Page 16 of Shameless

She came all the way around, face to face with Haldor.

“What do you think?”

“It’s…it’s huge.”

He beamed. “Yes. And it’s going to be even bigger. This is the great room. We can sleep here at first, over in that corner. There’s plenty of room for a table in the middle, big enough to share a meal with friends. In the evening, we can pull our chairs close to the fire. I’m going to work on it while we live here. Add on over time. Bedrooms. First one for us. Then…” He paused, and this time there was no mistaking his nervousness. “There’s plenty of space to build more – for little ones.”

Her heart sank. He meant for them to live here. All alone. Out in the middle of the forest, miles from town in this big dark stone fortress.

He went to the far end of the room and threw open the shutters covering a pair of wide window openings. The winter suns sat low in the sky, flooding the room with their rays.

“You can see the meadow from here. In the spring, it will be filled with wildflowers.” He talked faster, wanting her to see it as he did. Wanting her to share his excitement. “The creek flows through it all year long, coming down from the mountain. There’s a doe that brings her twin fawns here to drink every evening at dusk. I’ve seen them through this window while working on the place.”

“So, this is where you’ve been. All those days when you said you’d been hunting but came home with only a single hare to show for it.” She frowned. “And all those times when you said you were meeting in council all day or playing cards with your friends?”

He nodded. “It’s been hard to keep it from you. Kylar, Heinrik, all the others. They’ve been here with me much of the time, working hard. We didn’t dare tell any of the women for fear they’d let something slip to you and spoil the surprise. They probably all think their husbands have been out drinking honey mead and gambling away the hours.

“I promised the men we’d have everyone here for a feast as soon as we’ve moved in.” he added. “Music. Dancing. A whole pig roasting on a spit for hours. It’s the least I can do to thank them all.”

She looked around again, trying to see it through his eyes. Rays of sun lit up the stone pavers, revealing tones of honey gold, peach, and ivory. He’d obviously chosen each one with care.

The view out the windows was lovely. A pristine blanket of snow covered the meadow, magnified the pale winter sunlight to a bright glow. Even from here, she could hear the creek bubbling over the rocks as it flowed through the open field.

Once I hang a few tapestries, the stone walls won’t look so harsh and bare.She thought of Ingrid’s room, made cozy with splashes of dazzling color.Maybe I’ll add some bright curtains at the windows, drawn at night to cover the wooden shutters and add a soft touch.

She turned to Haldor. His eyes held such hopefulness. “It’s beautiful. Spacious without being cold and stark, like some of the rooms in the palace. And the floor – where did you find these stones? They’re lovely!”

“Do you like them? I hoped you would. I chose each one. You should have heard Kylar when he helped me lay them. He complained that I sounded like Ingrid fussing over which dress Astrid should wear to a state dinner when we were young. ‘No, no, no. Not that one. Find one with more pink.’

“But once he saw what I was trying to accomplish, even he took to examining each one. Holding it in the light, flipping it over to look for the best side. You’d be surprised how a stone can look cold and dark yet have so much warmth and intensity underneath.”

“You’re right. I am surprised. Not just by the stones.” She smiled at him and took his hand in hers. “I love this place. I love you, for all the work you’ve put into it to make it special for us.”

He grinned and, for a moment, she caught a glimpse of the carefree boy he’d once been. “There’s one more surprise. I’ve saved the best for last.”

He led her to a door she hadn’t noticed in a corner. It led to a narrow hall with another doorway at the end.

“Go ahead,” he urged.

She made her way hesitantly down the dark passage, pushed open the heavy door, and gasped.

A rainbow of dancing light poured through a long window covered in a stained-glass pattern of glowing crystals. More brilliant stones studded the walls and ceiling. Emerald green, bright yellow, amethyst, blue as a tropical sea. Throwing their light on – surely those couldn’t be flowers?

Strange exotic blooms that glowed as well, in a riot of colors, filled the room with their fragrance. She took a step forward, stretched a hand out to the nearest delicate blossom. Velvety smooth petals in a soft shade of apricot nestled in a cup of spring-green foliage.

“It’s attached! It’s growing here. Right on the wall!”

Haldor stepped in after her. “They all are. Only a few right now. But you’re good with plants. You can grow more. All year round, even in the dead of winter. I’m told some of them even have healing properties. Maybe they’ll prove useful in your work with Ingrid.”

“Where did they come from?”

“Remember that trip I took a few weeks back when you stayed at the palace? I went to Iridia, through the portal. I’ve been stockpiling furs for months, ever since I brought you here. I knew I wanted to do something special even then. I just didn’t know what it would be.”

He waved a hand around the room. “I traded the furs for Iridian crystals and a few of their special plants. The crystals give off enough heat to keep it warm in here, and these plants grow only under their glow. Mind you, too much exposure to the crystals can be dangerous. That’s why I’ve put them here, at the end of a long stone passage separated from the rest of the house.

“You can’t stay in this room for days on end. But a few hours at a time, on dark winter days…I thought being surrounded with such beauty might make life on my world more bearable for you.”

Her eyes filled with tears. “This is incredible!”

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