He nodded. "I..." he started, looking totally bewildered. "I haven't had a servant willing to be alone in the room with me for almost a century," Dain said. He sounded dazed. "And now there are people who would be honored to serve me in that way? Because I... love you?" He hesitated on the last words, fear crawling onto his face.

It was the first time he'd said them together, I realized. With every new vulnerability came that familiar fear. One day there will be nothing more to fear, I thought as I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around him from behind and a bit to the side, so I didn't impale myself on his spikes. It was a thought with the expectation of forever, and it didn't scare me anymore. I'd figured out what I was waiting for. You can't rappel down a cliff without a solid anchor, and Dain and I had to finish ours before dropping down into the open air together.

"You demanded a place for yourself, and maintained it with fear," I said, leaning my face against his wing-arm. "It was probably necessary a century ago, when you were young and had been treated like a thing by the courtiers for your whole life. But now?" I gave him a little squeeze as he stood up and settled his hands on my arms. "You have the loyalty, and perhaps even the love, of the armies. You've proven yourself in battle and in diplomacy. You've protected your people and stopped two wars." I planted a kiss on his wing-arm, then released him and stepped back.

Dain turned and looked at me with an expression of consideration. "You're saying that I've made for myself the place I once demanded," he said slowly. "That the people who have watched me accept punishment these past months see it not as a weakness, but a strength."

"Not all of them, surely," I replied. "But yes. You've shown them that you're more than a man who can slaughter a city, and who will kill at the drop of a hat to defend himself. They've seen that you really are willing to do whatever it takes to protect them, even if the cost is personal humiliation." I took his hands. "They're seeing, I think, the same man I see every day, and I think they're looking at you and realizing that one day you're going to be a beloved King."

He swallowed, his hands closing on mine. "That is difficult to believe."

"The courtiers will probably still think you're the worst," I said with a grin. "But who cares about a bunch of spoiled rich people? The Antlered Palace is only one place. There's a whole world out there, and if Stag Court loves you, the opinions of the High Court won't matter much."