Page 11 of 1000 of You
“I do notwant my freedom if it means leaving you,” she blurted out. “I do not want toleave you,MuamKai.” She fought the tears thatthreatened to spill. Blinking rapidly to keep her vision from blurring, shepressed on. She no longer cared to hide how she felt. If he was sending heraway, she could not leave without telling him.
“You havechanged my life. You make me happy in ways I never thought I would feel again.You have given me hope. Please, give me the chance to find a way to repay you.I will try to seek employment. I will try to find a skill that will help me payfor my keep. If you no longer wish for me to stay with you, I will find a spotoutside nearby where I can still watch you come and go. But I cannot leave you.I c-cannot give up this happiness you have brought to me. That you have allowedme to have.” She took a shuddering breath. “I cannot leave you without tearingapart something inside of me.”
He laid thedagger down. “I must be honest with you. My feelings for you are bordering ondangerous. These past two nights… You are beautiful and wise, and I desirehaving you. But I will not coerce you. I will not take you against your will.”
“You do nothave to. I willingly give myself to you,” she admitted.
That smallsmile tugged on his lips. He opened his mouth to respond, when he paused. “Yousaid I make you happy?”
“Myfeelings for you become deeper with every passing moment.”
Muamreleased a breath he had been holding. “Forgive me ifI have alarmed you, but long ago I swore I would never take a woman unless sheand I were wedded. I know many will call my beliefs strange, but I have andalways will be resolute. I will not take another woman unless I have feelingsfor her, and she willingly agrees to be my wife.” He made a motion with hishands. “If I kept you as a slave, how would I know how you truly felt about me?How would I know if your confession was real, or something you believed you hadto say because I was your master? I thought…I thought if I freed you—”
“Yes,Muam. I will be your wife. I desire nothing more than totake you as my husband.”
He satstaring at her, his mouth open in surprise. She watched as the smile returnedto his strong and handsome face, and he swallowed nervously.
“Thisvillage has no priest, but it does have a shaman who marries those who requesthis services. I amJamboris. Simple words aresufficient. As anOrshii, do you have need ofanything special? Like a prayer that needs to be said? Or something ofsignificance to wear?”
“There area couple of things I would like. I do not require them. If I do not have them,it will not affect the outcome of the ceremony, but…”
“But youwish to have them.” He said it as a matter of fact.
Govagave a nod. “Silver. You must give me something madeof silver. It does not have to be large or grandiose. I know you do not have alot of coin to spare.”
“Somethingmade of silver. What else? You mentioned two things.”
“Feathersfrom a leaning bird. I can get those myself from the market.” She didn’t tellhim about how she had to give him a gift herself. Although she had no money,and nothing to barter with, she’d have no choice but to use her powers ofsorcery again. Hopefully for the last time.
Muamwished to wed her. It was almost too much to believe,and she unconsciously looked over at his bed again.
“When?” shewhispered.
“Tomorrow.”
She jerkedback to stare at him. “Tomorrow?”
The smileon his face turned into a teasing grin. “Truthfully, if it were at allpossible, I would suggest tonight. But it will take me a while to find yoursilver, and you must wait until morning to obtain your feathers. Plus, I doubtTeyhaswill appreciate having his sleep interrupted inorder to perform the ceremony. Tomorrow, myGova.This time tomorrow. Will that be satisfactory?”
She setaside the pelt and crawled around the fire to where he sat. Kneeling besidehim, she held out her hands. He took them in his, placing her palms on hischest.
“At thistime tomorrow, I shall call you my husband,” she whispered. “And when I do, mysoul will soar with the eagles.”
“Both oursouls,” he lovingly corrected her, and leaned over to seal that promise with akiss.
Chapter 9
Torn
That nightthey slept in their separate beds. Neither of them made an attempt to movecloser to the other. ToGova, it was as if he wantedto keep apart from her, so that their wedded union tomorrow night would be thatmuch sweeter. At least, that’s what she believed. It was a nice wish. Even if itwasn’tMuam’sintent, it made her happy to think itwas. It made for a restless night, but tomorrow night would be even morerestless.
Herrestlessness was even more compounded by the dreams she had. The demons hadreturned, not in the form ofKolis, but as hawks. Thebirds circled above the hut, screeching out a warning she couldn’t interpret.Fortunately, the sense of dread they brought her wasn’t enough to overcome theexhilarating sense of expectation for the coming day.
The nextmorning, whenGovaawoke,Muamwas already gone. In addition to her regular chores, and the need to buy andmake their daily meal, she had to prepare for her wedding. Filled with alightness in her soul, she hurried to the market to get everything she needed.
The onething she knew she wouldn’t be able to obtain at the market was gold. Shedidn’t need much of it. A few flecks would suffice as an offering to theAncient Mother to protect her husband. The same way silver would ensure thatthe Ancient Mother would bless their union with many children. Without themeans to buy gold, even if there was any to be bought, it would require her touse her powers to make her own.
She hurriedback to the hut to fix their meal. AfterMuamate andleft, she went out into the field to gather the final items she needed.Returning to the hut, she pounded theavaroot intodust, added water, and stripped in order to soak her good shift in the darkblue liquid. She did the same for one ofMuam’sbreeches, then hung them from the ceiling, close to the fire, to dry. When hearrived to eat at midday, he gave her a quizzical look after spotting thedarkened clothing, but didn’t comment.
