Page 56 of Chivalry in the Meadow
Mia’s breath caught.
The playful, teasing charm of Sir Cedric had its thrill, but Sir Alaric offered something entirely different. A certainty she could trust. He wasn’t dazzling with flare. He was steady, reliable, and undeniably present with her.
A soft rustle from nearby drew their attention. Alaric moved instinctively in front of her, shielding her, his hand still lightly brushing hers.
He watched and whatever it was moved away, further back into the darkness.
“See?” he murmured, eyes flicking to hers. “Courage isn’t the absence of fear. Choosing a companion means knowing who has enough to stand beside you when danger comes.”
Mia’s heart swelled, the tension of the moment melting into something warm and urgent. “Then I suppose I’m exactly where I need to be,” she whispered.
Sir Alaric’s fingers closed around hers, not in haste, but with deliberate care. “And I won’t let anything take you away from it,” he said softly.
The torchlight flickered across his face, shadows playing in his dark eyes, and for the first time, Mia could see what choosing him, in a world of chaos and magic would be like.
The great horned owl called from a nearby oak, it’s cry echoing over the meadow as if in approval, and Mia allowed herself to lean just slightly closer, a subtle closeness, tentative yet intimate, knowing that trust, and maybe something more, had quietly taken root under the moonlit sky.
She’d never in her life asked a man to dance. It had always been a wait for them to ask situation. For a date, for a dance. But she was getting the feeling that if she didn’t ask him, if might not happen.
Now she was working up the nerve to try to ask him.
Taking a deep breath, scared to ask, she dove in anyway. “When I came to this ball, I was hoping you would ask me to dance,” she said softly.
So soft, he had to bend forward to hear her. Which brought them closer.
Not a bad thing, at all. Though she hadn’t expected that, she’d just been feeling shy about asking him. Being closer was nice.
He gave her a big smile. “Milady, I would be honored to dance with you, if you’ll have me,” he said. “If you say yes, I will be the happiest of men.”
Oh my. So, he did have fancy manners when he wanted to use them.
“Thank you, Sir Alaric,” she said. “Yes, I would love to dance with you.”
“And I will most happily escort you back to the ball now, for our dance, if you’d like,” he said. “Unless you wish to extend our walk.”
“I would like to go back to the ball and dance now,” she said. “I feel most refreshed from our walk beneath the moon.”
He smiled and then turned to escort her to the ball.
Something about being around Sir Alaric had made her feel bolder. Bold enough to ask for what she wanted.
And now one of her wishes was going to come true.
He led her back to the party and at the edge said, “We’ll have to don our masks again to enter the ball area.”
“I don’t mind,” she said.
After placing their masks on, they entered the party and moved toward the dance floor.
People made way for him, and a small circle opened around them, so they began to dance. With her eyes looking up into his, she didn’t notice if there were any shimmers. In fact, she had forgotten all about the shimmers while she was with him.
As they danced it was like time and place and everything around them receded. There was only him and her and the music they moved to, as if in a dream.
When the dance was over, they stopped and she stood slightly breathless, only looking up at him. “I enjoyed this so much,” she said. “I feel like Cinderella at the ball.”
“You’re glowing,” he said. “As if lit from inside.”
She beamed up at him, feeling the happy glow inside of her.
