“You haven’t answered my question,” Verice said. “Marry me?”
Warna stilled then, shaking her head in disagreement. “Verice, the day will come when you will regret this choice.”
“No,” he said firmly. “Never. Every moment of our lives together will be worth any grief that might follow. We don’t know what comes, do we? I could be the one to fall, to a sword or crossbow bolt.”
Warna grasped his shoulders with a jolt of fear.
“I want ‘us’ for as long as we last,” Verice said. “I want to have that with you. I want to build memories with you. I know there’s pain to come but it would come regardless at this point, if I let you go, if I beg you to stay.” Verice drew a deep breath, and backed up a step. “Please. Be my love and life and lady. Marry me.”
Warna trembled, suddenly cold without his touch. “But what if tomorrow—”
“What if?” Verice sighed. “I don’t know what tomorrow holds. Do you?”
“No,” she admitted.
Verice held out his hand. Warna held her breath when she saw those long, elegant fingers shaking. “Please, Warna. Shall we find out? Together?”
For one breath out, she thought to deny him. But then she breathed in, and joy swelled within her heart. “Yes,” she took a step, and then another. The thorns shredded her skirts as she threw herself into Verice’s arms. “Lord and Lady, a thousand times, yes.”
Verice wrapped his arms around her, and met her kiss with equal passion.
It was the cheering from the walls and the balcony above that broke them apart.
“Shall we go announce our betrothal?” Verice said into her ear.
“I’m not sure that’s necessary,” Warna smiled. “And only after I’ve changed my dress.”
Verice laughed, and tugged her along, and they both raced back toward the keep, laughing, the dogs running along beside them barking all the way.
The End.
Epilogue
They were a quiet, still bit of peace in a world of utter madness.
Wolfe sheltered Kalynn in his cloak, holding her tight against him. They stood upon the walls of a besieged town, amidst fire and flame. The name of the place mattered not; what mattered was that war raged at the gates as waves of attackers rode forward, firing arrows and hurling deadly lances, only to ride away to circle round and come back again.
The defenders were outside the gates, trying to hold a precious bit of ground, striving in a hopeless cause.
Here on the walls, men struggled desperately to work the ballista under a rain of deadly arrows. “Bring up the naptha,” one shouted. “We’ll show these Firelanders!”
It would not save them, Wolfe knew full well. The town was lost; this was but the death throes. He tightened his grip on Kalynn’s waist and concentrated on keeping them both cloaked, both wrapped in magical cushions of quiet and shelter.
The journey had been long and difficult, harder than he’d imagined. It hurt to see a beloved land stripped of magic, torn and sundered. Less than what it had been and worse; it had been by his hand.
Traveling without magic to aid them. He and Kalynn were worn to the bone.
But he’d enough reserves to do this task, what they had journeyed so far to accomplish.
Whether he had the will or not was another question.
Amid the frantic movements of the protectors, he waited for the right moment to move. The air was filled with grunts of pain and fear.
Wolfe moved then, urging Kalynn forward. He guided her through the frantic men and maels struggling to load sacks onto the throwing arm of the war machine. The air was filled with grunts of pain and fear. And over all the acrid smell of pitch.
He got Kalynn close to the wall, covering her with his body. He’d wanted desperately to spare her this, to leave her with the airons, but that wasn’t possible. She trembled against him, but although there was fear in her eyes, there was also determination. He swallowed back tears at her pain. Best to be about this and done.
“Do you see him?” he whispered as the chaos raged around them.
