Page 20 of Garlands and Gauntlets

“Because I’m an idiot,” I tell him. “Because I hoped—maybe stupidly–that you’d give me another chance.”

His shoulders relax, but I can tell he’s not quite ready for that yet. That’s okay; I can wait. We’ll go on this damn quest together, I’ll drop everything and show him–

“You hurt me, Vaelin,” he says. “What you did…it made me feel so stupid.”

“I know,” I say. “I know, and I’m so sorry. You shouldn’t feel stupid, though–being a good person should never make you feel stupid when a bad person takes advantage of your kindness.”

“You’re not a bad person.”

“Iama bad person,” I insist. “But I want to make it up to you, if you let me.”

He stares at me like he’s trying to read the truth in my eyes. He’s done that before; he was bad at it. I just have to hope that he knows I’m being honest now.

“I missed you,” he says quietly.

The words take my breath away, and I want to tell him I missed him too–but my stupid pride gets in the way. “We’ve only known each other a day,” I tell him.

“I know,” he says, “but I still missed you.”

Gods help me…he’s honest to a fault.

“I missed you too,” I say. “So…does that mean I can buy you a drink?”

He snorts, shaking his head. “A drink won’t fix this.”

“No,” I agree, “but it might make it less awkward.”

That earns me a faint smile, and I wave the bartender over to order him a cider. When the drinks arrive, Theo raises his in a toast.

“To new beginnings?” he says.

I smile. “Yeah. To new beginnings.”

Chapter eleven

Theo

There’s no place I’drather be than at his side right now.

I was going to try to play tough when I walked into the Frosted Flagon earlier tonight, but all of that evaporated when I saw Vaelin waiting in the corner. His family had said he would probably hang out there–that if he wanted to see me, he’d return to the ‘scene of the crime’--and they were right.

And when I saw him, all my anger melted away.

As we leave after another round of drinks, the chaos of the day–the bustling markets, the chatter of holiday cheer–is gone. All the stalls are closed up for the night, and there are just afew people strolling along hand-in-hand, going somewhere cozy. Snowflakes float through the air, catching the light like tiny sparks, and the cobblestones glisten.

For the first time since I arrived in Hearthwynd, the streets feel calm.

Which is strange, because inside, I’m a mess.

Vaelin walks beside me, his hands stuffed into his pockets, his usual swagger subdued. His steps are fast enough to keep up, but measured–like he’s trying to stretch this moment as long as he can. I can tell he thinks I’m still not ready to forgive him, that this might be our last night together.

Maybe it is. I can’t just stay in Hearthwynd; I have long lost fathers to meet, adventures to go on, dragons to slay.

And Vaelin…well, I don’t know what role he plays in all of that, if any. I can’t ask him to pick up his whole life and go.

“You’re quiet,” Vaelin says, his voice breaking the stillness.

I glance over at him. “Just thinking.”

---