| (previous page) he even helped make a lord's coach once. "How be the cobbling, sir?" he asked my father. "'Tis quite fine. I am glad to hear Jonash is well. He was quite ill, we had all feared losing him to the Passing Season." my father responded. The meal continued as the idle conversation tapered off and we finished another meal in silence. After I helped to clear the table, Tijer and I went out to feed the horses. "I am sorry 'bout your mother, 'Chite. She should not treat you so, especially in the presence of guests, eve if just me." Tijer slipped his arm around my shoulders. "I should be the one to apologize, 'twas quite embarrasing." I said, relishing in his concern and the closeness of our bodies. Suddenly I felt myself being hoisted up atop Zarni. Then I felt Tijer mount behind me, and off we went on a starlit ride through the forest. 'Twas a crisp night, the eve of the Nonae je'Febari. Zarni gradually slowed, gamiliar with the path trodden hundreds of times and eventually we stopped in the meadow and dismounted. As we stood, staring into the sky I could feel the love between us, as if our spirits had become one. I saw a shooting star and made a wish that we would always be together and so much in love. "The stars are so beautiful, and the way the moonlight shines on the trees is almost magical." Tijer laughed and said, "You are remarkable, you see the beauty in something we see every night of our lives." "Come on, 'tis growing late." I said, feeling rather unsettled. With that he picked me up and swung me atop Zarni, and we rode back home in silence, enjoying the closeness of one another. (chapter 2) |
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| Oh Maly! Chapter 1 Trials |
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