Alina stared out her chamber window lost in thought. It was the day after she had awoken and succumbed to a strange attack of nerves. She didn’t fully understand what had happened, but decided of all her pressing issues, dealing with her betrothal to the Troivackian King needed to be the most carefully considered.

Especially now that Katarina was awake and– according to the maids she’d spoken to, was as energetic and talkative as always. Alina smiled to herself, at least that was one weight off of her chest.

Glancing to her right, Alina regarded Paula who sat embroidering the sleeves of one her dresses. At first Alina worried the maid would insist she stay in bed all day, but Paula had even offered to go bring her sheet music from the library to practice her lute. While Alina had thought she might try playing later in the day, found that her wrists were still smarting. Unfortunately, the Physician had informed her that the wounds from being tied would most likely leave some scarring... but Alina was too grateful to be home to mind it too much.

A knock on her chamber door drew both Alina and Paula’s attention free from the tranquil moment. Rising swiftly and striding over to the door to see who it was, a quiet voice greeted the maid.

The young girl immediately squeaked, and it was that alone that informed Alina who was at her chamber door.

Her heart was already pounding and her expression hopeful when Paula turned to face her.

“Y-Your Highness, His Majesty King Brendan Devark has requested your presence in the rose maze for the luncheon hour.”

The Princess smiled and nodded her assent.

She was grateful that there wasn’t a lot of time to prepare for the meal, as she knew she would’ve worked herself up to an even greater level of stress if given the time.

Paula tried to summon more maids but Alina managed to dissuade her relatively easily, saying that the commotion would be tiring.

With her dirty blonde waves brushed to shining, and a fresh pale green dress covering her bandaged wrists, Alina headed down to the rose maze with Paula as her chaperone.

As she walked the castle corridors, she noticed the serving staff and several courtiers stopping to bow and curtsy quietly to her. None of them dared to whisper or speak to her.

No one really knew what to say anyway…

She was grateful she wasn’t expected to make small talk or discuss her time away just yet, and decided instead to enjoy the rare peace that followed her- even if it was a peace that was filled with worry and apprehension.

By the time Alina reached the second floor of the castle she found she was quite winded, and had to rest for a few moments before she could once again begin her journey to the garden.

While she was feeling markedly better than she had the previous day, she still was regaining her strength in small doses.

As a result, Alina was a little late to the luncheon, but had the feeling that the Troivackian King would be in a forgiving mood.

When she finally appeared at the entrance to the center of the maze under the brilliant blue summer sky, Alina immediately noted Brendan’s broad back to her as he sat before a table laden with their lunch under the shade of the gazebo. The Troivackian King was talking to his assistant, Mr. Levin, who was nodding along seriously and jotting something down in a leather bound notebook before the assistant himself noticed Alina and must have said as much to the Troivackian King. Brendan then stood and strode over to Alina purposefully, while the assistant bowed and backed away.

Looking better rested than he had the previous day, Brendan had even shaved his stubble from before. He wore a clean set of black clothes– as was his usual attire, but despite all of those changes, there was still a strange somber look in his eyes that made Alina wary.

“Princess Alina, thank you for joining me. I know it is not the ideal time as you are currently recovering from your sickness.” Brendan bowed, and his stiff tone reaffirmed the Princess’ worries…

“I was grateful for the invitation, I was hoping we might talk…” she returned the greeting as he offered her his arm to escort her to the table.

Once they’d reached the gazebo, Brendan helped her into her chair, and then proceeded to alarm her even more so by kneeling down in front of her.

“Your Majesty, what in the world are you doing?” Alina felt panic rise in her chest. What was happening?!

Brendan’s brown eyes met with hers, but he waited until her breaths slowed once again before speaking.

“Princess Alina Reyes of Daxaria. For hurting you and suggesting a betrayal of loyalty, I offer my sincerest apologies.”

Her jaw dropped.

“I am sorry for not being a better man to you, as you have done nothing but shown kindness and respect to me during our time together. I hope in the future, as our kingdoms continue to improve their relationships, that you will be able to see that my shortcomings when it comes to personal bonds will bear no burden on my efficiency as a ruler. I say this with the hope that you will not condemn my court because of my own weaknesses as a man.”

Alina blinked rapidly as her mouth opened and closed several times. She was trying desperately to form words, but was struggling grossly as the leader of Troivack, the country of men that did not apologize, did so on his knees before her.

“Additionally, I gave you my vow to see your brother attend our wedding. Given that our wedding is no longer going to take place, I ask that we alter the vow so that I may bring your brother to you when you choose a better man to be your groom. I do not assume that I will be invited to your wedding, I only ask that I may hold on to my honor and see that my vow is upheld.”

Brendan waited for Alina to say something for several prolonged moments.

It wasn’t until she had worked through a deep breath that she dared to answer.

“Why did you consider a mistress in the first place?” she finally managed, her eyes searching his face desperately.

A look of pain crossed Brendan’s face.

“I never wanted to, but… I didn’t want you to die.”

“What if I want to take that risk? You’re losing me now anyway, so why-”

“You’d still be alive.”

“You think if I end up marrying someone else I won’t want children with them?” The flat tone in Alina’s voice when she asked the question made Brendan pause.

“Perhaps, but at least it wouldn’t be because I allowed it to-”

“Stop being a coward, Brendan Devark. If you love me that much then take responsibility for it.”

Silence fell between them for a long moment as Brendan’s face drained of color.

“Please get off your knees,” Alina requested more gently as she tried not to show her apprehension, and instead tried to be a little more like the man before her…

Blunt to a fault.

“I see that I was rash in assuming I could have a voice or say in the Troivackian court in a short amount of time. You’ve been King for the majority of your life, and it was ignorant and wrong of me to assume I could appear and share the workload. However… I’d like to discuss the possibility that, after a few years, you let me take more on. Or at least try. Be open minded to it. If you can promise me that, on a political level, I think we can figure something out.”

Brendan slowly shifted up from his knees back into the chair across from her. His dark eyes studied her carefully, but they no longer looked quite so… broken.

No, there was something else beginning to stir in him.

“Now, onto personal matters… A mistress is off the table, and I want children. I may die, I may not, but do you think another man is going to take care of me the way you will? Will another man humble himself and remain as strong as you did today for my sake?”

Brendan frowned.

Alina waited to see if she needed to keep ranting logic at him, or if he would finally snap out of his strange silence.

Straightening his shoulders after a few more moments of Alina staring back at him unabashedly, Brendan gently folded his hands in his lap.

“I don’t think it is a good idea for us to wed,” his voice was quiet, but the pain it wrenched in Alina’s heart felt as though he’d shouted the words.

“Why?” Alina tilted her head over her left shoulder. She didn’t hide her look of anger, nor did she hide the tears in her eyes.

“If something happens to you, I don’t know that I will be strong enough.”

“Strong enough for what?” she fired back breathily.

“Strong enough to be a King.” Brendan’s dark eyes fell down to the table between them. “I was supposed to be on a boat back to Troivack almost a week ago. I was supposed to review countless documents, and write correspondence to the advisors I’d left in charge. Instead, I stayed up every night trying to find you. I thought as long as I knew where you were, then I could return, but then you were sick, and all I could do was sit in the corridor and wait outside your door.”

Alina felt her tears beginning to fall, but she didn’t move a muscle.

“Then when you slipped into the soldier's spell and told me what you’d gone through, instead of going back to work, I started negotiating with certain people to break several laws and torture your captors in ways that are far from humane.”

Alina nearly flinched at the dark expression that crossed his face, but instead she latched on to what he had said earlier.

“What’s a soldier’s spell?” she asked quietly while briefly dashing her tears and finding that they had thankfully stopped for the time being.

Brendan shifted in his seat. A sure sign he was growing emotional…

“A soldier’s spell is when a soldier has lived horrors and they continue to haunt his mind. That is what was afflicting you yesterday in your chamber.”

“Ah,” was all Alina managed to say as the sincerity of Brendan’s confession sank in.

“I apologize again, Princess. For everything. I will be boarding a vessel to Troivack tonight, so you will never have to see me again.” Without another moment’s hesitation, the Troivackian King rose, and began to step around the table to take his leave.

Only Alina wasn’t quite finished with him.

“Tell me, does your position still hold firm regardless of a factor you’ve foolishly missed?” she asked, her eyes cutting up to Brendan, stopping him in his tracks.

“Nothing will change my mind, Princess,” he replied, though Alina could see the flicker of devastation in his eyes as he did so.

“Really? So the fact that I love you back doesn’t matter. Hm. I suppose the bard was wrong.”

Brendan went rigid, and his eyes widened.

In the distance, outside of earshot, Mr. Levin grew alarmed at what could’ve warranted such an emotional outburst from his King…

Alina feigned disinterest in his reaction and slowly stood.

“The bard I was taken with told me you loved me more than I loved you. He said I was the light to your abyss…”

Brendan’s eyes were transfixed on Alina’s face, his lips parting in surprise and his face filled with emotion.

“However, the way I see it… I’m willing to risk death just to have your Troivackian heirs, and when I’m in danger whether it be kidnapped in the middle of some woods, or under some sort of soldier’s spell as you called it, you’re the only one I trust enough to hold on to. You’re the only one who helps me be stronger.”

Turning her body to fully face him, Alina gave her final shred of pride and dignity, knowing if she didn’t give that moment her all, she’d feel weak and pathetic the rest of her life.

“Brendan Devark, we all have things we get scared about. I’m scared of not being strong or bright enough to convince you that you should be my husband, but that only makes me want to be even better. If all I make you is scared and I inspire no desire in you to overcome that, then I guess I’m not the right woman for you, and you’re not the man I thought you were.”

With a final imperial look that she was faking down to every bitty bone in her body as her insides quaked and she wanted to break down crying hysterically, Alina forced herself to turn away from Brendan.

Her shoulders straight and her eyes fixed straight ahead, she made it all of three steps before she felt a strong arm swing her around, and suddenly Brendan Devark was kissing her with everything he had.

His arm wrapped around her waist, and his other hand rose to cup the back of her head tenderly.

All Alina felt was an explosion of fireworks in her mind, heart, and belly.

Pure euphoria unlike anything she had felt before sang in her blood, and she never wanted the moment to end.

When Brendan did finally pull back, his dark eyes searched hers worriedly, clearly checking to gage her reaction. She smiled.

“I take it… you’d like us to be betrothed again?” Alina asked faintly, as a blush bloomed in her cheeks.

Brendan didn’t outwardly say anything, but he did manage to growl in approval.

“Good,” her smile widened, but just as Brendan’s head swept down to kiss her in that wonderful way again, Alina’s hand gently drifted up to his cheek and stopped him.

“On one condition.” A playful twinkle entered her eyes.

Brendan frowned for a moment, worried that there was something else unresolved that would need to be discussed and therefore get in the way of the more important act of kissing her senseless.

“I need you to say three little words for me.” Alina’s innocent smile grew mischievous and Brendan felt himself blush deeply.

“I love you,” he managed quietly.

It wasn’t that he minded saying it, it was more that he was aware Mr. Levin and Alina’s maid were both making a silent commotion several feet away as they watched the entire scene unfold.

“I love you, too, but that isn’t the three words I was looking for.” Alina leaned in closer until the tip of her nose touched Brendan’s.

“What do I need to say?” he demanded as his eyes dipped down to her mouth once more.

Alina couldn’t help it, it was too perfect… so she decided to finally tell him exactly what she needed to hear from him. “You see… I need you to say… I’m always right.”

Brendan’s dark eyes snapped back up to hers, and after a beat of silence, he dropped his head back and roared with laughter.