I turned to face him, taking his hands, and he waited patiently as I struggled with the question, wondering if I should really bring this up. But he did say I could ask him, and I didn’t want us to hide anything from each other. “I…I know we haven’t talked much about your quest at the End of the World,” I began. “But…did you…see anything, when you lived that future life with me? Did you see anything about our son…destroying the courts?”

“Ah.” Ash leaned back against the railing, drawing me with him. “I was wondering when that would come up.”

“I’m sorry, Ash,” I said quickly. “If you don’t want to talk about it, I understand. I just thought…you’ve been so calm through all of this. I wondered…if you had seen anything…”

“No.” Ash tightened his grip, stopping me from leaving. He met my gaze and smiled. “I didn’t see anything of the oracle’s prophecy, Meghan. If I did, if anything like that had happened to us, even in that dream, I would have told you. I swear.”

“Oh.” I was relieved, though a tiny bit disappointed, as well. If Ash had seen that future, we might know what was coming, what to expect. We might be able to prevent it.

Ash ran his hands up my arms, his gaze thoughtful. “It’s strange,” he mused, looking past me at the distant lights of Mag Tuiredh. “I can barely remember anything of that life anymore. I remember you, and our son, and ruling Mag Tuiredh, but…it’s fading. I lose more of it every day.” He gave his head a tiny shake, looking back at me. “I think that’s how it’s supposed to be. That life, it wasn’t real. This…” He framed my cheek, his silver eyes intense as they met mine. “This is real. This is what’s important to me now. I’m not worried about the future, whatever it brings. I have all I need, right here.”

“I wish I had your confidence.” I sighed.