Page 13 of Daughter of Shadows and Ash

I stayed silent as the air grew thick with anticipation. He pulled a small cloth from his pocket and offered it to me, "Happy Birthday, Alora."

With trembling fingers, I unwrapped the cloth. Inside lay a silver ring, its band adorned with delicate filigree—tiny flowers etched with impossible precision.

"Maël," I breathed, words failing me.

"I don't know what future you dream of—whether it's children, or finding some wealthy lord, or traveling to the biggest library in the realm to lose yourself in books forever. I know I'm not worthy of you. I've never been."

I stilled,Was this really happening?"But I can't imagine my life without you. Would you consider marrying me?"

I was utterly stunned. Since when had he ever considered marrying me? Why would he consider marrying me? No one wanted a wife who could gut a deer or fight like a man. Am I imagining this? He looked at me with so much hope in his eyes. I swallowed, feeling my voice tremble as I tried to reign in my racing thoughts and racing heart.

"Maël, I didn't think you thought of me like this. I always thought you'd ask Alice or Lydia, aren't they better matches for you?"

Maël gently shook his head as he reached for my hand, "I've always wanted it to be you. Lydia and Alice are nice, but they're not you. I've tried to tell you my feelings but every time all I could think about was that you probably didn't want to settle for half fae like me. I was worried I'd have to find a new sparring buddy if you rejected me."

I could feel tears start welling in my eyes. "What if I want to explore and hole myself up in some library and never come out?"

"Then I'll follow you and bring you meals and listen as you tell me about all of the books you've read." He smiled as he began to stand, guiding me up with him. His hands never leaving my own. "Whatever life it is you decide, if you'll have me, I'll follow you wherever that leads."

My heart couldn't take it anymore. In one swift motion, I wrapped my arms around his neck and crashed my lips against his. His mouth was as soft as I'd imagined, and the way he kissed me back had me melting into his arms. I pulled back for just a moment, my breath catching in my throat. "I will," I whispered, my voice thick with emotion. "I would love to marry you."

Chapter 8

Our shift melted into a haze of blissful moments. We stole furtive kisses, our laughter muffled by the rustling leaves.

Grandmother knew of his intentions—a realization that soothed my racing heart. Her uncharacteristic silence earlier made sense now; she'd never been one to keep secrets easily.

I couldn't believe that he had felt for me all that I had felt for him. The weight of years spent fearing he'd pledge himself to another lifted from my shoulders.

As dawn approached and our shift neared its end, we made our way toward the merchants' camp.

"Are you sure you want to tie yourself to me?" Maël teased, his eyes dancing with mischief. "Just because you're my wife, doesn't mean I'll stop teasing you or ease up on you with training."

A chuckle escaped me as I let go of his hand to give him a little shove. "I wouldn't have it any other way. But I'm not your wife yet, at least not until our ceremony."

"I hear spring is the ideal time," he mused, his voice dropping to a husky whisper, "though I'm not sure my patience will last that long." He pulled me close, wrapping one arm around mylower back, the other caressing my cheek. His breath ghosted across my skin as his lips traced a path of gentle kisses along my neck.

"I think I would prefer the fall time," I said breathlessly.

He pulled back, his eyes narrowed. “That’s even further away.”

Heat crept into my cheeks. "Well, fall would come before spring, but if that's too soon... I just always thought fall was prettier than spring."

A slow smile spread across his face, lighting up his eyes. "This fall sounds perfect, Lor. I'd marry you tomorrow if you'd let me. I've waited twenty-one years to call you mine. I won't wait a day longer than necessary."

I stood on my tiptoes to place a soft kiss on his cheek. "A fall wedding it is."

As we approached the encampment, an eerie silence settled over the woods. The merchant tents emerged from the tree line, but something was wrong—no one was there.

Maël's voice echoed through the clearing as he called out, but only silence answered. He knelt by the fire while I approached the nearest tent. "This was put out not too long ago," he said, his voice tight with concern. He noted how unusual it was for the merchants to leave their site completely unattended.

I approached a tent only to find a bedroll inside. I hurriedly looked into a second tent, my hand hovering over my dagger's hilt . As I lifted the flap, my breath caught in my throat. Metal gleamed in the dark. I opened the tent flaps wider to reveal the horrifying contents: an iron cage, cruel shackles, and other sinister implements I'd never seen a merchant carry.

"Maël," I called in a hushed whisper, feeling a pit grow in my stomach. He rushed over and looked inside the tent, his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Gods," he turned toward me, the color draining from his face. "We need to go and alert the village before whoever set up this camp returns."

The truth felt heavy as it sank in—these weren't merchants at all.

---