"Yes," he whispered. "I remember."
Forest gripped his shoulders. "Oh, Syrus. I'm sorry. I went about everything wrong. Please…is there nothing left in your heart for me?"
He hung his head, rubbing the heel of his hand over his chest. "It hurts so much. It's still yours, it always will be no matter what I do…I want to trust you, but…"
"Please," she whispered laying her hand over his heart, "give me the chance to heal it."
He took a deep breath and rested his forehead against hers. It would take time, she realized. He held himself aloof from her, but he was here.
"I'm sorry I misunderstood," he said.
"I'm sorry I ever left your side for a second."
"I'd give anything to change it."
"So would I."
They clung to each other, tears racking their bodies.
"Kiss me, Syrus."
He took a deep breath and framed her face gently with his hands. His gaze pushed deep as he rested his forehead against hers. His bottom lip trembled. "Are you finally done running from me?"
"Yes, Syrus. Yes!"
He leaned in, his lips a breath from hers and stopped. Her eyes fluttered, and she titled her head back, her lips begging his. He eased in but still made no contact. "Are you sure?" he whispered.
"Yes."
Syrus ran his thumb over her aching bottom lip. "Are you really sure?"
Her blood began screaming for him, burning through her veins. "I swear."
His lips came down so slowly and so soft. Forest's eyes shut tight, and her face pulled in the tension of pleasure. He patiently built such terrible agony inside her. Flames and starving hunger.
They both gasped; a quickening in their hearts shimmered silver. Hope sprang a well in Forest, the connection was healing. The pain around his eyes eased, and he breathed easier.
He kissed her again, harder. "The bond is alive. It's battered and fragile, but it lives."
"I felt it, too."
A faint trace of his innocent smile broke his lips. He crushed her against him and pulled her under the falls into the cave. They dove at each other. Forest's shirt ripped under his urgency to touch her new skin. His fingers ran down her neck, over her shoulder, and down to her elbow where her scar used to be. He replaced his fingers with his lips. "You're mine?"
"Yes, I'm yours, Syrus. Completely."
Steam filled the cave, rising off their bare skin as they truly made love for the first time. Every physical act they had shared before paled in comparison. Every wish and yearning fulfilled without haste, overawed with love. Every second the bond gained strength, resurrecting in their hands, breathing deeply in their hearts, only the eyes held back, something still hindering the connection there.
After exhaustion claimed them both, Forest rested her head on his shoulder and watched the dancing light on the cave walls as it bounced off the water.
"There are no words, Syrus," she said still breathless.
He shook his head in agreement. "No. None that could adequately describe…"
"You can mark me now."
"I thought you wanted some time to be free of scars."
She did. She never wanted another scar unless she won it in battle. But her remorse urged her on, trying to continue to make amends. "It's okay… I'm ready."
Syrus brought her hand to his lips. "That means the world to me. But I'll have to decline."
"What?"
"Thanks, but no thanks. I've got an alternative for you." He looked around for his discarded cloak. Squinting, his vision fading, he spotted it floating in the corner of the cave. He grabbed it and retrieved the small box still tucked safely in the inside pocket.
He handed it to her. She opened the lid. Two gold rings lay inside.
"Oh, Syrus."
"Learning a little about Earthly customs presented the perfect solution. Now you can mark me too, and you can take it off anytime you like."
She grabbed his left hand and slid the larger ring onto his finger. He followed her example. Her heart swelled again, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. "It's perfect, Syrus. I love you, today and forever."
"And I love you. Today and forever, Forest… Please don't stay away from me again."
"Oh, I think you'll find me around a little too much for your liking."
He gave her a mock grimace. "You mean I'll have to see you every day?"
"Yup."
"How tedious." His expression grew serious. "I'm going to regain my sight Forest, permanently. I'm close to unlocking it."
"That's wonderful."
He caressed her face. "I want to look at you all the time. Your beauty, your true face, is one of the greatest gifts of my whole life, second only to your heart."
She placed her palm flat on his chest, his heart beating against it. She marveled at the blessing he was and how she had almost lost him. "Your love saved me, in every way. I won't fear happiness ever again." She sealed her words with a kiss. "I'm getting cold. Let's go home."
Syrus sighed contentedly. "Ah, home. Yes."
They collected their wet clothes and ducked out from under the falls.
"We should come back here regularly," he said.
"Definitely."
The End of the Bridge took them back to Forest's garden. She looked nervously at Syrus. "You did know this is where I meant when I said 'home' right?"
He smiled easily. "Of course. Where else?"
They entered the house together. Forest turned and looked at him. He held an armful of wet garments that dripped water on the floor. Oblivious to the mess he was making, just like a guy. She sighed and shook her head.
"What?" he said defensively.
"You're gonna clean that up."
He smirked and dropped the pile on the floor. "Yeah, I'm right on top of that."
"Sucker." The word may have been insulting but her tone was clearly adoring.
He jumped and caught her against him before she could think to run away. She giggled and he kissed her. They were home. Nothing had ever felt more right.
The rest of the night was filled with gentleness, gentle touches and gentle words. Forest fell off to sleep just before the sunrise.
Syrus lay next to her, running his fingertips along the planes of her back as she slept. Dawn broke through the curtains, casting a shimmering light on Forest's skin, but Syrus could barely see it. He gritted his teeth, a swift anger flaring inside him. He'd been deprived long enough, and he had an idea about what was still wrong with their bond.
He got silently out of bed. He found his damp pants and slipped them on before heading out into the dawn.
The sound of the door closing roused Forest. She rolled over into the empty space next to her. "Syrus?" She sat up, forcing her eyes open.
The house was silent.
Groaning, she climbed out of bed and went to the closet to get her robe. She padded out into the living room, suddenly alarmed. She felt something…odd. It took a moment before she realized she was feeling something transferred from Syrus.
Forest looked out the window and saw him. He was sitting in the middle of the garden in a meditative pose, all of his muscles taut, and his face pulled into a mask of pain. His heartbeat sounded inside her head, strong and steady.
Forest choked on her own breath as his pulse palpitated for a second then sped up. His racing heart thundered in her ears. Her internal alarm went off as his vital signs faltered.
"SYRUS!" She ran from the house, skidding and falling to her knees in front of him. She grabbed his shoulders and shook him. "Syrus! Stop!"
Red lightening cracked and snaked over his whole body, shocking her hands. She pulled them back, burned. His mouth moved, uttering unintelligible words over and over.
"Syrus,
please! Please stop!"
His body went rigid and pulled tight like a cable. The strain under the surface looked as though it was about to break him to pieces. Forest grabbed him again, ignoring the burn, and shook him as hard as she could. His head fell back as his eyelids opened. Lightning struck inside his eyes. His body lifted off the ground, suspended.
A terrible shattering filled the air and Syrus fell back to the ground, unconscious.
Forest threw herself on him weeping. "What have you done?" she cried. "Come back to me." She laid her head on his chest, her tears pooling on his sternum. His heartbeat, irregular and feeble.
"Syrus, wake up. Please, please wake up." She clung to him.
Time passed, clouds covered the morning sky. Rain pelted them, rising steam off Syrus' burning hot skin. Forest slipped into a semi- comatose state, unable to handle what happened.
Her awareness broke through as his hand ran over the back of her head.
Forest gasped and lifted her head. He sat up a little and looked straight at her. Knives of fire shot into the center of Forest's eyes. The connection roared to life in blinding red light, lighting their hands and hearts and souls in a new connection, stronger than the first. Unbreakable, imperishable, and immortal.
"Oh, Syrus what have you done?"
His pupils were open, the pearl gray of his eyes shimmered, and a thin red line circled the inner rim of his iris.
"I've done it, Forest! I 've healed my eyes." He got to his knees holding her face in his hands. "I can see you, Forest…I can see you perfectly. Shh…" he whispered, wiping her tears off her cheeks.
"Why did you do it? You put your life in danger. How could you be so stupid? It's not worth that."
He titled her head back a little so she couldn't evade his gaze. The spiritual connection binding their eyes flared and shimmered. His stare, so intense, reached down into her soul, as it never had before.
"Don't say it wasn't worth the risk. Look at me."
"I am."
"No, look deeper. You feel that?"
"Yes."
"Do you see it? Do you see my soul?"
Forest trembled and shook her head. "I…I don't know…"
"You're holding back. Don't be afraid."
I am afraid.
Forest took a breath and let go, instantly astonished. There was nowhere for her to hide now. All that she was broke open to him, and all that he was broke open to her. Their sprits embraced.
"Oh, yes, Syrus. I see…It's beautiful…I never knew intimacy could be this deep. It's amazing."
He ran his thumb over her bottom lip. "This face has haunted me for so long. Driving me to madness while I was in the dark. There never was a more beautiful creature, Forest."
She folded into his arms. "That's exactly the way I feel about you."
"And now I finally have you."
She nestled closer. "Forever."
One month later…
Forest stared at herself in the mirror and decided to change her outfit again, for the sixth time. Syrus came up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and pressed his lips into her neck. Her nerves calmed as she leaned back against him.
"I'm telling you, you should go with the blue. It looks official but not cold."
"All right," Forest conceded. "What are you wearing?"
"My same old, same old. No one expects a mage to be dressed in anything other than monk-ish stuff."
"Lucky you."
"You better hurry up, Madam Hailemarris, or you'll be late."
The idea of being late kicked her heart rate up. She took a deep breath and tried to force herself to calm down.
Syrus turned her around and kissed her on the lips. "Don't worry. It will be easy. Dad's used to this kind of thing. He'll carry it through."
"I'm just glad I don't have to say anything. The very idea of public speaking of this magnitude turns me into a ball of jitters."
He smiled into her eyes. Everyday eye contact still felt so new to her, and her heart trembled in response.
He caught her chin. "I love you. You just remember that when you're up there."
"I will," she breathed, feeling more centered.
Forest used her trusty End of the Bridge to take them to Fortress Castle. The second their feet landed in the main foyer, they were bombarded with people. Servants and officials alike scrambled about to get their tasks done before the ceremony began.
"Forest! Syrus!" Zeren charged up and caught them both in tight hug.
They groaned and straightened their clothing once he released them. Zeren clapped Syrus on the shoulder and turned his full attention to Forest. "Are you ready for this?" he asked.
"Yes. Do I look all right?"
"Perfect."
"Dad, have you seen Ithiel this morning?" Syrus asked.
"Not in the last hour, but I know he's here somewhere."
"I better go find him." Syrus kissed Forest bracingly. "I'll see you out there."
She watched Syrus absorb into the crowd.
"Come on," Zeren took her by the hand and towed her through the movement, out into the main courtyard.
The newly structured stage loomed before her. Her pulse tripped as she looked out over the size of the gathering crowd. The streets of Paradigm surged with people moving upward toward the castle. In a few minutes, she would stand shoulder to shoulder with Zeren, her father, and the rest of the
Rune-dy
, and the remaining members of Fortress' high council. The people would finally learn about the new structure of their world and see their combined leaders. There would be trouble and disagreements; skirmishes and dissention, but as Forest looked to the future, she saw only hope.
The gathering crowd packed in, every race mixing and standing together. She raised her head and looked out at them, unafraid and unashamed.