The pan sizzled as Fen stirred the caramelizing onions. His phone buzzed. Turning down the heat, he checked it. “Oh, it’s Astrid. She says she’ll be here in a few minutes.”

“Will she eat with us?” Mercy asked, looking up from where she was stirring a bowl of batter. “Cause that would be nice.”

Fen smiled, “I’m sure she’ll stay if we ask. It can be a very mini engagement party. Would you like a larger one? I know you’re not a party kind of person.”

“We…we could have a bigger one that’s still small. You know, Astrid’s friends too…Michael, maybe Willow and Aren, if they wanted. Cause Michael would be a good person to bring to Faerie.”

“Well, we could have it in the human world, and you could invite Michael’s family, too, except Thomas.”

“Yeah, I don’t want him to be there. But you’re right. Maybe we should, I don’t know, have two? That way the fey folk don’t have to wear their glamors and can talk without reservations, but then the humans can also be there.”

“We’re used to having to exist with humans and wear our glamors and stuff. It would be fine, none of us would be upset.”

She smiled, “Okay. I…I would like my two sort of separate lives to mix. Right now, the only person in both worlds is Michael, and he’s still not been to Faerie yet. And I guess Thomas knows, but only by necessity, not by choice.”

“Have you told Michael yet?”

“Nah, I’ll tell him later tonight. It’ll require a phone call, he’d shoot me if I told him something like that via text. Maybe after we go swimming.”

“Sounds good.”

The door flew open, startling Mercy, and Astrid breezed in. “I’m heeeere!” she giggled. “Oh, it smells great!”

“I’m making dinner and Mercy is making dessert. Why don’t you join us?” Fen asked his half-sister.

“Absolutely! I was just thinking maybe I’d drag you two out to eat with me, or something. This is better! I don't remember the last time I ate your cooking, Fen."

“Can I tell her?” Mercy asked him.

“Of course!” Fen shot her a smile.

“Tell me what?”

“You were right, I-I’ll be able to wear the pink one to our wedding.” Mercy mumbled as Astrid went to the sofa to put down her shopping bag.

Astrid froze, then whirled about, crying, “No!”

Fen snorted, “Yep.”

“Oh wonderful!” Astrid was by Mercy in a flash of fey speed, lifting her future sister-in-law in a bear-hug and spinning her around briefly before putting her down. “Oh I’m so happy! So, so happy! But you don’t have to wear the pink dress, I was joking! I’ll make you a beautiful wedding gown!”

“I would like that.” Mercy smiled.

“We’re not in a hurry, though. I want to make sure Mercy has plenty of time to adjust to everything.”

“That’s fine. But I call dibs! I’ll make your suit, too.”

“Thanks.” Fen nodded.

“Oh, this is so much fun! I can’t wait!” Astrid giggled, clapping her hands. “Everyone will be so surprised! No one ever expected Fen to get married!”

“No?” his small fiancee tilted her head to the side, seeming amused.

“Nope! He never really seemed interested.”

“You’re not wrong. I wasn’t particularly interested in the idea until I met Mercy.” the fey king shrugged.

“For real?” Mercy asked.

“Yeah, for real. I mean, I’ve had flings and dated a little when I was younger, but not for a very long time.” Fen told her.

“Too busy?” I remembered him saying something like that before.

“Well, yes, but I could have made time for it if it were important to me. It wasn’t. Meeting you was an unexpected, happy accident. Although I’d technically known of you for a good bit before actually meeting and getting to know you.”

“Yeah, you’d been going to the coffee shop for a few months before we spoke in more than just a taking-orders situation.”

“Not that I’m glad I was so horrible to you, but I am glad I got to meet you.”

“Yeah, I’m glad Aren almost tripped me too. I should smack him for that. I’d have spilled hot coffee on myself as well as the group of girls causing problems.”

“Instead I wound up burning your hands the next day.” Fen grimaced. “I’m really sorry about that. I was so caught up in wanting to prove that you could see us that I didn’t think about it being full of boiling hot water, and that it would probably spill as it fell over. It was irresponsible and dangerous."

“I forgave you the first time you apologized, Fen.” Mercy smiled reassuringly at him.

“I love you.” he told her, smiling back.

The young woman flushed at hearing him say it with another person present, but managed to mumble, "I-I love you too."

“You two are so cuuuuuute!” Astrid giggled, then asked, “Do either of you need help?”

“No, I just have to put this in the oven.” Mercy said, having poured out the brownie batter into the pan.

“Here.” Fen reached out and took the pan from her, “How long?”

“Start with thirty minutes. It might need more, but I won’t know until then.”

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

“Alright.” he nodded, putting the brownies into the oven then setting the timer.

“Come try on what I bought! I got a couple of different ones I thought you might like.” Astrid told his fiancee.

“Okay!” Mercy smiled.

They took the bag and disappeared down the hallway.

Fen smiled contentedly. This was what married life would be like with her. Making dinner together, having guests visit and hosting together, spending all the little moments, and big ones, with one another. Although life was made up of the little moments more than the big ones, really.

Gods, it was wonderful.

-

“Wow, it’s a lot bigger than I thought!” I stared at the pool in front of me.

“There’s a hot tub too.” Fen pointed on the other side of the room.

“Ohh I’m getting in that later!” I flapped my hands excitedly.

“Me too.” Fen nodded. Then in one fluid moment, he stripped off his t-shirt, leaving me gaping at his ridiculously aesthetically pleasing physical form. Then, tucking his wings closely against his back, my fiance did a perfect swan-dive into the pool.

His dark head popped back up from the water and he grinned at me as I gaped, then fanned my face. “Whoo…that was…something!” I made myself look away so I didn’t melt into a puddle on the floor.

He snorted, saying, “Come on. It’s not a hot tub, but the water is a nice temperature.”

Suddenly, I was a little hesitant to take off the sarong I’d tossed on over my swimsuit. “Uh.”

Sensing my hesitation, he shrugged, telling me in a mild voice, “I’m half-naked, Mercy. You’ll be more covered than me.”

“Don’t look.” I mumbled, feeling incredibly self-conscious.

“Alright.” He turned away.

I slipped the sarong off, then jumped ungracefully into the pool, commenting, “Oh it does feel nice.”

My fiance turned to face me. “Right?”

“This is okay?” I asked, tugging at my suit, my face flushing slightly.

His lilac eyes took in the swim suit. “I like it. It’s cute.”

It was a light pink one-piece with a little skirt on the bottom so I was a little more covered up.

“I like that it has a skirt. It helps me be more comfortable. Feels a lot less like just being in my underwear.” I grimaced a little.

“And it’s your favorite color, right?”

“Yeah.” I nodded, smiling.

“You’re still self-conscious though..." he tilted his head to the side questioningly.

“It’s just something about swimsuits, I think. I don’t wear tight clothes, but by nature, they tend to be tight. And then I am fairly covered in this, for a swimsuit, but it’s still less clothing than I’d usually wear.” I shrugged.

“It’s alright. It’s just us here.” he smiled, reaching out and putting his hands on my waist, and asking, “Is this alright?”

“Yeah.” I said, but stepped forward, prompting his arms to come up around me, and I set my head against him.

“Good.” He squeezed me gently for a moment, then pulled away, “I’m going to do some laps. I want to see how swimming is now that I’m taller and have wings.” he flashed me a grin, “You should definitely watch.”

I felt my face heat. “Fen!”

He laughed, then took a deep breath and ducked underwater, pushing off from the wall beside us and shooting away.

To my surprise, he didn’t have to come up for air all that often.

“I guess your people can hold their breaths for a long time?” I asked once he’d finished.

“Yes. Some of us also just have gills though.”

“Somehow that doesn't surprise me.” I tilted my head to the side.

Fen put his hands on my waist again, pulling me close, murmuring, “I love you.”

“I love you too. You…really want to get married?” Maybe it was stupid to ask this again, but it was still a little baffling.

“To you, yes.” He nodded. “I want that more than I’ve wanted anything in my entire life. And I will reassure you as often as you need reassurance.”

“Sorry, I…I just…”

“Don’t apologize.” Fen shook his head, “You were treated like a nuisance by your own family, then by Thomas, and then you had trouble with other guys, I know. You’re not a nuisance, not a burden. I love you, and want to spend the rest of my life with you. All of my tomorrows and the little moments.”

“You should write that down.” I mumbled, setting my head against his chest again. “I-I love you.”

“Can I kiss the top of your head?” he asked.

I smiled, “Yeah.”

My fiance planted a kiss in my hair.

My fiance.

The man I was going to marry.

I was going to marry Fen.

Giggling, I flung my arms around his middle and squeezed him. “I get to marry you!”

“No, I get to marry you! I’m the lucky one.”

“We’ll agree to disagree.”

“Very diplomatic.” he snorted. “You sure you don’t want to take on any queenly duties?”

“Hmm…” I frowned, pulling away.

“I was joking. I don’t expect you to do anything.”

“I just don’t know what they entail.”

“Nothing you couldn't do. It’s mostly diplomatic stuff. Opening orphanages, hosting parties and tea parties for the wives of visiting diplomats, sitting through court with me, being on the board of charities. Again, nothing you couldn't handle. And Astrid would be happy to help with it.”

“I…I don’t think I could work full-time and do all of that.” I frowned.

“That’s okay. You don’t have to.” Fen assured me. “And you don’t have to do either, if you don’t want to. I promise.”

“How do you manage it, Fen?”

“I’m good at delegating my royal duties.” he shrugged. “And I have help. Axl and Rose and Astrid and my advisors and cabinet do more than they really ought to, but I greatly appreciate it. The people of Faerie have also learned to be patient with me, since they know I’m running the business as well, which only benefits them. They like having wifi data coverage in Faerie too.”

I laughed, “So it’s all for the wifi?”

“All for the wifi.” Fen smiled a little. “I don’t hold open court nearly as often as past kings, but I’ve also made laws that closed a lot of loopholes that caused problems that could only be solved in open court previously. And I re-hauled the normal court system to help with that as well.”

“Fen for president!”

“Ugh, no thank you. That’s not a job I want.”

“Well, you’re already a king!” I laughed.

“And I don’t have to count on getting re-elected.” he shook his head.

“No, you just have to worry about a coup or getting assassinated.” I frowned.

“Fair enough.” he shrugged, “But even a president or a prime minister has to worry about that. That’s only two things instead of three. So still, it’s one less stress overall.”

I shrugged, “I guess…I’ll…have to worry about that kind of stuff too, won’t I?”

“Only in that if there’s a coup or something happens to me, you’ll be in danger. But Axl and Breya would spirit you away from any immediate danger.”

“What if something happens to them too? Like a blast that you all get killed in?”

“I have other allies that would ensure your safety. Then you’d have to decide if you wanted to take back the throne and rule in my stead. Because it’d be rightfully yours, and those trusted allies would help you keep things running, as they have for me.”

“I…don’t know if I could do that.” I whispered, terrified at the thought.

“You won’t have to. We’re just talking hypothetically. I…I think you’d surprise yourself though.” he smiled, reaching up and gently putting his hand to my cheek. “You’re far stronger than you realize, and people are drawn to you, although you don’t realize it.”

My face burned, “I…I don’t know about that.”

Fen laughed a little, then sighed, “It’s alright.” he stroked my face gently, “Alright, I’m done with the pool. How about a dip in the hot tub?”

“Yes please!”