Page 151 of A Tale of Ice and Ash

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Eirwen glanced down, flustered by the intensity of his gaze. “That… that brings me to my next point. People… people want to know what you’ll do next.Iwant to know what youwantto do next. Will… will you go back to Florin?”

Cole sighed. “I suppose I should. It is my country after all. I should probably see how it’s getting on. Be a responsible king, and all. Maybe I’ll dissolve the monarchy too. I never much fancied the responsibility.”

“Do you… do you want to go back?”

“No,” he said, pausing in his practise, “but–”

“Don’t go back,” Eirwen rushed, desperately pushing out all the other words, all the other things she’d dreaded and wondered about for days. “Stay here with me. Rule with me. I’m not much of a smooth talker and you really are. I’ve half forgotten how court works and I’m terrified of doing it alone. I need your help. Iwantyour help. And… and I want you. All of you. In every way it’s possible to want a person.”

Cole stared at her, as if he were having to unwind all of her words. “Are you… proposing to me?”

“Yes, very badly, apparently.” She twisted her fingers. “If you don’t want to, I understand, but… please don’t go. That makes me sound really silly and foolish, doesn’t it? I don’t like it, you know, how much I love you. Hating you was infinitely easier. I hate how I feel when you’re splintered from my side, I hate how much I’ve come to rely on you, how much the thought of you leaving makes me want to weep–”

“You think it’s any different for me? I thought I’d lost you. The thought of going anywhere without you ever again terrifies me almost as much as that moment. But I’d endure it. As long as you’re alive and happy, I’d endure anything.”

“But I wouldn’t be happy, without you.”

“You… you really mean it?”

“Of course. I love you, Cole. I wishIwere a poet, maybe then I could word it better. If I felt less it might be easier to speak it, but I feel like my bones would shatter before I could utter the words. I love you. Irreversibly. I died once, loving you. I’ll die loving you again. So marry me. Please–”

Cole cut her off, grabbing her arms and slamming his mouth against hers. They were both trembling when they parted, lips numb from kissing. “You mean it?”

“Of course, ofcourseI do, you silly fool!”

“When? You’re going to have to tell me when.”

“When what?”

“When did you fall in love with me?”

Eirwen smiled. “A little before we fell asleep in each other’s arms, and more after. I knew I didn’t want to let you go, terrified as I was, and I woke up missing you in the morning.”

Cole swept back her hair, grinning. “I was captivated by you from the minute I saw you in the underground. I was half surprised to recognise you, you looked so otherworldly. But I think when you stitched up my wounds was when I really started to feel it, when we sang together, and then when we lost Niamh… I hated being apart from you. Every second after felt like ice.” He caught her fingers. “I wanted to crawl to your side. I told myself it was just because you were you, that you knew her too, that we could comfort each other… but the truth is I just wanted you.” He kissed her lightly. “You are the greatest warmth I’ve ever known. Every awful thing is lessened when you’re around.”

Eirwen kissed his fingers, then sat up and slipped onto his lap, pressing her head against his shoulder. “Once you stopped being one of the awful things, your presence had a similar effect,” she said.

“Oh, very funny.”

“Is that a yes, by the way?”

“What?”

“If you make me say it again, I’ll punch you.”

Cole frowned. “Oh,” he said, his eyes widening with realisation, “oh gosh, yes! Absolutely. I will marry you, Snow. Without a moment’s pause.”

“Good,” she said, and lifted her chin to kiss him. “Would you like it before or after the coronation?”

“Am I allowed to visit your chambers before the wedding?”

“Yes.”

Cole grinned wickedly, lifting her up and dropping her against the keys with a resounding thunk. He kissed her neck and uttered words certain to induce matrimonial harmony for years to come. “Then whatever you like, darling,” he murmured, “but my preference is still as soon as possible. I want to be able to call you my wife.”

“Snow,” she whispered, his kisses hot against her. “Call me Snow.”