We made it safely back to the castle, and then Rune sent some soldiers back to bury the bodies. My parents heard the commotion and called us in to have our midday meal together. They wanted to hear all about the criminals who had attacked us, and what Rune had done to stop them.

I sat silently, listening to Rune relay the events with very little detail and even less credit going to himself. I pondered him, this self-effacing man who had saved me with magic twice. With anyone else, I would have called it artifice; I would have looked deeper for the ulterior motives he was hiding. But with Rune, I knew this was simply his way. He saw things differently than the rest of us.

And I found it fascinating. I found him fascinating.

After meeting his mother, his attitude didn’t surprise me. Rune had been raised in comfort, but his mother had taught him to be satisfied with what he had. He had no desire for gold or treasure of any kind. He would have saved me even if I had been a crofter’s daughter. All that mattered to Rune was that something, some kind of power, had drawn us together.

His mother was a woman of integrity, honor, and conviction, but she was also a witch. Lady Bromley respected magic and the power which could be found in harnessing it. This combination had made her both firm and pleasant: a dreamer with her feet firmly planted. And her son was just like her.

“If you want to fly, Seraphine, then fly.” Rune spread his hands out towards the vast dream world around us. “This is all yours. Take it, rule it; both the land and the sky!”

“Only if I can take you with me.” I wrapped my arms around his waist and lifted us both.

The earth fell away as Rune pulled me in closer. His eyes flashed ivy-green as his lips lifted in a smile.

“Your name fits you perfectly. Seraphine: a fiery angel. You’ve taken me to heaven again.”

“Again?” I lifted a brow as I lifted us higher.

“Do you not recall this morning?” Rune smirked.

“Seraphine?” Rune’s voice pulled me out of the memory. “Are you all right?”

As I stared into the real Rune’s eyes, I realized what the dream-Rune had been referring to, and it sent a blush over my cheeks. I swallowed hard and looked away, murmuring that I was fine. But I wasn’t fine. My skin was tingling, remembered sensations fluttering through my body like a thousand wings.

“Seraphine?” My mother gave me a concerned look. “You look a little flushed. Are you feverish? Perhaps you should lie down.”

“I’m fine.” I cleared my throat then took a sip of wine. “Just remembering those bandits. Rune was far more heroic than he’s implied. He saved my life again, Mother.”

“Then I am even more grateful that you have married my daughter.” My mother smiled at Rune.

“I am also relieved that she will have a competent husband to help her rule our kingdom when the time comes,” my father added.

“Rule the…” Rune blinked. “I…”

“It never occurred to you that marrying a princess would eventually make you a king?” I smirked at him.

“Seraphine,” my mother chided. “You should speak more respectfully to your husband.”

“Perhaps you should lead by example, dear.” My father huffed a laugh. Then he turned his attention back to Rune. “You will indeed become king one day, son. I know this isn’t the life you were raised to expect, but you must now prepare for it.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Rune nodded. “I understand. Perhaps you could offer me some training?”

“Now I am certain that the gods have guided you to us.” My father nodded. “Only a man with the potential to be a great leader would be concerned with learning how to rule. Yes, Rune, be at ease. I will teach you as much as I can before I pass on.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Rune took a steadying breath.

When Rune looked to me, he found me considering him once more. I wasn’t at all surprised that Rune hadn’t thought through the ramifications of marrying me. It was just like him to chase after something without a care for what it brought. Nor did it surprise me that becoming a king wasn’t a thrilling prospect for him. Rune was too wise to want to rule a kingdom. Yes, a king was powerful, but he was also hobbled by that power. There was very little freedom for a king.

What did surprise me was that I already knew this. I knew all about Rune after just a few days. Or was it just a few days? That memory had just surfaced. Randomly, out of the blue. Were there others lingering in my mind, influencing me and guiding me with Rune even without me knowing they were there? Were my instincts about my new husband actually based upon our history together in a dream world I couldn’t remember?

Rune smiled as if he could hear my thoughts, and then he nodded. He may not have been prepared for what marriage to me entailed, but he accepted it. He had already accepted everything about me, within the imagined worlds of my own mind. Perhaps it was time for me to accept him in return.