Episode 122 A Lifetime Ago
A Lifetime Ago
As the evening wears on, Elowyn dozes off and on in Rominy’s lap, and he holds her close. Whatever possessed him to invite her to curl up with him like this is hard to define, but it felt right. Even as Mother’s face paled and Arisanna’s cheeks flamed.
Life is too short to waste time caring about being proper every minute of the day. Even an elven lifetime.
Eventually, Father stands so swiftly and easily that it’s hard to fathom. “I should turn in. I’ll be leaving on the early train tomorrow. Cerian, will you give your parents my regrets for not offering them a proper farewell?”
“Of course.”
“Will you return with Father?” Arisanna asks Mother, and Mother sighs.
“I hate to leave either of you, but even a queen has pressing matters to attend to. Besides, you will soon return to Lostariel, and I look forward to visiting you there before long.” She turns to Rominy.
“I’m still not thrilled that you’ll be gallivanting all over creation for who knows how long, but I suppose your father is right, and this will be good for you.
I’ll miss you.” She gently brushes Elowyn’s hair from her forehead.
“Both of you. I’m sure you’ll be up and about in no time. ”
Rominy’s heart warms at Mother’s words.
“I sure hope so,” Elowyn murmurs drowsily, and Rominy chuckles as he presses his lips to the top of her head.
They all say their goodbyes. Arisanna hugs Mother and Father in turn, and soon their parents are gone.
“We should let you rest,” Arisanna says. There’s a hint of sadness in her voice, but it’s doubtful most people would notice it. Did Cerian hear it?
Cerian reaches for Arisanna’s hand. Perhaps he did.
“Where did Tharios go?” Cerian asks. “I haven’t seen him in hours.”
“Where he is now is his own business,” Grandmera says from nearby. “We have all monopolized his time enough lately.”
A smile sweeps over Rominy’s face at her words. What did she threaten him with this time to get him to leave Elowyn’s side?
Once Cerian and Arisanna are gone, Grandmera looks down at Rominy. Elowyn seems to have drifted off again.
“Will you manage alone tonight, or do you wish for company?” Grandmera asks.
A night alone with Elowyn? In the real world?
The thought is both wonderful and terrifying. If Tharios left, Elowyn probably doesn’t need any attention Rominy can’t give her, though.
“I think we’ll be all right.”
“I expect you to make wise choices, Rominy Montarac.” Grandmera stares him down, and he gulps.
This conversation didn’t suddenly grow awkward.
“That’s my plan,” he says. That was his plan earlier, too. Before Elowyn was suddenly kissing him.
He doesn’t say that part, though.
“Good,” Grandmera says. “Follow your plan. I will see you in the morning.”
The door closes behind her, and Rominy lets out a slow breath.
He should probably help Elowyn to bed. And get some sleep himself.
“Hey, love,” he whispers softly as he smooths her hair. “Are you ready to go to bed?”
“Where did everyone go?”
“To their own beds. It’s late.”
“And they left us?”
He struggles not to smile. “Apparently, we’re being allowed to fend for ourselves.”
She yawns. “I don’t know how to be bound in the real world.”
“What?”
“We barely knew each other when I got sick.”
She’s right, isn’t she? That feels like a lifetime ago.
“I imagine it’s much the same as in the heartlanding, though,” she murmurs as her eyelids grow heavy again.
“I guess we’re about to find out. Let’s get you to bed.”
He helps her off his lap, and she sways a little, but he quickly lifts her and carries her to the bed.
“Shower tomorrow?” she whispers.
“We’ll see.”
Stars above. Someone else might need to help her with that so they don’t light each other on fire.
Grandmera would not approve of that. It’s doubtful Tharios would, either.
Elowyn falls back to sleep as soon as Rominy tucks her in, and he stretches his stiff back before readying for bed himself. As he pulls his shirt over his head, Elowyn’s name on his wrist catches his eye, and he smiles.
Perhaps Tharios can use his life magic to make it permanent.
For now, Rominy crawls into bed beside Elowyn. She’s waiting for him in the heartlanding. The thought makes him smile as he drifts off to sleep.
When the door to their suite is closed behind them, Arisanna looks around at the garden Cerian created in this hidden room. Every time they step inside, it’s more spectacular than the last time.
“Your eyes hold the same sadness they did when we left Levina,” Cerian whispers as he wraps his arms around her from behind, and she leans into his chest.
“Do they?”
“You miss your parents when we part.”
She sighs. “You’d think I’d be used to the idea of being apart from them. It was always my future. But saying goodbye is still hard.”
“Just because it’s expected doesn’t make it easy.”
A smile threatens to sneak up on her. “I believe you’ve said that to me before, my elven prince. On a train outside Levina.”
“A lifetime ago.”
It feels that way.
“Here are words I’ve never said to you before,” he whispers. He sounds almost nervous.
What in the world is he planning to say?
“Dance with me, Arisanna.”
She lifts her eyes to his over her shoulder, trying to hide her shock. “Dance?”
“You’ll have to teach me your human steps. And promise not to laugh when I fail miserably.” He presses his lips to hers before she can respond.
Is he trying to cheer her up? Distract her from the sadness of saying goodbye?
“You really want me to teach you how to dance?” she whispers when he pulls away from their kiss.
“I wish to relieve the sadness behind your eyes.”
“I love you, Cerian.”
“And I you. Will you teach me?”
How hard those words must be for him. She definitely feels his love tonight.
Turning in his arms, she looks up at him. “Take my right hand in your left one?”
He seems unsure of himself as he glances at her hand. She should have been more specific.
“Hold your left hand up here, like this.” She moves it into place, and he doesn’t resist. “Then I’ll put my hand here in yours.”
“And we just hold them in the air like that the entire time?”
“Most of the time. This must seem strange. How do elves dance?”
“It is...difficult to explain. There are many steps to memorize. I’m not good at remembering the steps.”
“Well, this should be easier. It’s just a few steps to remember. Now put your other hand on my back like this.” She moves his hand into place, and he smiles.
“This part is pleasant.” He pulls her against him, but she shakes her head.
“There needs to be air between us.”
“Why?”
“Because this would be considered scandalous, my elven prince.”
The press of his body to hers draws out her heat, but she adjusts to put space between them again.
“This is a very awkward position. And we never move closer?”
“Not in public. Stars above.”
“We’re not in public.” A teasing note coats his words, and she struggles not to smile.
“Learn it the right way first. Then perhaps we can try it a little closer.”
“I will hold you to that,” he whispers in her ear, and a shiver races to her toes.
Breathing out slowly, she rests her left arm on his right one.
This truly is an odd position, now that she thinks about it.
“Now what?” he asks.
“Oh. I should have shown you the steps first. Here.” She drops her arms and pivots to his side. “This will be backward for me. Well, we’ll do our best.”
She lifts her skirt a little to demonstrate the simple pattern, and he frowns.
“I can’t see your feet at all.”
With a sigh, she lifts her skirt higher. “Better?”
“I think a little higher.”
She lifts her skirt even higher, and his lips twitch.
“Perhaps a little high—”
She smacks his arm, and he steals an impromptu kiss.
“I like your legs,” he whispers when he pulls away. “When I first saw you in that dress in the heartlanding, I struggled not to stare.”
“The day we got married? I thought you hated me.”
“I never hated you. I was terrified of you. I always loved your legs.”
A blush creeps up her cheeks, and she clears her throat and lifts her skirt again, a little higher this time. “How’s that?”
“Perfect. I’ll try to pay attention.”
She just smiles and demonstrates the steps again. He keeps looking expectantly at her feet before his eyebrows wrinkle.
“What?” she asks.
“Is that it?”
“It’s harder than it—”
But before she can finish, he copies her steps perfectly.
“All right, it’s not hard for you. Well done, Cerian. Now do it while you’re holding me.”
“With air between us.”
She tries not to smile too widely. “Yes, with air between us.”
“For now.” He takes her in his arms again, only needing slight coaching on his hand placement.
“Now you step,” she says. “Just as you did by yourself.”
“I’ll step on you.”
“I’ll step out of the way first. Watch. Step forward.”
Reluctantly, he complies, and she steps back as he steps forward.
“Ah. I see. So I just move, and you’ll stay out of the way?”
“Well, it’s a little more romantic than that. You use your hand on my back to direct me as you turn me across the floor. Just light pressure so I know where you’re leading me next. But master this part first.”
“So something like this?”
He steps forward, and she steps back. And he keeps going, each step perfectly matching what she showed him.
Stars above.
He’s already better at this than Rominy is. How complicated must elven dances be if this is so easy for him?
“I missed that step,” he mumbles.
“I couldn’t even tell. Cerian, you are good at this.”
“Is there more to it than this?”
“There are turns and spins, but—”
“Show me.”
“All right.” She demonstrates some more advanced moves for him, helping him with his hand placement.
But he picks it up just as quickly as everything else.
“So...like this,” he whispers near her ear before leading her in the most breathless dance she’s ever experienced. The more her heart pounds, the bigger his smile grows.
“If only we had music,” he says as he spins her back into his arms, only this time, he catches her against his chest and holds her there.
“No more space between us?”
“Nothing between us.” He finds her lips in a slow kiss, and she melts against him.
When he pulls away, she clings to his shoulder as he rests his cheek against her hair, and they sway to music that doesn’t exist.
“Meet me in the heartlanding?” he eventually whispers. “I have a good feeling about tonight.”
She looks up at his face. “You have a good feeling?”
He shrugs, but his lips twitch into a smile, and he pulls her close again.
What is he planning?
It’s another starry night when Elowyn opens her eyes in the heartlanding. A moonless sky shimmers above, almost purple, as twinkling lights stare back at her where she lies on their rocking sailboat.
It’s hard to tell in the dark, but they seem to be anchored in some sort of quiet cove with the sails lowered, which is new.
“Hey, love,” Rominy says as his face hovers over her, blocking her view of the stars.
Memories of his kisses and touch the last time they woke here make fire tingle in her veins. When he lifts her in his arms, she rests her head contentedly against him.
“You are delightful,” she murmurs.
“Really? I thought I was maddening.”
Then he tosses her into the placid water below.