“You aren’t as bad as the others,” she said. “You’re not like them.”
“Am I not?”
She did not blink as she gazed into his eyes, as if searching his soul. Her stare became oppressive, but he did not look away.
“Well,” she said, “I suppose if you really were so different from them, you wouldn’t still be wearing that gold sun on your chest, would you?”
“No, I wouldn’t.” He wasn’t going to apologize for being what he was.
He still bristled at her continual denigration of his country and his people. And yet, the longer he spent here, the more he could understand why she thought so poorly of them. He didn’t know how to prove to her that not all of Ysura was corrupt. She’d had the misfortune of being exposed to some of the worst his country had to offer.
“I would like to take you to Ysura,” he said.
She instantly looked suspicious. “What do you mean?”
“Perhaps one day, when the war is so far in the past that we hardly remember it anymore, we could visit my country. Do you remember the hot springs I told you about?”
“Yes. Under the volcano.”
He smiled. They’d last talked about it five years ago, but she still remembered. “We could go there together. It’s beautiful. And the water is hot enough to turn your skin red.”
“That sounds unpleasant.”
“It’s the opposite of unpleasant, I assure you.”
“You forget that humans are more vulnerable to the heat than sun elves are. It would burn my skin.”
He leaned closer. “It’s also a hotbed of flora and fauna unlike any others in Heilune. There are animals there that are unique to the area, that have adapted to live in the heat. Some of them have magic. You could study them and write a paper to bring home to your Conclave.”
Now he saw a spark of interest in her eyes. But she shook her head. Somehow they’d gotten very close, and her soft hair brushed against him as she moved. “You’re talking about fantasies.”
“Sure. Why not?”
“There’s no point in fantasizing.”
“Maybe one day it won’t be just a fantasy.”
“And maybe one day we’ll all live in a floating castle in the sky,” she said. “And all races of the continent will live in harmony, and no one will ever grow old or sick, and everyone will be kind to each other and love each other forever.”
“It’s not impossible. Things can only get better now that the war is over.”
She pulled back a little, running a finger under her collar as she studied him. She laid her head against her pillow and said softly, “Why do you do this to me?”
“Do what?”
“Make me want to like you.”
A smile curved his lips. “I can’t help it. I’m beautiful, I’m a fantastic fire mage, I’m charming and highly educated and well-spoken. It’s only natural for people to be drawn to me.”
“None of those things are the reasons I like you.”
He watched her, waiting for her to elaborate, but she didn’t.
She touched the collar again, as if it were bothering her.
“Is it too tight?” he asked.
“What if it was?”
