My fear spiked at the loss of his warmth, the loud moan of a pipe that wasn’t really there cutting through my calm. I cringed as I heard it, my magic wavering as the fear threatened to move into me.
“Focus, my love,” Ilyan whispered from somewhere behind me, his voice barely louder than the haunted whimpering that came from somewhere before me.
I cringed at the sound—at the fear it held—before Ilyan’s thoughts repeated the future he had shared with me and I could move beyond it.
I exhaled shakily as I pushed the fear away, grabbing the dream and bringing it into me as the air around me warmed. The once cold winter breeze became as gentle and warm as a spring rain. I focused on Ilyan’s dream as the terrifying sounds continued to play, but my emotions remained steady, my fears now locked away.
I stretched my arms away from me, my back straightening as I reached to touch the snow that danced around me, the breeze running through my fingers like a silky ribbon. I stretched my body out, extending everything further than it had for months. Since before I had been trapped; from before I had been beaten.
I could feel my joints creak as my body straightened, everything in me feeling more human, more alive.
The soft flakes ran over my face as I inhaled the crisp air, the sound of thunder filling my ears as it took the place of the now silent horrors. Everything felt so light, so free, and I couldn’t help smiling.
“Open your eyes,” Ilyan whispered in my ear, his hands gentle as he pulled me back into the heat of his chest. My magic bubbled at the contact, the clarity in my mind making the surge that much stronger. I smiled at the sensation, my eyes fluttering open to the white world before me, and I gasped.
It wasn’t snow.
I extended my hand out as a soft, white rose petal floated into my hand, the perfect petal resting in my palm as thousands more floated through the air around us. I could see them as they floated from the stormy sky and drifted over the forest. They covered the ground in a bed of silky white, filling the air with the desirable aroma of life and love.
I looked at the rose-covered world, my stomach tightening in awe at the miracle that I was surrounded by.
“How is this possible?” I asked, my question hanging in the air as my hands extended again, the rose petals floating over my skin as they danced to the ground.
“You are doing this, Joclyn. Your magic. Your heart.” Ilyan’s breath grazed the skin of my ear as he spoke, his lips brushing against my neck. “I gave you my most cherished dream, the one thing that I have held onto since I first laid eyes on you. I shared it with you to help heal you. And you created this.”
“I created it?” I stammered, my eyes still scanning the beautiful image in front of us.
Ilyan chuckled as his hand interlaced with mine, leading me through piles of petals that covered the floor. We moved them aside like a fragrant snow drift as Ilyan led me onto the balcony, the air filling with their perfume as we moved.
The petals were a blizzard that covered the world, creating beauty that minutes ago I had forgotten could exist. Despite what my walking terrors would have me believe, the world was not always blood-soaked walls and torture chambers. The world was not all anger and hatred as Edmund had hoped. The world was beautiful.
I don’t know how long I watched the petals fall, my body standing straight and strong, my mind clear. I leaned my head back against Ilyan’s chest, and his arm wrapped around me as he kept me close to him.
“It’s beautiful,” I finally whispered, knowing the word wasn’t enough to describe what I saw before me.
Ilyan’s hand slid over my arm as he turned me to face him, my eyes tearing away from the white-covered world to focus on him.
“You are stronger than any, my love. Your power stretches into the very core of the world, your heart dictating all that you are. I know you feel broken, but this… This is proof that you are not. You are perfect and stronger than anything that my father has imprinted you with. You will always rise up above it. And if you stumble? I will be here to pick you up, to help you bring beauty back to the world.”
Ilyan looked at me with all the love in his heart, his eyes a lighter blue than I had ever seen them. I couldn’t help but smile at him, my hand stretching to cover the scarred skin over his heart, the rhythmic thump of his pulse heavy under my fingertips.
“Miluju tě, Joclyn. Ty jsi moje nav?dy. M?j za?átek a m?j konec.” He whispered the words like a prayer, and although I understood nothing, I understood everything. I could hear his thoughts as he spoke, his heart translating for me what my mind could not understand.
“You are my forever. My beginning and my end,” I whispered back to him in English.