"What are you laughing about?"
"I'm not laughing," she said as they seated themselves on the grass. "I’m thinking about how lucky I am to have you. You've given up your whole life to be with me, and I can't tell you what that means to me."
He laughed heartily. "I'm lucky you let me follow you around the way I do. And your father hasn't killed me for doing so.” He drifted into a thoughtful silence. “There was no life for me back there," he finally said, his face full of acceptance and showing no sign of regret. "My life is with you, Terra."
She put her hand on his cheek. "Even if my father won't consent to marriage?"
"Even if your father marries you off to someone else," he promised, "I would still follow you to the edge of the worlds." He leaned in, kissing her softly at first and then more earnestly. He laid her back against the grass, lining her chin with small kisses before a final one on the tip of her nose. "Do you think he ever will?"
Terrena turned her head away from his, blinking back tears. She wanted to stay like this forever. She wanted to remain Terra. She didn't want to be Terrena or return to her life in Anscombe. With each year that passed, the day when the choice would no longer be hers grew closer. "It was eighteen years ago," she whispered.
“What?” He wiped a stray tear from her cheek before it reached her ear.
She stared off into the distance, remembering. "When we left, my father and I."
"Why did you leave?" he asked.
"We had to," she answered simply. "We weren’t safe there anymore."
"Because of what your father is?" At the panicked look she gave in response to his question, he elaborated. "Come now, Terra. Did you think I wouldn't notice he was Athucrean? I know the laws forbidding him from having a child like you. It doesn't matter to me," he assured her as tears began to form in her eyes. "I love you just the way you are, part Athucrean or not. I will never let anyone bring any harm to you or your father so long as I am around."
She pressed her lips together, overwhelmed with emotion at the amount of blind devotion he showed them both. "I know you won't. I promise I will repay you for your loyalty one day."
He chuckled at her vow. "I hardly think repayment is necessary, Terra. It's what you do when you love someone."
They both let their heads drift back to the grass so they were looking at the stars with their hands intertwined, content to let the silence surround them for a few moments.
He turned back to her, his face full of question. "Do you think you'll ever go back?"
She looked to him, intensely, as though she were trying to burn the image of him like this into her mind. She traced the line of his jaw, a thin scruff covering his chin from where he hadn't shaved in almost a day, letting her fingers find the hair hanging around his ears. "I hope not."
Weeks later, as the village began preparations for the Samhain celebrations, Terrena woke up with a bad feeling. It was the kind of feeling that rooted itself in your chest, taking hold and making a nest so it might grow as time goes on. She had first gotten the sensation only a few days after Lugnasad. Terrena had been asked to help them prepare for the Samhain festival since she had proven her hand at making wreaths. In preparation for the fire festival to come, there was talk of the feast they would attempt to prepare with the bakers and butchers, who would be offering their finest products, and discussion about which activities to partake in.
Much to Terrena's surprise, this year they decided the bonfire in the town center would be lit in honor of the Ainnir Zelene and her twin Ainnir Ariana, both were born under the sign of Fire in their elemental calendar year. Eighteen years had passed since their birth on Samhain. The people wished to light the fire in the hopes they would soon be brought back safe to Anscombe, a silent prayer to the Mhathair Mhor, the Great Mother herself, to protect them until their return to
"I'm not laughing," she said as they seated themselves on the grass. "I’m thinking about how lucky I am to have you. You've given up your whole life to be with me, and I can't tell you what that means to me."
He laughed heartily. "I'm lucky you let me follow you around the way I do. And your father hasn't killed me for doing so.” He drifted into a thoughtful silence. “There was no life for me back there," he finally said, his face full of acceptance and showing no sign of regret. "My life is with you, Terra."
She put her hand on his cheek. "Even if my father won't consent to marriage?"
"Even if your father marries you off to someone else," he promised, "I would still follow you to the edge of the worlds." He leaned in, kissing her softly at first and then more earnestly. He laid her back against the grass, lining her chin with small kisses before a final one on the tip of her nose. "Do you think he ever will?"
Terrena turned her head away from his, blinking back tears. She wanted to stay like this forever. She wanted to remain Terra. She didn't want to be Terrena or return to her life in Anscombe. With each year that passed, the day when the choice would no longer be hers grew closer. "It was eighteen years ago," she whispered.
“What?” He wiped a stray tear from her cheek before it reached her ear.
She stared off into the distance, remembering. "When we left, my father and I."
"Why did you leave?" he asked.
"We had to," she answered simply. "We weren’t safe there anymore."
"Because of what your father is?" At the panicked look she gave in response to his question, he elaborated. "Come now, Terra. Did you think I wouldn't notice he was Athucrean? I know the laws forbidding him from having a child like you. It doesn't matter to me," he assured her as tears began to form in her eyes. "I love you just the way you are, part Athucrean or not. I will never let anyone bring any harm to you or your father so long as I am around."
She pressed her lips together, overwhelmed with emotion at the amount of blind devotion he showed them both. "I know you won't. I promise I will repay you for your loyalty one day."
He chuckled at her vow. "I hardly think repayment is necessary, Terra. It's what you do when you love someone."
They both let their heads drift back to the grass so they were looking at the stars with their hands intertwined, content to let the silence surround them for a few moments.
He turned back to her, his face full of question. "Do you think you'll ever go back?"
She looked to him, intensely, as though she were trying to burn the image of him like this into her mind. She traced the line of his jaw, a thin scruff covering his chin from where he hadn't shaved in almost a day, letting her fingers find the hair hanging around his ears. "I hope not."
Weeks later, as the village began preparations for the Samhain celebrations, Terrena woke up with a bad feeling. It was the kind of feeling that rooted itself in your chest, taking hold and making a nest so it might grow as time goes on. She had first gotten the sensation only a few days after Lugnasad. Terrena had been asked to help them prepare for the Samhain festival since she had proven her hand at making wreaths. In preparation for the fire festival to come, there was talk of the feast they would attempt to prepare with the bakers and butchers, who would be offering their finest products, and discussion about which activities to partake in.
Much to Terrena's surprise, this year they decided the bonfire in the town center would be lit in honor of the Ainnir Zelene and her twin Ainnir Ariana, both were born under the sign of Fire in their elemental calendar year. Eighteen years had passed since their birth on Samhain. The people wished to light the fire in the hopes they would soon be brought back safe to Anscombe, a silent prayer to the Mhathair Mhor, the Great Mother herself, to protect them until their return to
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