Page 71 of The War of Four Winters

My heart stopped, then raced. He stood just inside the doorway, copper hair catching what little torchlight filtered into the cell, his face thinner than I remembered, but his eyes burning with the same fierce intensity I'd carried in my memory through every dark moment since our parting. For a heartbeat, neither of us moved, both frozen by the impossible reality of seeing each other again.

Then something broke between us. I surged forward as he rushed toward me, our bodies colliding with enough force to steal the breath from my lungs. His arms locked around my neck while mine circled his waist, pulling him against me with desperate strength. I buried my face in his neck, breathing in his scent, feeling his pulse hammer against my lips. He was real. Alive! Here.

"Ruith," he whispered, my name a prayer on his lips. His hands moved frantically over my shoulders, my back, my face, as if confirming I was whole, unmarked despite my captivity. "I thought I'd never see you again."

My fingers tangled in his hair, cradling the back of his head as I pulled back just enough to see his face in the dim light.

"Three minutes," Klaus warned from the door, his voice bringing reality crashing back. "The next guard rotation begins then."

"You shouldn't be here," I whispered against his hair, unwilling to release him even for a moment. "It's too dangerous."

His fingers dug into my shoulders, almost painful in their intensity. "Neither should you," he countered, his voice ragged with barely contained emotion. "I won't let him kill you, Ruith."

I pulled back just enough to see his face, my thumbs wiping away tears I wasn't sure were his or mine. "How? The Assembly—"

"Is divided," he cut me off, fierce conviction blazing in his eyes. "Your father doesn't have the votes he thinks he does. Not anymore."

Before I could question him further, his mouth found mine in a kiss of raw desperation. This was nothing like the careful, calculated encounters of our past. His lips claimed mine with fierce hunger, and I responded in kind, pouring every unspoken word, every fear and hope into that connection. My hands cupped his face, holding him to me as though he might vanish if I loosened my grip. His fingers tangled in my hair, pulling almost painfully, grounding us both in the reality of touch.

When we broke apart, both trembling and breathless, I kept him pressed against me, unwilling to surrender even an inch of space between us.

"Lord Wolfheart found me in the archives after the session," Elindir explained quickly, words tumbling out in a hushed rush, his hands never ceasing their movement over my shoulders, my arms, my face, as if reassuring himself I was still whole. "There are more allies here than you realize. The Craiggybottom representative, Captain Seagrave, helped us reach you. The passages beneath the Assembly—"

"Two minutes," Klaus warned from his position by the door.

Elindir's fingers tightened on my shoulders, eyes intense with urgency. "Tomorrow, when the witnesses have finished, Klaus will speak. It will signal others to join him."

"Others?"

"People who believe in what you're building," he said, his eyes locked on mine. "People who see a better future than what Tarathiel offers."

"I've already lost this game," I said quietly. "My father outmaneuvered me at Valdrenn. He captured me before our forces were ready, before we could build the alliances we needed."

"You're wrong." Elindir's hand moved to my chest, resting directly over the scar beneath my ribs, where I had traded away a year of my life for his. The touch warmed my skin, pushing back the cold that had settled into me. "This isn't over."

I covered his hand with mine, holding it against my heart. "You risk too much, Elindir. Why?"

"Because I believe in the world you want to build. Because I can't stand by and watch him destroy it." He touched my cheek. “And because I love you.”

There was more beneath his words, emotions neither of us had language to express. I leaned forward, claiming his lips again, trying to communicate through touch what I couldn't articulate aloud. His arms wrapped around my neck, holding me with fierce strength. He pressed his body to mine as though he could keep me alive by will alone.

"One minute," Klaus warned.

Elindir broke away reluctantly, his hands still framing my face. "Stay alive," he whispered fiercely. "Just stay alive tomorrow. The rest will follow."

"I will if you will," I replied, the old promise between warriors facing impossible odds.

"Always." He pressed one last desperate kiss to my lips before stepping back, his hands sliding from my face with obvious reluctance.

Klaus moved to the door, listening for sounds from the corridor. "It's time."

Elindir nodded, pulling his hood back up to shadow his features. He turned to go, then paused, looking back at me one last time. "Trust that you're not alone in this fight, Ruith. For once in your life, trust that others might stand with you."

Then he was gone, slipping out the door with Klaus close behind. The lock turned with barely a whisper, leaving me alone once more. His kiss still burned on my lips, his words weighing heavily in my thoughts.

I moved back to the stone bench, every injury and exhaustion returning now that Elindir's presence no longer held them at bay. My fingers traced my lips, still warm from his touch. The impossible hope he'd kindled felt dangerous, a flame that could either guide me through darkness or consume me entirely.

Trust that you're not alone in this fight.

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