of pink roses—he plucked one, tucking it in his pocket. The servant nodded at Leila, then giggled into her hands once she caught Tobias’s gaze, and he breathed a sigh of relief when she scurried away—until Leila headed out of sight.
Tobias hurried around the corner, where he was met with two grand staircases. Leila flitted up one of them, glancing down at him in a way that ignited his rampant heartbeat. He followed her up the staircase, then down another corridor, and eventually their surroundings shifted from cream walls to simple stone. Not a single servant crossed his path, an afterthought once Leila leaned against an opened doorway, staring at him with that palpable gaze. She dipped through the portal, sending him chasing after her.
A long, spiral staircase made of grey stone reached high above him, and he wasted no time making his way up, walking in circles for God knows how long. Wisps of cool night air swept across his face, and soon after the whole of Thessen opened up before him. He had reached the top of an antiquated tower with a perfect view of the realm, and sitting along its sill was Leila, a goddess against the night sky.
“Should you really be sitting there on the edge like that?” Tobias said.
Leila scoffed. “Oh, please.”
“I’m serious. Seems dangerous…”
Leila flailed her arms, pretending to lose her balance. “Oh no, Tobias, rescue me!”
“Stop it!” He hurried to her side. “You make me nervous.”
She chuckled, settling back into place against the stone wall. Her hair pooled along her collarbone, and her dress floated down the sill; Tobias took her in, then pulled the rose from his pocket. “For you.”
Delight sprang across her face as she cupped the rose, but her expression faded into a hint of a frown soon after.
“What?” Tobias asked. “Is something wrong?”
“No, it’s lovely.”
“Say it.”
She faltered. “Usually the palace is filled with lilies. But now it’s filled with roses.” She sighed. “I just really loved the lilies.”
“Is that so? Well then, let’s get rid of this.” With one quick movement, he plucked the rose from her hands and tossed it over the edge of the tower.
“Tobias!”
“What?”
“You threw away my gift!”
“It was a terrible gift.”
“It was not!”
“I’ll get you lilies.”
“You can’t.” Her face dropped. “They’re all gone.”
“I’ll find a way.”
She muttered under her breath, but a smile formed at the corners of her lips. He tapped his knuckles against the stone wall. “What is this place?”
“The old watchtower. For times of battle. Of course there hasn’t been a war in centuries. We have no use for it now. I just come here when I want to be alone.”
“Then why did you bring me here?”
“I want to be alone with you.”
Leila stared out at the rolling hills painted black from the night, and in turn Tobias studied her fiery eyes, lit by the glow of the moon.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” she said. “This is all I’ve ever seen of the realm. Makes me feel free, being up here. It’s as if I’ve left the fortress for a moment. Almost.”
Tobias ran his fingers up and down her bare back and looked out at the realm with her, gazing over the speckled towns and pinprick trees.
“You see that hill, right over there?” He pointed at a grassy mound in the distance. “That’s my village.”
“Is it really?”
“I live at the very top. I’ll bet you can see my cottage from here.” He squinted, trying to see through the darkness. “At night, Milo and I would sit by the edge and stare down into the fortress. Have a drink. Admire the palace from afar. On Savior’s Day, he spent the entire time trying to convince me to enter the tournament.”
Leila furrowed her brow. “Savior’s Day?”
“The Savior’s birthday. What do you call it?”
“…Just Her birthday.”
“I suppose that makes sense.”
“Well, on Savior’s Day, I was up here staring out at the realm,” she said. “Dreading the tournament to come.”
Tobias didn’t respond, his eyes drawn to the hillside. His mother and sister were likely asleep in their cottage, and the thought of it sent the Reverence barreling back into his mind, threatening to spoil the peace he had finally achieved.
“How often did you do that?” Leila asked. “Look down at the palace.”
“All the time.”
“How funny. To think we’ve been staring at one another for so many years and never knew it.”
Leila’s words traveled through him like warm honey, leaving him calm and contented. He snaked his arm around her waist, and suddenly the Reverence wasn’t so heavy,