//giant, part 01//
Thankful Jack had taken to the bustling market below, Nissa and I freely discussed getting to the belowpass. In a couple days, I would return to Yantra City. We'd ride Gaia to the Crystal Caves, located to the south. Nissa promised to travel the cave with me until we reached the belowpass entrance. Then I was on my own. But I didn't mind. My heart soared.
Finally. Soon, I would be confronting Fate about the life sentence she'd placed on King Hadeth and Prince Rune. The fact that it was at last coming to fruition tightened my stomach. What would I say? Could I convince Fate to reverse her sentence? What was Fate like?
I was preoccupied the entire time back to the castle. Jack still said nothing to me. But it didn't occur to me to mind. I had preparations to make.
If Fate had the mind of a chess player, I couldn't try to outthink her. Like with the Sprite Council, I would be honest, forthright. Unlike with the Sprite Council, however, I wouldn't bother to impress her with my outfit. Yes, I wanted to look good and feel confident. But I doubted I would impress Eternity's judge, jury, and executioner.
I ransacked my wardrobe. Several dresses and outfits flung onto my bed and the table and chairs. I played around with outfits and combinations. I didn't want to look like I was trying too hard, but I still wanted to look good. Professional. Serious. I wanted—no, needed—Fate to take me seriously.
With a groan, my body flopped on top of my clothes.
"It's the hardest decision sometimes, isn't it?" a voice remarked from the doorway. Eika smiled at me.
I picked up a nearby pair of pants. "I have no idea what to wear."
"What's the occasion?" she asked as she dusted the shelves.
My lips pressed together. Eika wasn't dissuading me, but she wasn't encouraging me either. I knew if I asked, she'd offer her help without hesitation. But the guilt clawed at my insides. I realized how selfish I was being: doing what I wanted regardless of what the people around me wanted. It may have been for the sake of others, but the fact remained that I was being selfish. Guilt bit harder.
"Meeting Fate." I chewed on my inner cheek, fidgeting as I waited for her response.
She regarded the explosion of fabric around me. Her eyes scanned in opposite directions. After humming in contemplation for a moment, she gathered a few pieces. Once she arranged them, she asked, "What about this?"
She had chosen a long-sleeve shirt and a black-and-white checkered pinafore dress.
"I love it," I said, holding up the dress. "Thank you."
"Of course, Belline Paris."
"Eika?" I called before she left. When she glanced back at me, I said, "I'm sorry."
A soft smile bloomed on her face. "Just be careful. There are many here who care deeply for you."
"I know. And I will."
.
As the Prince and I sat across from each other at the table in the dining room, my body wriggled. My brain reminded me over and over again that in a few days, I would be confronting Fate on Prince Rune's behalf—and he had no idea. I had to tell him. I wanted to tell him. He had been so selfless, so understanding, so giving, throughout this whole thing. It was the least he deserved.
His father sat with us. As usual, he commanded the conversation. He allowed for little silence. And as he gesticulated and chirped along merrily, I peered sidelong at him.
The cloak had a twofold reason now. The first: it acted as a symbol of mourning. He had lost his wife to insanity, watched her destroy his kingdom—when he could have prevented it. The cloak reminded him that it was his fault (though only partially) and that he deserved to have his face taken from him. Which provided the second reason: to hide his faceless appearance.
As I stole glances at him, I wondered what King Hadeth had looked like before Fate had intervened. Was he handsome? From a tapestry depicting the Queen, I knew the Prince took mostly after his mother. But did he share some of his father's features? What did the King look like?
If things went my way, I would soon find out.
I also stared at the Prince. What sort of magic had he possessed? Would he be happy to have it back?
My lips flattened. The King and the Prince deserved to be freed from their punishment. They had served their time. They'd live forever with the guilt—that was atonement enough. I would free them. I had to try.
When we finished, King Hadeth lingered like always, while Prince Rune hurried from the room. I raced after him.
Thankfully, he couldn't get far. My hand latched onto his wrist as I called, "Rune, wait. I have something I need to tell you."
He turned around, fixing his collars, even though they didn't need adjusting. Hands behind his back and eyes battling both shadow and fire, he waited for me to continue.
I steeled my spine, shoulders pulled back. I dove right in. "I'm going to meet Fate in the belowpass in a couple days. And I'm going to ask her to reverse her sentencing."
For a moment, he merely studied me. A mask of apathy muted his gaze to a motionless black. As he stood there silently, I wondered what was going through his mind. Was he coming up with a way to dissuade me? Was he wrestling his concerns and protectiveness, waiting for selflessness to win? What gave him pause now?
As I reached out to touch him, to reassure him, he said, "If you wish it, then so shall it be."
Like the first time he'd uttered those words to me, he did it because I wanted it, not because he did. He put aside his desires for mine. Like the first time, he didn't want to let me go. But because he loved me, he made my wishes his own.
Tears clogged my throat. How selfish I had become. Blinking rapidly to keep the tears at bay, I croaked, "I'm so sorry, Rune. I'm sorry I have to be so selfish."
A phantom smile passed his lips. His fingertips danced lightly over my cheek. "Selfish? You are the least selfish being I know. You are doing this for the sake of me and my father. That is not selfish. That is compassion. Compassion we do not deserve but you offer anyway."
The saltwater spilled down my face, where the Prince wiped it away. A brusque chuckle escaped. "You wanna talk about selflessness – what about you? You're amazing."
The mask wavered, giving me a glimpse of the darkness that had swallowed his gaze. He dropped his hand and took a step backward. His eyes closed, and he dipped into a ninety-degree bow, arm across his stomach.
When he straightened, I cast him a smile, one full of affection and gratitude. "Thank you."
I expected us to part ways. But I had taken only a few steps before his hand latched onto my wrist, stopping me. His head was hung, shoulders furled in. I moved closer, heart beginning to pound. What was wrong?
"If," he said, clearing his throat. "Should you choose to leave again, I will understand. Do not worry about the Sprites – I will handle them. But I do not want you to feel like you have to stay. You can leave whenever . . . whenever you choose to."
My heart split, right down the center. Standing before me, breaking and hurting and uncertain, was the person I would eventually marry. The person I had chosen to return for, because I knew there was something happening between us, something worth it. The person I now chose to confront Fate for, no matter what anyone else said.
And he was giving me an out. He still believed he wasn't worth the choice. He feared I would change my mind. And I didn't necessarily blame him—I had left once. But regardless of the pain, he still wanted to tell me that if I ever made that choice, that it was okay.
I knew I would choose him, choose to stay, time and time again. And the only way to reassure him of that as well was to choose him, time and time again.
So my hand splayed on his cheek, encouraging him to look at me. With a gentle fierceness, and the bone-deep acknowledgement that I meant it with every inch of me, I said, "I love you, Rune."
His eyes widened. Pink enflamed his face, and my chest swelled. Jack's words repeated—you love 'im that much, eh?—and I knew, with absolute certainty, that I did love Prince Rune Eslyr. He was so good, so kind, so selfless. And when I'd decided to make Eternity my permanent home, I knew I would eventually fall in love with him. And I had.
It happened so much sooner than I thought it would. But it was the entire reason I was so determined to meet Fate: because I loved him and wanted him to be as happy as possible. Because I loved him, I wanted him to be free.
My mouth stretched with a smile. "I love you, Rune," I repeated, giddy electricity shooting through my veins. "That's why I'm staying: because I want to, and because I love you. Thank you for giving me that option. But you're stuck with me now."
As he stared, slack-jawed, a part of me waited for the tears to fall. But they didn't. Instead, he wrapped his arms about me in a tight hug. He buried his face in my neck. And we stood there for a long time, relishing in the air electrified by the new understanding that we loved each other.
He kissed the top of my head. He said nothing, but he didn't need to say anything. I was sure he was reeling—confused, astonished, amazed, grateful, full—so when he left with only a small bow, I understood.
And now I was ready. Armored with my love for the Prince—for his father and his kingdom—I could face Fate with confidence and assurance. Bring on the Grand Justice.