He knows he is a second choice. She likes him well enough, but deep in her heart she loves another. When she speaks of the High King, her eyes light up, and her face nearly glows with emotion. It does not happen when she speaks of him.

Not yet.

It will.

He is determined, and he is patient. He will tame this wild horse. He will woo her, slowly and surely. He will break down the barriers she erected around her heart. She will come to love him as he loves her.

True love, after all, does not happen overnight.