If it had been up to me, I would've held her forever and imprinted the sensation of her body against my chest. That way, I could relive it any time I was lonely, ill, heartsick or simply in need of her company. When she was near, all the insecurities I had for my unwritten future—though heavily outlined—melted like ice in the Dagheim sun. Narvi's absence was a void no one could ever truly fill, but her presence was a realm all its own, eclipsing the rest of Yggdrasil with her splendor.

Riggs pulled back first and swept her hand over my back to signal the end of our connection. "Do you feel any better?"

"Yes, other than the humiliation of doing this in front of you. Shit." I chuckled while wiping my eyes a final time. "How many years have we known each other—took this long to break me enough to cry."

"Wasn't certain it was even possible. Captain Lokison, commander of magic, strength of ages. A lone wolf if I ever saw one."

Lone wolf. Right. No wonder. While at any other time, I might've been flattered, her comment left me feeling pathetic. "Come, now—am I truly that much of a mystery?"

"Why do you think I spend so much of our time together asking questions?" She simpered, half smiling with her plump lips closed, holding tight to whatever new game was on her mind. Her playful flirtation stirred me pleasantly, far more comfortable than the painful angst that followed me the past two weeks. If she was able to read my mind like the seers of her bloodline, she must've taken great pride in having such unyielding control over my pulse.

I folded my arms loosely and returned her expression. "Lost some mystique by being honest, hmm? Tsk, tsk, tsk."

"Perhaps. But if learning about your brother means I get to know you better..."—she dragged her fingertips lightly down my arm, nearly tickling me—"...I'd like to know more."

"What, about Narvi?"

"No, Vali." The way she spoke my first name sent a shiver up my back. Deliberate, as it was when she'd said it to ground me earlier. With a steady tone, Riggs left no room to mistake it for something else. "About you."

I licked my lips without thinking, suddenly parched. "What do you wish to know?"

"What do you wish to tell me?" She hadn't stopped touching me. The pattern she drew on my skin made me tingle in impolite places. Even when I left too long a pause to be considering a real answer, she continued.

Are you...is this an invitation?

Our position on the ground was awkward. Inconvenient. Now I regretted staying silent when we were in the comfort of her parents' home, reminiscing over old pictures. It would've been so easy to pull her in then—what now?

Riggs was a step ahead of me, though, as she often was. She stood and offered her hand for me to do the same. Once next to her, she resumed the position of our waltz in the woods. "Will you tell me again what we learned all this for? It was so lovely, what you said."

I took her waist with my other hand and pulled her near, less cautious than I was before, though I remained alert for signals of protest. "I'm afraid the words are already lost. Can you remind me?"

"Something about the tragedy of war being like heartbreak."

"Yes, yes. I remember." I nodded and swayed with her, not fully turning properly, but the mood made us incapable of staying still. "Losing a battle is like losing in love. One must be precise to avoid a poor outcome."

"And victory?" She swallowed hard, looking at me the way I'd always dreamed she would—close and inviting and making everything else disappear.

Still, I couldn't be too careful. Had to truly confirm. I'd be no fool this day.

"You know, Riggs, if I were anyone else, I'd say you started this on purpose." I turned my head side to side, eyeing our dance position.

"On purpose?" She cocked a bow playfully with false surprise. "Why would I ever do that?"

My answers mimicked the mischief in her attitude. She laid bait, and I took it. "Perhaps you know something I don't. I can't imagine why you'd—"

"Want your hands on me?" She halted the sway. "Can't think of a single reason why I'd wish for that?"

All the times I'd hoped for such a moment to arrive, it never occurred to me that she'd be willing enough to manifest it herself. Maybe there was a mutual undercurrent that I'd ignored.

So much for avoiding foolishness. How many other signals had I missed in my imaginary countdown—and how long had she been waiting for me?

She sighed in a barely-there hum—no, a purr. "Weeks of visits surrounded by family, and only now are we alone. Did you think that was an accident, Lokison?"

I tried to swallow my heart to return it to its proper place, but it was firmly in my throat, knocking uncomfortably for attention. This thrill felt unreal. Her advance...sudden, yet sure.

"So shy now?" she whispered, releasing my left hand to tuck the front of my hair back. "How would you define this?"

My lips tingled as I stared at hers. So did my hands and feet. "I...I don't know."

"I'd call this a victory you needn't compete for." Riggs took one more step forward and pressed her chest into mine. "Or does victory to you mean a crown?"

A what? I couldn't help but startle. Her question cut through the haze of our manufactured dreamland. "Why would you say that?"

She blinked quickly. "What?"

"Why would victory be a crown to me?" I raked both hands in my hair. "Gods, you know, don't you? Is that why you're doing this?"

Riggs reversed her steps, leaving a lonely spot where she once was. "I'm confused. What just happened?"

"I should've guessed you'd hear already. Which means Astrid knows...which means everyone knows." I retreated toward the footpath with my face covered. The thought that she only found value in me now that my future was set made my stomach turn. "This is a damned disaster."

"Hold on a minute. Wait." Riggs brushed my arm to try and keep me still, but I charged forward. "How did I upset you? Vali, please stop."

The way she said my name now cut me deeply. Yes, I'd longed to hear it, but it was empty if I couldn't earn her affection as anything but the man she already knew. The prospect of King was at odds with the modesty I spend my adult life cultivating.

But Riggs would never...she couldn't take advantage of me so easily, right?

She wasn't able to keep up easily and fought through the brush, virtually pleading with me with each step. "Lokison, don't leave like this. Don't be embarrassed. I'm in the same position!"

I twisted and let Riggs run into me, startling us both with the impact. It reminded me of the first time I realized how lovesick I was for her. The simultaneous joy and terror of her presence hadn't changed; if anything, it only grew stronger with time. This was a new test.

Would I conquer or fail?

I spoke slowly. "You said you're in the same position. How can that be?"

She caught her breath before trying to answer. "Perhaps it was a poor choice of words—"

"No, no." I held up my forefinger, intent on solving the riddle. "What position?"

Her shoulders shifted downward, away from her perfect posture. Deflating.

"Riggs, have you been given another destiny, like I have?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Another destiny? What does that mean?"

"You know...beyond your rank in the military." I touched both of her shoulders this time. Resuming contact grounded me. "Do you have a secret that binds you to a crown?"

Her expression remained eerily still. She hardly blinked. A fleeting streak of sunlight caught the gold in her eyes through the trees, but she didn't flinch.

I gulped when she didn't answer. "Well?"

She fleetingly bit her lower lip. "Lokison, I have a feeling we are discussing different things."

"Why? What are you talking about?"

"What are you talking about?" she asked, raising her inquisitive brow again with a decidedly less flirtatious height.

At the risk of giving away too much, I tried to hint at what she'd surely confirm if she knew. "I-I'm talking about my future in Asgard. What are you?"

"The only future I'm trying to talk about is one with you." She shifted her feet and sighed. "I'm tired of pretending not to know, not to see, not to...come on. I wish you would make me more than your friendly companion. For goodness' sake, it's probably the most poorly kept secret in all Yggdrasil."

The trees might as well have flown away and called the sun forward for the clarity before me. I was right before. We're alone. An invitation. I'm an idiot. Shit!

"...but you panicked instead of bantering with me. You've never wanted a throne or a crown. I am supposed to be your victory, Lokison." She folded her arms tight. "What's gotten into you?"

Anger didn't change her charm. Even while scolding me, she shined. The last of my apprehension faded into a reserved smile.

We stared in the quiet, which was terribly awkward, but it blossomed into quiet chuckles. She couldn't fume at me for long, and I couldn't help how I wanted to see her break her serious countenance and gift me with her smile.

I rubbed her shoulders with my thumbs and ached to pull her in tight. "If Astrid knows, then everyone knows, even you. And she definitely knows."

"And she's bet against you, so you know." Riggs relaxed her arms a bit and touched my waist. "Didn't think you'd say a word before we reported back to Asgard. I had to force your hand to win."

I burst with laughter. Dagheim was frozen compared to the heat of my elation. "Suppose I should thank her, then. It might've taken me another year to tell the truth."

She rolled her eyes. "Still haven't heard you say it."

"I don't need to say it." I closed the small gap between our bodies and trailed over her soft cheek, admiring how smooth she was. She solidified her palms on either side of my waist to claim her territory. My approach was a tease that tickled both of us—our breath mixed, our noses bumped, and our lips barely ghosted each other, testing to see who would concede first.

A palpable gravity swirled around us. It was a moment I would etch into forever. A landmark that signaled the rest of my life. The pivot that turned me into the kind of man I was destined to become.

"Captain Vali?" someone called from the main road behind me. A soldier, no doubt. "Captain, are you out here?"

My eyes were already closed, but I clenched them. No. Not now. No!

"Captain?" a second voice chimed in, deeper than the first. Not a good sign to have more than one scout.

Riggs sighed. "I think you'd better answer that."

I whipped my head toward them and yelled, "I'm here. What is it?"

"Captain, Asgard calls for you. You're needed at the Bifrost."

"Dammit," I muttered, putting my forehead against hers. "I can't believe this."

She scoffed. "I can. Just my luck." We sighed together in mutual disappointment.

"Maybe it's something simple," I said, praying to manifest a short intermission. "If I'm finished before nightfall, can I find you here? At your frozen lake?"

"Will you still want me then?"

"Oh, Riggs." I pulled away and took her hands, firmly kissing her knuckles. "It would take an act of war to make me not want you."

"That better be a promise, Lokison." She caught my eyes again. "I can't wait for you forever."

I smiled. "You won't have to. I already have time to make up for. If I don't return, it's against my will."

"Captain?" the soldiers yelled again.

I tried to keep her in my view for a few steps, but the brambles were too thick to walk through backward. So, I ran, stretching my legs, racing against my own heartbeat. Whatever the reason for calling me away, nothing I imagined could keep me from finishing what Riggs and I started.

The moment the soldiers called for me hinged my existence: the before and the after. I just wish it had been my first kiss with Riggs and not what it turned out to be.