“It’s perfect. Fitting.” My smile comes more easily now—falters less.
I expect him to lead me through the gardens, but we venture instead toward the stables and armory. Guards halt as they polish weapons in the yard when they see us, ever vigilant to our movements.
Tension falls from my shoulders when I see Bracken already tacked and waiting for us. He lets out a neigh that moves the air. I think he missed me too.
“We haven’t been out since…” Vale pauses to see if anything is within earshot.
“The branch,” I finish the sentiment, and it seems so funny having to be quiet about seemingly trivial words. But I get it. Even if they don’t make sense, that alone could lead someone to question. All the more reason to take our leave from the manor today. I know there are guards throughout the hills and peaks that hold the valley. We will never be too far from safety nor from watchful eyes. Perhaps, though, we can be far enough away from the threat of discovery for peace.
We set out on Bracken. Vale keeps one arm wrapped tightly around me, the other slightly guiding the stallion where to go. We do not break into a full stride, though part of me longs to—to feel the air across my cheeks in a way that only happens at a gallop.
I lean back into Vale’s chest, willing myself to relax into the morning. Into him.
He moves farther across the meadow where the forest becomes more dense. Now nestled within the privacy of the trees, we dismount. Holding hands with Bracken being led just behind, we wander.
“Gods, this feels good.” I breathe in the earthy aroma, and quiet finds its place in my mind. “No books, no tests, just… this.”
I lean into Vale’s arm. I do not allow myself to get so caught up that I rush ahead as I did the last time we were out. I do not fear venturing on my own. I do not fear the way magic may find me. I just want to relax for a moment and be.
We walk for a long while, beams of light shifting their angles as thesun moves higher in the sky. It’s already becoming warm enough that our cloaks are no longer needed.
Approaching a small pool, we rest. Bracken is tied to a tree, and I sit among the rocks. Water pours down from high above, tumbling across jutting stone to fill the reflective pool before flowing into the stream beyond.
It’s so peaceful.
Vale is watching me when at last I turn to him. Still patting at the horse’s coat, he watches only me.
“I’ve always loved that about you,” he says with a sweetened wonder.
“And that is what, husband?” I respond playfully.
“Whether you’re somewhere new or a place you’ve wandered a hundred times, you always savor it. I know this isn’t just a waterfall to you.” He walks over to me and I stand to meet him.
“And you are not just a man.” I wrap my arms low around his waist.
“More than just a king. It’s been years since anyone has looked at me like that. So many just see the crown. But you…” He brushes at my cheek.
“To be fair, I did not know you were a king when I met you.”
“No, I was just a broken man in a pile of blood upending your entire life.” We both laugh at it, though the memory carries so much along with it.
“Has it really only been a few months since that night?” I rub at my arms. My cloak now rests across Bracken’s saddle. The summer day is bringing warmth, but the thought of how few seasons have passed sends a chill.
“Time feels different to me, I suppose. To me, I waited an eternity to find you, Mira. Once I did, I knew I would never let go.”
I move into his arms more. “So it wasn’t rushed?” Fear mixes in even when I know the truth in my heart.
“Not for me, no. I knew it so many times and in so many ways. Mira—it was always you.” He pulls back so I can see the sincerity in his words, then concern takes its place. “Did I rush you? Did I push you into things you weren’t ready for?”
I turn my head into his hand, nuzzling it withaffection before looking intently as I answer. “I could have had a hundred years and still never be truly ready to be queen,” I laugh. “But for loving you, for becoming your wife…” I reach up and brush along his jaw. His beard is rough beneath my touch, growing out more in the time we have been here. “I never knew how much I needed you until I met you, Vale. I love you more than anything—more than everything.”
He lifts me up, my legs wrapping around him on instinct. He holds me there, our lips locked, answering any question that may linger between us. Before he sets me down, though, he asks one more in jest. “So I should check back on this whole queen thing in a hundred years? See how you’re doing with it?”
I push at his chest, but he only tightens his grip. He doesn’t let go. He doesn’t set me down—not for a long while—until I finally loosen my legs and allow my feet to settle back into the earth.
Vale fetches a blanket that had been rolled at the back of the saddle and lays it across a large flat stone. We lie there, sun breaking through the canopy’s opening and bathing us in its heat.
“I really needed this,” I tell him, lying on our backs, fingers intertwined.
