Page 20 of Seas and Scepters

The word hung between us, fragile and powerful all at once.I had known her less than a week, shared her bed only a handful of times.By any rational measure, it was madness to speak of love.And yet, I had never been more certain of anything in my life.

"Yes," I admitted, cupping her face in my hands."I know it seems impossible.I know we've only just met.But something in me recognized you from the first moment.As if my soul had been waiting for yours without knowing it was searching."

Tears gathered in her eyes, catching the afternoon light like diamonds."Eirik, I—"

"I'm falling in love with you, Selene," I said, the words spilling out like water through a broken dam."Impossibly, completely in love.And the thought of marrying Astrid while my heart belongs to you is tearing me apart from within."

A tear slipped down her cheek, and I caught it with my thumb."This cannot be," she whispered."You know the truth of our situation.You're a prince.I'm a—" She stopped abruptly, swallowing whatever she had been about to say."We come from different worlds."

"Those worlds can change," I insisted."Circumstances can be overcome.All that matters is how we feel about each other."I took a shaky breath, hardly believing my own daring."Do you feel it too?This connection between us?"

She closed her eyes, a war of emotions playing across her face.When she opened them again, they shone with a certainty that matched my own.

"Yes," she admitted, her voice breaking."Heaven help me, but I do.I'm falling in love with you too, Eirik.Against all reason, against everything I thought I knew about myself—I love you."

The confession sent a surge of joy through me so powerful it felt like lightning in my veins.I pulled her closer, capturing her lips in a kiss that held all the desperate longing, all the impossible hope that filled my heart.She returned the kiss with equal fervor, her fingers threading through my hair, her body pressing against mine as if she could somehow merge our separate selves into one being.

When we finally broke apart, breathless and trembling, I rested my forehead against hers."Run away with me," I whispered.

She stiffened in my arms."What?"

"Run away," I repeated, the idea taking shape even as I spoke it."Tonight.We could take a ship, sail for the southern islands.Start a new life away from courts and crowns and obligations."

"You would give up your throne?"she asked incredulously."Your birthright?"

"For you?Without hesitation."I cradled her face in my hands, willing her to see the depth of my conviction."What good is a crown if wearing it means losing the only person who has ever made me feel truly alive?"

Hope and anguish warred in her expression."But your kingdom—your people—"

"My father is still vigorous," I argued."He has years of rule ahead of him.And there are cousins who could inherit after him.The succession wouldn't end with me."

"The political alliances," she pressed."The treaties you spoke of—"

"Can be negotiated by other means."I was growing desperate now, sensing her resistance."Selene, listen to me.All my life, I've been told that fealty must come before happiness.That the needs of the many outweigh the desires of one.But what if that's wrong?What if the best king—the best person—is one who knows what it means to love and be loved in return?"

She was silent for a long moment, her eyes searching mine as if looking for some answer written in their depths."When?"she finally asked.

My heart leaped."Tonight," I said quickly, before she could change her mind."After dark.I'll arrange everything—a ship, provisions, funds to start our new life.Meet me at the harbor, by the merchant docks.There's a tavern called The Siren's Call."I nearly missed the flicker of emotion that crossed her face at the name."I'll wait for you there."

"Tonight," she repeated, her voice distant, as if she were already imagining the future we might share.

"Promise me you'll come," I insisted, suddenly afraid she might vanish like a dream upon waking.

She hesitated, and for a heartbeat I thought she would refuse.Then she leaned forward and pressed her lips to mine in a kiss that tasted of salt and sorrow and desperate hope.

"I promise," she whispered against my mouth."I'll be there."

The rest of the afternoon passed in a haze of fervent embraces and whispered plans.We made love with an intensity that bordered on desperation, as if trying to imprint ourselves on each other's bodies and souls.Afterward, as the sun began its descent toward the horizon, we lay entwined in the fading light, dreaming aloud of the life we might build together.

"A small house by the sea," I mused, trailing my fingers along the curve of her spine."With windows that catch the morning light and a garden where we could grow our own food."

"Near enough to the water that we could swim every day," she added softly."I miss the sea when I'm away from it too long."

"You'll never have to miss it again," I promised."We'll build our home so close to the shore that you can hear the waves from our bed."

She smiled, though there was a sadness in her eyes I couldn't quite understand."And we'll watch the sunrise together each morning."

"And the sunset each evening," I continued."And all the moments in between will be ours alone—no courtiers, no advisors, no kingdoms depending on our every decision."

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