Kierra falls to her knees, her mouth working without uttering a sound. I’m at her side before she can fall. I’m barely aware of Rondel leaping over us as I lay her on her back or Morgene chasing after him, shouting angrily.

Saints save me, I don’t know what to do! Blood is soaking the pure white robe she’s wearing and my hands hover over the blade uselessly. Marjoram and Fiona are suddenly there on her opposite side. I throw panicked eyes toward them. “Help her!”

“Fiona?”

The gardener grips the blade and pulls it free. Her hands lay on the wound for a moment. Then her brows come down and she shakes her head. I don’t like that. It means she’s about to say something terrible. “I’m sorry, Your Grace. The heart is destroyed. Even my physical affinity cannot do anything when the heart has been damaged to this degree. Not before she dies.

Physical affinity, like Kierra. They make the best healers. If she can’t help, there’s nothing anyone can do.

Damn it. Universe, what did I say? I said my luck needs to turn around. What kind of crap is this? I get killed by an insane caster, but some random elemental saves me. Then I get dropped into the Enchanted Forest, which looks like it’s going to be a death sentence, but I end up meeting Kierra. And now, just as I’m about to marry her, some jealous bastard stabs her in the heart, the heart that she planned to give to me.

Is my bad luck good and my good luck bad? Does the universe just want to screw with me? Why does all this crap have to happen to me? I should have run away. I wouldn’t have had to deal with any of this if I were camped out by some dungeon. Adventures and love are overrated. It all ends like this for me, foiled before I can even begin.

…no. No, screw that. The universe doesn’t get to decide this for me this time. I’m going to make my own luck.

Come on, Lourianne Tome. You say you love this elf. Are you just going to let her die without doing anything to save her? I was reborn from an elemental with god-like powers. I’m not just going to give in!

“There has to be something we can do!”

The two elven women look at me with pity. “Lou,” Marjoram starts but I cut her off with a sharp shake of my head.

“You said her heart is too damaged.”

Fiona nods. “She is tough. She holds on but there is nothing a healer can do for her.”

“…what if she had a new heart?”

The gardener’s brows jump to her forehead. “Maybe…no, the body would reject foreign material. It’s too risky. And there are no hearts simply sitting around.”

“Give me her heart.”

“What? Have you gone—”

“I said GIVE ME HER HEART!” My throat hurts from the force of my shouting and I’m sure my eyes are wild but I don’t care. I think I can save her and I’m going to try. No one is getting in my way. Queen or not.

Thankfully, Marjoram nods to Fiona. The gardener still looks hesitant as she reaches her hand into Kierra’s chest. My stomach heaves as I watch her physical affinity work, moving flesh and muscle away. She pulls out my elf’s wounded heart and holds it out to me.

I snatch it from her hand, open my mouth wide, and swallow it. The elves are horrified but I ignore them. My insides have turned back to that of an elemental and the heart dissolves immediately. Yes! I wasn’t sure if I needed a whole body or not but I don’t. Kierra’s template is right there in my head. But I don’t need all of her.

With a thought, I transform my insides into those of the elf. Then I reach inside myself and pull out my heart, her new heart, before changing my innards back to that of an elemental. I hold the fresh organ out to a stunned Fiona. “Don’t just sit there like an idiot! Save her!”

“I—yes!” She takes it from me and gently places it into Kierra’s chest. Then she closes her eyes and holds both hands over the wound. Kierra’s skin crawls as the injury begins to stitch itself together.

I pray the entire time. I’ve never been one for serious prayer and I don’t start now. At least, not to the saints.

My prayers go out to Cosmo. The elemental who changed my life and made all this possible. I’m going to put my trust in you. I’m going to believe in what you made me and the new future you gave me. I’ll give you all the entertainment you could wish for. Just save her. Show me what you, and by extension what I, can do.

And as if my prayers are answered, Kierra takes a deep breath and sits up, eyes wild as her hand pats her chest. When she sees she is unhurt, her stricken expression morphs into the fiercest scowl I have ever seen. “RONDEL! Where is that rat? I swear I will hang his skull on my wall and wear his hide in—mmph!”

I shut her up with a kiss, wrapping my arms about her neck. She returns it for a moment before gently pushing me away. “Dedia, as much as I would love to do this, I need to go kill a traitorous bastard.” She kisses me again before popping to her feet and dashing off.

I laugh as I watch her run, the picture of health.

My laughter peters off as I turn around to see the two elven women staring at me. “Um…”

Fiona bows her head to me. “You gave her your heart, just as the Great Savior did for our race so long ago. You carry a seed of the sacred tree within you.”