The lines of Bragi's smile were a little off, but any smile was better than the chiseled perfection of a face carved from stone. Idun wanted to ask, but she understood as his explanation expanded. She understood and her heart might have shattered if it hadn't been for his laugh before and his smile now and the warmth that made his eyes an ocean again instead of cold, cold ice. His whole plan to save her was the same plan that would have taken him from her forever. It was a terrible thing to think about. Bragi wouldn't have survived that fight. Idun now knew he only had because her arrival had distracted her brother. No matter what, Bragi's plan had always been to save her.
Didn't he see? He'd saved her from far more than just Idori.
Idun let out a sigh. She was still smiling. It was the warmest, happiest sigh she had ever sighed. The giddiness had yet to wear off. "The plan worked out in the end. It took most of the evening before I made it to the orchard. The messenger came back the next morning. It wasn't their fault." This explanation seemed so very silly. His plan had been to save her and here she was, clearly alive, and that was all because of Bragi. If she had been at the orchard, that message would've reached her in time. And then Bragi would be dead and she'd be on the run, because escaping the orchard didn't mean she was safe. Idun wouldn't have left her basket of apples. No, this was a far better fate. Standing before him was far better than mourning his loss. He wasn't allowed to die. Her heart already knew if he did, it would kill her.
Idun's breath caught in her throat. Her eyes widened slightly. Bragi could be as sorry as he wanted. He could talk about how they had ended for an eternity. If he wanted to set her declaration of hatred to music, she wouldn't stop him. Idun was too stunned to argue, because right in the middle of all those words was a declaration of his own. One that Idun had somehow missed. She'd missed a lot of words that day. Idun just hadn't put much thought to what they were. And now she knew. And now...now he loved her. He'd told her. Bragi kept talking. He looked at her with the charming suspicion of a man who already knew the answer to his own question. Idun numbly nodded.
There was a gap between the point where her answer should have been given and the time when she actually gave it. It was a rather impressive, rather noticeable gap. Idun couldn't help it. She was shocked. "Yes," she said. Her brow furrowed. Idun's voice almost sounded distant, though she couldn't much help that. He loved her. That was...impossible. "The other Bragi sold you out. He yelled at me actually."
Then he wrapped his arm around her. Idun blinked, then turned beneath the pleasant weight of his arm. She needed to be facing him. She couldn't just lean against his side as Bragi walked her home. Hadn't he heard what he'd just said?! Wasn't Bragi listening to himself? Idun planted herself in front of him again. She raised a hand and pointed one finger at his face. "We're not walking anywhere!" she declared. The expression that took her features was two parts incredulous to one part giddy. That giddiness really was impossible to shake. "Just...stop. Stop right there. You don't love me. You can't! Bragi, I love you, it is terrible how much I love you, but I already decided I wouldn't stand in the way of what you have with Jondi. I know you have someone, but telling you how I feel was always just...just so you know. You saved me. Not just from Idori, but from the loneliness of a world without love. You deserved to know that you're the reason I finally opened my eyes. But you have someone. So you're confused. You have the facts all jumbled. That's alright, I understand, I'm the one who loves you, not the other way around. Just...just unjumble things in your mind."
Idun huffed out a sigh. That was rather frustrating, actually. "Now you may walk me home."