The forest had finally quieted after the chaos of the ravine. They walked in silence until they found a sheltered hollow between two great oaks, where the roots arched overhead like protective ribs. The air was still damp with mist, but here, the earth felt stable beneath their feet.
Selene set about gathering dry wood, her movements precise, almost mechanical. Iris could see the tautness in her shoulders, the way her jaw was locked. She hadn't spoken since the Woman in Black had vanished.
Luna noticed too, but her attention never strayed long from Iris. Since nearly falling into the ravine, Luna's grip on her hand had been unyielding, as if letting go for even a moment might tempt fate again.
By the time the fire crackled to life, its warmth casting orange light on their faces, exhaustion pressed down on them like a heavy cloak. Selene kept to herself, sitting cross-legged on the far side of the fire as she cleaned her blades. Her eyes reflected the flames, but her mind was clearly far away.
Iris sat close beside Luna, leaning into her. For a long while, neither spoke. They didn't need to—the relief of still being alive, still being together, was enough.
Finally, Iris broke the silence. "I thought I'd lost you today." Her voice was soft, raw.
Luna turned toward her, brushing a strand of hair from Iris's face. "You saved me. If it weren't for you, I'd be…" She trailed off, unable to finish. Her eyes glistened in the firelight.
Iris swallowed hard, resting her forehead against Luna's. "Don't scare me like that again."
Luna let out a shaky laugh, though it was edged with tears. "I'll try, but the world seems intent on testing us."
For a moment, they just held each other, wrapped in the fire's glow and their shared heartbeat. Then Luna pressed a soft kiss against Iris's lips—gentle at first, but deepening as if she needed to remind herself that Iris was real, alive, here.
Iris melted into it, her hands curling against Luna's chest. The kiss was desperate, tender, aching with all the fear they had carried through the day. When they parted, their breaths tangled in the air between them.
"I love you," Iris whispered. The words trembled, but they were certain.
Luna's eyes softened, brighter than the flames. "I love you too. More than I thought I could ever love anyone."
The world beyond the hollow seemed to fall away.
Selene's voice broke the spell, quiet but clear. "The whispers were not lies."
Iris blinked, startled, turning toward her. Selene was staring into the fire, her expression unreadable.
"What do you mean?" Luna asked cautiously.
"The Woman in Black spoke of Seraphine. She wasn't wrong—Seraphine was once my sister." Selene's voice was low, weighted with years of silence breaking open. "Not by blood, but by oath. We were raised together, trained together. She was… everything to me."
The fire popped, sending sparks into the dark. Selene's eyes never wavered from the flames.
"I thought I could save her," she continued. "When the shadows began to take root in her heart, I believed my loyalty, my love, would be enough to keep her from falling. But I was wrong. And when she chose the path of ruin, I chose to raise my blade against her."
Iris's heart twisted at the grief hidden in Selene's calm tone.
"You couldn't have known," Iris said softly.
Selene finally looked at her, her gaze sharp. "You speak as though you understand. But you haven't watched someone you love burn everything you believed in. You haven't felt your own hand spill their blood."
A heavy silence fell. Luna reached across the fire, not to touch, but to meet Selene's eyes with steady resolve. "Maybe not. But we know what it means to fight for someone even when the world tells you it's hopeless. That's something we share."
Selene studied her for a long moment, then exhaled slowly. "Perhaps." She sheathed her blade and leaned back against the oak roots. "Rest. Tomorrow will not be kinder than today."
The fire dimmed to embers. Selene closed her eyes, though Iris doubted she truly slept.
Iris shifted closer to Luna, seeking warmth and comfort. "She carries so much pain," she murmured.
Luna nodded, wrapping an arm around her. "She does. But she's still here. That has to mean something."
Iris tilted her head back to look at Luna, her heart swelling. "And we're still here too."
Luna's answering smile was small but fierce. "Together."
Their lips met again, slower this time. No desperation, only devotion. Iris traced the line of Luna's jaw, savoring the way Luna's hand splayed protectively across her back. The world might crumble around them, but here, in the circle of firelight, they built something unshakable.
They lay down together, wrapped in one cloak, listening to the distant rush of the ravine. Luna's heartbeat was steady against Iris's cheek.
For the first time in what felt like years, Iris let herself believe in tomorrow.
But in the distance, unseen beyond the trees, shadows stirred. The Woman in Black's laughter whispered faintly through the branches, carried on a wind that didn't belong.
And the forest listened.
The night deepened, stars peeking through the canopy, their faint glow mingling with the firelight. The air carried a chill, but Iris hardly noticed with Luna pressed against her side.
"I never thought I'd feel safe in the middle of a cursed forest," Iris whispered, her lips brushing Luna's temple.
Luna smiled softly, though her eyes were serious. "It's not the forest making you feel safe. It's us. You and me."
Iris felt her cheeks warm, not from the fire but from Luna's words. "I never believed I could be someone's safety."
"You're mine," Luna said firmly, tilting her chin so Iris could see the truth blazing in her gaze. "Even when I'm the one holding you, it's you who keeps me steady."
Her words sank deep into Iris's chest, anchoring her. She lifted a hand, cupping Luna's face, and kissed her—slow, reverent, a promise sealed between them. Luna responded with equal tenderness, their breaths mingling as the kiss stretched into something unhurried, almost endless.
Selene stirred across the fire, but didn't interrupt. Instead, she shifted her gaze to the canopy, as if giving them the gift of privacy.
When they finally parted, Iris rested her head on Luna's shoulder, eyes half-lidded. "We're ridiculous," she said with a small laugh.
"Hopelessly so," Luna replied, pressing a kiss to her hair. "But I wouldn't trade it."
Selene's voice came again, quieter than before. "You're lucky."
Both Iris and Luna glanced toward her. Selene's face was hidden by shadows, but her tone carried a weight that drew silence.
"You have each other. That bond… it's stronger than you realize. I had something like it once." Her eyes flicked briefly toward the fire, catching the orange glow. "With Seraphine."
The name hung heavy in the air.
"She wasn't always what she is now," Selene said, her voice low but trembling at the edges. "She used to laugh. She used to… braid flowers into my hair. She was fierce, stubborn, but she loved with a fire that could have warmed the coldest nights." Selene's hands curled into fists. "And then that same fire turned to ash. I watched it consume her until I couldn't recognize the woman I'd sworn to protect."
Luna's chest tightened at the confession. For a brief moment, Selene wasn't the stoic guardian, but someone who had lost everything.
"I tried to fight for her," Selene continued, her words raw. "But she chose her path. And when the time came, I raised my blade—not to save her, but to stop her. That was the last time I saw her."
The fire popped, and the silence stretched.
Iris reached across the space, her fingers brushing Selene's wrist in a fleeting touch. "I don't think love is wasted, even if it ends in pain. You gave her something real, Selene. And maybe—" She hesitated, but pressed on. "Maybe that's why she still lingers. Because she can't let go of what you were to her."
Selene's jaw tightened, but her eyes softened. She didn't answer, only inclined her head in the faintest acknowledgment.
Later, when the fire had burned low, Iris and Luna lay wrapped in their shared cloak. Sleep came fitfully; every snap of a branch in the distance made Iris tighten her hold on Luna.
"Do you think Selene can ever forgive herself?" Iris whispered, her lips brushing Luna's collarbone.
Luna stroked her hair gently. "I think she has to, before we face Seraphine again. Otherwise, the past will chain her."
Iris nodded against her, then lifted her gaze. "Promise me something."
"Anything."
"That no matter what happens, we won't let go of each other. Not even if the shadows try to tear us apart."
Luna's eyes glimmered, her hand cupping Iris's cheek. "I promise. Nothing in this world—or any other—will make me let you go."
The kiss they shared then was deeper than words, lingering until breathless warmth replaced the forest's chill. It was both comfort and vow, sealing their hearts tighter together.
Unseen, on the edges of the hollow, the Woman in Black's shadow lingered. Her eyes glowed faintly through the trees, watching, listening.
"Love so strong it thinks itself unbreakable," she whispered to the night. "Let us see how long it holds."
The wind shifted, carrying her laughter into the darkness.