“What are you doing?” He whispers, and there is hope in his confused stare. “What does it look like, you jackass? I was coming to try and stop you from leaving.”

His grin pulls to the right of his face. “I was coming to try and make you leave with me.” Light is restored in his gaze.

“I guess you were right about something all along,” I say. “Verdanians are fools. I’ll go with you. I’ll brave the Florian Wood again, track down a myth of a woman, and help look for our friends. Like any fool would.” My headache subsides, and the pain in my hands is now only a soreness.

Braizen’s body drifts forward, and his hands twitch. They battle the thought of embracing me now, damned the consequence. Instead, he offers a warm grin that wholly consumes me and then turns to flee down the hall.

“Braizen,” I call out as rational thoughts flood me. He turns back immediately. “What if it doesn’t work? What if the curse can’t be broken?”

“It’ll work, Idalia. It has to,” he says, his smile full of comfort.

“But what if it doesn’t?” I need him to answer the hypothetical; I need his reassurance.

He’s only one step away when he lifts his hand and strokes the air lightly as if brushing my cheek. I can feel his hand. I can feel him. I cup my cheek atop his hand, even if it is only a figment of my imagination, and let his touch bring me peace.

“If we find the Woman of the Woods and discover that she can’t help us, I won’t care,” he says gently. “We would’ve tried everything, and we would’ve tried together. That’s all that matters to me.”

“Then what?” I sniffle, pressing my cheek harder into my hand–his hand. Tears fill my eyes, and I long to fall into his arms and sob until I’m drained.

“Then we find our friends and come back to Aeradian. We’ll live on a farm and watch Lorna herd cattle and mock her every step of the way. We’ll get Lin a job at a shop and take bets on how long it’ll take for him to argue with a customer. Or maybe we’ll travel with Stig as a singing group. Torrent has a wonderful voice; we’d just have to convince the bard to shut up if we want to make any coin. Or you could sing. I heard you in the woods. Your voice is mesmerizing.”

I blush, then laugh as I envision Lorna trying to herd cattle. It’s one vision I’d certainly love to one day turn into reality. But my heart still thuds, a slamming fist trying to break down a door of steel.