The wooden rose sat on Sarah's windowsill, catching the first light of dawn.
She had placed it there the moment Alex left, unable to let it out of her sight. Now, as the sun painted the sky in shades of pink and gold, she reached out and touched its delicate petals. Each one was perfectly carved, each curve and line showing hours of careful work.
*He made this for me,* she thought. *With his own hands.*
The thought made her chest ache with a feeling she couldn't name. It wasn't just happiness. It wasn't just excitement. It was something deeper, something that settled into her bones and made her feel, for the first time in years, truly alive.
A soft knock at her door made her jump.
"Princess?" Lena's voice, quiet and careful. "It's time to get ready."
Sarah quickly hid the wooden rose under her pillow, then took a breath to steady herself. "Come in."
Lena entered with a tray of breakfast, but her eyes went immediately to Sarah's face. A small smile played at the corners of her mouth.
"You're glowing again," Lena said softly, setting the tray down. "More than yesterday."
Sarah felt heat rise to her cheeks. "I don't know what you mean."
"Of course you don't." Lena's smile widened. She moved closer and lowered her voice to barely a whisper. "Did he come back?"
Sarah's heart stopped. For a moment, she couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. Couldn't do anything but stare at Lena with wide eyes.
Lena waited, patient and calm.
"I don't" Sarah started.
"Princess." Lena took her hand. "I've served you for six years. I've kept every secret you've ever told me. I've never betrayed you, not once." She squeezed gently. "You can trust me."
Sarah looked into Lena's kind brown eyes and felt something inside her crumble. The wall she had built around herself, the wall that kept everyone at a distance, began to crack.
"Yes," she whispered. "He came back."
Lena's smile grew soft and warm. "And?"
"And we talked. For hours." Sarah couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face. "He climbed the tree. He came through the window. He brought me a gift."
"A gift?" Lena's eyebrows rose.
Sarah hesitated for only a moment, then reached under her pillow and pulled out the wooden rose.
Lena gasped softly. Her fingers reached out, trembling slightly, to touch the delicate carving. "He made this? Himself?"
"He said he carved it at night, when he couldn't sleep." Sarah traced a petal with her fingertip. "He said it would never die, like his love for me."
Lena was silent for a long moment. When she spoke, her voice was thick with emotion. "Princess, I've heard many love stories. I've seen knights give expensive gifts, jewels and silks and gold. But I've never seen anything like this." She looked up at Sarah with shining eyes. "This came from his heart. From his own hands. This is real."
Sarah felt tears prick at her own eyes. "I know."
They stood together for a moment, two women bound by years of service and friendship, sharing the weight of a secret that could destroy them both.
"You have to be careful," Lena finally said, her voice steady now. "If anyone finds out—"
"I know." Sarah tucked the rose back under her pillow. "I know."
---
The day that followed was the longest of Sarah's life.
She went through her duties mechanically, her body moving through the motions while her mind was elsewhere. She sat through a meeting with her uncle about trade agreements, nodding at appropriate moments without hearing a single word. She ate lunch with visiting noblewomen, smiling and making polite conversation while her thoughts were consumed by green eyes and golden hair.
Every few minutes, she found herself glancing toward the window, toward the training yard, searching for a familiar figure.
She never saw him.
*Where is he?* she wondered. *Is he training? Is he thinking about me? Does he regret coming?*
The questions circled in her mind like birds unable to land.
By late afternoon, she couldn't take it anymore. She found Lena in the hallway and pulled her aside.
"I need you to do something for me," Sarah whispered urgently.
Lena's eyes widened. "Anything."
"The training yard. I need to know if he's there. If he's okay." Sarah's voice trembled. "I haven't seen him all day."
Lena studied her for a moment, then nodded. "Wait in your room. I'll find out what I can."
An hour later, Lena returned.
"He's there," she said quietly, closing the door behind her. "Training with the others. He looks... tired. Like he didn't sleep."
Sarah's heart clenched. *He didn't sleep because of me.*
"But he's okay," Lena continued. "He's safe. No one suspects anything."
Sarah let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. "Thank you."
Lena smiled. "I'll always help you, Princess. Always."
## NIGHT ONE: The Second Visit
The sunset that evening was the most beautiful Sarah had ever seen.
Or maybe it was just that everything felt more beautiful now. The colors seemed brighter, the air seemed sweeter, the world seemed fuller. Love had opened her eyes to a reality she'd never known existed.
She ate dinner alone in her room, too anxious to face her uncle. Every sound made her jump. Every shadow made her turn.
*Will he come?* she wondered. *What if he doesn't? What if last night was a mistake? What if he changed his mind?*
The questions tortured her until she thought she might go mad.
And then, just as the last light faded from the sky, she heard it.
A soft tap at her window.
Her heart leaped into her throat. She ran to the window and pulled back the curtain.
Alex clung to the ledge outside, his green eyes shining in the darkness, a smile spreading across his face when he saw her.
"Princess," he breathed.
She fumbled with the latch, her fingers shaking so badly she could barely work it. Finally, it gave way, and she threw the window open.
He climbed inside and collapsed on her floor, breathing hard from the climb. For a moment, neither of them moved. Neither of them spoke.
Then Sarah did something that surprised even herself.
She threw herself at him.
Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him close, holding him like she was afraid he might disappear. She buried her face in his shoulder and breathed in his scent—sweat and earth and that clean, pine-like smell that she already loved.
Alex froze for only a second. Then his arms came around her, holding her just as tightly.
"I thought you wouldn't come," she whispered into his shoulder, her voice breaking. "I thought—I thought you changed your mind."
"Never." His voice was rough, emotional. "I would never change my mind about you. Never."
They stayed like that for a long moment, holding each other on the floor of her room, two souls finding solace in each other's arms.
Finally, Sarah pulled back just enough to look at his face. In the dim light from the window, she could see dark circles under his eyes, evidence of a sleepless night.
"You didn't sleep," she said softly, raising a hand to touch his cheek.
He leaned into her touch, closing his eyes. "I couldn't. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw you. Every time I tried to sleep, I thought about coming back here." He opened his eyes and looked at her with an intensity that made her breath catch. "I've never felt anything like this, Sarah. I don't know what it is. I don't know what to call it. But it's consuming me."
Sarah's heart swelled until she thought it might burst. "I know," she whispered. "I feel it too."
They moved to the window seat, sitting close together, their shoulders touching, their hands intertwined.
For hours, they talked.
Alex told her about his training, about the other knights, about the small moments of his day that he wished she could have shared. Sarah told him about her meetings, about the noblewomen who bored her, about the endless duties that felt meaningless now.
"Do you ever think about running away?" Alex asked suddenly.
Sarah looked at him, surprised. "Running away?"
"Just... leaving. Going somewhere where no one knows us. Where we could just be... us." His green eyes were serious, searching. "A cottage in the woods. A small house by the sea. Somewhere quiet, where we could wake up together every morning and fall asleep together every night."
Sarah's heart ached with the beauty of the image he painted. "I've thought about it," she admitted. "Many times. But I never had a reason to leave before."
"Now you do."
She looked at him, at his earnest face and hopeful eyes, and felt something shift inside her. "Yes," she said softly. "Now I do."
---
They talked until the moon was high in the sky, until Sarah's eyelids grew heavy and her words began to slur with sleep.
"You're tired," Alex observed, his thumb tracing circles on the back of her hand.
"I don't want to sleep," she protested. "I don't want to waste a single moment."
"You need to rest." He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss to her knuckles. "I'll come back tomorrow. I'll always come back."
Sarah wanted to argue, but her body betrayed her with a yawn. "Promise?"
"Promise." His voice was soft, certain, absolute. "I promise you, Sarah. I will always come back."
He left just before dawn, climbing down the tree with the same impossible grace that had brought him up.
Sarah watched him go, her hand pressed to her heart, her lips still tingling from the kiss he'd placed there before leaving.
When he was gone, she returned to her bed and pulled the wooden rose from under her pillow. She held it to her chest and closed her eyes.
For the first time in years, she fell asleep with a smile on her face.
## NIGHT TWO: The First Kiss
The second night, Alex brought her a flower.
Not a rose this time. A small wildflower he'd picked from the forest edge, its petals a delicate shade of purple.
"It's not much," he said, almost apologetically, as he handed it to her.
Sarah held it like it was made of gold. "It's perfect."
They sat by the window again, but this time they sat closer. This time, Sarah's head rested on his shoulder. This time, his arm was around her waist.
"I've never done this before," Alex admitted quietly. "Been with someone like this. I don't know what I'm doing."
"Neither do I." Sarah smiled against his shoulder. "But it feels right, doesn't it?"
"It feels like the only thing that's ever made sense."
They were quiet for a while, just breathing together, listening to each other's heartbeats.
Then, slowly, carefully, Alex turned to look at her.
Sarah looked up at him.
The moonlight caught his eyes, making them glow like emeralds. His face was so close she could see every detail—the small scar on his chin, the slight stubble on his jaw, the way his lips parted slightly as he looked at her.
"Sarah," he whispered.
And then he kissed her.
It was soft at first. Gentle. Tentative. Just the barest press of his lips against hers, as if he was afraid she might break.
But when she didn't pull away, when her hand came up to cup his cheek, the kiss deepened. Became something more. Became everything.
When they finally pulled apart, both breathing hard, Sarah's eyes were wet with tears.
"Why are you crying?" Alex asked, his voice rough with emotion.
"Because," she whispered, "I didn't know it could feel like this. I didn't know anything could feel like this."
He kissed her tears away, one by one.
## NIGHT THREE: The Song
The third night, Alex brought his lute.
"I didn't know you played," Sarah said, surprised, as he settled onto the window seat with the instrument in his hands.
"There's a lot you don't know about me yet." He smiled, that crooked smile that made her heart flutter. "But you will. I'm going to tell you everything."
And then he played.
The song was soft and sweet, a melody she'd never heard before. His fingers moved across the strings with the same grace he showed in combat, but gentler now, more tender.
When he finished, Sarah was crying again.
"That was beautiful," she whispered. "What was it?"
"I wrote it." He set the lute aside and took her hands. "For you. About you."
"Me?"
"It's called 'Eyes Like Emerald Seas.'" He lifted her hands to his lips and kissed her knuckles. "Because that's what I see when I look at you. An ocean I want to drown in."
---
## NIGHT FOUR: The Storm
The fourth night, a storm raged outside.
Rain lashed against the windows. Thunder shook the walls. Lightning lit up the sky in brilliant flashes.
Sarah sat by the window, watching the storm, worried that Alex wouldn't come.
And then, through the rain and wind, she saw him.
He climbed the tree with difficulty, the branches slick with water. He slipped once, twice, and Sarah's heart stopped each time. But he kept going, kept climbing, kept fighting his way to her.
When he finally crashed through her window, soaked to the bone and shivering, Sarah burst into tears.
"You came," she sobbed, throwing her arms around him. "You came even in this."
"I said I'd always come." He was shivering, but his smile was warm. "I meant it."
She wrapped him in blankets and held him close, listening to his heartbeat, feeling his warmth return.
That night, they fell asleep together for the first time, curled up on the window seat, wrapped in each other's arms.
## NIGHT FIVE: The Promise
The fifth night, Alex gave her a ring.
It wasn't expensive. Just a simple silver band with a small green stone that matched his eyes.
"It was my mother's," he explained. "Before she died, she told me to give it to someone I loved. Someone I wanted to spend my life with."
Sarah's hands trembled as he slipped it onto her finger.
"Alex," she whispered. "This is "
"I know it's not a proper engagement," he said quickly. "I know we can't marry. Not yet. Not here. But I wanted you to have it. I wanted you to know that in my heart, you're already my wife."
Sarah looked at the ring, at the green stone that matched his eyes, and felt something shift inside her. Something permanent. Something eternal.
"I will love you forever," she whispered. "No matter what happens. No matter where we go. Forever."
He kissed her, and the ring glinted in the moonlight.
## NIGHT SIX: The Scars
The sixth night, Sarah saw his scars.
They were sitting by candlelight, talking quietly, when his sleeve pulled back and revealed a long, white line on his forearm.
"What's that?" she asked, touching it gently.
Alex pulled away instinctively, then stopped himself. "It's nothing. Just an old wound."
"From what?"
He was quiet for a moment. Then he rolled up his sleeve and showed her.
The scars covered his arms. Some small, some long. Some clearly from swords, others from things she couldn't identify.
"My father," he said quietly. "Before he died. He was... hard on me. He believed that pain made you stronger. That suffering built character."
Sarah's heart broke. She traced each scar with her fingertips, tears streaming down her face.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."
"Don't be." He cupped her face in his hands. "Those scars brought me here. They made me who I am. And who I am is someone who loves you more than anything in this world."
She kissed each scar, one by one.
## NIGHT SEVEN: The Dream
The seventh night, Sarah told him about her dream.
"I dreamt of you," she said, her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. "Before we ever met. I dreamt of green eyes and golden hair. I dreamt of a voice I'd never heard."
Alex's hand stilled on her hair. "You dreamt of me?"
"I think so. I think... I think I've been waiting for you my whole life. I just didn't know it until I saw you."
He was quiet for a long moment. Then he tilted her chin up and looked into her eyes.
"I dreamt of you too," he confessed. "Every night for months before that day in the yard. I didn't understand it. I thought I was going mad. But now I know." He kissed her forehead. "Now I know I was just finding my way to you."
---
## NIGHT EIGHT: The Jealousy
The eighth night, Alex arrived with a dark expression.
"What's wrong?" Sarah asked immediately.
"Lord Ashworth's son," he said through gritted teeth. "I heard him talking today. About you. About how he plans to ask your uncle for your hand."
Sarah's blood ran cold. "Lord Ashworth's son? He's—"
"Forty years old. Twice divorced. Cruel." Alex's hands clenched into fists. "I wanted to kill him. Right there. I wanted to—"
"Alex." Sarah took his face in her hands. "Look at me."
He did, his green eyes burning with barely contained rage.
"I don't want him. I will never want him. No matter what my uncle says, no matter what anyone says." She pressed her forehead to his. "You're the only one. You'll always be the only one."
He pulled her close and held her tight. "I'm sorry. I just—the thought of anyone else having you—"
"No one will." She kissed him softly. "No one can. I'm yours."
---
## NIGHT NINE: The Future
The ninth night, they planned their future.
"A cottage," Sarah said dreamily. "With a garden. I want to grow roses."
"And vegetables," Alex added with a grin. "I'll need to eat."
She laughed. "And a library. A small one, but filled with books."
"And a window seat," he said, pulling her closer. "So we can sit and watch the sunset together."
"Every night?"
"Every night for the rest of our lives."
## NIGHT TEN: The Fear
The tenth night, Sarah woke from a nightmare, screaming.
Alex caught her as she thrashed, holding her tight, murmuring soothing words until she calmed.
"What happened?" he asked gently. "What did you see?"
"I saw you," she sobbed. "I saw you—they were hurting you—and I couldn't—I couldn't—"
"Shh." He rocked her gently. "I'm here. I'm fine. No one's hurting me."
"But they will," she whispered. "If they find out about us—"
"Then they won't find out." His voice was firm. "We'll be careful. We'll be smart. And one day, we'll leave. We'll go somewhere they can't hurt us."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
---
## NIGHT ELEVEN: The Gift
The eleventh night, Sarah had a gift for him.
A small leather journal, bound with a ribbon, with a single word embossed on the cover: *Us*
"I want to write down everything," she explained, handing it to him. "Every conversation. Every moment. Every promise. So that if anything happens, if anyone tries to separate us, we'll have proof that this was real."
Alex opened the journal and ran his fingers over the blank pages. When he looked up, his eyes were shining.
"May I write the first entry?" he asked.
Sarah nodded.
He took the small quill she'd tucked inside and wrote slowly, carefully, in his messy handwriting:
*"Tonight, Sarah gave me this journal. She said she wants to remember everything. I don't need a journal to remember. I will remember every moment with her until the day I die. But I will write anyway, because she asked me to. And I would do anything she asked. - A"*
Sarah read the words and felt her heart swell. "It's perfect," she whispered.
"Not yet." Alex set the journal aside and took her hands in his. "It will be perfect when we've filled every page. And then we'll start another one. And another. And another. Until we have a library of our love."
Sarah laughed, a sound so free and joyful that it surprised even her. "A library of our love. I like that."
Alex smiled, and in the moonlight, he was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.
## NIGHT TWELVE: The Confession
The twelfth night, Alex told her something he'd never told anyone.
"I love you," he said simply. "I know it's fast. I know we haven't known each other long. But I don't care. I love you, Sarah."
Sarah felt tears prick at her eyes. "I love you too, Alex. I've loved you since the moment I saw you. Maybe even before."
"Before?"
"I think I've loved you my whole life. I just didn't know your name until now."
---
## NIGHT THIRTEEN: The Almost
The thirteenth night, they almost got caught.
A guard walked past Sarah's door, his footsteps loud in the quiet hallway. Alex froze, his hand on his sword, ready to fight.
But the guard kept walking. Didn't stop. Didn't notice anything amiss.
When the footsteps faded, they both let out a breath.
"That was close," Alex whispered.
"Too close." Sarah's heart was pounding. "Maybe you shouldn't come tomorrow. Just to be safe."
Alex looked at her, and she saw the protest forming on his lips.
"Just one night," she said quickly. "Just to be safe. Please."
He nodded slowly, reluctantly. "One night. But I'll be back the night after."
"Promise?"
"Always."
## NIGHT FOURTEEN: The Longing
The fourteenth night, Alex didn't come.
Sarah sat by the window, waiting, hoping, even though she'd told him not to. She watched the moon cross the sky. She counted the stars. She held the wooden rose to her chest and pretended it was him.
She didn't sleep at all.
When dawn finally broke, she felt hollow. Empty. Like a part of her was missing.
*This is what love does,* she thought. *It makes you whole when they're here, and empty when they're gone.*
She was still sitting by the window when Lena found her the next morning.
"Princess?" Lena's voice was worried. "You look terrible."
Sarah managed a weak smile. "I didn't sleep."
"He didn't come?"
"No. I told him not to. Too dangerous." She looked at the wooden rose in her hands. "But I miss him. I miss him so much it hurts."
Lena sat beside her and put an arm around her shoulders. "I know, Princess. I know."
## The Fifteenth Night: The Return
The fifteenth night, Alex came back.
Sarah heard the tap at her window and ran so fast she nearly tripped. She threw the window open and pulled him inside, holding him so tight he laughed.
"Miss me?" he asked.
"I thought I would die," she whispered into his chest. "Never do that again. Never leave me that long again."
"I won't." He kissed the top of her head. "I swear, I won't."
They sat by the window, holding each other, talking about everything and nothing. And for the first time in two days, Sarah felt whole again.
"Alex," she said quietly, as the first light of dawn began to appear. "There's something I've been wanting to ask you."
"What is it?"
"Your family. You never talk about them. Not really." She looked up at him. "Is there something you're not telling me?"
Alex was quiet for a long moment. His jaw tightened. His hands clenched.
"There is," he said finally. "Something I should have told you from the beginning."
Sarah's heart began to race. "What is it?"
He took a deep breath. "My father... before he died, he made an agreement. With another noble family." He wouldn't meet her eyes. "A betrothal. I've been betrothed since I was twelve to a girl I've never met."
The words hung in the air between them like a physical weight.
Sarah felt the world tilt. "You're... engaged?"
"Not by choice." Alex's voice was desperate. "I never agreed to it. I don't love her. I've never even met her. I love you, Sarah. Only you."
She couldn't speak. Couldn't move. Couldn't think.
"Sarah." He cupped her face in his hands, forcing her to look at him. "I love you. I will never marry her. I don't care what the families expect. I don't care about honor or duty or any of it. The only thing I care about is you."
"How?" Her voice was barely a whisper. "How can you defy them?"
"I don't know." He pressed his forehead to hers. "But I will. I will find a way. We will find a way. Together."
Sarah closed her eyes, letting his words wash over her. She wanted to believe him. She wanted to trust that love could conquer everything.
But she knew her uncle. She knew what happened to people who defied him.
"We have to be careful," she whispered. "More careful than ever."
"I know." He pulled back, his expression serious. "That's why I'm telling you now. We need to plan. We need to think about our future. Together."
Sarah looked into his green eyes and saw everything she wanted. Everything she hoped for. Everything she was willing to fight for.
"Together," she repeated.
"Together." He kissed her softly. "Always together."