POV: KAELIS DRAYDEN
Timeline: Six weeks after the trial
Location: The Tidelands - Secret Cove
I've been planning this for two weeks.
The perfect proposal.
Because Nyx deserves perfect.
I bring him back to the secret cove. Our place. Where we first said "I love you."
"Why the secrecy?" he asks, amused. "You've been mysterious for days."
"You'll see." I lead him to the beach. To where I've set up... well. Everything.
Bioluminescent plankton lighting the water. Candles (waterproof, courtesy of magic). Flowers floating on the waves. A small table with his favorite wine.
"Kaelis." He stops. Stares. "What is all this?"
"This," I say, suddenly nervous, "is me being romantic. Or trying to be. I'm not great at this but—"
"It's perfect." He's smiling. That soft smile he only gives me. "You did all this?"
"I had help. Kieran gave me advice. Ravion told me what flowers you like. Draven—your sea serpent advisor—helped with the plankton." I'm rambling. "But the IDEA was mine. The wanting to do something special was—"
"Kaelis." He cups my face. "Breathe."
I breathe.
"I love you," I blurt out. "I love you so much it's stupid. It's overwhelming. It's TERRIFYING. But it's also the best thing that's ever happened to me."
"I love you too." He's confused. "But you already knew that. Why are you—"
I drop to one knee.
His eyes go WIDE.
"Nyx Thalassor. Sea God. Most annoying overprotective boyfriend in history." I'm smiling through my nervousness. "You waited twenty-two years for me. You protected me even when I didn't want protecting. You loved me even when I was being impossible."
I pull out the ring. I made it myself. Water-forged metal. Embedded with a piece of Tidelands crystal. Simple. Perfect.
"I'm done running. Done pretending I don't need people. Done being alone." I look up at him. At this impossibly beautiful god who chose ME. "I want forever with you. I want chaos and water and ridiculous arguments about whether I need bodyguards. I want EVERYTHING."
"Kaelis—" His voice breaks.
"Marry me. Please. Be my husband. My partner. My family. Choose me the way I choose you."
Silence. He's crying. Actually CRYING. A god. Crying.
"That's a yes, right?" I ask nervously. "Because if it's not, this is really awkward and—"
He pulls me up. Kisses me. Hard. Deep. Perfect.
"Yes," he gasps between kisses. "Yes yes YES you impossible beautiful chaotic man YES."
I laugh. Slide the ring on his finger. It fits perfectly.
"We're engaged," I say, dazed. "We're actually—"
"Engaged." He's looking at the ring. At me. "You want to marry me."
"Obviously. I literally just proposed."
"I know but—" He laughs. Pulls me close. "I'm a god. I've lived millennia. I've seen kingdoms rise and fall. And somehow YOU—a twenty-two-year-old chaos magnet—are the best thing that ever happened to me."
"Glad you finally realized."
"Shut up and kiss me."
I do.
We kiss on the beach. Surrounded by glowing water and floating flowers and MAGIC.
And it's perfect. It's US.
Later, lying in the sand, watching stars, Nyx asks: "When?"
"When what?"
"When do you want to get married?"
"Oh." I haven't thought that far. "I don't know. Soon? But also we should probably let Kieran and Ravion know first. And plan something. And—"
"How about a double wedding?"
I sit up. "What?"
"You and me. Kieran and Ravion." He grins. "Twin wedding. Both couples. One ceremony. It would be—"
"PERFECT." I'm already planning. "Oh my god yes. Kieran would love that. We'd get to share the moment. Both of us married. Both of us happy. Both of us—"
"Together," Nyx finishes.
"Together."
I reach through the twin bond. Kieran? You awake?
Yeah. Why? What's wrong?
Nothing's wrong. Everything's RIGHT. I just proposed to Nyx.
YOU WHAT?!
He said yes. We're engaged. And I have an idea...
I explain the double wedding concept.
Through the bond, I feel Kieran's joy. His excitement. His LOVE.
That's perfect. Let me talk to Ravion. But yes. Absolutely yes.
We're really doing this.
We're really doing this.
I close the bond connection. Smile at Nyx.
"Kieran's in."
"Of course he is. You two share a brain sometimes."
"Twin bond. It's a thing."
"I'm aware." He pulls me back down. "So. Engaged. How does it feel?"
"Terrifying. Exciting. Right." I look at him. "How does it feel for you?"
"Like I've been waiting twenty-two years for this moment and it was worth every second."
"Sap."
"Your sap."
"My FIANCÉ sap."
"Even better."
We stay on the beach until dawn.
The runaway prince and the sea god.
Engaged.