Page 120 of The Silversmith

“The city is below.” He waved a hand towards the edge, then took mine and led me there. As we neared, he drew me closer and tightened his grip.

I could see the far reaches of the city as it poked out beyond the cliff’s edge. These ruins overlooked a sprawling seaside civilization. A long, winding gravel path carved into the cliff sides led the way to rows of stucco houses and shops. Buildings boasting a variety of light, earthy tones lined the ancient cobblestone paths. A cheerful vision. As if beneath the shadow of the castle ruins, this place remained a timeless reminder of the unbroken world of the past.

I sighed at the sights and let the sea breeze wash over my face. Being here with him made me feel content. But when I looked over at him, his brown eyes were rimmed silver with tears. A crack split through my chest. My smile vanished.

“What’s wrong?” I asked him.

“I…” He cleared his throat, shook his head, and just like that, his sorrow was gone. “I just never thought I’d see the day. You.” He gestured around us. “Here.”

I beamed again at the ruins and the sprawling city below. “It’s beautiful.”

The sight was so ancient and breathtaking, and it felt like a part of me. Through my blood—I suppose it was. Despite the destruction and the scars from years of neglect, it was breathtaking.

“It’s never been as beautiful as it is right now.”

Featherlight flutters warred with ruthless fissures in my chest, because I could feel his eyes on me as he spoke.

If the gods’ plan for me was to be their savior queen and marry Elias Winterton, why had they sent me Gavin Smyth? I didn’t understand how they expected me not to fall in love with him.

I squeezed his hand. “Will you show me the rest of the city?”

He had given me plenty of rest by carrying me. The pain in my side was bearable enough to make it on foot along the path down the rocky prominence. But he held on to my hand like he was afraid to let go.

The greens and reds and golds of the solstice looked even brighter in Brinnea. Fresh wreaths were on every door—evergreen mixed with pinecones and holly berries. Ropes of paper star lanterns connected the roofs of each building and dried orange slices dangled and swayed from fascias and porticos in tribute to the sun’s return.

Fresh oranges burst from baskets all around too. One of which Gavin expertly peeled with a pocketknife and insisted I eat. I smelled the citrus as much as I tasted it.

We went into a few shops of my choice. My favorites were the candy shop, where he bought me some chocolate—I somehow knew what it was; I liked it but couldn’t recall ever eating it—and a pottery studio where the artist was hand-forming the pieces at a table for people to watch. I yearned to stay and watch for hours.

The solstice festivities commenced as dinnertime neared. He led me in the direction of our inn on the northern edge of the city. A habit of his, I realized, to stay near the outskirts of a place to allow for a quick escape.

“Will you join me for dinner tonight?” His deep voice undercut the frantic and excited sounds of Brinneans and their last-minute preparations.

I frowned, brow furrowed, and took a bite of my chocolate as we walked. “We always eat dinner together.”

His forearm flexed as he rubbed the back of his neck. He cleared his throat and briefly—very briefly—winced. Was he… nervous?

“A special dinner, I mean.”

“For solstice?” I savored another bite of chocolate and tilted my head at him. It felt difficult to worry about much while eating chocolate.

“Yes.” He chuckled warmly. “For solstice.”

I smiled back, my stomach fluttering. “I would like that.”

A few minutes later, I paused outside of a dress shop. A special dinner… for which I had nothing special to wear. Patiently, he stood by my side as I admired the dresses in the window. Pastel gowns of silk and satin, some covered with sashes of fur or silver and gold.

“May I please buy something?” I asked. Because despite being queen, no one had bothered to give me any money but him.

He smirked, fished a heavy pouch of coins from the pocket of his leather coat, placed it in my palm, and closed my fingers around it. “Buy the whole shop if you’d like.”

My constant sentry, he stood at the front of the store by the door and kept an eye on every person that passed in and out of the shop, all the while never letting me out of his sight. I perused the racks for something simple. Both because I was afraid I might look absurd in anything extravagant and because I didn’t want to spend too much of his money. There were a few gowns I favored, and I needed to just pick one. I bit my lip and groaned. If I couldn’t even pick a damn dress, how was I supposed to make decisions for all of Nyrida?

Then I remembered that his favorite color was green.

After one glance at the silky, sea-green dress, I knew that I didn’t even need to try it on. I took it to the cashier, along with a pair of silver heels, and bought both.

Gavin took me to the inn and left me to get ready after lighting the fireplace in our room. The floors were white oak, the walls painted a gentle gray, and the giant bay window—closed and curtained during winter—had a blue-cushioned seat that would be delightful to rest in during warmer months. I imagined myself reading there, windows ajar, bathing in sunlight as it sparkled off the sea.