Monika

The doors slam behind us with a thud.

"Is it true?" I whisper.

"You want to know something," he grunts, setting us all down.

I nod, as he bends down, cupping my face.

"You are truly...so lovely."

The kids scatter as he smiles down at me. I forget what just happened, the fear rumbling in the pit of my stomach. It's replaced by a new sensation.

I look away, casting my hazy to the side. He doesn't let me.

"Lovely? You mean...pretty?"

"No. I mean lovely. Exquisitely beautiful. The way you speak, the expressions you make, the strength in your soul, of your character. You are lovely. And that's why I love you."

He kissed the corner of my lips tenderly. My brain feels like it's in a fog. If he would stop speaking to me so softly I could think. If he weren't holding me so tenderly I could process what was happening and its implications.

"War and death are overshadowed by your existence, Monika."

"Are you dying?" I whispered. "Is that what's happening?"

He chuckles, brushing my cheek with his knuckle gently.

"No. I'm not dying. And neither are you. I just thought...I should say that. I think it all the time, it's like a running chant in the back of my mind. I just thought I should say it, at least once."

He sets his sword aside, nodding to himself as if he were satisfied he got his point across.

Lovely?

My soul? My character? What character and who thinks that deeply about me and why is my face so warm? He says it as fact and he has moved on as if it were normal to say.

But I know I'll be thinking about this, replaying it in my mind for at least the next two weeks every time I get a chance.

"So Orion doesn't pose a threat?" I clear my throat.

Lovely.

He scoffs. "He never did to me. It's you and the children. That's why I need to make sure we unlock all your powers as quickly as possible."

Slade sighs, rubbing his hands along his jaw. "We've not had dinner. He's such a chronic inconvenience. Po?"

Po arrives. "Dinner is on the table."

Slade pats her head gently, taking my hand.

"Children! Let's eat."

I glance back at the door, as Slade pulls me to the dinner table.

I look at his strong back, his gaze ahead, confident. My lips tug up. Right. Nothing to fear. A dream is a dream. But he's real.

We gather around the table, Fallon's speeding around a few times before skidding to a stop and sitting in her seat.

Dion and Solice roll their eyes venting their frustration.

I believe in him. But I keep seeing their bodies behind my lids when I close them.

Slade's hand tightens around mine as he looks at them. I suppose he is too. No matter how strong, how confident, how sure, that sight is now in our minds and it is sickening.

"You know I really love you guys," I smile. "Even if Fallon runs around too much, and Solice throws things around and Dion's mouth is too smart."

"Hey," Dion raised his hands. "I'm begging you to stop with the death flags okay?"

Fallon raised her brows, getting up and circling the temple in a flash. "Didn't find any flags with death on them."

I chuckle.

"Settle down," Slade booms. "Backs straight, mouths closed. Eat. Tonight we will train until dawn. So save your strength."

"Aw, man. I thought you had that guy Slade."

Slade raises his brow. "I do. You don't. And in the event I'm not there, you need to hold your own."

Dion leaned back with a sigh. "Or what? We're only human after all. Lived longer than we should've. But in the end—"

Slade slams his fist on the table. "You're not allowed to die. None of you. That is the end of the story. Now eat, or I will make you do sword drills until your muscles snap, I will heal you and do it again."

He clenched his jaw, but his handshakes. I realize Slade isn't Afraid of Orion. He never has been.

He's afraid of losing them. He doesn't show it with softness, instead being more rigid with them. I squeeze his hand.

His red eyes dart to me, an expression I've never seen.

So much fear. I'm sure he anticipated it would hurt losing him.

But I think it hurt more than he thought it would.

He closes his eyes. "You too, Monika. Eat well."

I smile, filling my plate. He smiles at me, as if grateful.

It's part of the way he shows his love. I don't think they understand that. They grumble but eat quietly.