The Hidden Crystal

Chapter 56

"You just proposed because she was wearing that, didn't you?" Rath teased after Iris left to get changed. The brothers were rummaging through the cabinets for supplies, and Char kept his gaze firmly in front of him so he couldn't see the smirk he knew Rath was wearing.

"No."

Rath chuckled. "But it was a factor."

Char pressed his lips together and exhaled out of his nose. There were a lot of reasons he proposed, first and foremost, that he loved her, and it felt like the right time. She sought him for comfort, and she trusted him not to take advantage of her when she was at her most vulnerable. But the deciding factor came when she told him about Micah's intention to make her his queen.

The use of that word struck a nerve.

Char knew what Micah meant by it. He intended to make himself king, and Iris would bear the title of queen on the surface while remaining his prisoner, nothing more than a valuable piece of property, his to abuse as he saw fit. It was all wrong, and it would have angered Char regardless, but that word.

The word his father used every day to describe his mother. The reason his father wouldn't allow Char and Rath to show even a hint of disrespect to his wife. It wasn't a pet name, and it wasn't a cute joke. She meant everything to him. She was the love of his life, she was his queen, and she deserved to be loved and treated with the utmost care.

As soon as Char heard that word, he knew that's what Iris meant to him, and he was not going to let Micah's use of it stand.

"No, it wasn't," Char told Rath firmly.

Rath laughed. "Lighten up. I know you're deeper than that. If all it took was a sexy outfit, you would have proposed the minute you saw her in that party dress. So, how soon are you looking to get married?"

"As soon as possible."

"Figured. Better wait until we get home, though. Mother can forgive you for a lousy proposal. She'll never forgive you if you leave her out of the wedding."

Char had to smile at that. He'd been toying with the idea of sneaking into the city and getting Father Peter to marry him and Iris, but Rath was right. His mother would kill him if he did that.

"You're right."

"Yeah, I'm right. Go get some blankets. We'll have to deal with heavier packs this time, but it's that or a really long walk, and I'm ready to fly."

Char left the kitchen and crossed the living room toward the hallway, but the door flew open just as he reached it, and he nearly ran into Iris. He caught her by the upper arms and took the opportunity to steal a kiss before she could react.

"We keep running into each other," she said, a shy smile and a soft flush decorating her face.

"We do. Looks like the fairies found you something to wear," he replied, grinning.

"Yeah," she said, looking down at herself. "It doesn't fit right, but it works."

Char released her and stepped back to get a better look. Dwarven men were shorter than her, but also stockier, and the plaid shirt and heavy work pants were baggy on her frame while still leaving much of her wrists and ankles exposed. She had tucked the shirt into the pants, which were cinched tightly about her waist with a thick leather belt and a brass buckle that looked enormous on her stomach. Char chuckled and pulled her into an embrace.

"It looks better on you than it would on a dwarf," he said, leaning in for another kiss.

"Ahem," Rath interrupted loudly from the kitchen doorway.