An Offering for the Champion Ch. 05

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A big thanks to Cassie69a and Happyyy_ for their huge help in editing!

If you're reading for the first time, I highly recommend reading chapters 1-4 first!

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Chapter 5: Reunions

The rain was cool on my face as I lay unfeeling on the road. The numbness was a relief; like fresh aloe on a burn, it soothed my aching heart and kept my mind from thinking about how the one I loved was marching towards his death. Minutes turned to hours and the droplets of water cascading from the canopy turned to puddles. The gentle trickle of water along with the strangely comfortable ground lulled me, and I sank into a deep sleep.

I stand in the center of town in a body and a mind that are not my own. I can see Queran approaching me through the rows of dark houses, his bronze bladed staff seems to burn in the golden evening light, and I can see the glint of gold on his hand. A sudden red-hot anger comes over me at the sight of the ring, but there is also a perverse satisfaction that those glimmers are the last remnants of light. Clouds gather to envelop the sky. Smoke blots at the last rays of the setting sun, but the chimneys are cold.

My gaze lowers to the old crone who lays weeping on the ground. Such a pitiable creature. So full of delicious fear. She was apparently some friend to the harlot, and tonight she will be my source.

Inky tendrils streak out in all directions. The same I used to restrain the sad excuse of a fae long ago. He wavers at the sight, and my smirk widens. It's gratifying to know he still remembers. No matter how his whores console him, he'll bear the marks I left forever.

I draw deeper into the fears of the sniveling woman, drinking deep of her anxieties. It's an intoxicating feeling. This town I've so long ignored will make quite a feast once the fight is done.

Crows and vultures begin to circle overhead, eager for their carrion. A cry goes up. The vision fades.

I woke with a start, still laying on the muddy ground. I sputtered and spat out the droplets of rainwater that had fallen in my mouth. I had a feeling that I should remember something from my dream. It had seemed important, but it was as if it was sealed away. A few paces away there was a gray-haired older man- human, one of the people we'd seen around Acera's godswood. He knelt with his hands covering his face, and I could see blood staining the tears trickling between his fingers.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry-" He babbled, bordering on incoherence.

Raanrealt lay on the ground next to him, blood staining its keen edge. I ran over to him and took his bloodied hand. The wound was fairy deep, but it bled a lot. Years of studying as an apothecary came back and I moved on instinct, putting pressure on the wound, helping him through the path towards the central building where I could stitch it back. The closer we got, the more the man seemed to relax. He stopped his incessant apologies and by the time we reached the house I had to restrain him from trying to use his injured hand normally. I knew Mary cultivated a few plant varieties that could produce a similar effect when consumed, but this seemed to be the natural effect of this whole land.

I knocked on the door to the lichen-covered building and it took only a moment for Acera to meet me. She looked back and forth between me and the injured man. Her face wrinkled with worry.

"Harold? Are you alright?"

"Quite alright ma'am. I'll be getting back to work!"

I grabbed a firm hold of him before he could walk off. "He injured his hand. Do you have needle and thread anywhere I can use?"

Acera reached her hand to the man and whispered a word. I watched in amazement as the skin knit back together.

"Why don't you get back to work inside now, Harold. I'll take care of cleaning along the path today."

Harold nodded and set off towards some job or another, his steady plodding betraying nothing of the man who had been bent over, weeping and apologizing. Acera's gaze settled on me now, at first seeing the band of light on my finger. I spoke up, filling the silence.

"He seemed really upset before we got here."

"You're not wearing your dagger?" She brushed my implicit question aside, her voice turned upwards at the end, making it a question of her own. She looked more than slightly worried.

I paused to choose my words. "I was... distressed. It feels better without it. I think he cut himself on it."

Acera sighed, and for a while it seemed like she might not say anything at all, but she continued.

"Walk with me." She began to take slow strides back the way I had come. "What distresses you? Your courtship seems to have gone well enough. Are you having second thoughts?"

"What? No! Of course not!" I had to fight the truth out of myself. "I was scared for Queran, since he's going back to fight his wife."

Acera's eyes shot open at that, and she swore in a language I didn't recognize. "When did he leave?"

I tried my best to come to any answer. How long had I been asleep? It was still light out when I woke, but the rain was gone. Had I slept through the night? Multiple nights? I couldn't tell. Her worried expression and sharp questioning were making me nervous through the fog concealing the pain. "I- I don't know. A few hours after you made me that ring."

My voice trailed off and Acera looked dismayed. "Calliope, that was two days ago." She looked down and seemed to notice for the first time that Raanrealt wasn't with me. She looked taken aback. "Surely Queran warned you to keep your blade with you here. Do you understand why?"

I thought about the man- Harold. "People don't feel pain while under your power. Harold might have hurt his hand worse if he had kept using it."

"That's a piece of it, and it will suffice for now. My servant was upset because touching your blade brought back to light anguish from his past. For him to stay here, it's a mercy." Her face had grave concern writ large. "But you- you haven't lost anything yet."

I stared back blinking. Surely, she couldn't be suggesting I follow Queran, could she?

"Are you saying I should chase after him? But what can I do? The one time I met her I nearly jumped off a cliff in fear."

She didn't relent. "It is your choice. You can stay and forget your woes, or you can make a difference to your husband."

The words struck like a hammer blow, dispersing the haze in my mind a little. Enough that a few painful shards of thought peaked through. Queran's last words to me echoed in my mind, Goodbye, but not farewell. Then the image in my mind came back of Queran holding our child. That was a future I wanted. I felt fresh tears at the corners of my eyes. That future might die with him.

Acera's face immediately turned pitying. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

I tried to brush it away, but the tears wouldn't relent. She embraced me and I couldn't keep it in any more. Between the sobs I managed to choke out, "I saw our child. I dreamt of him holding our baby. I can't lose him."

Acera stiffened but said nothing. She simply continued her embrace until my tears had run dry. "You should go to him. That is what I think you already know. You aren't as helpless as you think."

I let out a small sniffle. "But how would I even catch up to him?"

The wizened fey looked like she was holding back the punchline to a particularly good joke. "I don't think that will be too difficult."

As if on cue, I began to hear the sound of distant hoofbeats approaching at a full gallop. My tired eyes went wide as I glimpsed the approaching horse- it was Nelly! Queran's horse stopped just short of the two of us, rearing back in a display of power and grace. She had a defiant look about her, as if she wanted to personally punish Yuva for the audacity of attacking those under her master's protection. I wished I could share her confidence, but it was an inspiring sight all the same.

I looked back to Acera, her kindly eyes reminded me of... something. It felt like there was something important that I couldn't remember. She embraced me again and, speaking softly, said, "My blessings go with you, child. You'll make me proud."

Would Mary have said something similar if she could still talk, hardly two weeks and a lifetime ago? I hugged her back tightly, then climbed onto Nelly's back to set off again. Somehow, she came already wearing her saddle, with packs of necessary supplies ready. We trotted down the path to the exit, and I saw where my knife lay down. It shimmered with frost as I dismounted, and I felt a surge of trepidation as I went to retrieve it.

How much was this place still bandaging the painful memories? What would I remember when I picked it up? Before I could consider it anymore and lose myself again, I reached and snatched it up. The last of the fog fled my mind, and I suddenly recalled a dream of a smoking sky, a bound and weeping woman, and inky black coils of roiling hate. That was no dream. It was far too real for that. It was a premonition, I was certain.

There was no fear in me. Only a burning hot anger. I would kill her for hurting Mary. In my white-hot rage, I turned to Nelly and whispered. "I am going to kill her."

I climbed again onto the horse's back, and we set off, leaving the comfort of Acera's woods behind. Nelly galloped faster than I'd ever seen before, hooves thundering in challenge to anyone who would get in our way; so fast I had to hold on for dear life.

She kept that pace for a full day's ride. In total we stopped only twice for water and for Nelly to eat. By the time the sun finally set I slid limply off her, my legs bowing. We were both exhausted, with only the fire of our anger for fuel. I grabbed an apple from the saddle bag and fed it to her as well as some berries for me. I was glad to have food that didn't need a fire.

We made camp on a small brush-covered ridge west of the river that provided a good vantage point to see anyone coming while also providing some cover from unfriendly eyes.

"Get what rest you need." I said gently to the flagging horse. "I know you'll wake me when it's time to go."

Yes, I will. Came a deep voice in my head, half imagined, as I slowly dozed away.

I'm standing next to Queran in a forest grove that I've never seen before. It feels different from his Godswood. Everything there feels cool and crisp. This place is noticeably warm and humid. Queran kneels at the foot of a tree. He isn't crying, but something in his posture radiates a profound wordless sorrow. I want to give him comfort. I want to run to him and tell him that everything will be alright, but I can't. Something in me knows he needs to grieve in his own way.

He stands on shaky legs and returns to my side, having paid his respects. He says something to me, but the words are muddled, and I cannot make sense of them. Without knowing why, I am hit sorely with the same grief he feels.

The sun was still hours from rising when a sense of general alarm came over me. Nelly snorted a low sound and fought against her shaking legs to get up into a kneeling position. It only took a moment to see the problem. Huddled around a fire, half a dozen tall men with sallow, gray skin were camped along the riverside road, perhaps half a mile away. They carried long wooden clubs. They probably wouldn't notice us if we stood still, but we would need to rejoin the road to cross the river eventually, and every moment we remained was time counting down until I could reach Queran.

I swore under my breath. Even one was too many for me to fight, and they knew this land better than I did. But I had to get past them somehow. My breathing grew faster, and I felt myself begin to panic. I could die here without ever reaching my love again.

Slow your breathing. They have keen ears. Came the same deep voice I half remembered while falling asleep. I swiveled my head, looking for the source of it, but there was nobody there.

Nelly's ears flicked in irritation, and I blinked. "Who's there?" I asked, quietly questioning my sanity.

Me. Who else would it be? You've spent the last weeks with living faeries, and you balk at a thinking horse? Though the words were harsh, there was a small note of amusement in the voice.

I flushed and whispered, "I've just never spoken with a horse before; I thought I might be losing my mind."

That remains to be seen, but not on my account. You're simply finally learning to listen.

I stuck my tongue out at her, profiting me only a low chuckling sound in my head. "Any ideas on how to get past them?"

I can outrun them, but it doesn't do any good if I'm running towards them.

I nodded; they were all ahead of us as far as I could tell. I tried to picture the landscape around us. "We could backtrack. There's a shallow section about three miles behind us."

And if they're on the far side, too?

I considered risking it, but Nelly was right. It was too dangerous. "What about a diversion? They'd probably investigate if I built a fire"

Who starts a fire at this time of night? They aren't stupid. They would know something is wrong.

I swore again under my breath and lay down, angled on the ridgeline opposite our adversaries. I counted out trees trying to quiet my nerves. We had a few hours until we would have left, but we couldn't afford to wait much longer after that.

"Pine, spruce, poplar..." I muttered to myself, rattling off the different species, then stopped, seeing an unusual variety. "Sleep thistle? This far north?"

I motioned for Nelly, who turned her head to face me. "You see those trees over there? With the spiny fruits?"

Nelly didn't respond, but a mix of emotions poured into my mind. Grief, respect, dawning understanding.

Not comprehending the outburst, I whispered to Nelly, "I'm going to get a better look."

I took a strip of cloth from the saddle bag and scanned in all directions that I could see from my vantage point. All clear. Still crouching out of caution, I slowly made my way down into the valley. The air took on a warmer, humid feeling despite the early spring chill elsewhere.

When I reached the unusual trees, I stared curiously. There was a pattern to the sleep thistles' arrangement. They weren't here naturally- they were planted deliberately. But by whom? Their cultivation was illegal without expressed permissions, though the reach of the King's Law was less here in the mountains. The fruits' skins contained a sort of purple oil that could be used as a dye. But what gave the tree its name was the inside of the unfertilized fruit, which contained a potent hallucinogen. Consuming them could be deadly, but when burned it released fumes that induced vivid hallucinations and delirium. I found myself praying that this little grove was cultivated for the drug.

One by one I checked them. All females. All fruit producing, not pollen producing. I breathed out in relief. The early fruits would be perfect. I carefully plucked a few dozen of the purple fruits using the cloth I'd taken and tucked them into the pockets of my dress with a silent thanks that Queran had insisted on them. The cloth was stained a faint purple just from handling the fruits.

I made my way carefully back up to the top of the ridge.

"Do not eat these." I whispered firmly to Nelly, carefully removing them spiny fruits and placing them on the ground. "Can you shrug off the saddle bags on your own?"

Nelly huffed. Easily enough. Just don't tie it down.

"You'll need to get up to them and throw it off into their fire and then bolt. If you can manage it, they won't be in a state to give chase."

Another huff.

"Unless you have a better idea."

It took only a few minutes to unpack all the remaining food from the bags and refill them with the grape sized fruits. As soon as they were ready, I gave Nelly a pat and she began to trot down the slope, circling back a little ways.

I made my slow way down the north face of the ridge, hoping the green of my dress would help camouflage me as the sky began to purple. The figures didn't seem to give any notice of me. In the back of my mind, I could somehow tell where Nelly was like a tiny itch. She approached slowly towards their camp, unconcerned, not giving any indication that anything was amiss.

I climbed up the next hill as I heard the alarmed sounds of the mountain men. I shrank against the brush, but it they weren't looking at me. They had finally seen Nelly approaching calmly. I took the opportunity to scramble up and down the hill, putting as much distance between them and me before the sun rose.

Strange giggles rose up from behind me and I risked a look back. I could feel Nelly bolting now even if I hadn't seen it, and the grey haze of smoke was evident all around the campsite. The men were in various states of dazed confusion. I breathed freely. It had worked. They were in no position to pursue us.

I ran down towards the riverside, the flowy frills of my dress streaming behind me. Nelly waited for me on the road, looking very pleased with herself.

"Here's hoping that's the last we see of them," I prayed.

The sun rose as we continued at the same breakneck speed. It wasn't long before across the river the tall trees of Queran's Godswood were visible across the way. I felt my heart fall as I saw a thick pillar of smoke rising from the center.

He wouldn't have stopped before heading to the village. He can't be dead. He was in the vision. I tried to console myself, anything to convince myself that he couldn't be gone.

Nelly traversed the river in the shallows near the Godswood, familiar ground for her. She seemed to notice my distress as she slowed to cross. He isn't in there. She reassured.

We pressed on, refusing to let the omen stop us. I began to recognize landmarks. The spot in the river I had waded helplessly into trying to escape bandits, the campsite I'd slept at during my initial journey.

The sun was low, and clouds were gathering as we caught our first glimpses of the village in the fading evening light. There was a trail of smoke rising as well, the same I'd seen in my vision. I saw a figure approaching the town. He was too far ahead to reach in time. I realized with a sense of foreboding dread that we were too late. Nonetheless, Nelly kept up her pace.

The sun slipped below the horizon, and I could just barely make out the silhouette of the ink-black tendrils of Yuva's magic streaking through the air. From the edge of town I watched as Queran danced and evaded their grasp with practiced precision. I dismounted Nelly, who gave a whining noise.

I spoke to the incredible beast. "You did amazing. Go now. While you're this tired you'll just get hurt if you stay."

Nelly didn't object and began to walk back the way we had come.

Please. Came her voice in my head. Save him.

I turned back to where my husband continued to evade left and right, slowly approaching his cackling wife. I paused to collect myself, drawing Raanrealt from its sheath. The foreboding feeling abated slightly as the dagger shielded me from the cacophony of fey magic.

If I could get close, I could kill her with Raanrealt, but she was surrounded by those tendrils of energy. I thought hard for any other way, but there was none.

I slipped carefully between houses, treading light and quick upon the hard earth. I heard the cries of birds, the same I had heard in my vision, as a murder of crows descended upon me.

"I've seen this one before," I murmured to myself, slashing Raanrealt down.

The slash seemed to leave a gouge in the air, like a score mark, exposing a layer beneath. The illusory sky full of birds peeled away and I grinned. She wouldn't get me so easily this time.

I circled in my approach, coming from the north side of town towards Yuva's blind side. This would be the culmination of Queran's gift to me. I brandished the cold iron dagger, glittering like ice by the pale light of my ring. I sprang forward at a sprint, just a few paces from Yuva. No longer hidden in the cover of the buildings, I could see Mary at Yuva's feet. She was just as she had been in my vision. The apothecary's eyes went wide with disbelief and hope as they met mine, and for a moment, Yuva's magic faltered. Queran slashed at a tendril and for a split second he looked up and saw me. Yuva saw him shift his gaze. I was so close. She turned, and with a shout, slammed her magic into my side just moments before I could finish the fight.

The impact caught me completely at unawares, knocking the blade from my hand. The black wisps bound my arms and legs, holding me aloft. I heard a cry of dismay. I thrashed at my restraints, but it was no use, I had failed. Mary wailed as best she could, and I could feel Yuva's terror begin to set in again.

I fought madly against it. I pictured how the magic had faltered when Mary had seen me and focused only on the apothecary who had been my only friend. I remembered how in my vision, Yuva had been using her as a source, and I was struck by an idea. I widened that focus to include Queran, still fighting for every inch closer he could get to us. I closed my eyes, using the memory of him to drown out all else. I felt the fear leave me. In that moment without seeing, the wisps binding me in place felt so alike to Queran's vines.

I felt a lurch, and for a moment I was falling. Her inky grasp had slipped for a moment. It was working. I pictured my husband's bronze, muscular chest and pure green eyes. I thought of his unfailing politeness, his comforting embrace, his every effort to make certain this was what I wanted.

I slipped again, and when I opened my eyes, I could see that the magic had all but faded. Even the sky seemed brighter as the moon peeked through the clouds and smoke. Queran sprung forward, agile as a cat and tackled Yuva to the ground. They rolled, first Queran on top, then Yuva, back and forth. Mary made a dash away from the fray. Yuva cackled as she emerged triumphant, pinning Queran to the ground.

I scrambled for Raanrealt, finding the gleaming blade buried hilt up in the ground beside me. I drew it forth and came up from behind as Yuva laughed into my husband's face, relishing in forcing him to relive the worst moment of his life. With cold fury, I held the dagger up in both hands and plunged it down into the woman's back.

It sunk deep, and I felt a sharp snap, like hot iron shattering in a quench. Yuva lurched backwards in a silent scream. Black ichor gurgled and gushed from the wound, staining my hand and oozing to the ground where it hissed and smoked as it dripped. My hands burned where it touched me, and I felt woozy. The world began to spin, the edges of my vision receding into darkness. I fell upon the ground, and the last thing I saw before waking was the green of Queran's eyes.

The sky was still dark when I woke again, but the clouds had passed, and I could see the stars above. I felt a gentle rocking and the strong arms of Queran beneath my back and legs, carrying me bridal style to one of the houses. I stared up at him, practically swooning. He noticed my gaze and lifted my back higher, kissing my forehead.

"My hero." He whispered, his voice was thick with emotion.

"W-where are-" I tried to ask, but Queran silenced me with another kiss.

He took up a tone laden with smooth honey. "Don't try to push yourself. Relax now. You are safe, your village is safe, I'm taking you to your friend the apothecary. She wanted to look at your hand. Rest is what you need now."

Despite his words, my head now buzzed with the mingled relief for my village and my lover, together with the deep burning his kisses had lit inside me. He came to Mary's shop and laid me down on the same long table I'd once examined people on.

A disheveled Mary returned from the back of the shop with a bowl of warm water and a cloth. Seeing how I stared at Queran, she shot him with a sharp glance. He took the meaning and waited outside. I watched mournfully as he left, but knew it was for the best. I doubted I would be able to rest without trying to throw myself at him if he stayed.

She took my hand and washed it with a mechanical efficiency. The water was soothing on my stinging hand. I looked down at the damage: there was a wide swath of reddened skin, but no deep damage that would a real concern. She applied a salve and wrapped a bandage around my hand and then stared at me, concerned.

I'd known her long enough to know what she meant by that. Since she couldn't talk, I'd had to learn to understand her by her different glances and gestures. This look was the same one she'd given me every time I'd dated a boy.

"He's been nothing but gentle and kind to me." She looked back at me, unconvinced.

I held up my left hand, the sunlight ring glowing. She stared at it incredulously, then back to me. Even if she had any teeth left, she'd be at a loss for words.

I flushed crimson. "There wasn't much time for a ceremony... I asked him only just before he set out to come back here."

Her eyebrow shot up, she pointed a wrinkled finger at me, then outside.

"Yes, I asked him." I sighed. "I can't expect you to trust him immediately, but he had every opportunity to use force but respected my choices every time."

I reached to my belt to try and draw Raanrealt from its sheath, but of course it wasn't there. I gave up the effort, realizing the futility. "He gave me the dagger I used back there specifically so I wouldn't do anything before I was ready."

Mary relented and held up her hands in a placating gesture. No longer under the effects of Queran's charms, I felt in my bones just how weary I was. It was well past midnight after two days of hard riding. I let my eyes slide shut. The wooden table beneath me felt as comfortable now as the pillow mattresses in the tree rooms of Acera's woods. Within moments, a soft blanket was laid over me and I slept soundly.

I woke to a calm and comfortable silence. Sun streamed in through the glass windows of the apothecary. My hand itched beneath the bandages but no longer stung. My mouth was dry, and before I could say a word, Mary was there with a bowl and ladle. I tried to sit up to sip, but Mary pushed me back to the table sternly. I reluctantly lay back, allowing her to skillfully pour the bitter liquid into my mouth. I recognized some sort of chalky bark, probably willow.

"Fresh water?" I rasped out, my voice weak from disuse. How long had I been asleep?

Mary nodded and retrieved a second bowl. I sipped eagerly at the clean water, flushing the bitter grits and swallowing.

I spoke again, hopeful. "Am I permitted a visitor today?"

Mary stiffened, then shook her head adamantly. What could that mean? My injuries were minor, and I wasn't delirious. What reason did she have to keep me alone? I opened my mouth again to speak, but she put a finger to my lips, silencing the question before I could ask. With a gesture to her stomach, she asked if I was hungry. I wasn't ready to give up on my questions, but I could tell she wasn't going to give me any hints. I nodded. I was famished after all. two days of scant travel rations had left me as hungry as I could remember being.

She retreated into the back room of the shop and quickly brought back a bowl of hearty stew. She scooped up a ladle full of the broth, blew on it gently, and carefully lowered the contents to me. Once that was done, there came small bites of small cut meats and vegetables. I remembered making this same recipe while I'd worked here, helping patients recover. When the bowl was emptied, she sat down again, going back to whatever activity she'd been working on when I woke.

"Mary, I really am okay... I'd like to see Queran." I tried to sound as unimposing as I could, though it was difficult since my voice still felt strange in my own throat.

Another pause, and Mary shook her head again firmly.

I let out a small sigh of frustration. My request wasn't entirely innocent, and some part of me thought she might know. The bandages on my right hand would make it difficult to pass the time as many of our patients would try to when they thought we couldn't hear them.

I tried a different tact. "Is it recovering well?"

She gave a small nod, then held up a finger: another full day of observation. I groaned internally, knowing she wouldn't back down from that assessment.

I tried falling back asleep, but now my mind was buzzing. I closed my eyes to no avail

"Do you know when everyone is coming back?" I asked, trying to distract myself from thoughts of my husband.

Mary gave a shrug, then held up three fingers, then four. I nodded. They would have to get word that things were safe again before they started the trek back.

"How have you been since... well, everything... since I had to leave."

I felt a little guilty that it had only occurred to me now to ask. My first questions had been about my lover of three weeks, not my friend of three years.

Mary paused in her crafting and drew out a slip of paper. She scribbled a note on it, like she did whenever she needed to say something more complicated than she could communicate with glances and gestures.

I took the note in my unbandaged left hand when she was done. Her letters were neat and small.

I've missed you a lot. I was worried in the beginning, until the champion came down and started asking everyone about you. It set my mind at ease knowing that he was at least trying to make you comfortable.

He had a word with your parents the first night he was here. I couldn't tell you what he said, but your father has apparently given up drinking. I think he wanted to do right by them- to make sure that losing you didn't break them. He finished clearing out those marauders and everything seemed to be okay for a while.

I stared at the second part. He'd never told me about that.

Then the attacks started happening again. We were all worried something had happened to you. The mayor's son rode south to check on you and found the Godswood on fire. We assumed the worst.

I felt hot tears starting to well up in the corners of my eyes.

Seeing you show up again, sneaking behind that wretched woman- it felt like seeing an angel. What happened while you were with him?

I took a deep breath, recalling the whole ordeal. I told her about his gifts when he returned, how his wife- the wretched woman as Mary had called her- had shown up that night and how Queran had saved me from her. I told her how we had fled to a safe place until we heard about more people attacking the village.

"I saw you." I blurted out, nearing the end of my story.

Mary cocked her head the same way a dog does when confused.

"After Queran left- I can't explain it. I saw you in town the night we returned." I paused. "That was when I made up my mind to come back."

Now it was Mary's turn to tear up. I held out my arms as best I could for a hug, and she practically jumped to return it.

"I missed you, too." I whispered into her shoulder, the tears now spilling in earnest.

A long hug and cry turned out to be exactly what my racing mind needed to be ready to rest again. I shifted back to get comfortable and slept soundly again.

When I awoke again, the bandage had been taken off my hand. The skin beneath was dry and itchy, but whole. Mary entered the room again holding a brush with some sort of salve. Aloe maybe? She nodded to me, seeing I was now awake, and went on brushing it onto my hand. Once she was done, she scribbled out another note for me.

Your hand isn't fully healed, but it shouldn't need my attention anymore. You should be okay to go but keep your hand bandaged. No itching!

I stood up; coming to my feet again after resting for so long felt strange. I stretched, rolling my stiff neck out and making some satisfying popping sounds. I picked up the green dress that I'd worn all the way here from Acera's home. I'd spent who knows how long laying on the ground, riding, fighting, and sleeping, but Mary must have washed it because it was perfectly clean and smelled of lavender. I slipped into it and laced up the back with some difficulty before leaving the apothecary.

The town was eerily quiet as I wandered without anyone here. I wondered where Queran was. Knowing him I'd half expected him to be camped out right outside the door of the apothecary, but he was nowhere to be found. I decided to check at my family's house.

There was a broken window, but otherwise the house seemed undamaged. I shoved against the door, pushing it open. It was just like I'd remembered it, if a little messy from the panic of an evacuation.

"Queran?" I asked, raising my voice for him to hear.

But no answer came.

I began to search around. On the table was a rolled-up piece of paper, held together with a ring of braided gold. My heart sank at the sight of the ring I'd made for my husband. The note was written in neat, small letters that read:

Calliope,

I would have stayed to see you wake, but I'm certain your friend would have chased me off with a broom if I'd stayed a moment longer. I must earnestly beg your forgiveness for the danger I have caused you to endure, and I can put no claim to you after you rid me of my personal hell. I have offered this before, but with the threat to your home gone, I cannot discount the idea that you may reconsider. If you would be free of me, I will release you from my service and from our marriage.

Your dagger was destroyed during the fight, so I dare not ask you in person, but if you would still have me, I will wait for you. Nelly tells me you have been to the grove of nettle southwest of my Godswood. If you desire me still, you will find me there. I will wait for a turn of the moon- tonight's is a slightly waning gibbous-, or until you come to me.

You have gone above and beyond the duty that was given to you, and I have never been prouder of anyone in my many centuries. I shall be profoundly in your debt until the day I die, and I trust you know you may call on that as ever you see fit.

I hope earnestly to see you in the coming days.

Eagerly yours,

-Q

That idiot.

It took everything to be careful with my recovering body and not sprint to the south edge of town right then. I took the ring and made my way south along the lonely road towards Queran's Godswood.

It didn't take long to gather supplies. There was still plenty of food that the townsfolk couldn't carry with them. As soon as I reached the south end of town, Nelly was waiting patiently for me, eyeing me with a knowing expression. I mounted and we departed, taking my time, though my heart itched for me to send Nelly racing again.

It took three days at our pace to reach the small valley where Nelly and I had made camp. The sun had set, and a waxing half-moon had risen in the sky. Dismounting, I approached the grove of orderly trees.

He was just where he had said, waiting like a patient statue, but even through his pure green eyes, I could read his face well enough, brimming with hope.

I put a hand on my hip and asked expectantly, "A note?"

He looked abashed. "I didn't want to presume... but should I count this as an answer?"

I shook my head ruefully, wondering what I had ever done for him to doubt my affections. "I went to your house to keep my people safe. I went with you to Acera's to keep me safe. I didn't ask you to marry me for their sakes. I asked you, because Queran, I love you."

I spoke the words for the second time, like bookends around the darkest moments of my young life. Queran could only stare back in relief, then he strode confidently forward to embrace me.

He said nothing but pulled me in even tighter. It was intoxicating how close he was. I'd missed his cinnamon smell. When we finally ended the hug, I drew the ring out from my dress pocket and slid it onto his finger.

"What is this place?" I wondered aloud. "Nelly and I made camp right by that ridge, but I didn't expect these trees to be yours."

Queran's expression turned back to the reverence he'd showed before I arrived. He answered my question simply. "It is the tradition of my people to plant trees over the graves of your loved ones."

My mouth hung open for a moment. The other girls from the village. Was that why the trees had all been female? Female trees for female dead. I thought a silent remembrance for them, shoving down a pang of jealousy, replacing the feeling with a profound gratitude for their lives that had inadvertently helped me.

"Why sleep nettle?" There must have been less dangerous, less illegal trees to plant. Then again, what were mortal laws to a fey? I hastily added, "Not that I'm complaining. Your choice probably saved my life. We used the fruits to get passed some of Yuva's guards."

He looked wistful in response, then shrugged. "It just seemed right. I couldn't have explained it at the time, but if they saved you, then I chose well indeed."

Time passed in comfortable silence between us. Though so much remained unsaid, for this time, the silence was pure and peaceful. All was still besides the crickets serenading our reunion. The lights of distant stars mingled with the season's first fireflies. We laid on the moss-covered forest floor side by side, his arms wrapped around me. It felt like safety. With anyone else, I would have contented myself with a night of resting. Instead, my thoughts swam with the aching emptiness I felt in my core.

I shifted slightly, adjusting the way my hips pressed against him. Even through the layers that separated us, I could feel his arousal pressing into me. I pressed backwards into him, and I could hear his breath hitch. I could feel the shape of his thoughts: the way he wanted to consummate our marriage at long last, the way he craved my body, the restraint that bound him motionless beside me.

I grabbed a hold of one huge hand and brought it slowly to my breast at the same time as I again shifted my hips against him.

He mumbled into my ear, his words slurred with lust. "I might not be able to hold myself back if you keep this up."

That made my heart skip wildly. "Maybe I don't want you to."

He pawed lustily at my breast, kneading the flesh, then teasing my nipple with feather light touches. I whined as my dress blocked his hands' continued exploration. Annoyed at the fabric in my lover's way, I stood up to remove it. I held his gaze as I sensually undid the array of knots to remove the garment, letting the green fabric pool around my feet. The thin shift underneath was next to go, leaving me totally exposed.

Queran's clothes were on the ground beside him now as well. I drank in the sight of his sculpted bronze features. I bit my lower lip in anticipation as he stood up, towering over me. A single huge hand caressed my cheek, tilting my head up to stare at him while the other pulled me tighter to him. He was a veritable furnace against the cool night's cold. His throbbing manhood pressed into the skin of my stomach, where I ached to feel him.

"I need you." was all I could muster as rational thought faded into the background.

Queran didn't waste time. It must have been what he was waiting for, because as soon as the words left my lips, vines sprouted from the ground, lifting my feet like a step until I was eye level with the huge fey. He planted his face into mine, and his kissed drowned out all else. My body melted into him, and I could feel my thighs growing slick. I subtly adjusted my hips, allowing the tip of his cock to rest between my nether lips, moistening it with my arousal.

I mewled into Queran's kiss as I sank down inch by delicious inch onto him. I could feel myself stretching to accommodate his enormity. My eyes fluttered from the sensation of him inside me. My core clenched from the pleasure of his invasion. I was already so full, and I hadn't even reached his hilt. I pressed on, breaking off the kiss to press my body further down onto him.

Trusting Queran, I lifted a foot off the platform of flora he had conjured for me, wrapping the leg around him. At the same time, I gently pushed my lover backwards. He understood my intention and laid backwards into yet more plants which sprouted to cushion him as he leaned. I leaned over him, planting my legs beside him to ride him. Finally I lowered myself onto him in his entirety and began to move, up and down, setting a slow but steady rhythm.

I gazed down at my lover, his eyes full of adoration, and I recalled the purpose of my time with him. He may no longer need an heir with Yuva gone, but that was never why I had agreed. I remembered my vision of him holding our child, and wondered if that, too, had been prophetic.

I lowered myself against him, my modest breasts dangling to graze against his sculpted chest, and I whispered into his ear.

"I haven't taken the Maidensfriend in several days."

I could feel the outline of his thoughts pressing against me. Shock, arousal, concern, incredulity. In a lust-drunk whisper, I continued.

"Please, Queran. Bless me with your child."

I could feel him twitch inside me, betraying the effect my words had on him.

He spoke up through a strained voice.

"Are you certain?"

I nodded to him in my own wanton stupor and circled my pelvis, grinding his manhood inside me in a way that felt divine. He groaned from the added stimulation and raised his face to suckle at my nipple. The warmth of his mouth sent a tingling that ran up my spine, pulsing hot against the cool of the night.

He pulled away and kissed the swollen nub, then planted another kiss higher on my breast, then another on my collarbone. He slowly made his way up to my neck, kissing deeply, tasting the salt of my sweat. All the while I rode him steadily, wanting to finish it, wanting it to never end.

I rode harder and faster. I could feel my release coming, like a dam bursting under too much pressure. My hips spasmed and I would have fallen from my lover but for his fast embrace, holding me steady against his chest as wave after wave of miraculous pleasure filled me from the tips of my toes to the hair on my head. Everything thrummed with the violent ecstasy.

But my lover wasn't done yet.

Yet more vines slowly descended from the canopy above and cradled around me, letting me lay back without exertion. He got up from his reclining position and reentered me as I settled onto the swinging hammock he prepared for me.

Queran thrust against the end of my core, sending a jolt of pleasure and pain and setting the vines to rocking. The momentum from his thrust propelled me away, until his cock nearly slipped out entirely, then I came crashing back onto him as gravity took its inescapable grasp. We collided with another sharp jolt, setting a deliberate rhythm. The inexorable pangs deep in me set off sparks in my eyes, like staring into steel set to a grind stone. Still so fresh from my last climax, I gripped the vines to steady myself, already bracing for my next.

This time I could feel Queran straining against his limit as well. I flexed the muscles lining my pelvis, massaging his manhood inside me as my lover abandoned the slow pace for staccato bursts of energy. The bright glow of his consciousness radiated the sensation of pleasure into my mind. I could feel him growing closer and closer.

"Please." I begged, wrapping my legs around him, stopping the swinging of the hammock, keeping him as deep in me as possible. "Do it! Breed me!"

Our climaxes hit together. Not just at the same time, but as if some boundary in our minds had lifted. I could feel the way Queran's cock throbbed just as he could feel the churning of my own core expanding to accommodate the torrent of his release. In that glorious moment we were one consciousness in two bodies.

The vines began to slowly descend, cradling me to the ground, with my other half beside me. Once we rested safely, all of the flora dissolved into a fine, glinting mist that slowly dispersed in the night's breeze.

There was no need to speak. Just at a glance we could perceive each other's thoughts clearly. The question and answer passed between us in less than an instant. Our eyes brimmed with joyous tears, and we soon found sleep in each other's arms.

The sun was near its zenith when we woke, still nestled up together. I concentrated to feel the outline of Queran's thoughts again, but without the immediacy of our shared climax I could only feel the outside edges of his thoughts. Still, what I saw didn't upset me. Love and wonder and joy made up those edges, and for now that was enough.

We laid there, content for some hours still before we at last extricated ourselves from the embrace. I rolled my neck, straining from laying so long in one position. The light caught my eye curiously and I noticed the purple fruits of the sleep thistle trees. The fruit seemed rounder, no longer covered in the spiny protrusions. The fruits had been fertilized, but there were still no flowers in sight that could be responsible. I thought over the implication. Was this somehow an indication that last night's activities had worked?

Queran followed my eyes to the bulbous fruits, then came back to me, putting a hand on my stomach possessively. I felt myself melting all over again as he bent to kiss me. His voice was thick with emotion, musical as always, like rumbling drums pounding out the beat of a new life.

"You are the joy that breaks all fear, the bolt of lightning that dispels the dark, the love of my life."