They stayed up late. Talking softly and touching each other just for the joy of doing it.  As the pink light of dawn started to peek around the curtains, he made love to her again. After, they fell asleep and curled together.

It was late morning when he woke up. For a moment, he was confused by the warmth beside him until he remembered who was with him. He lifted himself on one arm just to look at her.

Asleep, she seemed so peaceful, giving no hints of her ferocity. He thought of waking her, so he could talk to her more and perhaps make love to her again. But he thought she needed the rest, and besides, he was hungry. He grabbed his dressing gown and went to his dining room, where he knew there would be some sort of breakfast and coffee.

"Bless you, Mrs. Whitley," he said aloud. She had left a tray of pastries and a large pot of coffee. It probably wasn't as warm as he liked, but perhaps Maren could heat it again.

He smiled to himself. Her powers were a marvel to him. Well, to him, everything about her was a marvel.

He picked up the tray of pastries and the pot of coffee and went back to his suite.

He felt lighter than he had in months, practically giddy.

When he came back to his room, Maren was still sleeping. He set down the tray and sat beside her on the bed.

He gently stroked her arm until she began to stir, and smiled at her as her eyes fluttered open.

She yawned and stretched, then sat up, holding the blanket to her bare chest.

"Is there coffee?" she asked, yawning once more.

"Good morning to you too, sunshine!" he said brightly.

She scowled at him.

"Yes, there's coffee," he said, getting up to pour her a cup.

He brought it back to her and sat down beside her again. She took it, drinking deeply from the cup.

"You normally don't see me until I've had at least two of these," she admitted a bit sheepishly, gesturing at the cup.

"Ah, well now I know to wake you more carefully next time," he said cheerfully.

"There's going to be the next time?" she asked with a half smile.

"Yes, princely order. I'll have a royal decree issued if you like," he said with great seriousness.

He rose to get his coffee and bring the tray of pastries.

"I have a proposal," he said, offering her a pastry. He thought they were the kind she liked that were filled with ham and cheese.

"Oh?" she said.

"It's already rather late, so I've missed the council meeting and I think the only possible way to salvage the day is to spend it in bed with you," he said.

She laughed, "I'm not entirely sure that I follow your logic, but I've no objection to your proposal."

They finished with coffee and pastries, and he returned to lie beside her. He decided he would like to kiss her and more or less keep her otherwise occupied for as long as possible. 

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Maren froze and looked at him as though she had been caught doing something she wasn't supposed to be doing.

"I'm so sorry to trouble you, Your Highness," Mrs. Whitley called through the door. "Lucy and I are a bit concerned. It appears Lady Maren has not been in her rooms since last night. We wanted to let you know in case she might be in some trouble."

Donovan closed his eyes, trying _very _hard not to laugh. He could feel Maren vibrating with silent laughter beside him, and knew he could not look at her without laughing himself.

"Thank you for your concern, Mrs. Whitley. I can assure you the lady is well," he called back, hoping he sounded even slightly dignified.

He thought it likely that Mrs. Whitley, an experienced housekeeper, knew exactly what he was actually saying.

"Thank you, sir," she said.

He and Maren were silent, waiting until they could hear that she had left his sitting room before laughing hysterically.

"Gods, it never even occurred to me, they might think I'd gone missing," Maren said through giggles.

"I expect you should have left a note," he said.

"What could I have possibly written in it?" she asked, and they entertained themselves for some time imagining what such a note might have said.

Donovan loved talking to her before the recent change in their relationship, but after it was even better. It was as though they were now finally free to talk about anything, including each other.

"I have a question," he said at one point during the day. It was afternoon and they were still in bed. Her head was on his chest, and he thought it was just about the best thing he could be doing.

"Oh?"

"Just after the ball, did you want me to kiss you?" he asked.

He'd been wondering about it during the month since the ball. He had debated it back and forth, trying to figure out what she had wanted.

She laughed. "I very, very nearly asked you to."

"Mmhmm, I thought so," he said, grinning. "I very, very nearly broke my oath that night and kissed you anyway."

He thought it likely if she had looked at him for just one more second that night, he would have given in, but he didn't want to dwell on what might have been.

"Shall I release you from your oath? It seems rather superfluous at this point."

"Absolutely not," he said. "Everything in it is still perfectly valid, and besides, I like being oath-bound to you in some way."

He hadn't consciously known that until he said it, but it was true. Even though it wasn't an oath of fidelity, it connected him to her in some way, and he found he wanted to keep that connection.

"As you like," she said.

"I am curious, though. Why didn't you?" he asked.

She sighed. "I was afraid. I wasn't sure what would happen if I did. I thought it quite likely that you would have had I asked you to or told you that you could, but...well, I wasn't sure if you wanted to because you were only physically attracted to me or if you wanted...me," she explained.

He hadn't known that, but he thought he could understand that, given the circumstances that brought her to the palace.

"For the record, it was the latter," he said. "Although, I've no objections to the former."

"I've noticed," she said, sounding very amused.

"When did you know?" she asked.

"That I loved you? A few days before the ball. My father...well, he told me I needed to get your arrangements sorted. All I could think about was how much I wanted to be with you and how much I didn't want to talk to you about leaving," he said.

And since he still didn't want to talk about her leaving, he added, "When did you?"

"When did I admit it or when did it happen?" she asked.

"Both."

She laughed. "Well, I didn't admit it until you asked me how I felt about you last night."

He had to laugh at that too. It was very like her to be that stubborn about something like love.

"But I think, if I had to pick when it happened, it would have been when you gave me the necklace. It was coming on for weeks before that, I think, but that was when it was said and done with."

He smiled to hear it.

"I didn't know it myself, or I was still in denial about it, but I was already very much in love with you. I suppose the necklace was my subconscious way of showing it," he said.

"You chose it on purpose, didn't you? Not just because it was pretty or unique, but because of what I am?"

He kissed her forehead. He had more or less picked it as a nod to her powers, but that wasn't the best way to put it. 

"I chose it because it was perfect for you, every part of you."

—

They did manage to make it out of bed, eventually, and even dressed properly for dinner. Likely, that was only because Alec would be joining them, and they decided to behave as normally as possible. Alec thought they were already lovers anyway, so from his perspective nothing had changed.

Maren felt a bit guilty, though. She knew she hadn't truly done anything wrong—all she'd done was what everyone already thought she was doing anyway. But she had to admit that their timing could have been better.

She was far happier than she was guilty, though. Being with Donovan felt very much like a fairy tale. The handsome Prince loved her and wanted to be with her and, at least for the moment, she could forget about the evil Prince. It felt magical.

Possibly, though, they should have known that they would not have been able to keep anything secret from Alec. Maren was with Donovan in the dining room when he arrived, and he was suspicious of them almost as soon as he sat down.

"What's going on with the two of you?" he asked, studying them.

"Nothing," Donovan said. "Wine?"

Alec ignored the offer, but Donovan poured him a glass anyway.

"The last month the two of you have been moping and sulking —"

"No one has been moping or sulking!" Donovan interjected.

Alec glared suspiciously at him.

"The two of you have been moping and sulking and today, one day after all the arrangements are finalized, and I expected to have to cheer you both up all evening, the two of you look like children who've just been given gigantic presents."

"I'm sure I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about, Alec," Maren said.

He turned his suspicious glare to Maren and then back to Donovan.

"What did you do?" Alec asked Donovan.

"Nothing," Donovan said.

"Really? Because what you two really look like are two people who've just declared their undying love for each other," he said.

Maren raised her eyebrows. That was a very accurate guess.

Alec sighed explosively. Apparently, he knew all he needed to already.

"The two of you couldn't have figured this out before I arranged a marriage for you?" Alec asked.

"Are you angry?" Maren asked, somewhat sheepishly.

Alec rolled his eyes. "No, I'm not angry. I'm rather glad the two of you finally stopped pretending you weren't in love with each other, but I do wish you had figured it out sooner."

Maren and Donovan exchanged a glance and a small smile. They wished that too.

"Which of you is going to write to my father and tell him? Gods know I'm not doing it," Alec said.

A rather uncomfortable silence fell over the table.

Maren decided to be the one to break it.

"No one is. I'm still going to Worthingham," she said, looking fixedly at her plate and no one else.

"You aren't serious, surely the two of you both want you to stay," Alec insisted.

Donovan sighed. "There are a lot of reason, but suffice it to say, this is what's best for Maren."

Maren's heart clenched at that. He

Alec looked crestfallen. "No, surely not!"

"Alec, just trust me, there are no other options," Donovan said.

"Absolutely not! There has to be a way," Alec cried.

"Kieran thinks I'm a witch. He's made it very clear he wants to arrest me. I cannot stay at Court," Maren said.

It was risky disclosing such a thing, but she felt Alec could be trusted, and it was difficult to explain why she had to leave Court without that information.

Donovan looked surprised but nodded in agreement.

"We didn't tell you because...well, if it ever got out..."

"Gods, Maren, I am so sorry," Alec said with a horrified look on his face. "Does he really think so, or is he just trying to get at Donovan?"

Maren shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. But it doesn't really matter. An arrest is enough to ruin me regardless of the outcome."

Alec shook his head. "There is absolutely no way he could be right. Gods above, can any witch live at Court this long without being exposed?"

Maren's stomach flipped over, but she tried to appear nonchalant. "It's Kieran. I don't think he really cares if he's right, as long as he does harm."

"Suffice it to say," Donovan added, "I'd know if I were living with a witch. You can tell when someone else does magic near you if you have it."

"Then the palace with three of the four Darkness Wielders in the kingdom would not be where a witch would put herself," Alec said.

Maren suppressed the urge to laugh hysterically. No, a witch would not choose to live in the palace.

"Precisely," Donovan agreed.

Alec frowned. "I am sorry for it because looking at your ridiculous faces, it is painfully obvious that you're madly in love with each other."

Alec looked very concerned.

"This will be terrible for the both of you."

"Most likely, but for the next four weeks, that isn't my concern," Maren said, hoping her somewhat delusional stubbornness would see her through the time.

Alec sighed. "All right, well, who am I to stand in your way?"

"I thank you," Maren said tartly.

She was annoyed. She would rather not be reminded of how difficult things would be.

"I'm sorry, you two, I didn't mean to upset—"

Donovan interrupted Alec's apology. "It isn't your fault. It's just difficult."

"Well," Maren said cheerfully, "Now you get to cheer us up as you planned."

Alec chuckled and then told an amusing story about a difficult patient. It brought enough levity to the room that they were able to transition to their usual entertaining dinner. Mostly.

Maren supposed that if she pretended to herself that she did not love Donovan for weeks, she could pretend to herself that she was not leaving the palace for just four. She trusted Donovan to provide adequate distraction anyway.

—

As it often did when he was dreading something, the time Donovan had with Maren flew by. He loved each and every second of it, but he could not forget that each and every second of it brought them closer to her departure.

Donovan was scandalously neglectful of his official duties, but he didn't care. He needed to spend as much time as possible with Maren. They spent most if not all hours of the day together.  They went riding and had several picnics in the fields. They spent long hours in the gardens just enjoying one another's company. And, of course, they spent a great deal of time in bed, too.

When they were awake and spending time together, he was deliriously happy, but when night came and Maren drifted off to sleep beside him, he couldn't help but try to find some way she might be able to stay with him. He was somewhat jealous of her peaceful slumber, but he thought it likely she was better at pretending than he was.

He considered everything over and over. He would have happily enraged his parents by breaking his betrothal, but he could not find a way that protected Maren from Kieran while still keeping her at Court. He doubted that Kieran would leave her alone even if they were married. And even being the wife of the Crown Prince would not be enough to protect Maren if Kieran managed to out her.

It was frustrating.  He knew that part of the reason he was so determined to find a way was that he almost always got to have his way, not because he was rude about it, like Kieran, but because he had a very privileged life. He didn't want to accept that the one thing he couldn't have was what he wanted more than anything else.

Possibly, Maren was more comfortable knowing she was unable to have what she wanted because it had happened to her so very often before.

It just seemed terribly unfair. He loved her so much. He loved her in a way he knew he would never love anyone else, and it physically hurt him to know he would have to give her up.

The time went terribly fast, though. Four weeks together rapidly became three and then two, and then he counted in days, not weeks. It was a wonderful time, but it kept slipping through his fingers. All he wanted to do was pin it in place. He at least had to try.

--

"I'm going to speak to my parents," Donovan said suddenly at dinner. He sounded very serious which surprised Maren.

"Oh? About what?" she asked.

"Marrying you."

He said it as though it were something both obvious and ordinary, like the sun coming up the next day or water being wet.

Maren set down her glass.

"Excuse me?"

"I can't let you go. I just... I can't," he said.

She sighed. It was precisely the sort of conversation she had hoped to avoid.

"I wish we had more time too, but there's nothing to be done," she said.

He shook his head. "I'll marry you. I know it's happened before, where a prince marries someone from the Selection. I want to."

"You cannot. And even if you could, I cannot stay at the palace," she said.

"No, I've been thinking about it, I'll get rid of Kieran when I'm king. We just have to deal with him until then," he said.

She gritted her teeth. She had tried to handle it gently, but that wasn't working any longer.

"And what will happen when you are a king with a queen who cannot give you an heir?"

He shrugged. "I don't mind. The house can fall. Surely, someone would be king after me."

Maren wanted to scream at him. He was being very foolish.

"What will happen is I will hang," she snarled.

"Then I'll resign my royal duties," he said.

She glared at him. His statement was so ridiculous, she felt it didn't warrant a response.

He sighed. "All right, I can't do that. But Maren, I have to marry you. I want to marry you."

She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Please stop saying that."

His face darkened. "Why?

She sat back in her chair and looked at him.

"Because you don't really mean it."

"Maren! How could you think that?" he cried. "Do you think I don't truly love you?"

She sighed. "I know you love me. I know you think you want to marry me. But that's the romantic in you. You don't, not really."

"Gods above! Why would you say that?"

She could tell he was very upset.

"Donovan, I've seen you with the children in the nursery enough. Even if you didn't have to have an heir, you'd want children. I can't give you that.  If we married, you'd be happy for a time, and then you'd wake up one day and realize you had to leave me and that would crush me."

He took her hand in his over the table. She didn't resist.

"Maren, do you really think I haven't thought of that? I have had months to consider it. I am telling the truth when I say that I want to spend my life with you, even though there are costs," he said.

She wasn't sure she believed that, but she decided it wasn't the right point to argue.

"Then would you have me live my whole life in danger of the noose because I won't give you an heir?"

She felt guilty. She would've risked it to be with him, that was how happy he made her. But she had to protect him from himself, and knew protecting her would be one of the few things that would get through to him.

He sighed. "No. I don't want that."

"Even being the queen wouldn't protect me," she said.

"I know," he said. "I just... I want to be with you so badly, I don't know what to do."

Maren squeezed his hand.

"We do the best we can with the time we have left. It's the only thing we can do," she said.

"I can't pretend you aren't leaving."

"I'm not asking you to," she said. "I'm asking you to accept that I have to."

He sighed.

"Donovan, if there was a way, any at all, I'd do it. I love you more than I thought was possible. But there's no way forward for us," she said.

He nodded.

"It just isn't enough time," he said.

"No. It isn't. But it's all we get," she said. "And we still have eight days together."

He smiled. It was a half-hearted smile, but it was something.

"There's a lot we can do in eight days," he said.

"Mmhmm. That's a lot of time for us to lay in bed," she said.

His smile became more genuine.

"I know it's hard, love. It's hard for me too," she said.

She hated there was so little time, but she tried not to think about it. There would be time to mourn when she left.