Silence settles around us again.
Then she asks the question I have been expecting since the moment the bond first ignited.
“What happens now?”
The future. For centuries I have not needed to consider it beyond the next battle or command. Now the question feels strangely significant.
“We go somewhere new,” I say.
She tilts her head.
“That’s your entire plan?”
“More or less.”
A faint smile appears.
“That sounds suspiciously like improvisation.”
“I prefer to call it freedom.”
The word lingers between us.
“Freedom,” she repeats softly.
“Yes.”
Her gaze drifts toward the distant hills.
“Anywhere?” she asks.
“Anywhere.”
She considers that for several seconds.
“Even somewhere quiet?”
I shrug slightly.
“If quiet is what you want.”
Her eyes meet mine again.
“What do you want?”
The answer comes easily.
“You.”
The bond pulses warmly. She exhales slowly.
“That was dangerously romantic.”
“I am capable of surprising behavior.”
Her lips curve faintly.
“I’ve noticed.”
