Chronicles of Logos Quest For the Kingdom Parts IV, V, VI, and VII Revised With Index (Quest For the Kingdom Set) by L. M. Roth Page B
Authors: L. M. Roth
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in his heart.
“Melisande,”
he began.
She turned to
him with a slight smile, and the words tumbled from his lips.
“Oh,
Melisande! My darling Melisande: will you marry me?”
Such an abrupt
declaration of his feelings had not been his intent, but he did not have Cort’s
gift with words and the bluntness of his speech at least bespoke his sincerity,
even if it did not ring with the romantic cadences that most maidens desired.
Her eyes
widened, and she suddenly laughed. But it was a laugh of joy, he saw, and not
of mockery. He had feared that she would rebuff his rude proposal, but such was
not the case he noted with relief.
“Why, yes…of
course, I will,” she said simply as her eyes sparkled in amusement. “When shall
we wed?
“You will? You
mean it?” Brenus fumbled, hardly daring to believe his good fortune. “As to
when, the sooner we are wed, the happier I shall be!”
They laughed
and turned to face one another, then clasped their hands and entwined their
fingers in the oneness that Brenus already sensed between them.
“Then let us
not delay, but marry as soon as it is possible!” Melisande exclaimed.
“Yes, we
shall!” Brenus laughed. “But first, we must tell my family. And what of yours?
Do you know, I just realized that you have not once mentioned anything of them
to me! Are they in your homeland still?”
Melisande’s
eyes darkened at the mention of family. Brenus could not believe that he had
never noticed such a glaring omission, when the custom was to relate the
details of family to strangers in order to establish the stranger as a person
of respectability.
Melisande,
however, merely shrugged her shoulders.
“There is
nothing to tell of them,” she said with an air of nonchalance. “My parents are
both dead, and I have no siblings. Therefore, I had nothing to relate to you
and am alone in the world.”
As she said
this last, he noticed that her lips narrowed and her chin appeared to quiver.
Compassion stirred within him, and with it the desire to protect and shelter
his love.
“Oh,
Melisande,” he whispered tenderly. “My dear Melisande. How lonely you must be
at times.”
And he took
her hand and kissed it, then stroked it with his fingers.
“Yes, I am at
times,” she said with a trace of tears in her eyes. “But no more, because I
shall have you , Brenus!”
“You shall
indeed!” he exulted.
And he turned to
her and swept her off of her feet and swung her in a circle as she laughed in
delight and the golden leaves of an oak tree drifted gently around them.
It was
painfully obvious to Brenus that his family did not share in his delight when
he told them that he was soon to wed. Judoc questioned him at length regarding
Melisande’s origins and beliefs. He stated that she was an orphan but would now
have him by her side. As to her beliefs, he realized with a start that he had
no idea what they were. So entranced was he by her that it had never occurred
to him to interrogate her about such things.
Dag found that
statement inexcusable.
“Do you mean
to tell me,” he bellowed, “that you did not ask her what God she serves? Or if
she serves a God at all? How could you not ask such a thing?”
Brenus was
both embarrassed and angered by the interrogation. Perhaps he was slack
to have omitted such a question. But surely he was old enough to decide such
matters for himself!
Judoc sided
with her husband.
“Tis true,
Brenus,” she nodded her head. “You must be sure to take a bride who will serve
Dominio with you, or the union will be cursed.”
“Oh, come now,
surely that is too strong a word!” Brenus protested.
“No, it is
not,” Dag confirmed. “If you do not both serve Him, no fruit will come of it.
Except for evil.”
Inwardly
Brenus scoffed, but he did not dare to disagree openly with Dag. He was a man
highly respected in the village of Leith and the surrounding territory, and he
had always been taught to revere his elders. And Dag had been a
“Melisande,”
he began.
She turned to
him with a slight smile, and the words tumbled from his lips.
“Oh,
Melisande! My darling Melisande: will you marry me?”
Such an abrupt
declaration of his feelings had not been his intent, but he did not have Cort’s
gift with words and the bluntness of his speech at least bespoke his sincerity,
even if it did not ring with the romantic cadences that most maidens desired.
Her eyes
widened, and she suddenly laughed. But it was a laugh of joy, he saw, and not
of mockery. He had feared that she would rebuff his rude proposal, but such was
not the case he noted with relief.
“Why, yes…of
course, I will,” she said simply as her eyes sparkled in amusement. “When shall
we wed?
“You will? You
mean it?” Brenus fumbled, hardly daring to believe his good fortune. “As to
when, the sooner we are wed, the happier I shall be!”
They laughed
and turned to face one another, then clasped their hands and entwined their
fingers in the oneness that Brenus already sensed between them.
“Then let us
not delay, but marry as soon as it is possible!” Melisande exclaimed.
“Yes, we
shall!” Brenus laughed. “But first, we must tell my family. And what of yours?
Do you know, I just realized that you have not once mentioned anything of them
to me! Are they in your homeland still?”
Melisande’s
eyes darkened at the mention of family. Brenus could not believe that he had
never noticed such a glaring omission, when the custom was to relate the
details of family to strangers in order to establish the stranger as a person
of respectability.
Melisande,
however, merely shrugged her shoulders.
“There is
nothing to tell of them,” she said with an air of nonchalance. “My parents are
both dead, and I have no siblings. Therefore, I had nothing to relate to you
and am alone in the world.”
As she said
this last, he noticed that her lips narrowed and her chin appeared to quiver.
Compassion stirred within him, and with it the desire to protect and shelter
his love.
“Oh,
Melisande,” he whispered tenderly. “My dear Melisande. How lonely you must be
at times.”
And he took
her hand and kissed it, then stroked it with his fingers.
“Yes, I am at
times,” she said with a trace of tears in her eyes. “But no more, because I
shall have you , Brenus!”
“You shall
indeed!” he exulted.
And he turned to
her and swept her off of her feet and swung her in a circle as she laughed in
delight and the golden leaves of an oak tree drifted gently around them.
It was
painfully obvious to Brenus that his family did not share in his delight when
he told them that he was soon to wed. Judoc questioned him at length regarding
Melisande’s origins and beliefs. He stated that she was an orphan but would now
have him by her side. As to her beliefs, he realized with a start that he had
no idea what they were. So entranced was he by her that it had never occurred
to him to interrogate her about such things.
Dag found that
statement inexcusable.
“Do you mean
to tell me,” he bellowed, “that you did not ask her what God she serves? Or if
she serves a God at all? How could you not ask such a thing?”
Brenus was
both embarrassed and angered by the interrogation. Perhaps he was slack
to have omitted such a question. But surely he was old enough to decide such
matters for himself!
Judoc sided
with her husband.
“Tis true,
Brenus,” she nodded her head. “You must be sure to take a bride who will serve
Dominio with you, or the union will be cursed.”
“Oh, come now,
surely that is too strong a word!” Brenus protested.
“No, it is
not,” Dag confirmed. “If you do not both serve Him, no fruit will come of it.
Except for evil.”
Inwardly
Brenus scoffed, but he did not dare to disagree openly with Dag. He was a man
highly respected in the village of Leith and the surrounding territory, and he
had always been taught to revere his elders. And Dag had been a
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