“Johan will need to build us a bigger house just to fit your head inside if I tell you what this truly means to me, Eli.” Henrik sniffed.
“Come here,” Elias said to him.
Elias curled into Henrik’s front like he had so many times before, tucked into the slightly bigger elf’s embrace. An embrace that had been the closest thing to safety that Elias had known in years, only, this time a large body pressed up against his back as well, cocooning him.
Life would not suddenly be perfect. Food was still scarce, and they would need to find a way to make money. Their relationship had bruises that needed time to heal. But for the first time in his life, Elias was truly safe and loved. And he decided that the warmth of Johan and Henrik’s love running through his veins felt evenbetterthan magic.
Epilogue
Elias
T
he following summer
While there was not an abundance of food in the forest, the spring and summer had gifted them plentiful flowers, and Elias adored the tapestry of colours they provided.
Elias had gone to collect some fresh water and took a detour on his way home to check on the little haven for escaped elves and took the liberty of collecting some pretty flowers while he was in there.
He’d come across the haven by accident, and through happenstance, they’d met one of the elves who had created the haven some years ago as a place for recently escaped elves to seek safety in the forest.
A cause close to their hearts, Henrik periodically came by to gift some magic to the spells which surrounded it, and Elias popped by from time to time to ensure it had any necessary supplies, and as an added bonus for himself, to pick bunches of his favourite flowers—blue moons and sprigs of fresh lavender.
Flowers in one hand and the water skins tucked into a knapsack across his back, Elias skipped all the way home.
Home.
Although they’d finished building their new house back in the winter, it had taken some time for it to feel like a lived-in home. Elias felt that the flowers helped considerably, even if Henrik griped from time to time that they didn’t live for very long in a cup of water.
Johan appreciated them, at least.
Once they’d vacated the little hunting cabin, Johan had built them a work station inside, and with the assistance of the kind ambassador’s wife in Hallin, they had found a way to create commissioned shoes for the residents of the neighbouring kingdom.
Without magic, Elias joined Johan in making the shoes, using his smaller, more dextrous fingers to focus on the finer, intricate details, and Henrik infused them with magic at the end.
They had a process, and it worked.
Aside from the occasional passing visit from their friends Red and Wim, nobody had found them, and they all slept peacefully as a result. Their rock had done as promised.
When Elias entered their meadow, he kicked his shoes off so he could feel the grass and daisies under his toes.
“I’ve just swept inside and now you’re going to drag in all that dirt with your grubby feet,” Henrik wined from the porch.
Some things had not changed.
“To feel the earth under your toes is to feel alive, Rik. You should consider removing the stick from your behind for a moment and enjoy nature.”
Henrik huffed but wandered down the steps that led to their cabin and kissed Elias on the nose. He took the knapsack from Elias back and carried the water inside for him.
“Kjære! Come look!” Elias yelled as he raced up the steps. He found Johan sitting in his favourite spot on a rocking chair he’d made by the window, whittling the tiny elf figurines he’d been giving to the orphaned children he came across in Hallin. It was so sweet that it hurt Elias’ teeth.
“Beautiful.” Johan smiled at the handful of flowers Elias had collected. “I love the blue moons,” he added.
Elias beamed before giving Johan an enthusiastic kiss and scampering off to fill a cup with water for his flowers. He placed them in the centre of the table, where he and Johan could enjoy them with the added benefit of annoying Henrik.
“Come here,” Johan said, reaching out for Elias.
It was nice to hear Johan’s voice. Each time he went into Hallin to deliver the shoes they’d made, he often found it hard to speak for a few days afterwards, and it was a relief when he once again felt relaxed enough again to talk to them.
