Love?

Did he love her? Did she love him? Daine wandered around the halls and grounds of the palace in Corus as she had many times for the past weeks pondering those questions and one man. Numair.

Before they became lovers he had only been her teacher, and she had never felt so strongly for him as she did now. Before he had seemed a very close friend, and at times like an older brother. So why was she suddenly feeling these emotions when Numair confessed his love in the Divine Realms? Did this mean that her "love" for Numair was not actually love, but just an infatuation? Was Numair really in love with her, or was this just another of his court flings, something he would boast to other men about in the years to come. Perhaps this was all just in her head. Maybe Daine was just being paranoid, and Numair really did love her. Maybe.

Then there was marriage. Numair had proposed to Daine numerous times already, sometimes when it caught her by surprise, sometimes when it felt so romantic and real, she almost said yes. But every time she turned him down, much to the confusion of Numair, her friends and herself. Maybe this was her subconscious telling her she is either not ready, or not really in love. Again, paranoia came as a solution. She was afraid that Numair would look at her one day, and see naught but a child. She worried he might leave her.

Daine had gone to others for help in this, mainly Alanna and Onua, but all the advice she could get from any of them was, "Do what your heart tells you."

There was only one problem with that. Whenever she tried to listen to her heart, it was beating so wildly with the thought that Numair really did not love her, she couldn't hear a thing.

Daine sat at the base of a large oak in the palace forest, depressed. She didn't know what to do, or rather, she knew what to do but didn't want to do it. There was nothing else for it, though. She was going to have to talk to Numair. She would ask him if he really loved her.

Nervously, Daine walked back to the palace and through the maze of halls, praying that Numair was in their rooms and not at a lesson. "Numair?" Daine called as she walked in, "Numair are you in there? We need to talk."

"I'm not in trouble, am I?" Numair asked, coming out of the study cowering behind a book.

"No, I just wanted to have a talk. A serious one." Daine added. She lead him over to the couch in the sitting room and sat down, looking at the floor for inspiration with Numair waiting patiently for her to begin. "Numair, I-" Daine looked up into her lover's eyes and stopped talking. She found her answer. Numair's eyes were filled with love and concern for her. So much was expressed in that instant, without him saying a word, that Daine knew he truly loved her. she could tell from his look that he was genuinely concerned, and afraid that something was wrong.

It was like a dam blocking her emotions broke, and Daine fell into Numair's arms, bawling in happiness. "Daine? What's the matter, sweet? What happened?" Daine stopped crying, hearing the concern in her love's voice, and looked up with adoration in her eyes ."I love you, Numair." Was all that she said.

Numair looked at her a second, as though he didn't hear what she said. "Well, I'm glad for that, but I hope it is not the reason that you're crying."

"No, of course not. I'm crying because I'm happy. I finally realized something I should have seen a long time ago. I really and truly love you." With that, Daine planted a kiss full on Numair's mouth, coming up for breath only a few times before she stopped.

"Well, if this is how you say I love you, then say it more often," Numair said before continuing the kiss, and leading it into the bedroom.

Not long after Daine's revelation, Numair proposed once again. This time, though, Daine accepted. Her and Numair had the biggest wedding in Corus since Jon and Thayet got married, inviting what seemed like all of the people and animals in Tortall.

T hey both survived the war with Scanra that started not long after, and lived to an old age. They had four children and fourteen grandchildren. Daine taught those with Wild Magic, and Numair taught those with the Gift, children and grandchildren alike. Daine and Numair's official residence was at Numair's tower by Pirate's Swoop, but they spent most of their time in the palace, often on call for Jon.

Through their lives, Daine and Numair both traveled to many places and had many adventures, but only that once did Daine ever doubt Numair's undeniable love for her.

The End

Please review! I know, it's kind of odd, I'm not sure why I wrote it, but I want to know what you all think!