Kull stood as soon as I approached, his eyes wide. His white shirt was open at the top, revealing a hint of his chest, and he wore his hair down. His eyes caught me off guard. For once, they weren’t filled with pain.
I stopped, not sure if I should go any further. He is the king.
I’d known it forever, but only now did I understand it. Here stands the king of Wults, ruler and lord of them all.
I needed to go away. I needed to turn around and walk straight back to the cabin right this minute. He’d been trying to tell me for so long, and only now did I understand. He was king. I would never feel worthy of being called his queen.
“Olive?” he said. “Are you well?”
“I, umm… sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you. I’ll leave.”
Butterflies fluttered in my stomach as I turned away. I focused on the hill as I climbed up. His hand gently grabbed mine, and I tried to pull away.
“Can’t you stay for a moment?” he asked.
“No. I’m sorry. I never should have come.”
“But I’ve been waiting to speak with you.”
I turned to face him, not wanting to meet his gaze. Please don’t hurt me again. Don’t you dare do it again.
He released my hand but didn’t speak. Finally, I looked up at him.
“I’m leaving with the dragons soon,” I said. “Whatever you have to say, please do so quickly.”
“I… I’m not sure how to say this.”
He was at a loss for words? This was a first.
Being in his presence was more difficult than I realized. He’d told me we couldn’t be together. Once was enough. I didn’t need to hear it a second time.
“Kull,” I said. “What do you want to tell me?”
“I only meant to tell you good-bye. I realize we may not see each other for a long while, or ever again…” He blew out a breath of air. “I did not wish to leave you the way I left last time. At least, I wanted to make sure we parted on good terms.”
“Fine,” I said curtly. “Then good-bye and good luck with being king. If our paths ever cross again, I hope we shall maintain peaceful interactions with one another. I shall make sure the dragons respectfully maintain their boundaries with the Wults. Should you ever need their help, you have but to ask.”
I turned away, but again, he tugged on my hand. I rounded on him, ready to give him a piece of my mind, when I stopped.
Tears shone in his eyes.
Tears.
Wasn’t it rumored that no being could make him cry? If the queen of fairies had known about this, would she have been healed? If one of the tears landed on the ground, would another dragons’ forest sprout in this very spot?
He pulled me to his chest.
“I will not let you go,” he said. “I cannot do it. You were meant for me, Olive. We were never meant to be apart. I would have traveled through both our worlds and eons of time to bring you back to me, and I will no longer let my duties as king stand between us. I know I have wronged you. I gave you my oath and then broke it. I understand if you will not have me, but I swear to you, on this day, as the All-Father is my witness, I will never again let you go.”
I stopped breathing. I blinked to keep the tears away, but it only made a huge knot form in my throat. He expected some sort of answer, but I was too shocked to form words. He gently took my face between his hands.
“Olive?” he asked. “Will you forgive me?”
“I… I don’t know.” This was all happening so suddenly. I’d already resigned myself to spending the rest of my life without him. What if I took him back and he broke my heart again?
“Please?” he whispered. I heard the pleading in his voice, and it was then that I understood how much I meant to him.
“Yes,” I finally whispered. “I forgive you.”
I took his hands in mine, and only then did I notice the deep cuts and bruises on his fingers and palms.
“What happened?”
He paused before answering. “Tearing through the side of the mountain was the only way past the shield. I no longer had Bloodbane to aid me, so I was forced to improvise.”
“You tore down a mountain with your bare hands? For me?”
He nodded. “I would have done it a hundred times over if it meant I got you back.”
“And what if I’d rejected you? What then?”
He smiled. “I knew you wouldn’t.”
I reached up and wiped a tear from his eyes. “No, you didn’t.”
“Fine,” he said, no longer smiling. “I may have doubted somewhat that you would ever again take me back, but it didn’t matter. Knowing that you were safe and unharmed was all that mattered.”
Safe and unharmed? I didn’t want to admit to him what Theht had done to me. I felt her presence in the back of mind, lingering like a dark specter waiting to take shape. I also didn’t want to admit what had happened with my magic. It scared me worse than Theht, if that were even possible.
Shaking off my unease, I instead walked up the steep hill with Kull at my side, slipping on the wet grass until Kull gently picked me up and held me in his arms.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Don’t argue,” he said. “You killed the bloodthorn, then faced Theht and survived, which, as far as I know, no one in the history of either of our planets has done. You endured more injuries than any human could possibly withstand, yet now you are out wandering the meadow in your dressing gown and bare feet. It’s my duty to carry you.”
“Fine. If it’s your duty, then I won’t complain.”
“Also,” he said, “it gives me an excuse to keep you
