Page 109 of Of Curses and Courtship

“Welcome to the moon palace,” Emyr says.

This is where my mother is from.

My eyes fill with tears. I step onto the marbled ground, my shoes clicking against smooth lavender-and-white checkered stone. “I’ve never seen a place so beautiful.”

Tiny pixies float around, resting in trees, while the high fae do their normal activities. The flowers sing and hum, swaying in the sea-soaked breeze. Not flowers—common fae with dozens of blinking eyes on the petals. These fae are unlike any I’ve ever seen, and I’ve never seen so many of them. I suppose it’s the same as the Mercury Palace, but life there was more organized. This is pure flow.

“Was the Sun Palace once like this?” I ask.

“Yes,” Emyr says. “Our populations have dwindled because of the curse, but my parents say we once had just as many fae. Including these flowers.”

I frown. “How tragic.

“Forget the tragedies, dear Ophelia—just for a day.” Emyr’s expression is animated. He walks with a jump in his step, which I so rarely see. The sun shines onto his skin and radiates from him. “Have you ever been to a beach?”

I shake my head, letting him lead me along a sandy path. “No. Never. My village was landlocked.”

“We have a beach of our own, but it’s nothing compared to this. Perhaps someday, it will be.”

He’s right. Nothing in the Sun Palace can compare to purple sand, fat clouds, and the sea salt air pushing my hair around my face. I didn’t dress for the beach, but it doesn’t matter. I leave my shoes behind and lift my skirt, digging my feet into the sand.

I can feel Emyr’s watchful eye as I pick up speed and run. He’s behind me, but I pay him no mind, running so far that the cool water tickles my toes. I let out a shocked gasp that transforms into a laugh. This is the beauty my mother grew up with, and it is what we can build in the Sun Palace. Emyr said so. I’ll be the one to make it so—I will doanything.

I turn to Emyr with tears of joy pricking at the corners of my eyes, only to find him closer than I expected. A mere foot away.

My lips part.

Emyr is on one knee. His trousers are a mess with sand and water, but he’s as beautiful as the day I met him. No, he’s more attractive, with the sun kissing his bright eyes. He’s a reflection of the morning sky. The waves rush over him, a few inches of sea salt soaking him right up, but his posture is tall and proud from his position below, with a purple velvet box in his hand.

He opens the box, and my tears flow. My breath hitches. Am I ready for what is to come? This is happening so quickly—but we need it. I need him. I want him. I want a life of freedom, for us and his kingdom. This is the only thing that can bring it.

Words escape me, but it doesn’t matter. It’s his turn to speak.

“I would have done more,” he says, just loud enough for me to hear him over the fierce breeze. “This isn’t enough for you. I wish to give you the world, and I wish our world were softer. You’ve been through great difficulty and deserve a cushioned, kind life. I will do whatever is necessary to give that to you.”

“Emyr…” My voice shakes. An answer is poised on my tongue, but I don’t dare say it when he’s yet to ask the question.

In the box is a ring with a silver band, decorated with a large amethyst and several smaller clear stones. He hasn’t finished speaking yet, but I nod, knowing what will come next.

“It should have been you all along,” he says. “This may seem fast, but in my eyes it is overdue. Will you marry me?”

Freedom. Emyr’s palace has granted me freedom from mywretched family. And now, I will bring them freedom. It’s only fair.

“Yes!” I launch myself at him, pressing my lips fiercely to his. We’re both on the ground, with the waves licking our bodies. He slips the ring onto my finger without breaking the kiss.

In this moment, the curse does not exist. All is well.

EMYR

We return to the palace once the sun has fallen, and I’m positively overwhelmed. The curse is outside, ravaging my kingdom, but I can’t find it in me to care about such darkness when Ophelia is giggling and pressing my back to the wall of my bedchamber.

This isherbedchamber now. It’s her castle. She can have everything. I’ll give it all to her, regardless of what my parents or the others may think.

We spent as much time on the beach as we could, and the uncursed land offered us a brief moment of distraction, but returning home on time is vital. It won’t do to disappear while my parents watch us so closely, no matter how much I wish to be with only her.

The space we create when it’s the two of us is just as sacred and uncursed as the Moon Palace. When her fingers run down my jacket, undoing the buttons with such swiftness, she’s the only one in existence.

My wings wrap around her, holding her close to my chest. I’m not a strong man, and I’ve been afraid for so long, but I long to protect her in a way I have never been able to care for the people I love—and the place I love.