But still her life, and still her choices. She was, and would always be a servant and a child of the light. But she was also a woman.
She rose, certain in purpose. She gathered her things and with her hound, flew to Fin’s.
She came to him in his workshop as he chose weapons from his case.
“You’re early.”
“I wanted time with you before the others, before we start. I’ve given myself to the fates, accept whatever comes. I’ll fight more fiercely for the acceptance.”
“I can only accept his end.”
“I hope that’s not true.” She crossed to him. “Will you accept me, Fin?”
“I do. Of course.”
My life, she thought again, my choice. Witch and woman.
“I give myself to you. Will you take me? Will you let me belong to you, and belong to me in turn?”
He touched her cheek, twined a lock of her hair around his finger. “I could never belong to another.”
“I never will. Belong to me, and stay with me, for this is home for both of us. I want to live with you here, in this house you built from our young dreams. I want to be married to you, as that’s a promise given and taken as well. I want to make my life with you.”
As the words squeezed his heart, he laid the sword he’d chosen down. And stepped back from her. “You know we can’t. Until I break the curse—”
“I don’t know it.” She rushed in now—no more thinking. Only feeling. “I know we let what was put on you by light and dark stop us. No more, Fin. We can make no children who would carry it as you do, and this is a grief for us both. But we’d have each other. We can’t have the life we once dreamed of, planned for, but we can dream and plan another. I gave myself to the powers greater. I may die this night, and I can accept that. But when I gave myself, the powers didn’t say to me—let him go—so I won’t.”
“Branna.” He cupped her face, kissed her cheeks. “I have to find the way to break the curse. I don’t know where the search will take me. I don’t know, can’t know, how long it might take me, if I ever find the answer.”
“Then I’ll follow you, wherever you go. I’ll search with you, wherever it takes us. You can’t hide or run from me. I’ll follow you, Finbar, track you like a hound, I swear it on my life. I won’t go back to living without what I love. I love you.”
Overcome, he rested his brow to hers. “You take my breath away. A dozen years you haven’t said those words to me. Three words that hold all the power of heaven and earth.”
“I would bind you to me with them. We’re meant, I know that with all I am. If you can’t stay with me, I’ll go with you. We can go or stay, but marry me, Fin. Make that vow to me, take that vow from me. Before we face what we have to face, take my love, promise your own.”
“Can you live with this, every day?” He rubbed his arm. “Can you live with this, and what we know we can’t have?”
She’d given herself to the light, she remembered, and the answer had come. So simple, so clear.
“You do, you live with it every day, and I’m yours. I’ll give my life for duty if my life is needed, but I’ll no longer close off my heart. Not to myself, not to you. Not to love.”
“To have your love is everything to me. We can take it a day at a time, until—”
“No. No more just today. I need this from you.” She laid her hands on his chest, on his heart. “I ask this of you. Take my love, and its promise, give yours to me. Whatever comes.”
“In my life,” he said, his voice quiet as a kiss, “you are all I’ve wanted. Above all else.”
He kissed her lightly, then released her to go to a shelf, opened a puzzle box, took out a ring that flashed light from the fire.
“A circle,” he said. “A symbol, a stone of heat and light. I found it in the sea, a warm blue sea where I swam and thought of you. I went to forget you, far away from here, from all. On an island where no one lived, and I swam away from even that, and saw this glint through the water. I knew it for yours, though I never thought to give it to you, never thought you’d take it.”
She held out her hand. “Give me the promise, and take mine. If there’s tomorrow, Fin, we’ll take it as ours.”
“I swear to you, I’ll find a way to give you all your heart wishes.”
“But don’t you see, you already have. This is love, and love accepts all.”
When he slipped the ring on her finger, the flames in the hearth roared up. Somewhere in the night behind the windows, lightning flashed.