He tilted his head in acknowledgment. “Sure. I liked that, too. But, Scratch, I’m only good at that because my parents spent hundreds of crowns on instructors. The only thing that I was good at of my own accord was being your friend.”

Her mouth was dry, all the moisture in her body apparently taking residence in her tear ducts. It was as though a little magic of the Between was wedged into the muscle of her heart. “You want to . . . be my friend?”

“Well, of course.” He squared his shoulders, bracing for another baring admission. “But I only got good at warcraft to stay with you. So you wouldn’t lose use of me.”

“I would never,” she cried. “It has nothing to do with ‘use’—”

He held up a hand. “I know that now.” He smiled crookedly at her. “You wouldn’t be able to get rid of me if you tried. But now I have Vel, too.” He scratched self-consciously at his elbow. “He actually asked me something similar. What would I want to do next? And I thought—all right, what am I good at? Shooting arrows. Loving you. Loving him.” He blushed, cheek to hairline. Scratch’s ribs squeezed. “Telling stories. I thought I might . . . write them down?” He turned away, preventing Scratch from catching more than a glimpse of the fervent, eager glint in his eyes. “We’re plotting an insurrection, after all. It would be a shame if no one bothered to keep a written record.”

“A historian?” Scratch felt her mouth drop open. “James, that’s a fantastic idea.”

“I thought so.” His blush deepened. “Maybe, if I learn the trade, I could work up to being her historian.”

“Her? Wha—oh.” Frances, of course. “Yes, I think you could.”

“I’m sure there are historians that are better trained than I am,” he babbled. “I shouldn’t expect to be a royal historian just because the royal in question is my lover’s sister’s lover. Or my best friend’s lover’s sister’s lover. Or—”

“James.” She wished they had been put in the same cell so she could clap a hand over his mouth. “I think it’s a brilliant idea. And who better? There are so many good arguments for it I don’t know which one I’ll lead with.”

“Lead with?”

“When I talk to Frances.” She spread her hands, gesturing to the absolute obvious. “You have just become one of my terms. Congratulations.”

His eyes widened. “Scratch, don’t jeopardize your plan with my little yen.”