A Sky of Spells

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Thorgrin made his way through the thick crowd of well-wishers surrounding Gwendolyn, hundreds of soldiers and subjects and nobles and lords and council members, all pressing on her, blocking her from all directions, all wanting to wish her well or to be heard about something. They all clearly looked to her as their queen now. As well they should, Thorgrin thought. Gwendolyn had led them through hard times, had demonstrated self-sacrifice and unwavering leadership, and had suffered travail in her own right, at her people’s expense. She had stared suffering in the face, and had not crumpled in the face of adversity. She had led her people to victory and had come out the other side.

Thor recalled what a great king her father had been, and it was clear to him that Gwendolyn was an even greater ruler. He was proud of her, so proud, as he pushed his way through, finding it difficult to even get close to her in this throng. She was clearly loved.

Thor did not want to take her away from all this, but he had to. He could not wait a moment longer. Now was the time to ask her.

“Gwendolyn,” he said, coming up beside her, Krohn at his heels.

She turned to him, and others parted ways as he stepped forward and stood beside her.

“Can I steal you away for a while?” he asked, smiling.

She smiled back. She leaned in and whispered in his ear: “I was hoping you would.”

Thor’s heart beat faster as he reached out, took her hand, and led the way through the thick crowd, their all parting ways for them, Krohn following. Gwen turned to her people, all watching, and said: “Go on, enjoy the festivities. I shall return in a while. Go on! Enjoy!”

There came a cheer from the crowd as the music started again, and the people turned back to themselves.

Thor took Gwen’s hand and led her away, the two of them walking faster, both of them giddy, like kids skipping school, Krohn nipping at their heels, finally breaking free from all of their duties and responsibilities for a time. It was the first time Thor had managed to get time alone with her since their landing in King’s Court. Thor felt as if they were dating again—and he felt just as elated to be with her now as he did then. He could sense from her grip that she felt the same way, too.

They passed through the high stone gate leading out of King’s Court, in disrepair yet still standing, and took the path heading west. This road, Thor noticed, once meticulously paved with stone and gravel, littered with holes and overgrown with weeds.

“Where are we going?” Gwen asked, excited.

They rounded a bend and Thor stopped and looked up to the cliffs before them, shining in the sun, and Gwen followed his gaze.

“The Kolvian Cliffs,” she said. “But why?”

Thor held his tongue, wondering how much to say. He did not want to give it away. What he wanted to say was: because it is the high ground, with the most beautiful view in the kingdom, overlooking King’s Court. Because it is a quiet and romantic place where we have been together before. Because it is a place that means a lot in our lives. Because it is where I want to ask you the most important question of my life.

But he could not see any of this. So instead, he said: “There is something up there I’d like to show you.”

“Show me?” she asked with a laugh. “All the way up there? Is it another pet leopard?” she asked, as Krohn ran before them.

Thor smiled.

“No, not quite,” he said.

Thor took her hand, and together they hiked up the cliffs; as they went, he noticed Gwen was more out of breath than usual, and that she stopped to rest more often than she had. He was growing concerned.

“Are you okay, my love?” he asked.

She nodded back to him.

“You keep grabbing your stomach,” he observed.

Gwen blushed and looked away.

“I’m sorry. I’m just tired. And I have not eaten. I am fine. Let’s continue.”

They hiked up the rest of the cliff with renewed energy, until finally they reached the top of the highest peak. As they reached it, they turned and looked out.

Thor was in awe at the vista, and he could see that Gwendolyn was, too. He had seen it many times, and yet it never grew old: there, below them, was King’s Court, glorious even in ruin, the afternoon mist embracing it like a shroud. Thousands and thousands of people celebrated, their distant cheers and music audible even from here. It was frustrating for Thor to see King’s Court destroyed, yet it infused him with hope: it was both a vision of what had once been, and a vision of what could rise again.

“It’s beautiful,” Gwendolyn said. “Is this what you wanted to show me?”

She turned and looked all about her, searching the plateau, as if wondering if Thor had some surprise waiting for her.

Thor suddenly became nervous. His throat turned dry, and his heart pounded in his mouth. He reached up and patted the ring inside his coat, to make sure it was still there. It was.

Thor opened and closed his mouth several times, and he felt his knees grew weak. He was wracked with fear. He’d never felt this way in battle, not while facing an enemy. But now, here, facing Gwendolyn, he felt more nervous than he had ever been.

“Well, actually, it’s not something I want to show you…but, well, um—”

Thor cut himself off, looking down and kicking the dirt, his heart pounding, having difficulty getting out the words, as his breathing shortened.

“It was—is—um…it was more a kind of, um, well…sort of something I um—”

Gwen laughed. It was a carefree laughter, a sound he hadn’t heard from her in what felt like years, and while he was happy to see her so elated, it also made him blush.

“I haven’t seen you this nervous since the first time we met,” she said.

Thor took a deep breath, finally mustered the courage, and he looked Gwen directly in the eye. What if she said no to him? His whole world would collapse.

“Gwendolyn, I love you,” he said, stepping forward and grabbing her hands.

She looked at him, baffled.

“I love you too,” she replied. “Have we come all this way for you to tell me this?” she asked, a twinkle in her eye.

Thor shook his head.

“I truly love you,” he said.

She stared at him, smiling.

“What has gotten into you?” she asked.

Thor shook his head again.

“Gwendolyn, that’s not what I’m trying to say.”

He cleared his throat, and took another deep breath, and she looked back at him in wonder.

“Are you sweating?” she asked.

Thor reached up and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, and realized that he was sweating, despite the winter day. He cleared his throat again and faced her. It was now or never.

“Gwendolyn,” he said, “you mean the world to me. I want to be with you for the rest of my life. All of my days. I have felt this way ever since the first day we met. I’ve never seemed to have the right moment to ask you. But now that moment has come. There is only question that means anything to me anymore.”

Thor took a knee, reached into his shirt and pulled out his mother’s ring. It was spectacular, huge, its precious jewels glowing, sparkling in the sun.

Gwen’s eyes grew wide in wonder as they flooded with tears.

“Gwendolyn,” Thor continued. “Will you marry me?”

Gwendolyn rushed forward, into Thor’s arms, and she hugged him so tight, he could barely breathe. He stood and hugged her back, and she cried and cried, hot tears flooding his neck.

“Is that a no?” he said.

“Yes,” she said in his ear. “Yes yes yes yes yes!”

Gwen leaned back and kissed him all over his face, and he kissed her back, again and again.

Finally, he smiled, looking down.

“You forgot to take the ring,” he said.

Gwen laughed, and as she leaned back, he placed his mother’s ring on her finger.

She looked at in awe.

“It fits perfectly,” she said. “Where did you get this? I have seen royal jewels all my life, yet I have never seen anything like this.”

“It was my mother’s,” Thor said. “It is meant for you. For you, and none other.”

Gwen looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears, and they kissed. They held the kiss for as long as they could, and finally, they embraced, holding each other tight.

“Thorgrin, my love,” she said softly, pulling back and looking at him. “There is something I wish to tell you, too.”

She pulled back and looked into his eyes, and Thor looked at her and wondered what it could be.

“There was a reason it was hard for me to climb these cliffs,” she said. “A reason that I have not been myself.”

She reached out and held both his hands and smiled.

“Thorgrin: I’m with child.”

Those words struck Thorgrin through the heart, coursed through his whole body, made him lose all sense of time and place. He was beyond elated. He felt as if he were part of something bigger than himself, something deeper in the universe. He felt his entire world spinning. He was overwhelmed with joy and gratitude.

“A child?” he asked.

She nodded, smiling.

He looked down at her stomach, and gently rested his palm on it. As he did, he felt an incredible energy racing through his entire body. He could feel the child spinning and moving, the slightest tremors in his palm. He felt a love and joy beyond what he ever thought capable of experiencing.

He embraced Gwendolyn, hugging her tightly, and she hugged him back.

“I love you,” he whispered into her ear.

“I love you, too,” she whispered back.

Thor draped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her tight, and the two of them turned and looked out at the vista, both suns sitting low in the horizon, King’s Court awash in scarlet and violet twinkling in a thousand points of light. It felt to Thor like the Ring was being reborn, slowly coming back to life. All around them winter flowers bloomed, fields glowing white, and against the backdrop of the second setting sun, it was the most beautiful thing Thor had ever seen. It was an ideal moment, the perfect moment for his proposal, and he wanted to freeze it forever. It was magical. Just like his entire relationship with Gwendolyn.

As they looked out at the horizon, at the distant road to King’s Court, Thor saw an endless caravan of humanity coming towards this city from all directions, some on foot, others leading horses, carts, cattle. They were all heading to the same place, all coming to celebrate the new Ring, all coming to celebrate hope.

“A stream of humanity,” Thor observed. “People of all walks want to come back to King’s Court, to celebrate. They all have faith in you.”

“We will rebuild it,” Gwen said. “Stone by stone. We shall make it as great a city as it ever was. And the centerpiece of all the celebrations will be our wedding. It will be the most magnificent wedding the Ring has ever witnessed. It shall be followed by our baby. Everything will be new again, and our people will rise from the ashes. We will do it together. Our love will build it.”

They leaned in and kissed, and they held the kiss as the final light of the setting sun washed over them. Thor only wished he could hold the world this way forever.