they were in now. The previous resident, an older man named Botan, had moved in with his son and daughter-in-law to help care for their children, leaving his house vacant. Situated on the edge of Maizar, it sat far enough from the docks to allow peace and quiet while being close enough to the water for Eiri to recharge his magic easily. After speaking with Botan, he’d given them the house inexchange for help to fix his son’s fishing skiff. Eiri had also gone on a few fishing trips with Botan’s son, using his water magic to create eddies in the tide and direct more fish into the nets.
It’d taken Eiri awhile to convince Syrus that they weren’t swindling the man. Canjir had a currency, of course, but it didn’t rule their lives like it did people on the mainland. Here on the island, after the volcano decimated their home, the Canjiri had learned to rely on each other. Bartering and trading were far more common than money changing hands. By helping Botan’s son, they’d ensured his livelihood and he could continue to provide for himself and his family. In exchange, they received a home for them to start a life.
Eiri wasn’t entirely sure Syrus believed him, but the more time he spent on the island, the more he’d understand how things went around here.
He and Syrus had been living in the house for two months now and were slowly making it their own. They were still collecting furniture, whether trading for bigger pieces or building smaller items themselves, but it was coming together. Their bed was his favorite piece, and not just because of the long hours they’d spent twined around each other there. The solid piece was fashioned in the style of Vaetrean beds, raised up off the ground, with a thick mattress to lie on. The artist had carved delicate Canjiri flowers and waves into the wood, curling around the frame and down to the footboard.
His mother gifted it to them the day they moved out of her home, shocking both of them. Like most everyone on the island, she’d been wary of Syrus at first, but warmed up to him as she got to know him. When he’d attempted to thank her for the shockingly lavish gift, she’d simply said she’d noted Syrus struggling to get used to the Canjiri beds, which were very close to the ground. Years of military service had left their mark on Syrus’ body, leaving a stiffness in his joints, especially in themorning. The effects of the poison lingered, as well, leaving him coughing if he tried to exert himself too much. He hid it well, so the fact that she’d noticed at all was what surprised Eiri.
He loved to lounge in that bed with Syrus on the rare morning neither of them had somewhere to be and he’d hoped to spend the afternoon with him, but there was one big problem with his plan: Syrus was nowhere to be found.
While the adults of Maizar were wary of Syrus, the children had responded to him with blatant curiosity. Most of them had never met anyone from the mainland before, let alone a prince. After the initial concern wore off, they’d flocked to him like minnows, peppering him with questions and following him around wherever he went. When he relented to their endless begging and showed them a few basic self-defense moves, he’d instantly become the most popular man in the city. Potentially on the whole island, at least according to the children.
Now Eiri could usually find him at the schoolhouse during the day, passing along his expansive court education to their eager minds. By unspoken agreement, he didn’t teach them the history he knew, which skewed heavily toward Vaetreas.
When Eiri poked his head into the small school, though, he didn’t spot Syrus anywhere. The woman currently teaching the children raised an eyebrow when she saw him, an expression he was all too familiar with. She’d been here when he was a child and that gesture always meant he was about to get in trouble, usually for not paying attention.
Wincing in apology, he ducked back out, pausing just outside the door and looking around in confusion.
Maizar was large enough to be called a true city, but just barely, and it was tiny compared to Lodie. There were only a few places Syrus could be, and he’d already ruled out half of them.
