"Alaric, listen to me," she said, her voice dropping into a tone of absolute, unshakable clarity.
"You cannot compare the 'then' with the 'now.' You were a boy lost in a storm of power you didn't understand, surrounded by people who wanted you to be a weapon. Look at how much you have grown. Look at the man who protects Jean, who honors Embrez, who holds me as if I am made of glass."
She leaned in until their foreheads pressed together, her emerald eyes burning into his. "You were sleeping then. Anything could have happened in that room—betrayal, shadows, a thousand things you were too young to see. But this? This union is a conscious one. You are awake now. You are in control. And if the darkness tries to rise, I am right here to guide you through it. I am your fire, remember? I will light the way back to yourself."
