Page 118 of Storm to Victory
Yet Fieran listened with a smile, laughing at the right moments, giving her space to cry when needed. Holding her close when she wanted.
As they finished packing the bulk of it, her muka’s shout drifted up the stairs. “Supper is ready!”
Fieran grabbed his bag from where he’d set it on her bed next to hers. “Good. I was beginning to worry.”
“No need. Dwarves never skimp on food.” Pip straightened, brushed her hands off on her trousers, and crossed the room to him. “You can drop your bag off in the guest room, then we can head down.”
“Actually, I need…I need to take my bag to dinner. It’s…” The tips of Fieran’s ears turned pink as he looked away from her, hefting the bag higher on his shoulder.
Oh.Pip’s face heated. He was going to do it. Tonight. The elven gift-giving tradition where he asked her family for their blessing on his coming proposal.
“I see.” Pip took his hand and tilted her head toward the door.
As she and Fieran left her childhood room, her heart was far lighter than it had been a few minutes ago.
Yes, she was shutting the door on her childhood. On life in this home. But a new future stretched before her, bright and happy, filled with family and friends, mechanics and magic, new dreams and new adventures. All with Fieran at her side as she was at his.
Fieran saton the roof of Pip’s family home, the sun rising at his back and casting long shadows through the trees and over the broad, rippling waters of the Milnissi River. His swords rested in their sheaths across his back, a familiar and comforting weight.
He’d come up here to work off his restlessness this morning, only to realize that his exercising would likely wake everyone still sleeping in the rooms below. Yes, he had elven grace. But even that grace couldn’t prevent the thumps of his weight landing on the roof branches.
Instead, he’d forced himself to simply sit and breathe, releasing the restlessness into the peace of the morning.
A faint scuffing and scratching came from below a moment before Pip’s head appeared above the roof. She grinned at Fieran as she clambered the rest of the way onto the roof. “I thought I’d find you here.”
“You know me well.” Fieran returned her grin, shifting to the side to provide more space on the seat of interlacing branches. This nook formed a surprisingly comfortable seat, almost as if someone had purposely crafted it to be that way.
Pip settled in next to him with a slight sigh. After a moment of silence, she gripped the edge of the branch beneath them. “A year ago, I sat in this very spot and decided to join the Mechanics Auxiliary. Well, Mak convinced me I should.”
“Something he might mildly regret, but I’m glad he did.” Fieran smiled at her, but he resisted the urge to reach for her hand. Not yet.
Instead, he slipped a hand into his pocket, fingering the object there. His heart pounded harder in his chest, his magic burning inside him, as he gathered his courage.
“He regrets it less now that the war is over, and I’m no longer in danger.” Pip propped her elbows on her knees, her gaze focused on the river and the western plains spread before them. She shot him a smile. “I certainly don’t regret it.”
“Good. That’s…good.” His voice was tight in his throat.
Pip looked at him, her brow furrowed. “Are you all right?”
“Fine. I’m fine.” He swallowed, grasping the item in his pocket in his hand. This shouldn’t be scary. Especially not after asking her family for their blessing the night before. It wasn’t like this would be a surprise, nor would Pip say no.
Yet his heart was throbbing in his chest, his magic crackling through his veins. With his palms sweaty, his fingers shaky, he had images of dropping the ring and losing it among the network of branches on the roof.
Perhaps proposing here wasn’t the smartest idea. But this seemed like the moment. He just had to go for it.
“Pip…” He clasped her hand with his free one as he turned toward her. “I love you. I’ve been falling in love with you from the moment we met. You are the most talented, amazing, lovely woman, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
Pip pressed her free hand over her mouth, a small squeak escaping her, as she gazed up at him.
That trusting, hope-filled look in her dark brown eyes strengthened him as he held her gaze. “I want to celebrate your every achievement and dream alongside you. I want to look to the sky with you as we build a life together.”
Somehow, he didn’t fumble the ring as he pulled it from his pocket and held it out between them. The three gems—a diamond, a ruby, and an emerald—winked in the morning sunlight where they were set in a silver band etched with the same dwarven designs as the dwarven bracers she’d purchased for him.
“Will you marry me, Pip?” He held her gaze, his heart there between them in that ring.
She made another inarticulate noise in the back of her throat, but other than that she didn’t move or speak.
He managed a slight smile, despite his hammering heart. “Just to be clear, thisisa proposal. And an answer is generally expected eventually.”
