The final night passed quickly. I retreated into Haven while those better suited to such things finished planning the assault. Fate found me at the small shrine, my legs tucked to one side, watching water trickle through the crystalline fountain. I didn't look up when she approached, only clasped my hands a little tighter in my lap.
"Thinking of him?"
I nodded, and the goddess settled beside me. Her long dress pooled around her legs, its golden folds resting against the stone.
"I'm not sure I've ever seen you sit before," I said, smiling faintly.
"Most gods have a throne," she replied.
"But not you."
"No. My place was never meant to be above the stars, commanding them, but among them, like a shepherd with her flock."
"I don't want to be a ruler either."
"And maybe that's why fate brought you to me." She glanced at the fountain. "He was rather different. Strong and unwavering. When he decreed an ending, he made it so."
