Page 97 of Tower of Ash and Darkness
My composure softens with the warmth of those memories. I see him as he was then—mischievous and earnest, the boy who ran barefoot through the orchards with me, who made faces behind the tutor’s back just to see me smile, who swore he’d build me a treehouse and cried when he fell from the lowest branch. These shared moments tug at the corners of my heart, filling the cracks with something tender, if fleeting.
“You are a fool,” I laugh, my resolve melting.
Jason freezes for half a breath, eyes locking on mine like he’s not sure he heard me right. But then he sees it—the softness I didn’t mean to show, a guard finally lowered. Relief floods his features, quiet and staggering, before a chuckle slips past his lips. The sound brushes against the tension like dawn’s first light. The violins swell as he pulls me closer, our steps aligning under the watchful crowd.
"Do you remember hiding in the library as children?"
A faint smile touches my lips.
"How could I forget? Who slips away from their tutor only to bury themselves in books?"
His quiet laugh softens the severity of my words, a sound that stirs something deep within me, something aching and familiar.
"You hid from the tutor. I had no reason to be there at all."
I tilt my head, brows knitting in confusion as I search his face.
"What do you mean?"
He hesitates, his eyes darting downward before lifting to meet mine again. Then, Jason leans in, his voice meant only for me.
"I was meant to be in council meetings with our fathers, learning to shape the future they planned for me. I cannot count the number of lashings I took for slipping away—just to be with you."
His confession steals the air from my lungs. I falter, but he steadies me with the lightest touch, grounding me before I even realize I am swaying.
"I didn’t know," I whisper, the cold edges of my heart starting to thaw.
He does not answer at once, letting the silence stretch. Then, at last?—
"I would do it again," he says, quiet but certain. "A thousand times over. I do not regret a single moment spent with you."
The music softens, the melody intimate, cradling us between each phrase. He rests his forehead against mine, our breaths mingling.
"I know I have shattered the image of the boy you once knew," he murmurs, each word heavy with the burden of his failures. "But I will become the husband you deserve, no matter how long it takes. Because one thing has always remained true…"
He pulls back just enough to hold my gaze, his sincerity stealing the very breath from my chest.
"I would follow you into the abyss without hesitation—so long as it meant I could stay by your side."
His honesty slices clean through the tangle of doubts clouding my heart, grounding me in something real. Then, almost as if he’s trying to undo the seriousness of it, he smirks—his tone shifting, playful and warm, like sunlight slipping through a crack in the door.
"Even if it means another whipping."
I chuckle despite myself, the sound soft, unexpected—like something fragile breaking free. Jason grins, the unease loosening just enough to breathe.
"Unless you’re fond of that sort of thing," he teases.
I roll my eyes, nudging him lightly, though the warmth rising to my cheeks betrays me.
"You truly have no shame."
His grin widens, entirely unrepentant.
"Not when it makes you smile."
His grin widens—jaunty, crooked, entirely unrepentant—but the moment it stretches, he winces. He hisses through his teeth, the split in his lip reopening, undercutting the bravado with a flash of rawness.
I step closer, instinctively.
