18: Ruins

At dawn on the glacier, Aurora braces to help the Starmaker pull the Sun’s light but again can carry no more than before. They blanket Reverie with warmth, leaving Aurora spent. He notes her fever will soon set in but says it doesn’t explain her lack of progress.

Discussing their new bond, the Starmaker admits he can feel Aurora’s emotions when his magic surges in her, a revelation that unsettles them both. When Aurora probes his past, he confirms he never regretted calling off his own wedding and encourages her to speak with Farren so she won’t live with regret, noting the castle is also her home.

Aurora clarifies that nothing happened with Farren and that she ended things, preferring even to argue with the Starmaker. As they trek beyond the lamppost, the conversation stirs feelings Aurora struggles to suppress.

The Starmaker leads her to the glacier-borne ruins of homes once bordering Reverie’s square, now scoured dull by the Frost. He visits to remember why their endless duty matters: only their magic holds the threat at bay. Aurora pockets a gray, ice-preserved candy stripe phlox, recalling the omen before Elsie’s Frost touch.

Moved by the shared burden, Aurora laces her fingers with his. The Starmaker flinches and withdraws, answering “for now” before walking away. Aurora, embarrassed yet unable to forget his words, follows back across the ice, clutching the frozen flower and the unresolved tension between them.