Epilogue

Haldric

Haldric awoke in the cottage's tiny bedroom and stretched, still half-asleep with the memory of a beautiful dream. He reached for Benjin beside him, frowning when his fingers found nothing but empty sheets.

Strange—Benjin never rose before he did.

The smell of cooking breakfast wafted in from outside, answering the mystery. Haldric sniffed, his eyes widening. Or, more specifically, the smell of burning breakfast.

Hurriedly tugging on a pair of breeches, he stumbled shirtless out of the bedroom into the tiny living area. "Benjin! Are you all right?"

He found Benjin cursing over the stove. Azure runeflame enveloped him as he attempted to maintain several cantrips at once to levitate plates and pans, work a knife, and heat the stove.

Haldric shook his head and gave a fond sigh. "You couldn't just do it the old-fashioned way?" he asked, unable to hide his amusement.

"Where's the fun in that?" Benjin snapped. He suppressed a growing flame beneath a sizzling pan, then let out another string of curses when a hovering plate transformed into a bird and began flapping about the room.

Biting his lip to hold back his laughter, Haldric strode to the window and shoved it open, allowing the frantic bird to escape. He turned back to Benjin and raised an eyebrow. "The fun is that you get to actually eat the food, love."

"Haha," Benjin deadpanned. He kept up his efforts a few moments longer before sighing and letting the plates settle about him. The stove fire snuffed out with a whoosh as he bowed his head, defeated. "Sorry for waking you. I just wanted to surprise you with a nice breakfast in bed."

Haldric wrapped his arms around Benjin, cradling him against his chest. "Oh, I'm surprised all right." Leaning in, he pressed a soft kiss to Benjin's scruffy cheek. "Now here, let me do it."

"You're the boss," Benjin grumbled good-naturedly.

Relinquishing his spot in front of the stove, he settled onto a stool by the table while Haldric got things going again, this time without the use of any runeflame. Well, okay—with minimal runeflame.

"It's surreal being back here again," Benjin said.

Haldric glanced over as he prepped the eggs and saw Benjin examining the tiny cottage. The interior had been fixed up before their arrival, the builders he'd sent restoring it to almost exactly how it had been during their first trip here before a dozen angry royal guards had broken down the door.

"Those were honestly some of the happiest days of my life," Benjin continued. He sighed with a hint of melancholy. "Even if they weren't real."

"Oh, they were real." Haldric set a plate of eggs down in front of Benjin, fighting a small smile when he caught Benjin singing the scarred tabletop with a pair of dancing simulacrums.

Just like old times.

A heavy knock resounded on the door. "Your Majesty?" Fendrel's muffled voice came from outside. "We spotted smoke. Is everything okay in there?"

Well, perhaps not just like old times.

Benjin groaned and buried his head in his hands. "Please don't tell him this is my fault. He hates me enough as it is."

"He doesn't hate you," Haldric chided. He hesitated. "Though, I'm not sure he's quite gotten over you besting him to escape the last time we were here."

Haldric left Benjin sighing mournfully at the table and approached the door. "Everything's fine, Marshal. Just a minor mishap with the eggs."

There was a pause. "Very good, Your Majesty. Let me know if you require any assistance. I'll have some guards standing by."

Haldric resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Of course, Marshal. Carry on."

He couldn't blame Fendrel for being a tad overprotective—not after what had happened to Melisie and his father, or after Haldric had been brainwashed by a magical curse and kidnapped, or after fake bandits almost executed him on the road, or after Dexil's rebels seized the palace, or…

Okay, so perhaps Fendrel and the other guards had more cause for alarm than Haldric cared to admit.

Still, Gerald's Spring offered as peaceful a respite as they came.

"I'm glad we were able to get away for a few days," Haldric said as he slid onto the second stool beside Benjin. "These past few months have been exhausting. But I suppose that comes with the territory."

"You are one of the most powerful figures in Allaria," Benjin commented as he took a bite of his eggs, continuing to play with his dancing fire puppets. "I guess it can't all be sunshine and rainbows. Speaking of, are you certain your aunt can handle everything in Revesole while you're away?"

Haldric nodded, digging into his own plate of eggs. "There's no one I trust more to manage Duke Westley…and it just so happens that my time away and the duke's scheduled visit to Revesole coincide."

Benjin chuckled, giving Haldric an appreciative nod. "Devious."

"I may have picked up a trick or two from Katalin." He focused on Benjin's fiery display, noticing only then details he'd missed. These weren't the same figures he'd seen Benjin conjure before of his mother and father. Instead, they looked almost like…

"Is that… us, " he ventured hesitantly.

Benjin shrugged. A blush colored his cheeks as he canceled the spell, allowing the runeflame to dissipate. "Perhaps." He cleared his throat and shoved another heaping forkful of eggs into his mouth.

Haldric fought down a smile at Benjin's embarrassment. Even after several months together, Benjin wasn't always the best at expressing his emotions. Haldric knew that some of that was his fault for how he'd pulled away from Benjin before. He'd spend however long it took to convince Benjin it would never happen again.

"So," Benjin said once he'd swallowed. "What's on the docket for today?"

Haldric pretended to consider, tapping his finger against his chin. "Well…I thought we'd lounge about for a while. Then, I might tend to my garden. It's gotten wildly out of hand while we were away."

"And then?" Benjin prompted.

"Then, I want to hear all about how your studies are progressing. I expect a full demonstration of the latest spells you've learned." He hesitated, recalling the recent disaster in the kitchen. "Though perhaps not all at once. And perhaps somewhere a touch less flammable."

Benjin snorted. "Fine, if you insist." He leaned across the table, his gaze intent on Haldric. The intent look in his pale gray eyes sent a flutter of heat dancing across Haldric's skin. "And then?" Benjin pressed.

"Well…" Haldric leaned forward, close enough that their lips brushed together when he spoke. "Then, I intend to take full advantage of the scant hours of privacy remaining to us before we return to the capital ahead of Katalin's visit."

It had taken several months of careful negotiations between him and Katalin's parents, but they were finally ready to formalize an official alliance between House Galax and Ilthabard. Though the arrangement was largely ceremonial, offering some exclusive trade rights along with a formal declaration of friendship, it was still a critical first step in tying Ilthabard more tightly to Khordan. Hopefully in time, more would follow.

Benjin raised an eyebrow even as his gaze darkened. "There are over a dozen royal guards camped outside."

Haldric shrugged, grinning. "Privacy is relative when you're king."

Benjin stared at him for a long moment. Without warning, he seized Haldric's hand and dragged him toward the bedroom.

"What's this?" Haldric laughed. He struggled halfheartedly to resist, tugging at his arm. "Unhand me this instant, knave! I am your king!"

A wave of force pressed into Haldric's back, shoving him forward to quicken his pace. Haldric let out an indignant squawk as the runeflame faded from Benjin's hand. "Apologies, Your Majesty, but you were moving a bit too slow for my liking."

"But what about my flowers?" Haldric whined as they reached the bedroom. A thrill of lust curled his belly as Benjin shoved him roughly onto the bed, leaning over him and grinding their hips together.

"Your flowers can wait." Benjin nipped at Haldric's jaw, making him buck and moan in a decidedly un-kingly way. "We'll just have to see how much time we have left once we're through."

"Deal," Haldric groaned.

As their hands, lips, and bodies came together, ecstasy rising and crescendoing across every fiber of Haldric's being, a sudden certainty filled him. Whatever life threw at them next, they'd be able to face it…together.