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They'd done it, they'd won. Selene watched, eyes wide, as Alliance ships swooped and fired after the retreating Duvosian airship. Relief coursed through her veins knowing Sandrock was safe. With the threat well and truly gone, Selene carefully pulled the heart knot out from under her shirt. With shaky hands, she removed the makeshift necklace and took the heart knot off it. The string was tucked into her pocket as Selene put the heart knot back on her wrist, lovingly tracing the intertwined strands. She felt eyes boring into her. Looking up, she saw Logan regarding her with what she assumed was a curious expression under the mask. Heat raced into her cheeks, but Selene refused to look away.
Logan spoke up, just loud enough for her to hear, but not so loudly it carried to the passengers below them, "You and Zeke, huh?"
Selene's jaw dropped. "How did you know?"
He shrugged. "He's the only person in Sandrock that'd make a heart knot out of straw. Mort did the same thing for Martle." Well, that did help explain how Logan made the jump so quickly. "I am curious 'bout one thing though."
Selene raised an eyebrow, "Only one thing, huh?"
Logan's eyes crinkled under his hat and mask into what she assumed was a grin. "Well, one thing right now. How come you been hidin' that heart knot all this time?"
Her shoulders sagged. Of course he would ask, it made sense, but Selene wasn't sure if she was ready to explain it. Explaining why Zeke's heart knot had been on a cord tucked under her shirt would mean acknowledging everything that had happened in the last forty eight hours. One of the last places Selene would have picked for that was on the back of a giant duck named Daisy, but she owed it to Zeke to explain why she'd hidden his heart knot. She sighed and ran her hands through already messy hair.
"I wasn't sure how much Duvos knew about our customs. But if they knew about heart knots, I didn't want to give them anything they could hold over me to try and make me to do their bidding. If-" Tears pricked at the back of her eyes at the thought of what could have happened to Zeke if the soldiers had known. Selene took a deep breath, rubbing a finger over the smooth straw on her wrist. Zeke was okay, he was safe. All of Sandrock was safe, the Duvos soldiers were gone and they couldn't hurt him. Swallowing hard, she continued, "If anything happened to Zeke because of me..." Selene trailed off, unable to finish around the lump in her throat.
Logan's expression had turned more solemn as she spoke. There was an understanding in his eyes she wasn't expecting, but made sense as she thought about his relationship with Andy.
"I get you," he said softly. "Well, good for y'all. Wouldn' a put any money on a new lady goin' for Zeke, but he's a good man. I'm glad he found someone."
Selene gave Logan a weak smile. "Thanks."
The sound of cheers pulled their attention to the people gathered by Cooper's farm. Scanning the joyous faces, there was only one Selene wanted to see. Relief washed over her at the sight of Zeke's signature hat at the back of the crowd. As soon as Daisy landed, Selene slid off the sleek white feathers, catching bits of down in her clothes as she went. It didn't matter, the only thing that did was getting to Zeke. She dashed around the crowd, ignoring the surprised looks on people's faces. Selene jumped and flung her arms around Zeke's neck, crashing into him. The force of her momentum didn't even phase him, he just wrapped his arms around her and held on tight. Her feet dangled in the air, as Zeke supported her weight.
"Hi," she mumbled, burying her face into the crook of his neck. Zeke's thick beard scratched against her cheek and caught on her hair as she did. Selene inhaled deeply, filling her nostrils with the aroma of dirt and plants that always hung around him. The familiar scent washed over her like a warm blanket, bringing with it a sense of comfort and safety. Warmth seeped into Selene's wind chilled skin where Zeke's strong arms pressed against her.
"You're okay," Zeke breathed into her hair. He paused for a moment. Selene felt his beard pull at her hair as he lifted his head to try and look her over while not letting go. "You are okay, right?"
Selene nodded without raising her head, "Yeah, I'm fine. Nothing serious, just some scrapes and bruises."
"Good." Even in the single word, Selene could hear just how relieved Zeke was. She lifted her dangling legs to wrap around his waist, wanting to be as close as possible to him. Someone cleared their throat in the background. Selene's cheeks flamed with embarrassment as she realized she and Zeke were not, in fact, the only people around right now. Well, it looked like now everyone in Sandrock knew about their relationship. It wasn't like they were trying to hide it or anything, but there might have been a more subtle way to go about telling people.
Before Selene could even try and think of how to address the situation they now found themselves in, Zeke simply turned around and started walking towards her workshop. Between his cape and the wide hat on his head, she was completely hidden away from the rest of the Sandrockers. That was just fine with Selene, the town could wait. Right now, she just wanted to spend some time alone with the man who held her heart.