The determination in her gaze makes my heart pound.
"If you wish for me to dream of you, Finn, tell me something that will ensure it’s a pleasant one."
I can’t stop the smile forming on my lips. When she looks at me with that determined line between her brows I can deny her nothing.
I’m in so much trouble.
"Who am I to ignore my Queen's command?"
Turning towards her, I prop myself up on an elbow. The slick grass soaks into my shirt.
"Very well. Picture this, Queenie, a roaring sea, as far as the eye can see. Me, younger than I am now, but no less handsome?—"
"Or less humble?"
I love sparring with her. She enjoys it too. Meeting my teases with maddening ones of her own.
"I've always been an exceedingly capable man, Queenie. You should be well aware of that fact by now." Her smile threads through my soul, tying me to her. "Where was I? Oh yes, roaring sea, me at sixteen with a skeleton crew. We only have one chance to reach the Gods' Fork. Whirlpools were springing up everywhere we looked. Sirens called to us, and thunder clapped overhead. What riches could be worth risking our lives for?"
Arden hangs onto my every word.
"Only the greatest treasure known to man. It was a myth for decades. The drownedSt. Killian, a merchant vessel from the Radiant Isle carrying unfathomable amounts of wealth. Jewels, gold, and the legendaryBlue Pearl."
"Did you find it?"
I grin at her eager question.
"Hold on, Queenie. First, I have to explain how we navigated around the brackish water of the Lowtides…"
The fire burns low as I recount tale after tale to her.
Arden listens intently, asking questions when needed. If she gleans that some of my details have been embellished, she doesn't let on. With each tale, the way she stares at me shifts.
We cover every topic I can think of. High stakes heist on the seas, dangerous treasure that nearly claimed my and my crew's lives, tales of card games with powerful lords, and bets made and bets lost. Each story makes me feel lighter.
Her quiet presence allows me to shed the burdens of my past.
It was not a mistake to share these things with her. It is a startling realization that makes me realize I want her to know me. Every part of me, even if our time together won’t last. I want to bare my soul to her. All the broken, wretched pieces of it, and let her make me whole again.
Her goodness is a balm. One that pulls the next confession from my lips with one heavy bat of her lashes.
"I was born an orphan. Whoever my parents were, they left me at a brothel and never looked back."
Sadness creeps through her emerald eyes.
"Finn—"
"Gree found me as a toddler, trying to stowaway on his ship. He took me in. Raised me as his own and taught me everything there was to know about the world. He’s a wonderful sailor and an even better man." My eyes trace over her face. "He is the one who discovered the portal to come here. Knew the old stories and taught me the legend of a fairy wish, knowing it was the thing I had always sought."
"He sounds wise," Arden whispers.
"He is. When we parted, it was with the finality that we may never see each other again.” I rub at my aching chest. “I've made peace with it if we don't. He knows what he's always meant to me."
Arden swallows soundly but doesn't refute my statement.
I appreciate that she doesn't lie to try and placate my feelings. It's very likely I will die in this forest. Tonight, or tomorrow, or the following day. Danger lurks behind every tree and slithers in the grass. I’m not afraid to die, but to come so close to finally being free, just to perish in some rotting fairy meadow, seems unfair.
But that’s life. Besides, there will be honor in my sacrifice.
