I had no idea how long it had been, but when I woke up, I was in a bed, not a cell, and someone was in my arms.

  No.

  Tristan was in my arms.

  It had been real.

  "Good morning," she whispered into my neck.

  "Good morning." I pulled her close and kissed her forehead.

  She smiled shyly. "You were a beast last night... I won't be able to walk later..."

  "I'm sorry."

  "Don't be. It was fun." Her eyes searched my face. "But, you were so different. More... more primal. Intense."

  "I've been through a lot."

  Her eyes grew misty. "Alex, I... I'm so, so sorry..."

  I smiled at her, but it didn't fully reach my heart. And that bothered me. I'd never felt inhibited with her before. She had been my favorite person. She was my favorite person. "Don't be."

  "Elise... she wanted to test you. See who you were."

  That made my blood boil. "Did I pass?"

  "I think so." She sighed. "I'm sorry. She said I had to let her do what she would, or else I wasn't allowed to be here. It was selfish, but..."

  "You didn't do it. It is what it is."

  Smiling, she said, "You sound like Renard."

  "And another guy I've met down here. He says it all the time. I think I get it now." Sometimes, shit happens, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it.

  She shook her head. "I should have found you. I should have found a way. I should have—"

  I put my finger over her lips. "I don't blame you. Not one bit. I know you did what you could. I did what I could. And I don't regret it. Not even a little. I did what was right." I kissed her lips.

  Her tears stained my face, so I kissed her cheeks, her eyelids, and her forehead, until she giggled and swatted at me.

  When we got settled again, her lips turned downward. "I thought you were dead." She shook her head. "No. I was afraid you were dead. I never believed it, though."

  "I'm not planning on dying or anything, but I'd be lying if things didn't get hairy once or twice. This has sucked pretty badly." To say the least.

  "I've hardly slept, but when I did, you were always there."

  "You were, too." Every night.

  "When Elise found us, and I saw you in the Pit... I thought my heart would break in two. Then, I saw you fight..." Her eyes were uncertain. "You're different, now."

  "I am different." I hadn't realized it, but I'd changed. Not completely, but I was harder now. Stronger. But walled off. The feelings didn't come as easily as they had. I hoped I could fix that.

  No.

  I knew I could. And I would. One day. When I was free. Soon. "But I'm still me."

  She nodded. "I hope so." She smiled. "We're going to get you out. I promise."

  "No, I don't think that's your job. And I don't think Elise is my way out, either. I think this is on me." I'd thought about it before drifting off the night before. Why had any of this happened? Was it really just bad luck like I'd first assumed? Being in the wrong place at the wrong time? Or was I being made strong for some purpose? It couldn't just be a bad turn, right? Plus, I hadn't gotten a quest when Elise was speaking. That usually happened when new doors opened. Maybe the Goddess needed me to stay in the Pit longer? Maybe there was something left for me to do? If she really did put us where we needed to be, was this where she wanted me?

  "I'm getting you out." Her jaw set. "Take Elise's offer. Things might be different for us, but I don't care at all. Not even a little. It'll be okay. Let's get you home." Her eyes burned, and she was getting that stubborn look that I absolutely loved.

  However, I didn't want to think about that right now. "Have you been okay?"

  "Don't change the subject."

  "Let's talk about something else. Just for now. Okay?"

  Slowly, she nodded. "Not really, no."

  "Why?"

  She stared at me. "Do you have to ask?"

  That was stupid. "Sorry. How are the others? What happened when we got separated?"

  "After you... after you were taken, our party broke. We didn't know if you were still alive, so we searched for you, but more of those bandits showed up. We fought hard, but for every battle that we fought, there was another. We ended up in an endless series of battles."

  After I'd been teleported away, I hadn't even thought about the fact we'd been in a party together. "Why'd our party break?"

  "We got too far apart. Parties don't stretch that far. Maybe a day's walk in any direction, and the party breaks."

  "Got it." Noted. "What happened next?"

  "For a month, we fought the Crimon Kingdom's people in the forests. It was hard. Really hard. Eventually, we got pushed back to the Temple and held them at the little bridge to the north."

  That was wild. "Is our home okay?"

  "Yeah. We managed to hold them there. When Lady Varga showed up, the battle turned. Then, Renard came back from his own quest, found us, and we were able to press forward. Within a week or so, we made it back to the Galden mines. Then, once we got inside, we destroyed dozens of their camps and saved a lot of people."

  "I'm proud of you." That was good. At least someone was doing the right thing in this shitty place.

  "Thanks..." She smiled. "After that, we made it into Galden proper, but it's been a nightmare. It's been one fight after another."

  "Who's fighting?"

  "Everyone. When they found out Baelgrim was gone, two barons marched on the city to try to claim it as theirs. Both of them said it was their birthright. Before they attacked the city, their forces ran into one another, and they fought in the pass. The death toll was massive, and both of the barons died. We spent weeks healing the survivors."

  I laughed. It sounded bitter. "I'm learning I don't like the nobility much."

  She laughed. "Me neither." Sighing, she continued. "After that, a dozen small gangs popped up and have been causing trouble in the city, and far too many civilians have been getting injured. It didn't help that half of the guards quit when the Governor ran out of money. Turns out Baelgrim took the city coffers with him when he left. So, we've been acting as guards, but there are only about twenty of us Templars and a whole city to guard."

  "How are you handling that?"

  "We used some of our funds to hire adventurers, but we don't have much. We've worked all day, every day, and we've barely slept."

  I guessed it wasn't just me living in the shit lately. "How'd you get down here?"

  "A few weeks ago, Elise found us. She said she'd met a man who claimed to have saved Ennel's life, and she wanted proof the claim was true. Once we figured things out, I demanded that Elise take me with her. I needed to see for myself. But..." her jaw clenched, "she required me to step in line; otherwise, she said she had no use for me. So, I've been at her side ever since, doing whatever she needed me to do."

  Nobles were assholes. "I'm sorry." I tried to feel empathetic, but it was hard. It was there, but distant.

  She shook her head. "It's nothing. Really."

  I knew she'd never let me express empathy if she thought it would diminish my experience, so I held it in. "How is she? Elise?"

  "She and I get along, mostly. She's a snob, and she doesn't understand us common folk well, but she does mean well. She's just mixed up and trying to find her way forward. I had no idea how complicated being a noble actually was."

  This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  "Yeah, complicated. You get to make the rules, then complain about how hard it is to follow them."

  "It's more than that. There are factions and dissent and debts. Threats of assassination. Blackmail. If you step out of line, you get disappeared. It's not as easy as I thought it was. After watching as she figures it out, I don't envy her. Not one bit. And I don't think she's all that bad, no matter what it might seem from the outside."

  I wasn't seeing it, but I trusted her judgment enough to give Elise the benefit of the doubt. For now. "Is she better than Ennel?"

  "You know something? You'd be surprised. Ever since you disappeared, he's changed."

  That, I'd actually need to see. Ennel was a douche. "I'll believe it when I see it."

  "Fair." She smiled and shook her head. "Anyway, I couldn't have found my way into the Dregs without her. We tried to get down here a few times when we'd first gotten to the city, but the path is confusing and is packed with threats. And, since we're working with the interim governor, the guides won't take us down."

  "Why is that?"

  "Most of them work with the Crimson Kingdom, so they're not an option. The ones who don't either won't work with us because we're Templars or were far too expensive. We couldn't afford them if we wanted to."

  "Assholes." I guessed that's why the poor didn't just leave the Dregs. If the path was difficult and the guides expensive, people probably got in, lost their money, and could never get out. "How'd you get here, then?"

  "The nobles use a type of teleportation magic to come and go. It's expensive to do, and the ingredients are hard to find, but most nobles manage it anyway."

  I really hated nobles. "I see." The other Templars' faces began popping into my mind. "How is everyone else? Are they all okay?"

  She nodded. "Yeah, mostly. Ennel's been wracked with guilt. He's trained harder than anyone to get stronger." Her face darkened. "Anyone but me. I'm level thirteen now."

  I kissed her forehead. "I'm proud of you." I decided not to tell her how strong I'd gotten, or why. I'd learned levels came easiest through adversity, which was something she likely already knew, but still. Knowing why and how quickly I'd grown would devastate her. "What else?"

  "Ilan lost an arm, and Voss lost an eye. Jorn took a sword to the neck, but he made it. Claws lost a wing. He's healing, but it's slow. It took us a day to find him after he got shot down, and by the time we did, his wing was infected. Maven hasn't left his side."

  "She loves that bird so much."

  She laughed. "She really does."

  I noticed she had a small scar on her chin. Reaching out, I touched it with my thumb. "What about this?"

  Her eyes shimmered. "I got that the day you were taken."

  "How?"

  "I don't remember much." Her hand reached for her side. "All I know is, when I came around, I'd taken three arrows to the ribs, and I was surrounded by bodies." Her eyes got hard. "I killed every one of the bastards who took you away."

  I'd been so wrapped up in my own struggles that I hadn't thought about how she felt. It had to have been hard, and I could tell she'd changed, too. "You did well."

  "They deserved it."

  I hadn't thought about it. She didn't even know I was alive. How could she? One minute I was there. The next, I'd vanished. That would have ruined me. "I'm sorry, Tristan."

  "You have nothing to be sorry about." Her jaw set, and her eyes became firm. "You're the victim, here. Not me."

  I shook my head. "I'll never be a victim. Every day, I fight with everything I have. I'll survive this, and when I do, I'll come out on top. Believe me."

  "That's the man I love." She leaned forward and kissed me, softly.

  For a moment, we kissed, and it was like no time had gone by. When the moment passed, I asked, "Anything else? What about Silan? Lize?"

  "Silan's fine. He's just tired. Pawel's gotten more confident, and Lize enjoys the guard work. She says she might stay in Galden when all this is over."

  "How about Nivan and Nel? Are they still cute together?"

  She laughed. "The kids fought for a few weeks after you disappeared. They both said it was their fault. But when they'd figured it all out, they got even closer together. Just last week, they decided they wanted to marry."

  "They're getting married?!"

  "Yeah! That's what we said!"

  "Isn't that a little quick?"

  "We all said they're moving too fast, but they said that life's short and they don't ever want to be apart again. Nothing we say'll deter them."

  I smiled. "You know what? I'm happy for them. Life is short, and when you know, you know."

  She blushed. "When you know, you know?"

  I looked her dead in the eyes. "Yeah."

  Her blush spread to the tips of her nose, just the way I loved. That cracked the wall around my heart something fierce. "When you see them, tell them I'm happy for them."

  She shook her head, and her eyes got misty. "Tell them yourself."

  "I can't promise that."

  "You can, though!" She slapped my chest. "Please, Alex. Take Elise's offer. I don't care if I have to share you. I've never cared about that. It's fine. I just want you with me. I want you to be safe."

  I shook my head. "I can't do that. I don't want to be owned, and I won't be someone's trophy husband consort person." She looked like she wanted to challenge me, so I continued. "I've got a match coming up, and I've already made a deal for my freedom. I just have to..." With the walls down, my heart ached when I thought about what was coming.

  "What?"

  "I have to kill a friend to do it."

  "That'll ruin you."

  "I know."

  "Then why?"

  "Because she told me to. She said it's okay. I have her permission."

  "She?" Her eyes searched mine.

  "Vral. The Slasher."

  "The goblin?"

  "Yeah. She was captured after she betrayed her crew that day outside the mines. Our cells are next to one another. We've gotten close. Well, as close as you can get talking through a grate with a stone wall between you."

  She nodded. "I'm glad you've had someone. I wouldn't have made it without the others. I'm sure you feel the same."

  "I do. I've had her and a dwarf. He's kind of become my teacher. Some of the other fighters, too. It hasn't been all bad." Just mostly bad. "And I've learned things. I'm a better fighter, now, and I'm stronger."

  "I saw." She shifted next to me. "It's just like you to find a new mentor to learn from. I love that about you."

  "I like that about me, too."

  She searched my eyes again. "And you can go through with it? With killing her?"

  "I don't know. I promised to help her. Even got a quest about it. And I'm realizing that I want to help the others in the Pit, too, but I can't do it if I'm some prize pony for a noblewoman. There has to be another way." I just wished I knew what I was supposed to do.

  "You got a quest?"

  "Yeah, when I was talking with Vral. The first time, actually."

  She nodded, and something passed behind her eyes. "Then that's where the Goddess wants you to be. She wants you to help Vral. And the others. It's where you need to be."

  "Yeah, I think so, too."

  With a sad smile, she said, "Then that's what you'll do. If there's anyone who can find a way, it's you. I believe in you. Totally and completely. And no matter what happens or who or what comes our way, I'll never stop believing in you. And I'll always be at your side, even if I can't be there with you."

  That's what I needed. I needed someone to believe in me again. "It won't be long. Trust me. Before you know it, I'll be there with you again."

  The doors to the massive room opened. Amira entered and called out to us. "It's time."

  I started to slip out of the sheets, but Tristan held me fast. "I love you. Don't ever forget that."

  I leaned over and kissed her forehead. "I never will."

  Fresh tears began to fall down her cheeks. "I'll do what I can out here. And I'll find the best way to help you."

  "I know you will."

  I tried to move away again, but she held my hand. "Promise me you'll be okay. That you'll find me. I need to hear it."

  I knew I couldn't make that promise, but that didn't matter. I could make it for her. Taking her hand, I dropped to my knee beside the bed. "I promise you, Na-Tristan, that I will be with you soon. Nothing will stop me."

  For the first time in a long time, words appeared in my mind, and a new quest appeared on my quest list.

  You and Na-Tristan gain the quest [A Lover's Oath: To Stop at Nothing]

  "See? Even the Goddess agrees with me." I gave her my best grin.

  She laughed, then sobbed as I let go of her hand. Then, she pulled the covers over her head. She always hated to be seen when she cried.

  Turning, I marched to the front. Along the way, I saw Elise's head poking out of the small doorway she'd disappeared down the day before.

  "Alex. A word?" She opened the door and beckoned for me to enter.

  I did as she requested and found myself in a much smaller and slightly more modest office. Looking her over, I noticed her eyes had dark circles under them, and her forehead was creased. She looked like she'd barely slept. "What do you want?"

  "Sit." She pointed to two chairs surrounding a central table standing at the side of the room.

  Sitting at one of the chairs, she sat beside me. When she didn't speak, I said, "Tell me what you want, Elise. Otherwise, I'm leaving."

  She sighed. "Forgive me for yesterday's deception. I suggested the ruse to test your character. If you'd known she was there, I believed you'd have acted differently. I was proven wrong."

  "Suggested?"

  Her eyes flicked away from mine before returning. "Insisted."

  Bitch. "I get it. Is that all?"

  "No. You've given me much to think about. And I greatly respect your simplicity. It... clarifies things for me. So for that, I thank you."

  I nodded. "I understand my thinking might be simple, but it feels right. Yours doesn't."

  "I might agree in time, but first, I need to learn more."

  "About?"

  "About everything." She looked at me. "I need allies. Powerful ones. And, despite all his faults, I'm my father's daughter through and through. I've always trusted his wisdom." Taking a breath, she continued, "But, maybe, he isn't right about everything. And maybe I can do more than emulate him. Maybe I can be more than him."

  "I hope you will, because if you've been acting like your father, your father is shit."

  "So direct."

  "What the hell do I have to lose? And I'm not going to sugarcoat my words for you, Elise. From my vantage point, you're just as bad as all these other fucks who use the rules for their own benefit and toy with people's lives. You just have the luxury of being young and kind of pretty, so you're used to getting away with it."

  She wrung her hands. "You remind me so much of Sophia. She was so passionate and direct, but also kind. And she was fair. Never compromised. And she wanted what was best for everyone, even if she had to sacrifice her well-being to make it happen. I wish you could have met her."

  This Sophia woman sounded like a noble I could've respected. "Me too."

  Her eyes fell to the ground. "Please don't think lowly of me. I truly am trying. And I promise I'll do my best with the powers afforded to me." She reached into a small drawer set into the table between us and withdrew something. Handing it to me, she said, "Take this." She pressed something small and circular into my palm. "I'd like you to have it."

  I looked down. It was a small stone with faintly glowing runes etched into its sides. "What is it?"

  "A memento. To remember our time together. Keep it with you. For good luck."

  Slipping the object into my pocket, I nodded in the direction of the bed Tristan and I had slept. "Promise to take care of her, okay? And don't let her do anything reckless."

  She nodded. "I will. You have my word." Pointing to the ribbon tied around my arm, she added, "And you retain my favor. Even if you will not be mine one day, I grant you that right. You are under the protection of Elise d'Ranthir, first daughter of the Duke of Calvareth."

  "I don't want it." I tried to pull the ribbon off, but before I could pull it off, she took my hands in hers.

  "This is something I can do for you right now. Please, do not deny me that. And trust that it is not the only thing I'll do."

  "I see." I stood. "If that's the case, then I'll keep it. For now."

  "Thank you." Walking in front of me, she dropped into a low bow.

  "What is this?"

  "My respect." For a long while, she stayed that way.

  "Um.. Thanks." It actually felt good.

  Standing, she said, "Be well, Alex."

  I nodded and walked to the door. Looking over my shoulder, I said, "Be better, Elise." With that, I stepped out of the office and toward the front doors, where I could just make out Aerell's slimy smile beyond the doors.