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Not Until You Leave Me

  Astrid didn’t remember when she fell asleep, she had so much running through her mind—her talk with Rundrin, Kurai’s distance, and all this talk of her being a chosen one.

  Her dreams had been fragments—distant hammering, Charlie's laugh, Kurai's golden eyes filled with something unreadable. She blinked herself awake, sweat cool against her back. The room was dim but warm. Safe. Sort of.

  But the weight of prophecy clung to her ribs like smoke.

  The room still held the echo of Rundrin’s words. Even though the Elder had finally quieted, Astrid could feel the weight of his proclamation lingering in the walls.

  She sat up in her bed. The sounds of the forge could be heard, roaring to life for another day of work. But otherwise, it was quiet. She looked over to Kurai—he was gone. Her heart rate spiked.

  Her heart thudded. She didn’t want to care. Didn’t want to feel that cold wash of panic. But it hit her all the same. No note. No sound. Just gone.

  Like her father.

  Did that prick leave?!

  She quickly sat up, pulling her boots on, scrambling.

  I can’t believe him!

  She headed toward the door and yanked it open.

  Kurai was just reaching for the door. She almost ran into him.

  “Whoa—what’s wrong?” he stumbled back.

  “Where the hell did you go? I thought your brooding ass left me.” She was angry but also a little worried and upset.

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  He huffed and pushed past her, entering the room. “I just needed some fresh air, alright?” he was avoiding her eyes, shrugging off her concern like it was a nuisance.

  He didn’t want to talk about it. That much was obvious. But his silence felt more like armour than apathy.

  She sighed, almost resigned from trying to figure him out. I swear to God, this guy.

  But she let it drop.

  She moved back over to her bed and sat cross-legged, arms resting on her knees, watching him from the corner of her eye. He was brooding again, right on cue. He hadn’t looked at her either. Just paced like something was crawling under his skin.

  He was agitated. Not just emotionally, but physically—the way his shoulder blades tightened beneath his cloak, the way his fingers twitched at his side like he wanted to summon something, crush something, but wouldn’t let himself.

  She waited. Gave him time. But the silence dragged on—the kind that thickened until it became unbearable.

  "Are you going to wear a hole in the floor, or are you actually going to tell me what's wrong?"

  Kurai stopped. But he didn’t look at her

  For a second, she thought he might ignore her again. But then he turned, slowly. His jaw was tight. His voice, when it came, was low and sharp.

  "You fit here." He didn’t meet her eyes, like he didn’t want to say it or see her response.

  Astrid blinked. "What?" It shouldn’t have stung, but it did. “You don’t need me now.” As if that’s all he thought he was good for—being useful.

  “You’ve got your prophecy. Your crowd of dwarves falling over themselves to call you chosen.” He looked at her finally, and it wasn’t anger in his eyes. It was something else. Something quieter. “You don’t need me now.”

  The words sank like a stone in her chest.

  “Oh, for—Kurai. You think I’m going to stay? With them? That I’d just leave you?”

  He didn’t answer.

  Astrid stood. Crossed the room slowly.

  “You’re annoying. Grumpy. You mutter a lot. But you helped me when you didn’t have to. And I don’t abandon people. Not until they decide to leave me.”

  His jaw twitched.

  “You don’t even know me,” he said.

  She stopped just short of him. Looked up. “No. But I want to.”

  She could feel the space between them shift, like gravity tilting.

  A beat of silence. Tense. Fragile.

  Then Astrid clapped her hands once. “Right. That’s it. No more brooding. I can’t take another day of this heavy atmosphere. We’re going to the celebration.”

  One night of pretending she wasn’t a symbol, a target, or a ticking prophecy.

  Kurai frowned. “Why?”

  “Because I’m tired of being scared. And because maybe we both need to remember that fun exists.”

  He didn’t move.

  She raised a brow. “So, you in?”

  He muttered something under his breath. But he nodded.

  ------

  Later, as they made their way through the carved stone tunnels of the dwarven stronghold, the noise of the forge and low conversation echoed all around them. The city felt heavier than before—like word of what she’d done, or what she was becoming, had already passed from ear to ear.

  As they stepped into the main hall, a dwarf near the entrance gave a short nod, respectful but hesitant. Another shook Astrid's hand, blessing her return.

  She looked down awkwardly, uncertain.

  Kurai gave her a side glance. “Yeah, maybe we should just go back”

  Maybe this was a bad idea after all.

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