Roland reached through the bars for Finn's hand. She grasped it in both of hers and then pressed it to her cheek, kissing his palm.
"I love you, Serafina" He whispered. "I just realized I haven't told you out loud before."
"Does that mean I won't get letters anymore?" Finn tried to still the fluttering in her stomach as Roland gazed at her.
"Are they needed? I never want to be away from you again." He stroked her cheek with his thumb, leaving a trail of fire in its wake.
"Tomorrow you'll have to go, and I'll stay here. How did you get here anyway?" Finn hadn't asked a lot of questions concerning his current presence in jail with her.
"I arrived at the city this morning. I had made myself as inconspicuous as possible, and went straight home, as I wasn't sure if they knew I was alive--" He gulped, "But Riley had been kind enough to tell them. He's been very busy since he got back, I hear."
"Can you just back up and tell me the whole story?" Finn moved to the wall and sat on the floor against it next to the bars. She thought it might be a long tale. They'd been apart so long!
Roland moved to sit on his side of the bars, his back also to the wall. Their shoulders were almost touching as they leaned toward each other, and Finn slipped her hand between the bars to hold Roland's.
Fingers intertwined with hers, he skimmed through his time with the Rhone, Titania's plots and machinations, and his growing relationship with his father. He shared what he'd learned about magic, the history of Rhone, and more about the curse. Finn listened with rapt attention, and thought to herself that she could listen to his voice forever, even if he weren't saying anything of particular interest.
"So after I saw my family, they told me what had happened to you. Apparently Ashley was near the gate when you two arrived, and felt helpless to do anything about it. Riley got back three days ago with my message, and Ashley told him about it. The two of them--"
Mayra, who had been feigning sleep on her bunk, suddenly rolled over and sat up.
"Riley and Ashley?" She chirped curiously.
"Yes," Roland was confused by her question, "They've been working with the General since then to try and--"
"Working together?" Mayra's mouth curved into a mischievous smile, and Finn shook her head.
"I thought your matchmaking days were over," Finn chided.
Mayra pursed her lips into a pout and gestured to their joined hands. "But I'm so GOOD at it."
Finn burst into giggles while Roland's mouth dropped open.
"I suppose we can't really argue with her about the results," Finn shyly looked up at him. The way she said 'we' made his heart flip over in his chest, and he leaned forward to kiss her hand.
"I'll never argue with her again, if this is the product of her schemes." He smiled at Finn teasingly.
"I'm glad to hear it! My ideas are fantastic and it'll save so much time if no one argues with me about them." Mayra crossed her legs and leaned forward on the cot.
"Anyway," Roland went back to his story, "Riley and Ashley have been working with the General on a plan to oust the Provider, which will move forward at tomorrow's Council meeting. After my family told me what was going on, I sought them out and found that Riley had been denied any visitation here. We came up with the plan to have me temporarily imprisoned with you, to make sure you were all right, to trade any information... and partly just for me to see you." He grinned at Finn.
The plan worked all the better because of his Rhone clothes and accompanying face covering. When he was released tomorrow, he wouldn't be recognized in his Klain uniform. The show of being ill was a nice excuse as to why he wouldn't be in the military jail for one night, as well as a way to assure the guards keep their distance.
Finn squeezed his hand, smiling at him. Mayra's eyes widened and she promptly flopped back down on her cot with her back to them, returning to her feigned sleep.
Roland smothered a chuckle at her obvious behavior, but appreciated the attempt at giving them privacy. Now if it just weren't for the bars...
Finn's eyes held similar thoughts, and he felt a delightful shiver run down his spine.
"Tell me about your adventures," He said, eager to hear what all had been happening with her in the intervening weeks. Somehow she wound up with the Fae, and now in jail, and he had no idea what trajectory had taken her there.
"Let's see... You left after.. well," She blushed, and warmth filled him as he realized she was recalling their kiss. "After you left, I kept myself pretty busy..." She detailed her life of helping with the orphans, looking up things in the library, and her visits with Jimmy.
He marveled at the parallels in their stories. At different times they had both independently discovered the Provider's treachery, the halflings' existence and penchant for spying, and Roland's past.
"I'm glad you found that out before we met again," He said, "I wouldn't have liked having to explain how I'm not who I am. I figured Gabe would tell you once Gwen brought him back to you, but you already knew even then!"
"You ARE who you are." Finn said. "Although, if you want me to start calling you Derek instead of Roland, I could learn."
"You can call me anything you like, as long as I can call you My Love." He studied her seriously. He was fully satisfied that her love for him was based on himself, but was mildly curious if she would keep the name he'd always had, or change over to the exciting mysterious long lost prince of a foreign land.
She smiled at him, and then frowned slightly.
"What is your long term plan here? If you manage to stop the war, broker peace... what then? Will you... we... I mean--" She struggled to put her question into words as her face turned crimson. He had mentioned wanting to marry her a long time ago, but he hadn't proposed and she felt like she was presuming. Though he declared his love just minutes ago, perhaps as a potential future monarch he wouldn't be free to choose a spouse?
If he lived as a prince, she would have to get used to calling him by that name. If he did take her as his wife, there could be all manner of strange customs to learn. What would be expected of her? She began to feel overwhelmed by the possibilities of what her future might look like if she survived the war.
"I haven't planned that far ahead," Roland admitted. "Peace is my first concern. Of course, the life I had planned was to be a doctor in Klain, but now... it's a little bit like I'm torn into two people. Parts of being Rhone feel so natural to me. The people, other than Titania, are mostly good people. They care about each other and want freedom from their curse.
"They were happy to see me. A long lost symbol of hope for them, returned. I can't pretend that didn't shake something loose in me. I want to help them. But, does that translate into staying and living as one of them if peace is achieved? I am my father's only son."
"Could he not have another?" Finn asked.
"Oh, I think I left that part out of the story earlier-- Remember Ashley's mysterious foreign fiance? It's my father." He cringed.
Mayra flinched noticeably on her bed, but to her credit did not jump up and interrupt.
Finn blinked at him several times.
"Pardon?" Finn leaned away from him, blinking. Roland was twenty-one, which meant his father must be in his forties, and Ashley was seventeen wasn't she? The math was making her face turn red in indignation.
"I honestly don't think he wants to go through with it. Titania's eager for a new heir to raise, and I think he saw an engagement as a delay tactic."
"But now she has you," Finn tilted her head. Roland shook his.
"I'm only valuable as long as I'm compliant. A new infant heir would be far easier to handle than myself, so she's eager to get one out of either me or my father and then do away with us both." He spoke candidly but a little bitterly.
"She wants an heir out of you?" Finn asked, blushing after she asked the question.
"Oh, yes. She tried to... Nevermind." It was Roland's turn to blush.
"She tried to what?" Finn squinted at him.
"There was a young lady, Brenna, who Titania was eager that I should meet, and dance with, and pay attention to. She had some sort of magical intoxicating perfume, or maybe it was her breath? Without my father's help, I would have been unable to escape her clutches."
"Will you be able to escape mine?" Finn teased, seeing that he was intensely uncomfortable admitting to being almost within the grasp of another woman.
"You have it reversed, my Love," He kissed each of her fingers, relieved that she wasn't upset by his admission, "I threw my heart into your hands, hoping against hope that you wouldn't let it go."