Not well practiced in mental magic, it made Diana’s heart race and face sweat. She waved off Jonah’s concern, it was good to exert herself sometimes.

Around the bulking shape of Warren was the constantly straining Rose, so Diana couldn't complain. Seeing the alabaster skin of the Court Mage turn a bright red was quite the sight. The gashes across her cheeks opened up all at once. The mental landscape could be so dangerous.

Diana turned away from her, letting Warren and Kalyah deal with her. She redoubled her efforts against Jonah, making sure he knew what even a subtle probe felt like. He blushed at the concept of holding something private back, knowledge that wasn't just a mere number.

"It doesn't matter, it just has to be something bigger than a number," Diana told him. "If you block me from reading something you care about, then you can block anything."

"Um, okay," he said quietly. He leaned into the red couch, picking at the oaken trim of its back. He usually had such a complete openness with her. This reaction meant that he held something back though, she reasoned. What could it be? It couldn't be anything that bad, or could it?

"Whatever it is, think about it and make sure I can't read it," she explained once more.

He frowned. "Alright."

Diana had tried to keep her Crown up the whole time, but that wisp of the ether liked to fade away as fast as possible. She resummoned it now, holding onto the dream-like magic once more. Her practice in Alpha had done her well, she was able to keep it there for longer. She wondered if maybe she could pry into the Pirate’s mind again sometime. When would she meet the Pirate again? Was it even worth considering it? Now that the children were safe to move, should she just contact her mother and ask for a ride home? The thought of home sent shivers down her spine and made the Crown dissipate from her head.

“You okay?” Jonah asked, opening his eyes.

“Yes, I'm fine.”

Shaking off thoughts of the future and the past, Diana reformed the Crown. Sweat dripped from her temple, dabbling in the Clouds for so long was stressful. From her Crown she projected her probes once more, pressing into Jonah’s mind. There were flashes of a memory, a dark and wet place, like a tunnel or cave. She was quickly shut out again. Her curiosity made her delve in without warning him. The flash now included her red hair seen from a distance. The shower they last took together?

Jonah grunted, his walls rising up in front of the memory. She sensed his embarrassment at the memory. There was the sour scent of shame from it as well as he tried to hide it further. This was something he thought worth hiding from her.

“Diana…” he said faintly.

What is wrong with me? was the only thought on Diana’s mind. Her extremely self conscious mind that was. She sent out her probes as her already high heart rate spiked once more. She felt it racing in her throat, the searching fingers of her magic driving into Jonah’s mind. They sifted through it like sand, searching for the secret he tried to keep from her.

Jonah gasped as his defenses broke.

She was past his surface thoughts into his memories. She had followed the train of thought like a line of fishing cord after a wily fish trying to escape. She had it. It was an image of Jonah rubbing her feet in the shower. The emotion that came with it was a sense of joy, a delighted joy, but a shamed one. That was his secret? Why was she so foolish? Of course, he didn’t dislike anything about her. His secret was he loved another part of her.

He whimpered in pain now.

Opening her eyes, the Crown broke and so did her heart as it slowly leveled out. She embraced him tightly, kissing his head of sweaty hair. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, that was so terribly cruel of me,” she said sweetly into his ear.

“Why?” he asked, hurt.

His pain was hers and she held him against her until their hearts both slowed down together. She explained her self consciousness to him. He sighed, resting against her still.

“You’re perfect to me, from the top of your head to the soles of your feet,” he said like the quote of some long dead poet.

“Especially the latter, hm?” she asked with a chuckle.

He groaned.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to harm you. It’s another shame I am to bear,” she said, burying her face in his dark kinked hair. She hoped to transfer her tears to his scalp, to show that she was serious. “You are equally perfect to me.” She couldn’t keep the choking sob from her voice, knowing that she had harmed him once again. “Sometimes I make mistakes.”

He sat up, smiling at her. His metal hands wiped at her eyes as she smiled at him. “We all do. The headache is already gone,” he told her. “Don’t worry about it, please.”

She nodded, face still held so gently. Her hand reached into the neck of his tunic and rubbed his collarbone. “Don’t ever feel shameful for what you like. I have my own likes that some see as strange,” she said, her other hand flicking off his lips.

"I won’t," he promised.

"You're sure you are not in pain?" she asked.

"I'm sure." He wiped his face off against his sleeve.

"I am truly sorry," she insisted.

"I know, apology accepted."

She smiled. “May I tell you something? I am quite done with mental magic for the moment.”

“Yeah sure,” he nodded.

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From the corner of her eye she saw Warren rise from his seat, carrying Rosetta. Diana and Jonah both rose for a moment, hearing the report. Since Warren was heading back to the penthouse, they decided to stay there in their bubble of magic. Kalyah went out to speak with Niae and left two of the High elf’s children to watch over the young Ash Makers. Turned away from the sleeping children, warded by magic, it was a safe place to talk.

Diana sat back down on the couch first, removing her boots and then her socks. That look came onto Jonah’s eyes, one she had never realized before. She had him sit down and set her feet in his lap. “Go on, I owe you some excitement,” she said, with a smile.

"It's not just about that," he said. "It's just something I've always liked doing." He started to press his thumbs into her. "I like caring for you."

“A massage will help me with what I have to say. It isn’t about you. It's about my last relationship, before you. You see, I was cheated on,” she admitted, feeling the familiar hit to her self esteem.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “What a fucking moron,” he added, shaking his head.

“Yes, quite,” she said, holding a pillow to her chest. “It still hurts to say it. I’m amazed you haven't heard of it until now.”

He flushed. “I have,” he admitted.

“Who?” she found herself saying loudly. Then she said it softly, “Who told you?”

“Kalyah, when we were planning in Grayhill. She told me that you had been cheated on, that it was all over the news. She thought you would believe that I had a good time with the mermaids because of that. When you asked if I had, I couldn’t stand to lie to you.”

“Ooh, my sweet man, you are amazing,” she said, shaking her head in disbelief. She reached down and clasped his hand for a moment, then let him return to his rubbing. “What else did she tell you?”

“That it was on the news and the guy was a prince, that was about it,” he said with a shrug.

“He is the crown prince of Grunhir, our northern ally,” Diana continued. “He went on a hunt, something I had no interest in whatsoever. It was in celebration of our engagement of all things. Some floozy fell into his lap and they had sex. He was sloshed, like all his daft friends, who I couldn’t stand.” She breathed harshly, squishing the pillow. “Worst of all was how I found out.”

“How?” Jonah asked quietly.

“Through my Crown of Clouds,” she stated. “I was training in the castle, trying to keep it on as long as possible. He had been distant, moping around like a dog for the last month. I was busy worrying about fitting into the dress and he was being flaky about the arrangements of the wedding. The Crown works at the speed of thought, the ether granting your desires so long as you can maintain it. What happened with him is almost exactly what happened with you and I. In a flash I saw the image of another woman in a bed beside him. He's a Wizard, so he put up more resistance than you, but in a battle that made a vein in my eye burst and with Aiko threatening to attack him, I found out the truth.”

Jonah frowned in sympathy.

“The worst part is having to cancel the wedding and the public all asking why,” she said, feeling the emotions rushing over her again. “We… I couldn’t stand it, yet he kept trying to reason that it wouldn’t happen again. My family and friends were all appalled with me. Luann most of all. She, she said, ‘Leave him, you deserve better than that. It's only a matter of time before he does it again.’” Diana laughed, fresh tears running down her cheeks. “The girl had never been in a relationship, yet she knew so much. I had felt so jealous of her before, the perfect little princess, but she loved me so much and I loved her.”

Jonah rose from his seat and took her in his arms.

“Everything returns to her,” she said as he held her. “Every memory of my life is that little girl. I wish you could have met her, she was a wonderful person.”

“I’m sure she was,” he said, his voice catching along with hers.

Leaning back, Diana gazed into his eyes, seeing the support in them. The same support he had lent her when she failed to perform in front of the Heroes. In that dark cave she had felt so hopeless. When she left it, she felt like a failure. He ran to her when he could barely walk unsupported.

He stood by when her mouth got away from her. When the Witch Silenced her and she had no voice to speak, he was there for her. He fought so bravely against the Clawing death to return to her. Through an illness that killed countless, he survived bravely.

Just a few days before he had tended to her when she had been marked. When she didn't feel like being a Druid, he helped her. He washed her and brought her to bed so tenderly.

Before that he had cared for her after she formed a small tornado of pure rage, learning that Blodwyn didn’t care about her revenge. Having known her for less than a few months Jonah had fed her when she couldn’t lift the spoon. The whole time those beautiful eyes watched over her. He cared for her, even though he too was sick.

She had cared for him as well, gladly. Tended to his every need because she wanted to keep him beside her. Now her heart started to thud as three words rose out of her once again. When she was freshly marked they had come to her. They were serious, like an accusation in court. Something she could never take back. Her tired mind had pushed them away, knowing that it wasn’t the time. When he was bleeding from the Clawing death they rose fiercely then too.

Across the room, Aiko the cat raised its head from the bed. It sent her feelings of reassurance. Though her and the familiar had been somewhat estranged, it was there for her now. She shook, holding Jonah’s face like it might fall, might break if she let it go. Her lips trembled and the tears stopped, he looked at her in concern. She swallowed down the nervousness, but it just kept rising. Moments had passed but it felt an eternity.

It was the end of all his romantic movies. The Earthen trope to let those words fall like a sword, marking the end, the finale. It wouldn’t be for them, no, it would be the start, the beginning. They were forged strong in their shared tragedy and joy. The comfort and easing of one another's pain. She had never meant the words more. The future flashed before her and she imagined peace. A world without war, without the Order, but always with him. A Magi royal married for love, not title, after all. Not yet, but maybe one day.

“I love you,” she said firmly.

Jonah’s eyes grew wide in shock, but also delight. His chest puffed up in a gasp. His full lips curled into a pleasant smile. “I love you too,” he replied.

Diana took him into an embrace and then a bold kiss. She laughed as their lips parted and their tongues and their teeth touched. She twisted about and nearly fell off the couch. It was only then that she remembered where the hell she was. The world came into focus around them. They laid together for a long while, smiling at each other. She debated whether they should leave for somewhere more private, but they ended up staying there.

How long they laid together, Diana wasn’t sure. That couch would forever be special in her mind. The first place out of many future places. Her goals hadn't changed, but she could be more secure in that future.

“Hey, you guys gonna get up?” Kalyah asked, dipping her head into the bubble surrounding the couch.

The princess was roused from what must have been sleep, looking up at the healer. Jonah blinked and yawned beside her. It was an invigorating sleep, energy bubbled within her and she smiled brightly at Kalyah.

“I love this man,” she said, kissing Jonah’s head.

He breathed a laugh, lightly brushing away her lips with his hands as she kissed his forehead repeatedly.

The Priestess squinted at them. “Didn’t you know that? I've known that for weeks,” she said with a grin.

“She just said it first,” Jonah remarked. “I don’t know if I’d ever have the courage…”

Diana pinched his cheek. "You would've, I'm sure," she said.

“Ow…” he said, then squished her cheeks together to make a fish face. "What was that? Diana the trout?"

Kalyah rolled her eyes. “Come on you two lovebirds, Warren and the Cleric have a report on the Ash Makers,” she said, gesturing them up.

“Cleric?” Diana asked, moving out of Jonah's hold.

The Priestess nodded. “Yes, Niae managed to find a sympathetic soul.”