Tears of relief sprang free of my eyes. “You’d better be,” I said, the tightness in my chest already easing. I should have known Talin would never try to hold me back. I stood on tiptoe to kiss him, in no hurry to let him get back to his duties. When the time was right, I would go forward with my eyes wide open, no longer afraid of the unknown, no longer afraid of goodbye.

Most importantly, I was no longer afraid that my freedom depended on the whims or constraints of others. I would carry the people I loved with me, whether I chose to stay in Ilara permanently or visit other lands.

Because that was what it meant to be free: I could choose.

When we broke apart, I turned back to the ocean, finally understanding what it meant to be content. Ceren had said love was my weakness, once. But I knew now that love was the strength that would sustain me out there in the world, and it was the bond that would ensure I always came back.

The warmth in my chest radiated through me like golden light over the water. I had found the place I belonged, and it wasn’t a cottage or a village or a country: it was right here, inside of me.

Finally, I was home.

* * *