It wasn’t wrong to be kind or soft or merciful. It gave her a quiet sort of strength, one that would only aid in her position and the difficult decisions in their future.
Arianna glanced toward the small tub in the corner. She smiled at the memories. Back then, she’d thought her only obstacle was convincing Rion to trust her. But they had overcome so much more.
Arianna studied her face again. The way her cheeks had filled out. The bags that had all but vanished from beneath her eyes. Her glowing skin. The blue in her irises that looked so much like her mother’s. And finally, after all the years of worrying, Arianna accepted that Lillian would have been proud of who she had become.
Arianna tilted her head in the mirror, examining the new scar resting just beneath the right side of her jaw. She’d carry it forever, along with so many others. But the real change rested beneath her skin where a creature had once dwelt, restless and ready to tear the world apart.
That creature was gone now, Laoirse finally laid to rest. Arianna’s power remained her own. Calm and steady.
Free.
“Arianna?”
She dipped from the bathroom and found Rion up on his elbows, staring at her, eyes fully alert. Arianna leaned against the door frame, drinking in his ruffled hair and the way the rays of sunlight reflected the green in his eyes.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
Arianna wasn’t sure the smile would ever vanish from her face. She crossed the room and crawled over him. Rion laced his fingers through her hair and pulled her in for a slow kiss. After amoment, he leaned back, examining her, the question still in his eyes.
“Perfectly content,” she said.
Rion flipped her over, his warrior’s body pressing hers into the soft mattress. His hot breath left burning trails across her skin. “Not perfectly,” he countered.
ARIANNA ENJOYED the silence the most. It was hauntingly beautiful in a way that felt like forever. Here, in this little sanctuary, free from responsibility and battles and pain, that silence was a drug she’d already grown addicted to.
She’d heated last night’s leftovers for breakfast before the two took their morning stroll. The serenity had bred relaxed conversations and enough solitude to talk through their plans for the future.
And gods, did they have plans.
The two shared their darkness as well. With the bond solidified, Arianna could feel all of Rion’s emotions and nearly read his thoughts as he detailed the most difficult parts of his life. She did the same, both of them unlocking the cages of their innermost demons. There would be no secrets between them ever again. No pain the other wouldn’t understand.
Her memories had mostly returned, but there were still occasional holes. Trivial things, like the color of objects she couldn’t quite force to solidify. Rion filled in the gaps for her, promising he’d always be there to do so.
They paused beside a wooden bench he’d built their first night here. It was simple, the wood still sharp along the edges, but he’d already shown her plans for its design. He would smooth the surface and carve swirling patterns reminiscent of those from Levea. Maybe one day soon, she’d get to visit the ruins of her old home.
Arianna wanted to put a flower bed around the bench, maybe include a few herbs among the flora, should she ever have need of them. Despite the peace, Arianna still found herself constantly on edge, preparing for a day when they’d have to face hardship all over again. Rion was the same, constantly checking their perimeter with his magic, even if he tried to hide it. She wondered if that part of them would ever fade.
Rion’s leg bounced with nervous energy. The first bit he’d experienced since they’d arrived. Arianna interlaced her fingers with his, squeezing lightly. He calmed slightly, staring at their hands as if they were a miracle. Maybe to him, they were.
The two had made a deal with their court. They’d only go if someone agreed to send a weekly update. Talon had promised to write. He had added that they could take longer than two weeks. She’d promised to think about it. At the time, she’d felt that two weeks would be more than enough. But now, now she’d gladly remain here for months, if the world allowed it.
Minutes ticked by.
A gust of wind pulled a leaf from a tree, then a tiny creature appeared from under the brush, carrying a sealed envelope that was nearly the size of its body. Two others followed, both dancing and singing as if the delivery deserved its own procession.
Arianna couldn’t help but giggle; even Rion smirked as he rose and took the note from the little being with a bundle of forget-me-nots sprouting from its head. “Thank you.”
It chirped, then flitted away, gone as suddenly as it had arrived. Rion handed her the letter.
Sive had been the one to discover the Fairy Folk could do such things. She hadn’t had the opportunity to ask how. Sive was too busy with her infant, doting on the child as one would a queen.
They were finally free, too.
Arianna ran her fingertips over the golden wax seal with the sigil of a phoenix stamped into it. They hadn’t known what it meant back in Ruadhán. Arianna led Rion back to the bench before breaking it open.
Talon’s elegant script read:
Arianna,
