Page 100 of Wind and Water
She wiggles to get out from under me. “Maybe it was just the sex talking. I can be impulsive. Momma always says so.”
Before she can get to the edge of the bed, I wrap my arms around her middle and pull her so that she is sitting between my legs. I press my mouth to her ear. “I want to marry you. I promise to love you until the end of time, both in this life and the next. All that I am belongs to you, heart and soul, Wren Martin. Living here would be an amazing bonus.”
“But you didn’t say anything.” Worry laces her voice.
“Only because in my life, all I have known is fighting for everything. Victories are hard-won and short-lived. I’m not used to having what I want most handed to me so beautifully.” I haveto take a moment to catch my breath. Emotions fight to escape. “Nothing in my life has prepared me for this moment, Wren. If I didn’t respond the way you imagined, forgive me. I want to be with you, and if that’s here in Domhan, where we can live honestly, it will be perfect. But if you wish to return to your world, I will support that as long as I’m allowed to follow you there for a lifetime.”
She turns in my arms and runs her thumb across my damp cheek. Tears sparkle in her eyes, illuminating them like clear blue crystals. “Marry me?”
This woman is perfect. “Yes. Is tomorrow too soon?”
I have attended many celebrations in the grand ballroom of Tús Nua. I’ve been required to go to these events since I turned sixteen suns. My brothers enjoy the fuss and flirting that is paramount to these things. I generally stay in the background and do my duty, but no more.
Tonight is different. With Wren on my arm, I’m able to experience the gala from her point of view. As she stares up with a look of wonder on her beautiful face, I see the six crystal chandeliers, the arched ceiling, and the painted scenes of the old gods in a new light. Fresh and beautiful, even the smallest bit of gold paint isn’t lost on her discerning eye.
“This is heavenly.” She points to the scene where Dagda plays the harp Uaithne and defeats the Fomorians by causing the harp to evoke laughter, sorrow, and finally, slumber. “We read about that.”
I take her hand and lead her to the dance floor. It takes only a moment to remember my instructions. With Wren in my arms, the simple steps in three beats feel sensual and right. “I’ve always hated these events.” I twirl her, then reclaim her waist.
“You dance very well for someone who hates it.” Every time she smiles, my heart and pulse speed up, and I want to make her smile for the rest of my life.
Lifting her to avoid a dwarf couple who have lost the motion of the dance, but appear to be having a fine time, I spin us out of their path, and Wren giggles. “It seems that having you with me has altered my view on balls.”
“How so?” She giggles as more dwarves balter around the floor.
I steer us clear of danger, but it’s becoming increasingly more difficult. “Thank goodness Farress and Corell are not much for indoor dancing.” I point to the pair as they clomp out of the large, arched double doors.
Wren’s eyes sparkle with joy, and we continue to keep time as we watch our friends clear the garden and take off at a gallop toward the forest.
A fairy the size of a butterfly zips between our faces and up to the chandelier, where he sits with a dozen others who watch the ball. Several have changed to full size and are watching and learning the dance from Niamh and Rían, who must have been practicing because they look as if they were made for the dance.
“I never thought I would see Rían Redmond, Captain of the Queen’s Guard, dancing, or smiling for that matter.” Still keeping her hand in mine, I point to the couple.
“They look perfect together.”
“I suppose they do.” The world changed while I was away, and in ways I could never have dreamed. “Rían is the least likely man I know to fall in love. The fact that he did so with a fairy seems inconceivable, yet, there is the proof.”
She leans in and presses her cheek to my chest. “You don’t like change, and having so much of it foisted on you makes you feel like a cat in the bathtub.” She pats my shoulder.
“A cat in the bathtub? I suppose that might have been true a few months ago when I burst into your life, my love, but now it’s an everyday occurrence. You changed my life. You make me a better man. I always thought that to be a good soldier, I had to remove all feelings from every aspect of my life. You taught me that…”
“Feelings give us something worth fighting for.” She says the words I’m fumbling for.
I twirl us around the floor to the edge, then take her hand. “Let’s go into the garden.”
There are so many couples dancing, it’s lost its attraction, and the heat in the ballroom has become stifling.
Once outside, we walk to the center where a large fountain bubbles. I take several deep breaths and sit on the edge of the fountain. “Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?”
She saunters over and sits on my knee. “You did, but I don’t mind hearing it again.”
Birdie’s laugh fills the garden.
We both turn to find her standing on the veranda, talking to a dwarf.
“Momma likes it here. She’s been studying Domhan’s history and examining how human myth and Domhan’s historical facts have many similarities.” Wren lays her head on my shoulder.
I wrap my arms around her and breathe in her warm, flowery scent. “Do you think she’d stay?”
