The palace gates opened just before sunset.

Lysa had not intended to be there. She had been on her way to the kitchens to check on the wedding feast preparations when she heard a long, low whistle that she had learned to recognize months ago. Captain Rowan’s signal.

Her feet carried her before her mind could catch up.

The guard patrol rode through the gates in single file, their horses lathered from a long journey. Snow still clung to their boots and cloaks, though spring had officially arrived. At the head of the column, Rowan sat tall in his saddle, his face tired but his eyes scanning the courtyard.

Those eyes found her immediately.

Lysa froze beside the fountain. She had told herself she was not waiting for him. And that the way her chest tightened every time she thought of him was simply a concern for a friend.

She had lied.

Rowan dismounted before his horse had fully stopped. He tossed the reins to a nearby stable boy and walked toward her, his boots crunching on the gravel. His uniform was travel-stained. His beard had grown longer than regulations allowed. His amber eyes were soft.

"You’re here," he said.

"I was passing by."

"Exactly when I returned?"

Lysa’s cheeks warmed. "That’s a coincidence."

"It’s been three weeks." He stopped a few feet away, close enough to touch but not touching. "I counted every day."

"You shouldn’t count days. It’s not healthy."

"I’m not healthy." He smiled, a tired, crooked smile that made her heart stumble. "I missed you, Lysa. I told myself I wouldn’t say it. That it was too soon. That you probably didn’t feel the same. But I missed you."

The courtyard bustled around them. Servants unloaded supplies. Guards exchanged news. A group of nobles hurried past, already dressed for the bonding ceremony tomorrow. No one paid attention to the captain and the attendant standing by the fountain.

Lysa looked down at her hands. They were trembling.

"I missed you too," she admitted. "I didn’t realize how much until you were gone. The palace felt... quieter. Emptier. Even the gardens seemed less bright."

Rowan stepped closer. "The gardens are the same. You just weren’t looking at them with me."

"That’s very philosophical for a man who once described his job as ’hitting things until they stop moving.’"

"I’ve grown." He reached out and gently touched her hand. "My father is better, by the way. The healers think he’ll make a full recovery. He asked about you."

"About me?"

"He wanted to know who had put the light back in my eyes." Rowan’s voice was rough. "I told him about you. About the battle. About the way you stayed when others ran. About your laugh."

Lysa’s eyes burned. "You told your father all of that?"

"He deserved to know why I was smiling again." Rowan’s thumb traced a slow circle on her knuckles. "I didn’t want to see the queen’s wedding without you. I know that sounds selfish—the whole kingdom is celebrating their bonding. But I kept thinking about us. About what we might have. About whether you’d be willing to try."

"Try what?"

"A future." He met her eyes. "Not tomorrow. Not next week. But someday. I want to dance with you at a wedding that isn’t someone else’s. I want to stand in a garden and not have to worry about patrol routes or politics or the next crisis." He swallowed. "I want to come home to you, Lysa. Not to the barracks. Not to an empty room. To you."

Lysa could not speak. Her throat was too tight. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

She had spent her whole life being practical. Being invisible. Being grateful for small kindnesses and never asking for more. Seren had taught her that she deserved more. The triplets had shown her that love could be fierce and complicated and worth fighting for.

But Rowan was offering something different. A quiet harbour.

"Three weeks ago," she said finally, "I was afraid to admit I missed you. I thought it would make me weak. That if I wanted you too much, I would lose myself."

"And now?"

"Now I think that wanting someone doesn’t make you weak. It makes you brave." She turned her hand over under his, lacing their fingers together. "I’m not ready for promises. I’m not ready for forever. But I’m ready to try. To see where this goes. To stop pretending that I don’t look for you in every crowd."

Rowan’s breath left him in a rush. "That’s more than I hoped for."

"I’m full of surprises."

"I know." He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. "Tomorrow, the queen and her princes will bond. The kingdom will celebrate. And I will stand in the back of the hall and watch it all, and I will think about you. About us. About what comes next."

Lysa smiled. Tears spilled down her cheeks, but she was smiling.

"What comes next is the wedding feast. And you owe me a dance."

"I owe you a lifetime of dances."

"Then start with one."

Seren watched from the window of her chambers.

She had seen Rowan return. She had seen Lysa rush to the courtyard, pretending she was just passing by. She had seen the way they looked at each other, like two people who had found something precious and were still afraid to name it.

Kael came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Spying on your friend?"

"Observing. There’s a difference."

"You’re meddling."

"I’m hoping." Seren leaned back against him. "Lysa has given me everything. Her loyalty. Her friendship. Her courage. She stayed when she could have run. She believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself."

"And now?"

"Now I want her to be happy. Not just safe. Not just comfortable. Happy."

Kael kissed her hair. "Rowan is a good man. Honest. Loyal. He’ll treat her well."

"I know."

"Then stop worrying and let them figure it out."

Seren turned in his arms. "I’m not worrying. I’m celebrating."

"Tomorrow is the bonding ceremony. Tonight is for rest."

"Tonight is for watching the people I love find joy." She looked back out the window. Lysa and Rowan were walking toward the gardens, their hands still linked. "Tomorrow, we bond. But tonight, something else is beginning."

Kael smiled. "You’re a romantic."

"I’m a queen who knows that kingdoms are built on love. Not just the love of mates. The love of friends. The love of people who choose each other every day."

"Then let’s give them time."

They stood together in the window, watching as Lysa’s laugh floated up from the garden.