A few hours after our divine encounter, the sun finally set, leaving the world bathed in moonlight and stars. We decided to stay in the grove, which was the right decision. I couldn't remember a single time in my life that I'd seen so many stars in the sky. It was genuinely beautiful. Besides the snuffling of the pacified goblin dogs, the night couldn't be any more peaceful. The soft glow of the crystalline trees filled the grove as if it were starlight reaching up toward the heavens, accompanied by the whispers of the giant oak's leaves.

  Before the Tower's light had faded, Farvad tried tinkering with the trees, but he couldn't break off a single branch. Even the leaves resisted his efforts. Seeing him struggle, Vral tried to help him, but even her sharpest blade couldn't make a chip. It was like they were a permanent fixture in Reial now. I got the sense that they would be here long after we were gone.

  Giving up, the gnome had made a little lean-to with his blankets and promptly fell asleep. Vral, despite her insistence that she was fine, had also taken to sleep almost immediately after the guardian left. Unlike the night before, she'd sequestered herself in a nook in the large oak and covered it with her cloak. Given her ordeal, I simply told her to sleep well. She promised she would.

  That left only Tristan and I awake. She'd stayed by my side after the Luminara left, which I'd enjoyed. When night fell, we laid a blanket out to enjoy the stars. When the light finally dwindled, looking up at the stars overhead. Leaning her head against my shoulder, I could feel the heat of her body against my skin. I found myself hoping that we could stay like that forever.

  As the stars twinkled overhead, I let my mind wander to the past few weeks. So far, our journey hadn't gone the way I thought it would. In my head, I'd imagined it would have been a bit more smoothly. We would have defeated a few weak monsters, gotten some easy levels, and completed a series of achievable quests. In my ignorance, I thought it would have all unfolded for us without much fuss.

  Boy, had I been wrong.

  In reality, we'd almost died more than once. Being honest with myself, we'd gotten incredibly lucky to have come through our trials unscathed. It might actually be a miracle that we weren't currently corpses in a pit somewhere. I'd taken it all far too lightly at first. I guess life and media back on Earth caused me to underestimate this new world. I knew now that I'd need to be smarter, and more prepared, to survive. And I'd need to be strong to thrive.

  But, despite every challenge and hardship, I wouldn't trade our journey for anything.

  We were about to finish our first quest. We had a new companion. We fought off thugs and murderers. We met a freaking divine being. All in a couple of weeks. If this was what adventuring was, I knew it was the right path for me. And I had the right person at my side.

  "It's beautiful," Tristan said. She lifted her head from my shoulder and was looking at me. Our eyes met. Her sapphire eyes almost glowed in the starlight. She was radiant.

  "Incredibly so." I meant it.

  "You were a real hero today." She reached out and took my hand. Her fingers weaved through mine.

  "I just did what I thought was right. Anyone would have done the same."

  "No. I don't think just anyone would have done what you did. Saved someone without hesitation." She looked away. "Hell, I've met people who wouldn't have done it for their own family." She turned back to me. "She'll never forget it. And neither will I."

  She pulled closer. I felt my heart beat faster. "I hope I deserve the praise. "I don't think she's lived a great life. And I don't think she's ever had anyone." I shrugged. "I couldn't live with myself if I'd abandoned her. She deserves a chance to have people on her team. Now she gets one."

  "You're a good man, Alex."

  I didn't feel like I was. I'd made so many mistakes. "I just did what I could." I couldn't keep her gaze, so instead, I looked back toward the sky. I couldn't help but sigh.

  "Don't do that." Her fingers brushed against my chin. Gently, she turned my head back to her. "Don't doubt yourself. No one is perfect. But, I've known many good men. You're a good man."

  "Thanks, Tris." I smiled at her. "I couldn't have done it without you."

  "Of course not. How would you survive as a member of the Awesome Duo without your other half?" Her eyes twinkled.

  I couldn't help but laugh. "I thought it was a terrible name?"

  "It is, but it's growing on me. Has been for some time. I'm fond of it now." Her face reddened, and she bit her lip.

  "I guess we'll have to come up with a new name now that we have Vral."

  "Oh, I'm sure she'll want to name our group Vral and Gang or something like it."

  "Saint Vral and Her Loyal Followers."

  "Vral the Slasher, and Company."

  We laughed, and Tristan pulled herself closer.

  "Thanks for joining me, Tris. I couldn't imagine this without you."

  "You don't have to. I'm not going anywhere."

  "Good." I laughed. "Because I don't know if I'd accept your resignation at this point."

  "Oh?" Her eyes narrowed, and she smirked. "And what would you do to stop me?"

  "Hey now, I can't give away all my secrets." Wait... were we flirting?

  She grinned. "I guess I'll just have to pry them out of you one day." She wrapped her arm around mine and put her head back on my shoulder.

  Something was happening between us. Don't screw it up, Alex. "I'm happy I got struck by lightning."

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  "Oh yeah?" She murmured on my shoulder. "Why's that?"

  "It brought me here, to you."

  She giggled. "I'm happy you got struck by lightning too." She squeezed my hand. "I was in a huge rut when we met. I didn't feel seen by anyone, and I wanted more than a life filled with dusty books and prayer services. Then, this stinky, handsome guy showed up beaten half to hell, called me a big baby, and helped me get out of my head."

  She was right. I smelled terrible back then. But... "Handsome?"

  "Very."

  I blushed. "I'm happy you think so."

  She squeezed my hand. "I do. But what was more important to me was that, for the first time, someone saw me. I wasn't the little kid hiding in the temple. I was someone's friend. And when I realized that handsome guy would eventually leave, I got upset. I didn't want you to go. But then you asked me to come with you. You chose me. That felt really good. And you know what?"

  "What?"

  "I'm happy I decided to join you. I'm happy that we get along so well. And most of all, I'm happy that I get to be here, right now, under these incredible stars, with you." She smiled up at me. "Thank you for everything. You've made my life so much more fun."

  "Even counting all the near-death experiences?" I asked

  "Yes, especially those."

  She pulled closer until there was almost nothing separating us.

  "Alex..." She whispered.

  "Yeah?" I swallowed hard.

  "Will you kiss me?" She asked.

  Without hesitation, I wrapped my hand around her neck and pulled her lips to mine. They were soft, and tender, and tasted like cinnamon. Wrapping her arms around my neck, she pulled me in. Her body molded to mine. My hands drifted down to her waist as our tongues intertwined. I pulled her on top of my lap. She took my jaw in her hands, and the world faded away.

  After a time, we slowed. Our breaths came in short gasps. As our lips parted, her forehead found mine. I opened my eyes to find her sapphire orbs gazing at me. I couldn't imagine any place better than this moment in my life.

  "I've wanted to do that for a while," she said, her breath ragged.

  I kissed her again. "It's hard to resist all this, huh?" I teased.

  She smacked my arm, but then she took my hand in hers, lifted it to her lips, and kissed it. "Yeah, kind of." She kissed me again. "But don't get full of yourself. I don't want that head of yours to get to full."

  "Yes ma'am," I said and laid on my back, pulling her along with me. Her head found my shoulder. When she was nestled in, I pulled my cloak over us.

  She turned to look at me. She was searching my face. Her finger traced patterns on my chest. "What about you? Did you... think of me? Or has this been one-sided?"

  "Since the second we met, I've looked forward to spending my days with you. It didn't take long before I noticed things about you."

  "Like what?" She asked.

  "Like your eyes. When you're happy, they shine. When you're trying to hide something, you look away. You smack me when you're flustered, and you hide when you're sad. Your favorite food is eilza, and your favorite color is green. And you have the biggest heart of anyone I know, even if you're sulky."

  "Sulky! I do not sulk."

  "Mhmm."

  "And my favorite color is teal," she poked my ribs. I twitched under her assault.

  "Yeah, teal is just green with extra steps." I countered.

  "It isn't," she said. "If you paid attention, you'd know that." Tristan pulled herself closer and pretended to pout. "It's deeper, more nuanced. Like me."

  "What does that even mean?"

  "I guess you'll just have to find out." She kissed my cheek. "But we have time. I'm sure you'll get it right one of these days." There was a hint of playfulness in her voice. Her fingers found my face, and she pulled me into a long, lingering kiss.

  When we finally broke away, a question entered my heart. I didn't know if it was the right time to ask, but I went for it. "What does this mean?"

  She smiled. "No idea. I've never felt this way before."

  "I..." Had. Many times. But never as much as this.

  She placed a finger on my lips. "I know your past. You told me enough when you still... when I was still hiding who I was. It's okay. I don't mind."

  I kissed her fingers.

  "In elven culture, they... we don't worry so much about the titles. That's a human thing. For us, our hearts reach out to the ones we love. We have little choice in the matter. If our affection is accepted, our hearts grow together like the roots of a tree. In time, with enough water and light, the roots become one."

  "So, we're trees now?"

  She giggled. I loved that sound. "Yeah, I think we are." Her smile faded, and she chewed on her lip. "Does that bother you?"

  "To be honest, it's comforting. I want to grow with you."

  "Good. You didn't have a choice." Her face moved closer to mine.

  Her lips were so close. I could barely resist them. When she wove her hands through my hair, I stopped trying.

  ***

  The next morning, I heard a noise above me. I opened my bleary eyes to find two big red eyes staring down at me.

  "You lovebirds finally do the deed?" Vral had her characteristic grin on her face.

  Tristan groaned next to me. "You can go away now, Vral." She rolled over and buried her face in the nape of my neck.

  "Not until you tell me!" The goblin lifted my cloak, but when she looked inside, she scowled. "You two still have your clothes on! I slept in the tree so you'd have some privacy, and you didn't even do anything?" The goblin was fuming.

  "We talked and kissed. It was perfect." Tristan said dreamily.

  "We haven't even woken up yet. Can we have a few minutes?" I asked.

  "No!" She snapped.

  "Are you really mad at us for not doing... that?" Tristan asked.

  "I am! What's the point of sleeping together if you don't sleep together?"

  Tristan groaned again. "Enjoying the night with the person you love is more than enough, Vral."

  Love?

  Vral grabbed my ankle and started dragging me out from under my cloak. "If I was as pretty as you, and I had a great guy all crazy about me he is with you, I'd do it all the time!" She dragged me across the grass before finally dropping my leg. "But no, you two are out here teasing us with the will they won't they. Gods." She shook her head. "Get up! It's time to get moving." She huffed and turned away.

  "So," Farvad said, peeking out from under his makeshift lean-to. He was looking at Vral. "I take it there are some new developments I should be made aware of?"

  "No! The losers didn't do anything. Just kissy-kissy stuff."

  "Told you." The old man emerged from his tent, stood, stretched, and started pulling apart his lean-to. "You owe me some crystals, girlie," the gnome shot over her shoulder.

  Grumbling, Vral fished out her crystal pouch and handed over some of the scintillating gems. As he collected his winnings, I couldn't help but notice the smirk on his wrinkled face. The bastard was taking bets!

  "You rotten..." Tristan threw off the covers and stomped over to me. "You two bet on whether we'd do... that last night?"

  "Vral was convinced you would," the old man said, grinning as he stowed his winnings. "I said the boy's too much of a gentleman to do such things so soon." He glanced over at me and waggled his bushy eyebrows. "Or with so little privacy." He turned back to Tristan. "And you're far too prudish to even consider it. A little priestess girl like you wouldn't know what to do with a man. Seems I was right."

  Tristan shot him a death glare, then shot a second at Vral. The goblin shrunk into herself, but Farvad merely shrugged.

  "When'd you two make the bet?"

  The gnome shrugged again, which only seemed to incense the quarter-elf further. "Oh, we talked about it when we ran from Galden. We knew you were all hot and bothered for the boy, and the goblin wanted to make a bet. Easy money, really."

  "Hot and bothered?..." unable to tolerate any more of their antics, Tristan stormed off toward the edge of the glade, her cheeks red as fire.

  "What did I say?" The gnome looked at me, utterly confused.

  "No wonder you're not married," I muttered.

  "I was married for one hundred and twenty-three years. My late wife was quite the looker. Gave me my lovely daughter.

  "You were married?" Vral ran up to Farvad. "And you have a daughter? I'm shocked. Who would marry..." She didn't finish her sentence.

  "She's pretty as a button. Lives in Llyn. I'll introduce you one day."

  Well, shit. I guess I underestimated him. "I stand corrected."

  "You're forgiven, lad." He gestured toward Tristan with his thumb. "Best go cheer up your woman. We'll wait for you two."

  Tristan huffed and headed back. "No need. It's fine." She snatched up her pack and marched to the edge of the glade. "It's a few days to the temple. Let's get going."

  Shaking my head, I stood up and gathered my things. Within a half hour, we were on the trail and marching to the temple.