"I have to do what to my cashmere scarf?"
"Tear a strip from it," Stark said.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I got the instructions straight from Seoras. That and a bunch of smart-ass comments about my education being sadly lacking and something about not knowing my arse from my ear or my elbow, and also something about me being a fanny, and I don't know what the hell that means."
"Fanny? Like a girl's name?"
"I don't think so..."
Stark and I shook our heads, in total agreement about Seoras and his weirdness. "Anyway," Stark continued, "he said the pieces of fabric have to be from something that's mine and something that's yours, and it has to be special to each of us." He smiled and tugged at my shimmery, expensive, beautiful new scarf. "You like this thing a lot, don't you?"
"Yeah, enough that I don't want to rip it up." Stark laughed, pulled his dirk from the sheath at his waist, and handed it to me. "Good, then that tied with my plaid will make a strong knot between us."
"Yeah, that plaid didn't cost you eighty euros, which is more than a hundred dollars. I think," I muttered as I reached for the dirk.
Instead of letting me take the dirk from him, Stark hesitated. His eyes found mine. "You're right. It didn't cost me money. It cost me blood."
My shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry. Listen to me, whining about money and a scarf. Ah, hell! I'm starting to sound like Aphrodite."
Stark flipped the dirk around so that it pressed against his chest over his heart. "If you turn into Aphrodite I'm going to stab myself." "If I turn into Aphrodite, stab me first." I reached for the dirk, and this time he gave it to me.
"Deal." He grinned.
"Deal," I said, and then I pierced the fringy edge of my new scarf and with one quick yank ripped a long, slender piece from it. "Now what?"
"Pick a branch. Seoras said I'm supposed to hold my piece, and you hold yours. We tie them together, and the wish we make for us will be tied together."
"Really? That's super romantic."
"Yeah, I know." He reached out and traced my cheek with one finger. "It makes me wish I'd made it up, just for you."
I looked into his eyes and said exactly what I was thinking. "You're the best Guardian in the world."
Stark shook his head, his expression tight. "I'm not. Don't say that."
As he had done to me, I traced his cheek with a finger. "For me, Stark. For me you're the best Guardian in the world."
He relaxed a little. "For you, I'll try to be."
I looked from his eyes to the ancient tree. "There."
I pointed to a low-hanging branch that forked, creating with leaves and limbs what looked like a perfect heart. "That's our place."
Together we went to the tree. Then, like Sgiach's Guardian had instructed, Stark and I tied the earthcolored MacUallis plaid and my shimmery length of cream together. Our fingers brushed and as we looped the last part of the knot, our eyes met.
"My wish for us is that our future is strong, just like this knot," Stark said.
"My wish is that our future is together, just like this knot," I said. We sealed our wishes with a kiss that made me breathless. I was leaning into Stark to kiss him again when he took my hand in his and said, "Would you let me show you something?"
"Okay, sure," I said, thinking that just about then I'd let Stark show me anything.
He started leading me into the grove, but he felt my hesitation because he squeezed my hand and smiled down at me. "Hey, there's nothing here that can hurt you, and if there was I'd protect you. I promise."
