“When did you become such a romantic?” I teased.

“I always was. You just hated me too much to see it.”

I playfully pursed my lips in thought. “I only really hated you for a day. Maybe.”

“I wish I could say the same,” he said, shaking his head. “If I’d known how limited our time was, how much it would matter, I wouldn’t have wasted it.”

“We have one more day. Let’s not make the same mistake.”

He nodded silently as we continued moving. Why had this dance felt so much longer in Isolte? The song was coming to a close, and he was going to lift me. This might be the last excuse I ever had in my life to be held by Etan.

He swept me into the air, eyes locked on mine . . . and he never brought me down. He just held me up, looking into my eyes, until the music stopped.

When he finally brought me down, the room was applauding our dance, and I was a little breathless.

A sea of eyes, and I could only see his. I felt myself leaning into him, closer and closer. He swallowed before looking away, and I found myself very much in need of a distraction.

“I suppose now’s as good a time as any. Here.” I took his hand and pulled him over to the side of the room with the windows. I nodded to Hagan and Ayanna, who were talking with their heads together. I wondered what secrets they were sharing. Whatever it was, they dropped them to join us. Some of the holy men were already there, being attentive as always.

“Langston, would you reveal the window, so I might show our guest.”

Though he had expressed his concerns over the new window at first, Langston couldn’t argue that our moment in history was unprecedented. He nodded to another man, who very enthusiastically reached over and pulled the drape. The sun was still a little high, but it lit the window perfectly. I watched Etan’s face as he took in the scene.

“That’s you,” he breathed.

I nodded. Yes, it was me. I was emblazoned in a red dress with my hair out behind me, standing just outside the castle. But the window was not simply a tribute to myself. In the background was the outline of dozens of men in blue, and just in front of them . . .

“And that’s me!”

I lowered my voice. “I will see you every day. And all the people of Coroa will know who you are, what you did for us.”

I watched his Adam’s apple travel up and down as he tried to keep his tears in check.

“This is too much, Hollis.”

“It’s all I can do. Nothing feels like quite enough.”

He was swallowing hard. “I love it. I love . . .” He looked down at me, never finishing his sentence.

We were trapped by our crowns, and it was an excruciating kind of pain to know just how much we loved each other and to be completely unable to do anything about it.