Page 96 of Between Broomsticks and Beating Wings

After a bit of convincing, I beat the rest of the tapestry for the woman and then was on my way once more. I didn’t know if I’d ever come back to Stormheim, but I was thankful for the place that made Kari who she was.

I flew away as the sun began to set, grateful I was on my way home to the woman I loved instead of to some field full of death. There was no feast every night, no same routine every day. We had picnics in the different meadows, went for strolls along the fjord, and had sunrise flights on Apple. We were free.

When I walked through the door to our room, I was greeted by the familiar sound of a broomstick rattling against wood. Kari was standing by the bed, slipping out of her council robes and into a nightdress. I greeted her with a kiss before she flopped on the bed and began telling me all about her day learning about illusions from a man named Áki. He’d apparently been the one who’d given me the chalice during my test of loyalty, and he’d quickly become Kari’s closest ally on the council.

Eventually, Kari sat up and motioned to the door, hemp sacks were propped up against it. “What are those?”

“I brought them back from Midgard. Are you sure you want to know?” I asked with a smirk, rising from where I sat on the corner of the bed.

“As long as there are no bodies in there, yes,” Kari said, scooching closer to the foot of the bed.

“No, no bodies. I usually leave those down there,” I chuckled as I stooped down and began untying the first sack. “This one is full of clay pottery and clothing. This next one has a bunch of random objects, like a basket with a shredded piece of fabric in it.” I placed the basket on the floor, and Tove immediately dove inside. Kari let out a small, distorted noise, but I kept going. “And a wooden box full of?—”

“Dried flower bracelets,” Kari said, her words strained. She ran over to me, eyes misty, and I handed her the box with a nodof my head. As she unclasped it, running her fingertips over the fragile pieces of jewelry, my heart swelled. I hated to see her cry, but I knew these tears spoke of loss, change, and growth. They spoke of happiness, and sadness too, for the sister who’d stopped growing and never would again.

“Rune,” she said, throwing her arms around my neck. “You went back to get this for me?”

I wrapped my arms around her back and pulled her in tighter. She was warm in my hands and felt like a life fulfilled.

“I wanted you to have a piece of your home while we build a new one for the both of us,” I started. “I thought it was about time the people of Stormheim knew you were safe, but also that you were never coming back. I didn’t want them worrying over your disappearance. After all the raids, it didn’t feel right not to?—”

Kari silenced me with a kiss, and it didn’t take me long to kiss her back, deep and desperate. She was tender, fierce, and everything in between. She was curious with a dash of violence, and I couldn’t have loved her more.

She may have once been a beautiful girl in a forest, whose grief I’d held onto like it was my own. I may have thought I knew her then, but I hadn't a clue. I hadn’t known that the best kind of love is earned, and I would go to the ends of every world to earn hers.