Page 79 of Legacy of Thorns
“Actually,” Avery said when she managed to extricate herself, “we believe there may be a way to remove someone’s tie to their birth kingdom. Elliot managed to do it with his tie.”
“What?” Daphne pushed out of Finley’s arms and turned fully to face Avery. “That’s possible?”
“It’s something we’ve only recently discovered.” Eagerness lit up Avery’s voice and face. “There were reasons that made it particularly urgent in Elliot’s case, but it left us thinking thatmaybe there are others who would benefit just as we did. And meeting the two of you is confirmation of that.”
“How did you do it?” Daphne asked, just as eager.
But Elliot put a hand on his wife’s shoulder. “My situation was unique, but we’re researching the possibilities now. It’s why we came to Lorne in the first place—we wanted to make use of his library and his vast personal experience. We were planning to travel into Halbury next to follow up some leads there, but when we discovered Lorne frantically looking for you, we had to help.”
“I haven’t properly thanked you for that,” Daphne said. “I appreciate it more than you can know.”
“We both appreciate it,” Finley said.
Daphne nodded. “And if you do find a way for us to free ourselves from our birth kingdom, we would be even more grateful.”
“If we find anything, I’ll be sure to send word straight to Lorne,” Avery promised. “I think he has a large network of people who would be very interested in that piece of information.”
Avery and Elliot continued on around the lake, walking hand in hand.
“If it’s ever possible,” Finley said when he was alone with Daphne again, “I would move to Glandore for you without hesitation.” He paused. “Once Archie is eighteen, of course.”
“It may well be longer than that before we hear anything from Avery again anyway,” Daphne said. “Possibly much longer. But just knowing it’s a possibility…!” She breathed a happy sigh, and Finley’s heart swelled to see the joy on her face.
He didn’t care if he built a future with her in Oakden or Glandore or both. He just knew his future looked infinitely brighter than it had before she came into his life.
Epilogue
DAPHNE
Daphne gazed out the carriage window, unable to keep the smile off her face. “I never thought I’d be so happy to see nothing but roses.”
She beamed at Fin beside her, and he smiled back. As always, he took delight in her joy, reminding her how fortunate she had been to find him.
“You really missed Thebarton,” he said.
She nodded. “I missed Rosalie more.” She hesitated and put a hand on his knee. “Thank you for doing this.”
He laughed. “You’ve already thanked me five times today. I told you when we crossed the river—you’ve been enduring this for most of your life. I can do it for a month.”
“From what Lorne said, it shouldn’t have any lasting effect if we’re only out of the kingdom for a month,” Daphne said.
“Do you think we’ll make it back in a month?” he asked. “We barely managed to get away from the Sovaran court, and from everything you’ve told me, I’m expecting Rosalie to be even worse.”
Daphne laughed. “Two months at most?”
But she knew Fin didn’t mind, despite the ache he said he could feel in his bones at all times—like the weariness after a long day. It had hit as soon as they crossed the river into Sovar, but he bore it without complaining.
There was no way Daphne could ask him to live like that forever, though, so she was pinning her hopes on Avery and Elliot. They had left for Halbury before she and Fin left Oakden, and they had been the ones to encourage her to take Fin on a wedding trip to meet her family and friends.
Lorne had added his voice to theirs. “After the life you’ve lived, it’s good for your husband to see a little of the kingdoms. And to experience firsthand what it means to bear the Legacy’s burden. A month or two isn’t too high a price to pay, so you should trust him when he says he’s happy to pay it.”
She still wouldn’t have suggested leaving Archer for so long if she hadn’t seen his obvious joy at court. The king had welcomed his long-lost nephews with open arms, tearing up at their close resemblance to their father. And Archer had blossomed in the presence of a vast extended family.
The boy had been born to live the life of a courtier, apparently, and Lorne had promised to remain in the capital to keep an eye on him. He would be keeping an eye on Gabrielle at the same time since Nanny clearly needed assistance in the task.
The Legacy infatuation had worn off, and she had turned on Archer with the same vigor she had once adored him with—fueled, Daphne was sure, by embarrassment. And yet, despite their constant bickering, they didn’t use the size of the court as an opportunity to avoid each other. Instead, Daphne rarely saw one unless the other was somewhere nearby.
She had her own suspicions about where that relationship was going, but for now they were still young and enjoying the crowd of young people at court. Between Archer’s feud withGabrielle and his delight in his new, royal family, there was no room for him to miss his brother while he was away.
