Page 300 of Kingdoms of Night

“You think…” He balled his fist, then unclenched it. He pinched the bridge of his nose and let it go. With a shake of his head, he stepped closer to her, then paused. “We’ll adopt a little boy. Or girl. Or plant a garden. Anything, as long as we’re together.”

Together? There was still a chance at them being together? That answer brought more tears to her eyes.

Enid closed the distance between them. Geraint held up his hands, anger still at the corners of his eyes. Enid halted her advance.

“I understand that you’re strong,” he said through gritted teeth. “I know that you’re powerful. But I am still your husband. Allow me the honor of fighting your battles. Not because you’re weak. Not because I’m strong. Because I want to know that you trust me enough to have your life in my hands.”

“I do trust you. I trusted that you would give my father your sword if I asked it.”

“Yes. If it meant your life, yes, I would have.”

“Your sword, your duty as a knight, that is your life.”

“No. You are my life.”

That called her up short. Geraint took the remaining step to bring them together. He cupped a hand under her chin and tilted her face up to him.

“My sword. Your flower. Strip those away and there’s just the two of us, which is everything that I want. It is all that I need.”

Enid folded her hands in front of herself. There was a thin piece of cloth wrapped around her, but she stood bare, looking at her husband, who also was bare. “I only wanted to protect you.”

“From now on, we protect each other.”

Geraint opened his arms.

Enid rushed to fill them.

They held each other tight, neither letting go. At some point, they found each other's mouths and shared a kiss. In unison, they moved onto the bed. Enid’s towel found its way to the floor as their bodies slipped one into the other. They lay on their sides as they each thrust themselves towards a climax. When they reached that peak, they did it as one. Even as they slept, neither Geraint nor Enid let the other go.

In the morning, a single sunray greeted Enid. The ray tickled her nose, urging her to wake. But that’s not what woke her. Voices did.

She felt no instinct to reach for her vines. The voices were familiar, and they were friendly. They were also many. From their place in a bedroom above stairs, it sounded like the whole town was piled into the receiving quarters downstairs.

Turning to her husband, Enid saw that Geraint still slumbered. She took a moment to admire the beauty of the man she’d entwined herself to. She’d given up everything to be with him, and she felt all the richer for it.

“I was dreaming of you,” he said without opening his eyes.

“I’m here in the flesh.”

He reached for her. As his eyelids opened, the golden flecks in his hazel depths warmed her more than the sun ever could. He pressed a tender kiss to her forehead. Breathing deeply through his nostrils, he let out a contented sigh that tasted of fresh rainwater on a spring day.

“We have guests?” Geraint cocked his head and listened. Then he groaned.

He released her reluctantly. The two got up and dressed. They descended the spiral staircase hand in hand. Yuric looked up from his post and offered them a grin before returning his gaze out the window and taking up sentry once more.

Baysle and Maurice stood sentry at the boundary of the property, armor on and swords at the hilt. Between the new knights and the property were a number of people from town. They sat with picnic baskets on colorful blankets, chatting away as though Armageddon hadn’t been at their doorstep last night.

“There she is,” Gwin called from a peach-colored blanket where she sat with her husband’s arm looped around her shoulder.

All eyes turned to Enid and Geraint. The men stood, while many of the women remained seated. They all joined their hands together in applause.

“What’s this?” asked Geraint.

“A proper welcome wagon,” said Lance, his arm returning to Gwin, who had come to standing.

“We’re formally welcoming you to Camelot,” said the Lady of the Castle. “We should’ve done this last week, but with the knighting ceremony, it just got away from me.”

“I thank you for this. I truly do, but…” Enid shook her head. “But the spell—”

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