AYLETH

She trembled like a leaf, her heart racing. If Etan hadn't been holding her hands, they would have jittered like cook's favorite jelly dessert. Her breath came too fast, not out of desire, but from sheer emotion. The words he spoke broke the surface of her heart like fingers on the water, stroking and rippling, even as they submerged.

He hadn't taken his eyes off of her while he declared himself. She was determined to honor him in the same way. So she swallowed her fear and spoke.

"Etan, my life has been marked by knowledge. Wisdom," she said softly. "So much information, always at my fingertips. I had heard of love, and I had prayed, too, to find a man who would cherish me, who would cherish my people, and who would continue to find love for me even after the thrill of finding one another had grown thin.

"I thought of romantic dreams, and pretty ceremonies. I thought of being Queen with someone at my side of whom I was proud.

"I never thought to look for you. Never imagined you could exist. Your physical strength and discipline are only a shadow of your character—I did not believe men of your caliber walked the continent, the Goddess strike me down if I lie. That you see me for who I am, all of me, and do not see weakness is a measure of your own strength. That you would welcome women into your annals of power—in our family—difficult for me to fathom.

"The first moment I saw you, I felt you, Etan. In my bones. Your strength, your power, your compassion, and your integrity. I knew you were the kind of man I had heretofore only found in books. You were impossible… but you are here. You are mine," she said fiercely.

Etan squeezed her hands, his forehead lined with the restraint it took him not to reach for her, she thought.

"I did not know I needed a man who could best me in a fight—but you can, and I do. I did not know I needed a husband to laugh with, but you make my heart giddy, until laughter is the only option. I did not know I needed a King who viewed his own power as secondary, unless it bettered his people. And yet, you are that future King, and I do. I need you as your people need you: To change the world.

"I did not know I needed a husband who would question me, or applaud me. But you do both and so shape me into something better than I was before." Her voice got high and thin and she leaned closer, pressing his hands down in her grip, desperate for him to understand, to believe her. "You are mine, Etan. And I am yours. I will give myself to no other, and allow no other to take you. As long as I breath, no other heart will tempt you. No other lips will take yours. Only mine.

"It will be your wisdom I seek, and your power I reach for. It will be your face that I hold in the dark, and your warmth that I curl into. No one else makes me safe, Etan."

A tiny noise broke in his throat, and her tears returned, blurring her vision. But she pushed on. He needed to hear this. "The world may not be kind to us—our families may not be kind to us. But no matter what has occurred, know that I will always be at your side. Not before, and not after. I stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you, to shout your victories, and to soothe your defeats.

"When my people come to know you, I know they will love you as I do. But even if they did not, be certain: There is nothing within me that wishes for anyone but you. And no future I can see without you in it. For me, or my people.

"If today is my last day on this earth, I will only thank the Goddess that I found you before it arrived, that impossibly, you love me in return. And I will seek heaven knowing that you must be there.

"Today I tell you, before witnesses, and before your God and mine, that if we are ever parted, you carry me with you. Never question for a moment that I love you. Never question for a moment that I remain faithful to you. Never doubt that if I am held back, I fight only to find you and be near you again.

"You awe me, Etan. Your strength, your compassion, your determination. In a land of riches and power, you are the greatest treasure I have ever received. I will never discard you. Never regret you. And never leave you in my heart.

Your courage inspires me," she breathed, her voice catching. "Your strength makes me yearn to rest against it—and makes me bold because I know you stand behind me. You have taught me patience in the face of difficulty, and you have honored me…" her voice broke. She swallowed more than once, but couldn't get the words past her lips without bringing tears on top of them. "The way you have protected me, even from myself, is an honor and a tribute to any human being, but most especially a woman, and I am grateful to you. Your strength astounds me. It outstrips my own.

"For the rest of my days I pray I will continue to see you as I do now. To recognize the power you wield—and the gentleness with which you parry it. Your Kingdom is blessed to have you, and so will mine be. But most of all, I am blessed by you.

"I love you, Etan. That word is not enough to express it, but it is true."

He made a tiny groan and she lifted one her hands to his face. "I love you," she whispered. "Never leave me. Please."

"I never will," he gasped and they took each other in a kiss that, to Ayleth, seemed to sear his lips on her soul.