I'd Give Up The World For You

Rukelion ended up doing more than he had been asked to but Daisy did give him permission to do so. Afterwards when she was curled up against his chest his heart was thrumming so rapidly he could hardly tell it was beating anymore. The excitement may have actually killed him but at least he would die happy!

He let out a sigh that was both relieved and blissfully content. It was about time. He had truly wondered if the day would ever come but certainly hadn't expected it to be today.

Kissing the top of her head, he pulled her closer. "I love you, Daisy. So much."

"I know," Daisy whispered. "And honestly…I might love you too."

Rukelion momentarily froze. Did she really say that or was he hallucinating? They had finally acted like a real married couple but that didn't necessarily mean anything. Based on their conversation earlier, she said she was close to falling in love with him but not that she had.

"Really? You mean it?" he asked, stupidly hopeful.

She yawned and nuzzled his chest with her head sleepily. "Mmhmm."

He wanted to ask her more about that since it had been a rather noncommittal response but she had fallen asleep. What timing!

Rukelion couldn't blame her for it though. They had been rather enthusiastic earlier; it wasn't surprising Daisy was worn out. He on the other hand had never been more awake in his life.

She said she might love him. After so many years of hopeless pining that was more than he could have hoped for. But his curiosity was eating him alive. How did she come to that conclusion? What had finally changed her mind?

Don't get him wrong, he was thrilled she had! He had genuinely thought he might be stuck in limbo forever, which was why he had been in such a bad mood earlier today. That seemed so far away now.

He supposed it didn't truly matter why she had changed her mind since she had but he was still confused. He needed to stop asking questions he might not get answers to and savor the fact that the light of his life had fully accepted him. This had been a victory! What did it matter how it came about?

Despite telling himself this, it took a long time for Rukelion to fall asleep. He was in a state of disbelieving joy and couldn't turn his mind off.

He woke up exhausted but happier than he had ever been. In fact, he was in such a good mood that he handled breakfast, humming to himself all the while. Daisy was still asleep so he brought hers to her in bed and gently nudged her.

"Daisy, you need to wake up. We have a lot to do today."

"Nn?" she mumbled incoherently before rubbing her eyes and noticing what he had in his hands. "Izzat for me?"

"Yes," Rukelion said with a smile as he set it in her lap then kissed the top of her head.

That seemed to wake her up. She beamed at him as she carefully picked up her bread so she wouldn't get any crumbs on the quilt. "No one has ever brought me breakfast in bed before. Thank you!"

Daisy dug in happily and he would be content to stand there watching her forever but he should probably get dressed. He pulled on some casual clothes he didn't care about getting dirty before taking the empty plate back downstairs so she could get ready as well.

When she rejoined him she was in a sturdy work dress and her hair was braided into a crown on top of her head. She gazed at him warmly as she pulled on her coat and he nearly melted. She had never looked at him quite like that before. Was it because of last night?

"Ready?" she asked. "We have a lot of planting to do today."

Rukelion nodded and followed his wife into the backyard. She hummed happily to herself as she sorted the seeds, seeming to be in an excellent mood.

"We should have Captain Conrad and his girlfriend over for dinner," Daisy said after several minutes of them working in a companionable silence. "I think that would be fun, don't you?"

Not particularly but he supposed he did owe Conrad for upsetting him yesterday since things turned out so much better than he expected. And if it made her happy… "Sure. I'll ask him when I see him next."

"Great!"

Rukelion and Daisy were a rather effective planting team after so many years of doing it together and were able to work seamlessly without needing to speak. He still wanted to see if she would answer the questions that kept him up half the night but was a bit afraid to ruin the mood.

He didn't end up saying anything for over an hour but eventually he couldn't take it anymore. "Daisy…what made you change your mind?"

She briefly stopped what she was doing to look at him and had a rather self-deprecating smile on her face. "I guess my sense of morality got warped by how much you adore me. It's a rather wonderful feeling and I'd never experienced it before.

"I did want to be able to change my mind anyway so it's not like I was purposely trying to be stubborn. I would have cracked eventually. What can I say? You're awesome. I've never met anyone like you."

Rukelion knew what "awesome" meant after spending so much time with her. It was an expression from her world that was about as complimentary as one could get.

He smiled. "High praise coming from you."

His plan had worked. He had intended to wear her down by adoring her and that was exactly what happened. This couldn't have possibly ended any better for him. One hurdle was out of the way but he still had to deal with whatever her reaction might be to him taking over Mirea.

"I always thought you were awesome," Daisy said with a shrug. "It was simply in a different way. You're the best person I know, Leo."

Rukelion wasn't so sure she would still be saying that if she knew what he had done…and what he was working on. He knew he wasn't worthy of her. He had known that from the start but he didn't care.

No one "good" had ever taken care of her properly. She had been abandoned, hurt, and betrayed countless times before she met him and yet had such a great capacity to love even so. If no one else would treat her the way she deserved to be treated he supposed it was up to a monster like him.

"And you're the best person I know," he replied lightly. "I'm very lucky to be able to be with you on a permanent basis."

Daisy's expression grew soft and she leaned over to peck him on the lips. She couldn't do anything else with how dirty her hands were. "Same here. I'm glad you chose me out of everyone else."

"No one else was never an option. The only person I've ever had eyes for is you."

That made her smile and she went back to burying seeds singing softly to herself. His heart was full watching her work so happily. He made her happy. That was good news for him.

If he could do that with a few words she wasn't likely to turn on him when she discovered the truth. She had protected him before she knew him or his circumstances and had promised to always have his back but he wasn't sure if that extended to murder.

Rukelion tried not to think about that right now. He shouldn't be worried about losing her when he had barely gotten her heart. This was a time to relax and appreciate that his efforts had paid off.

They finished the planting and went back inside to wash up. Afterward Daisy helped him dye his hair like she had dozens of times before.

"Are you ever going to stop dyeing your hair?" she asked offhandedly. "Not that there's anything wrong with this color but your natural hair is so pretty. It's a shame to cover it up."

His heart flipped in his chest. He already knew she liked his hair but still, hearing her say it always made him feel good about himself. It was nice being considered attractive by the one you loved.

"Yes."

"When?"

"When I've accomplished my goal and don't have to hide anymore," Rukelion replied simply. "I won't have to wear my eyepatch then either."

Daisy pursed her lips. "I've never seen hair like yours anywhere else. Is that why you have to dye it? Because it stands out too much in this country? You did say you weren't Mirean."

"That is part of it…more specifically, only fire mages have red hair. It would be a dead giveaway to my powers and where I'm from. They don't have fire mages in Mirea and letting anyone know who I am and where I'm from would be extremely dangerous."

"What about your eyes? Is that a fire mage thing too?"

"No, that's a family thing. My father and sister had heterochromia too.. They're too memorable so I have to hide them," he said half-truthfully.