Kastali Dun

Merrian heard the slight snick just as a folded sheet of parchment appeared from beneath the door. Reyr startled awake, blinking. He looked dazed but didn't notice what woke him. She hesitated before rushing to retrieve the message. With a single cantrip, her mage light flared to read the contents. A gasp fell from her lips.

"Read it aloud, won't you?" Her gaze jumped to Reyr. He didn't bother to get up. After months, she found him sleeping more frequently. It was easy to become depressed in a place like this. With everything weighing on him, she understood.

Reading the note word for word, she said, "The king and queen have returned to Dragonwall." Ryer sucked in a breath. "Too dangerous to visit in person. Will send word when we know more. Signed, Feowen." She crushed the note in her fist, clinging to it like a lifeline.

Reyr stood. "Let me see that."

He read it over, his eyes darting across the short missive several times. His breath came faster and faster. She spotted a sheen of moisture in the reflection of his eyes when they caught the mage light.

"This is good, right?" she asked, then wanted to kick herself for failing to think of something better to say. "Now that they're back, they can put things to rights."

Reyr was still breathing hard. He clenched the note and began to pace. At last, he went to the wall and slid down it, sitting.

"Reyr?"

He put his head in his hands. She couldn't blame him for being overwhelmed. His shoulders began to shake. Was he...laughing?

"Reyr?" she asked again, concerned. A strangled sound wrenched from him. No, he wasn't laughing. She rushed to him, crouching beside him.

"Oh, gods," she breathed. "It's all right." But it wasn't.

He began to sob in earnest as she pulled him into her arms. In that moment, she forgot everything she'd ever disliked about him. After so many months together, he had mended some of his transgressions in the form of apologies, but she'd never truly forgiven him. Not until now. Seeing him like this, vulnerable before her.

His arms snaked around her waist, his face buried in her chest. His sobs were quiet, but she felt each one loudly through every tremor of his muscles. She clung to him and he to her. "Shhh..." she cooed. "Shhh. I've got you."

She began to rock him, combing her fingers through his dirty, matted hair. Their baths were seldom. Feowen and the others visited less and less oven over the months they'd been stuck down here. Nearly a year had passed since the king's departure and now he was finally back. He'd rescued the queen. They had returned to the kingdom.

"He'll never...never....forgive me," Reyr managed, gasping through each sob. "I don't...deserve...it."

"Stop that. Of course he will. You did splendidly—until everything with Kane, of course." That only made him sputter. "Besides, I have forgiven you, for how you treated me. So I'm sure he will do the same."

There was a long pause and then Reyr lifted his head to look at her, eyes red and inflamed. His arms remained firmly around her. "You...have?"

Seeing his broken expression cracked something open in her chest. "Oh, Reyr," she breathed. He looked at her with such hope that she couldn't help but reach forward and wipe at the tears staining his cheeks.

Reyr was one of the most powerful drengr in the kingdom, but here he was, overcome with grief. She didn't imagine the king's shields cried often, if ever. "I forgive you," she said, because she knew he needed to hear the words, if only to have one less weight hanging over him. "King Talon will, too."

"Thank you," he managed. His throat bobbed.

"Come here," she murmured, pulling him close again. He complied, though his body no longer shook. She merely held him, stroking his hair.

A fierce protectiveness flared in her chest. She didn't want him to hurt—she might have once, but not now. Her arms tightened around him. She rather liked having him like this. Maybe he did, too, because his crying had stopped but he hadn't pulled away. She squashed the thought as quickly as it came. He was upset. Now was not the time to think about the feel of him clinging to her.

Besides, he was a king's shield and she was...she was no one. Months ago, she'd hated him. There was no way she'd let her feelings run wild, so she pushed them down and locked them away.

"What do you think will happen now?" she wondered, trying to distract herself from the feel of him.

He exhaled but didn't pull away, so she continued to stroke his hair, pulling gently at the tangles to comb them. "I want to believe that they will fix this, that everything will be all right in the end. But..."

"But?"

"But Kane has all five dragonstones, and I don't see how they can work around that kind of leverage without a great sacrifice. Talon loves his kingdom but he won't risk turning to stone, turning all his drengr to stone. What if Claire can't turn us back? What if she does but we lose ourselves in the process? What if we're stuck as dragons after that, like the first who turned from stone? There are too many what ifs."

"True. But if anyone can fix this, it's them."

Reyr huffed. "Talon is an exceptional king. Claire, an exceptional queen. I want to believe you. I just wish... It never should have come to this. They're here to clean up the mess I made. Had I been more observant, I might have known Kane was coming to the capital, might have noticed the Osheans arriving with him. Talon trusted me to hold his kingdom together and I did a poor job of it."

"Stop. That's enough." She gave his hair a gentle tug. "You did the best you could. You did an excellent job, as a matter of fact. I don't think many could have put up with the rigors of the position for as long as you did. Nearly eight months, Reyr. That is no simple feat."

He scoffed. "Yes, but I could have done better. I could have treated you better, for a start."

"Yes, true."

"I really am sorry," he croaked. "So gods damned sorry. You didn't deserve that. You didn't deserve any of this—"

"Enough." She pulled him up, cradling his face in her palms. "You've already apologized and I've already forgiven you. What's done is done. Just because you made mistakes with me doesn't mean you were a poor ruler. Nor does it mean Talon won't forgive you. Thinking like this only adds to your burdens. Put it from your mind, yes?"

His eyes darted between hers, searching. His throat bobbed. "You're right," he said at last, his tongue darting out to wet his parched lips. She followed the action without realizing it, then looked away. He exhaled, then repositioned himself to sit beside her.

Part of her wanted to cry out at the loss of him. The other part silently chided herself for letting him affect her so. "Let's think of something better," she decided. "Now that it looks like we might survive this, we might even be free of this cell, let's think of what we'll do once we are."

He huffed. "All right. What will you do?"

"Me?" She hesitated, but she didn't need to think over her answer. She'd already fantasized about it many times. "The first thing I'll do is check in on all the sick houses, shelters, and orphanages in the city. Gods only know what Kane has done in our absence. I'll make sure they are taken care of. Then, I think I'd like to travel. This city isn't the only one housing the less fortunate. I've always wanted to see more of the kingdom. Maybe I'll travel to all the big cities and help where I can—"

"I'll come with you."

"What?" She jerked her neck to look at him, sending a sharp pain up her spine. "What are you talking about?"

"I'll come with you. I'll help you. We can establish better funding for those in need. The gods only know Talon's coffers are large enough for it. There are approvals and such, signatures and documents and all the rigamarole that comes with diverting funds, but I can manage that. Then we can set out together and..." He frowned. "Why are you glaring at me like that?"

"This isn't a daydream, Reyr. This is actually what I plan to do when—if—we get out of here."

"I'm aware. I'm not making light of it."

"You're serious?"

"Of course I'm serious," he scoffed. "If you think I'd let you run off on your own to do something like this, then you are seriously mistaken."

"I'm not a queen. I don't need a babysitter."

He chuckled. "No, I'm sure you don't, but you are one of us now, weather you like it or not, and we protect our own."

She blinked. Something warm filled her belly. Was that what this was about? She chewed on the inside of her cheek. Part of her had hoped that maybe he wanted to come because he wanted...well...never mind. It didn't matter. She knew enough about the hardship of life to never decline the offer of charity. If he was willing to do this for her—for the people who needed it—she would gladly take it.

"All right. But just so you know, I'm not exactly keen to be one of you, knowing all it entails." She gestured at the cell around them.

Reyr laughed. The sound made her chest feel lighter. She couldn't remember the last time she'd heard him laugh, if ever. "No, I cannot say we're making the best impression. But I promise you, things will get better. It's not always like this, working for the king. Assuming we get out of here, that is."

"We will," she said, because she needed to believe it. She hesitated. "What about you? I've said what I want to do when we're free. What about you?"

"Aside from coming with you on a tour of the kingdom?" She nodded, but refused to let herself believe he'd actually come with her when it came down to it. "Well, before that I plan to hug everyone I hold dear. After being stuck in here—you realize how much you take for granted."

"Maybe hug them after a bath, though?"

He laughed again. "Yes, definitely after a bath. No, actually, before and after. And then, I think I just want to spend time with them. My shield brothers, the girls, Claire and Talon. I'd be happy simply to sit in the same room with them and just...exist."

"That sounds nice," she mused.

"You'll be there too, of course."

"Oh?" She lifted a brow, her voice teasing.

"Oh yes. Im not letting you out of my sight once we get out of here." His words made her skin feel stretched tight. "Something tells me if I do, you'll run as far and as fast as possible."

He wasn't wrong. She had an urge to flee from him, from his inner circle. To never look back. And yet...

"She'll want to meet you, you know."

"Who? Claire?"

"Claire. She'd be devastated if you ran before she could. I'd have to drag you back, kicking and screaming," he teased.

"You'd have to find me first."

His eyes locked on hers and a shiver raced down her spine. "I'd find you."

She felt those words deep in her bones. He would. If he truly wanted to, there wasn't a single place in this world she could hide. Especially not when he was looking at her like he was now. Like she was something...precious.

Oh, gods. She turned away, hoping he didn't see the heat in her cheeks, and said, "Where should we travel first, on our tour of the kingdom?"

"Oh." A long pause. "How about north? We could go east from there, then south, perhaps through the forest, to Esterpine, if you'd like—"

"Esterpine?!" she sputtered. "I highly doubt the sprites have need of my mediocre healing abilities. Not when they all do a far better job of it."

"No, but you'd like to see it, wouldn't you?"

"Outsiders aren't permitted."

He scoffed. "They are when they're friends with the spriten queen."

"Right." She hadn't considered that bit. She let the thought take hold. The idea of visiting the famed spriten city of Esterpine, a place few outsiders had ever seen. "I think I'd like that very much."

"Good." Reyr sounded smug.

They continued to fantasize over all the places they'd visit. He told her about the cities he'd been to and the ones he hadn't. They talked about the funds they might set aside, and how they would spend them. With every word, their cell felt a little less bleak. For the first time in months, it was the brightest it had ever been. Freedom might be possible, after all.

💕❤️💕Don't forget to heart this chapter!❤️💕❤️

Happy Friday, Bookdragons!!

I really enjoyed writing this chapter and watching these two break down more of the barriers between them. While this book didn't get a lot of time dedicated to them, I wanted to make their transition as smooth as possible. There's a lot that, presumably, happens behind closed doors, in all those days they're stuck together that we don't get to see on page. Months of just...existing in one another's presence. 

I'm so excited to see what the future holds for them, especially in the last book :)

Next week's chapter is Leah's POV as things start to come to the pinnacle of her character arc. 

See you then!

--Mel