The Golden City

Chapter 6

He reached out again, his hand cupping her cheek, his thumb gently stroking her skin. “Do you believe, Sabrina, that I would stand here now, offering you my existence, if I did not believe, with every fiber of my being, that this was meant to be? That this was a destiny we were not granted, but one we were brave enough to forge ourselves?”

His words were a balm, soothing the frayed edges of her anxiety. She leaned into his touch, her eyes closing for a moment, allowing herself to feel the sheer, overwhelming force of his love. It was a love that felt ancient and new all at once, a love that promised to engulf her, to protect her, to sustain her.

“I believe you, Holden,” she breathed, opening her eyes to meet his. “I do. But the ‘what ifs’… they are so loud sometimes. What if I’m not strong enough? What if I can’t live up to the enormity of what you offer? What if, in a hundred years, or two hundred, I become a burden? A reminder of the passage of time you cannot escape, but can only endure?”

The thought of him enduring her mortality, rather than truly sharing it, was a chilling one. She wanted to be his equal, his partner, not a fading echo beside his eternal flame. She craved the idea of growing old together, of sharing the wisdom of age, but the reality of their disparate natures made that seem impossible.

“A burden?” Holden’s voice was a low growl, his golden eyes darkening. “Sabrina, you are the very essence of my existence. You are the reason the sun rises, the stars shine. You are not a burden; you are my world. And as for living up to what I offer… you already surpass it in ways you cannot comprehend. Your mortal heart, capable of such profound love, such unwavering loyalty, such gentle compassion… it is a miracle I cherish more than any draconic treasure. Do you think my immortality has made me immune to the passage of time? It has, in fact, made me acutely aware of its emptiness when I was alone.”

He tightened his grip on her hand, his touch now firm, grounding. “I have lived through epochs. I have seen the rise and fall of civilizations, the slow, inexorable march of ages. And in all that time, I have never encountered a spirit as radiant as yours. Your vulnerability is not a weakness, Sabrina; it is the very thing that makes your love so precious. It is the understanding of its finite nature that makes every shared moment, every whispered word, every stolen glance, infinitely more valuable. I do not wish to escape the passage of time with you; I wish to savor every single second of it.”

He brought her hand to his lips, pressing a tender kiss against her knuckles. “And as for growing old… I have seen enough of mortal lives to know that true beauty lies not in the unblemished skin, but in the lines etched by laughter and by wisdom. I will cherish every single one of those lines on your face, Sabrina. They will be a testament to a life fully lived, a life shared with me. And if, one day, your body grows weary, your steps falter, I will be there to support you, to cherish you, to love you with a devotion that time itself cannot diminish.”

His sincerity, the raw, unvarnished truth in his voice, chipped away at the remaining edifice of her fear. He wasn’t trying to dismiss her concerns, but to embrace them, to weave them into the tapestry of their love. He saw her mortality not as a flaw, but as a beautiful, precious aspect of who she was.

“But the Goddess…” she began again, the ingrained societal teachings, the ingrained understanding of how the world worked, still a powerful force within her. “What if her judgment… or her disapproval… has consequences?”

Holden’s expression turned serious, his golden eyes holding a glint of something ancient and formidable. “Sabrina, my connection to the divine is not as your people understand it. I am a creature of a different order. My loyalty, my choices, are my own. And if there are consequences to be faced, I will face them. For you. For us. But I will not allow the fear of any external judgment to dictate the course of my heart. My heart has chosen you, and that choice is absolute.”

He paused, his gaze softening again as he looked at her, truly looked at her, seeing beyond the fleeting mortal form to the eternal soul within. “You question the longevity of our bond. You doubt its strength against the relentless tide of time. But consider this, my love: have you ever truly felt the depth of my commitment? Have you ever doubted, in the quiet moments, that my love for you is as real, as profound, as enduring as the mountains themselves?”

Sabrina’s breath hitched. She hadn’t. Not truly. Even in her darkest moments of doubt, the sheer force of Holden’s affection, the unwavering conviction in his every action, had always been a powerful counterargument.

“No,” she admitted softly. “I haven’t. Your love… it’s the most constant thing in my life.”

“Then hold onto that truth,” he urged, his voice resonating with a deep, unwavering certainty. “For it is the bedrock upon which our future is built. Your concerns are valid, my Sabrina. The differences in our natures are undeniable. But love, true love, is not about sameness. It is about acceptance. It is about embracing those differences and finding strength in them. It is about a willingness to fight for that which you hold dear, to protect it, to nurture it, even when the world tells you it is impossible. And I will fight for us, Sabrina. With every breath I take, with every beat of my dragon heart, I will fight for our love.”