♘ Be Brave ♘

XCVII

She laughs. "Yes! I'd love to!" I grin. She said yes. She said YES! I take one of the rings out of my pocket and place it on her finger, "Oh, Four," she exclaims. "It's beautiful!" I get up and take her hand. "Well, I believe a beautiful person should have beautiful things."

She blushes. "I'm not beautiful." I frown. "Are you crazy? Of course you are." She shakes her head. "Don't pretend, Four. The leukemia is killing me." She takes off the bandana so I have a full view of her scalp. "I look... like a skeleton. I don't deserve this ring. I don't deserve anything. You don't deserve a sickly wife!"

I tilt her chin up and force her to look me in the eye. "Listen, because I'm going to say this once. You are the best thing that ever happened to me, and I will not let you degrade yourself. I will marry you, whether you want to or not."

Cassandra smirks. "Who's gonna make me?" I kiss her, and she laughs. "I am. So, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" She smiles. "Of course. I don't have much of a choice, do I?" The comment takes me aback, but I know she's joking

"No. You don't." We walk out of the house and climb down the ladder, until she slips and begins to fall. Fortunately, I'm almost at the bottom, so I'm able to catch her before she lands on the ground. "You okay?" She nods.

I put her down, and she grins. "I sort of did that on purpose." I roll my eyes. "Sure you did. Hey, I have an idea." I take out my pocketknife and start scratching the tree's bark. "Okay, I have two questions." I glance back at her. "Shoot." She crosses her arms.

"One, why on earth would you carry a knife? Two, what the heck are you doing?" I take her hand and place it on the handle alongside mine. "One, I'm Dauntless. Carrying a knife is like having spare food to give to the factionless in the Abnegation sector. Second nature."

She laughs. "Two, you'll see." I drag the knife around until a heart is carved into the tree, and then I trace the letters C+F in the center. "It's great, Four." I turn around. "Tobias," I whisper. "My name is Tobias." She smiles. "Tobias. Abnegation." I nod.

"What a great name. God is good." I frown. "What?" She shrugs. "That's what your name means... God is good." God. What the ancients believed in before our founders set the faction system in place.

A divine being who they said was in charge of everyone's destiny. "Well, apparently He is, because he's given me the most beautiful bride." She grins. "Speaking of which - I have a present for you."

I frown. "What could be better than our engagement?" She doesn't answer; instead, she raises her arms and reaches to the back of her neck, undoing the clasp holding her gray necklace together.

"I want you to have this." I shake my head. "No, I can't take this. I can't." She silences my protests with a kiss, and presses the crucifix to my hand. "I insist."

"Alright. Thank you. Come on. We need to tell Irene, Liam, everybody."

She starts walking toward the greenhouse, but I pick her up and carry her in my arms. "Hey! Put me down!" She laughs, but doesn't fight me. "Nope. You better get used to this." I grin and kiss her cheek, happier than I'd ever been.