The Heart of Betrayal

We had a terrible start… doesn’t mean we can’t have a better ending.

It was worth it, Lia,” He said. “Every mile, every day. I’d do it all again. I’d chase you across three continents if that’s what it took to be with you.

But you’re everything I want. Remember that. I love you, Lia. Not a title. And not because a piece of paper says I should. Because I do.

And I began walking. A thousand miles, or two, I would carry her all the way to Dalbreck if I had to. No one would pry her from my arms again.

There are no rules in survival.

The rules of reason build towers that reach past the treetops. The rules of trust build towers that reach past the stars.

I walked up to Griz and poked him in the chest. "Let me make this perfectly clear to you. Though some might seek to make it appear otherwise, I am not a bride to be bartered away to another kingdom, not a prize of war, not a mouthpiece for your Komizar. I am not a chip in a card game to be mindlessly tossed into the center of the pot, nor one to be kept in the tight fist of a greedy opponent. I am a player seated at the table alongside everyone else, and from this day forward, I will play my own hand as I see fit. Do you understand me? Because the consequences could be ugly if someone thought otherwise.

He consumed me in a different way- the way his eyes made everything jump inside of me when I looked into them, his laughter, temper, the way he sometimes struggled for words, the way his jaw twitched when he was angry, the thoughtful way he listened to me, his incredible restraint and resolve in the face of overwhelming odds. When I looked at him, I saw the easygoing farmer he could have been, but I also saw the soldier and prince that he was.

I suppose if we’re going to fall in love all over again, kissing will be part of it.

Three more days. That’s what Sven always told me. When you think you’re at the end of your rope, give it three more days. And then another three. Sometimes you’ll find the rope is longer than you thought.

I wished that love could be simple, that it was always given and returned in the same measure, equally and at the same time, that all the planets aligned in a perfect way to dispel all doubts, that it was easy to understand and never painful.

I’m not the farmer I claimed to be, but I hope I can make you fall in love with me again, this time as a prince, one day at a time. We’ve had a terrible start—it doesn’t mean we can’t have a better ending.

I finally pushed away and wiped my eyes. I looked at him, expecting to see his own embarrassment, but instead I only saw concern in his eyes. "You have a sister, don't you?" I asked. "Three," he answered. "I could tell. Maybe that's why I-" I shook my head. "I don't want you to think I do this a lot." "Cry? Or get abducted?" I smiled. "Both.

Kiss me," I said. "Before you say anything else, just kiss me and hold me and tell me it was worth it, no matter what happens.

I beg your forgiveness, Your Eminence. I would not truly feed your face to the hogs. It might make them sick.

A sacrifice ever remembered. Never forgotten. Another day we live. A sacrifice for you. Only for you. And so shall it be, For evermore. Paviamma

We already had three steps behind us. "Hold on, Lia," I whispered. Hold on for me.

There are many ways to feed people.

Yes, royals know how to do things beyond counting our twelve toes.

I didn’t need to fall in love with him again. I had never fallen out.

I felt something wet trickle down the side of my face. I reached up and swiped the salty wetness away. How quaint. How very quaint. Like believing some things last forever. A tear. As if that could make a difference.

Crown Prince Walther of Morrighan was dead... Silence choked the crowd for a moment and then mother after mother, sister, father, wife, brother, fell to their knees.

I don’t care what mistakes I made or what mistakes you made. I’d make every single one again, if that was the only way to be with you

When you think you’re at the end of your rope, give it three more days. And then another three. Sometimes you’ll find the rope is longer than you thought.

For we must not just be ready, for the enemy without, but also for the enemy within. And so shall it be, Sisters of my heart, Brothers of my soul, Family of my flesh, For evermore.

Confluence-a coming together by chance.. Together they become something greater, but it isn't delicate or sweet. Like a raging river, a confluence can lead to something impossible to predict or control... Yet sometimes the coming together, the confluence of destinies, seemed not to be by chance at all.

I knew why he chose the brown. It was the plainest of my dresses, certainly drab in his eyes, but all the better to contrast and showcase the red he’d have me wear tomorrow. I had no doubt he’d ordered the snow itself as the perfect backdrop, and surely he’d ordered the sun to shine in the morning so as not to deter the crowds.

No one would recognize us," I answered. "We’re hardly a proper prince and princess anymore." He laughed mid-kiss and leaned back to look at me. "You were never a proper princess." His hands cradled my face, and his smile faded. "But you’re everything I want. Remember that. I love you, Lia. Not a title. And not because a piece of paper says I should. Because I do.

There was only one thing that someone with great power wanted. More of it