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Chapter Eighteen There wasn't a single working clock in the house. There was a clock, an enormous and extremely heavy intricately carved wooden and glass piece of workmanship in the main hall which the previous owner had left behind, but it didn't run. At least not properly. It had only taken Filia a few days to grow annoyed with the constant erroneous chiming of hours, and it was stopped. Fixing it was on the list of things for Jillas to do, but since they needed to purchase certain pieces of clockwork from a smith, and because they could hear the nearby church chime out the hour from where they lived, the repair was considered optional for the time being. Jillas knew that it would become harder to tell the time once the days grew even shorter as winter snuck in, so over the last four months, he had saved back a bit of his own money here and there until he could afford to buy the replacement parts. "It's been four days. Do you figure things are back to normal yet?" Gravos asked quietly. Jillas paused from tightening a gear in the clock, looking down at his boss who had hoisted him up on his massive shoulders for better reach. "With Lord Valgaav and Oneesan?" "Yeah." Jillas twitched his nose in thought, turning his head to look in the direction of the shop, where Valgaav and Filia were working. "For the most part. They've been through a lot." Gravos followed his gaze. "Yeah." They were both quiet for a moment, and Jillas returned to work. "We got it lucky, don't we?" "What do you mean, boss?" Jillas asked, carefully removing a gear that showed signs of corrosion. "Well, I'm not as smart as the rest of ya, but it seems to me that while we all ended up in the same place, you and me, we had a good trip of it." The fox-man looked at Gravos again. "Can you explain?" "Well, you and me, we're the only ones who I've heard ever really talk about the old days, but then, we had it good, huh? Good times, good memories. They don't really got that, it looks like to me." Jillas frowned in thought, considering what Gravos said as he installed a replacement gear. "You might have a point..." "Here's how I figure it. Boss weren't more'n a kid when it all went down, and it was so long ago. Filia's about the same age he was, and while she thought she had it good, turned out everybody was a bloomin' liar, so it weren't that good." "They have been through a lot," Jillas agreed. "Yeah." Jillas was considering what to do with this new information as he worked on the clock. Gravos broke the silence first. "I hated hurting the boss," Gravos said quietly. "We didn't have a choice. He wasn't...himself," Jillas replied. "And he was gonna hurt Filia, and he don't wanna do that." "No. It would've hurt him more than anything you did if he'd hurt Oneesan." A glimmer of an idea started to form. "Boss?" "Yeah, Jillas?" "They need a day off, don't you think?" "Off of what?" "Everything, life. Just a day to go out and forget about everything and just have fun and spend time together." "Ya mean like a date?" Jillas grinned. "Well, now that you mention it..." "Ya figure they'd go for it?" That grin grew bigger. "They won't have a choice. Tomorrow, if it looks like it's gonna be a good day, we'll put together a picnic lunch and chase them out of town." Gravos frowned. "Are you sure they'll be safe? Especially Filia?" "I'm sure. They need to stop living like they're afraid one's gonna hurt the other, or they'll keep on being miserable." "I suppose ya gotta point." "So, tomorrow, we make them take a day off?" "Sounds good to me." "Great! Okay, I'm done up here. Put me down, boss." He was really going to have to get used to chimes sounding so...close. Fighting back a yawn, Valgaav rubbed a hand over his face, continuing down the hall from the point where he just had passed the newly-repaired clock as it started chiming out the sixth hour. Unexpected chimes and half-asleep dragons weren't the best of combinations. Fortunately, he'd caught himself before throwing a fireball at the blasted thing. If there's anybody out there listening, he thought, don't let that turn out to be the best part of the day... Wondering if there was any more of that extremely strong tea Filia had blended up left, Valgaav wandered into the kitchen, blinking sleepily. He then blinked a few more times, but in surprise at the sight of Jillas and Gravos already hard at work preparing a rather marvelous looking midday meal. He couldn't have overslept, could he? Valgaav squinted out the eastern window, seeing a pink glow. No, it was still early morning. "What's all this?" "Lunch, boss." "Yes, I can see that, but it's breakfast time." "Oh, we got breakfast too," Jillas said, giving him a beaming smile. "This is for you and Oneesan to take with you." "Take...with us?" He raised an eyebrow, putting his hands on his hips. "What're you going on about?" "You and Filia, yer goin' out today." Valgaav looked at Gravos. "Why wasn't I informed about this?" he groused, feeling irritable. "Because Boss and I are surprising you and Oneesan with it. You two need a day off, and a day off together. So, we're sending you out for a leisurely morning walk and a nice picnic lunch," Jillas explained. Valgaav just blinked, trying to decide if he should feel touched, exasperated, irritated, amused, or just plain confused. For the time being, confusion was winning, with touched and exasperated as place and show. "So Filia doesn't know about this?" "Nope!" the fox-man replied in a tone so cheery that Valgaav was certain it had to be illegal somewhere for anyone to be that perky at six in the morning. "Ahh. Okay. Well, first things first." Valgaav made a beeline to the cupboard where the tea was kept, and made a little gleeful sound when he discovered that powerful morning blend Filia created wasn't all gone. Every once in a while, he missed being Mazoku. They didn't require sleep, and with no sleep, there was no such thing as the evil otherwise known as morning. Once he got himself situated with a hot cup of strong, black tea between his hands, Valgaav felt a bit more capable of trying to wrap his mind around a day that apparently was already planned out for him. "What brought all this about, anyway?" "Well, with everything that's happened, and as busy as we've all been, you and Filia ain't really had much in the way of time for proper courting," Gravos replied, flashing him a grin. Valgaav stared at him, then smirked, rubbing a hand down his face with a sigh. "I suppose you're right." "Besides, the shop's closed today," Jillas said. "You two can take the day off." "It's also chore day," Valgaav reminded him. "Pish. Boss and me can handle that just fine," Jillas replied, beaming at him with a big smile. Valgaav merely smiled in return while inwardly placing a silent entreaty to whomever might be listening that the house would at least still be standing when they arrived home. "Remember when you do the wash, do the light-colored things first," Filia said even as she was being ushered out the door. "And when you mop the floor, remember to--" "Oneesan!" Jillas all but shouted, finally managing to interrupt her monologue, "we'll be fine." "I know, it's just..." She hesitated, pausing on the front step. "I really should just go and move the--" "Boss! We've got it!" Gravos said. "Now get out of here." "But..." She trailed off and looked at Valgaav for support, who only shrugged. "They'll be fine, Filia. I'm even inclined to think they're right, if you can't face the prospect of leaving the house for a day without fretting over work," he replied, slipping an arm snugly around her waist to keep her moving. "Do we have everything?" Filia asked worriedly, looking down at the blanket she was carrying. Valgaav raised the picnic basket in his hand. "There's water in here and more than enough food for lunch and snacks." Filia looked back to the house, seeing the door had already swung shut. "Are you sure this is such a good idea? I mean, Xellos..." Valgaav scowled slightly. "I'll be able to protect you." She bit her lip contritely. "I didn't mean it like that," she replied. They continued walking for a few moments in silence. "I don't want to fight today," she whispered. Valgaav closed his eyes, turning his head slightly to nuzzle against her ear. "Then we won't. Listen, let's just forget everything else today, okay?" he softly suggested. Filia nodded, nuzzling him back in silent agreement. "Where are we going?" Valgaav raised his head and looked around, then pointed up and far off. "Want to shoot for trying to scale that?" he asked, indicating the near-mountainous grassy hill that loomed over the village. The subtle, ever-changing hues of rich greens rippled as a breeze ruffled the grass, offering a lighter contrast to the darker smatterings of green where groves of conifers dotted the upper slope. Further down to the base, however, it was a rich rainbow sporting hues of vivid orange, yellow, red, and even suggestions of purple as the deciduous trees flaunted their autumn wear. Filia studied it, feeling a little dubious. "Do you think we can actually make it up there?" "I know we can. It's really not that far, we should reach the top by lunchtime. If nothing else, we'll have worked up an appetite. We can make it back down here by dusk. If anything goes wrong, we can always fly." "Then I need to go back and--" "Jillas already packed it," Valgaav said, releasing her to open one of the end flaps of the picnic basket, and uncovered the blue gem portal which Filia used to access her dragon form. She sighed, and gave him a little helpless grin. "You all thought of everything, didn't you?" "Yup, now all you need to do is just relax and quit worrying," Valgaav replied, draping his arm back around her shoulder. "All right." Filia nodded decisively. "This is me not worrying." She shot him a small grin. "Good girl. So, up the mountain?" "Up the mountain." "Let's rest for a minute," Filia pleaded, sinking down on the thick carpet of grass to catch her breath. "Good idea. Want some water?" "Please." She watched as he removed one of the canteens from the basket, and took it gratefully, indulging in a few long sips of the cool water. "How much further to the top?" Valgaav looked over his shoulder, squinting against the brilliant midmorning glare, then looked back down the way they came, considering. "Maybe another two, three hours of walking. I think we're about halfway up." He reached over and brushed back a few locks of hair that had fallen free from her intricate bun. "Do you want to keep going?" "Yeah, I just need a moment to catch my breath." "The air'll get thinner the higher we go." Filia nodded. "It never seems this bad when I'm flying." "Likewise. I think maybe our dragon forms are better equipped to handle the upper atmosphere." They were silent for a few moments. "Do you want to?" "What? Transform?" Filia frowned, considering. Although distant, the village was still in view. "I'm not sure. I know my scales would reflect the light enough to probably attract some attention. What about you?" "Probably not. My scales are dark, not metallic, and they're actually covered with dark fur." Filia arched an eyebrow, looking at him. "I've never heard of a dragon with fur before." "I'm probably the only warm-blooded dragon in existence. It was cold most of the year where we lived. You saw the snow." "Oh. Yeah. That makes sense." "You're from the desert?" "Yes." "You do know that it gets cold enough to snow here in the winter. How well can you handle it?" "I've been around snow before, you know," she replied, and he nodded. "It was a little hard, but I can make do." "Maybe we can see about having a fireplace built in your bedroom." "That would be nice," she admitted. "But I'm not sure if we can afford it." "Let's talk to Jillas and Gravos. We may be able to swing it." "I'm not saying no yet," Filia replied, giving him a gentle smile before turning her attention back to the valley below them. The individual trees, made tiny by distance, seemed to blend together like multicolored paints on an artist's palette. There was an abundance of reds and oranges, as well as various shades of greens from the grassy plains and the occasional conifers that grew deeper in the lowlands. The fields with their various crops offered a variety of shades of their own, crisscrossed and pieced together like a patchwork quilt on the valley floor. Snaking through the trees was the nearby river, offering the occasional glimpse of sparkling cobalt as the surface of the water reflected the sky and sun above. "It's lovely up here," Filia said quietly. "Almost as if the land's all dressed up for a party." "You've never seen the season changes before?" Valgaav asked. Filia shook her head. "I never left the desert until I was sent on the mission to decipher the Darkstar prophesy. The desert offers its own kind of beauty, brutal and untamable, but this..." She trailed off, drawing her knees up to her chin, looking at the scenery. "I think I want to try painting this on a set." "You'll do a good job, I'm sure." Filia smiled, content to sit there for a while longer and soak in the sunlight and colors. Finally, she lay back on the slope, stretching a moment before sitting back up and getting to her feet. "Let's keep climbing." "How far do you want to go?" "I'd like to try for the top, if we can make it. If not, we can find a place that would offer a decent enough spot for lunch." Valgaav took her hand, helping her up the hillside. "Sounds like a plan." They made slower progress over the next several hours, stopping frequently to both rest and to take in the view as the horizon continued to expand, offering them a chance to see more and more of their surroundings. As they neared their destination, they passed a small grove, discovering an old homestead. The derelict barn and house still stood, the timber faded, the roofs sagging with age. The porch of the house offered a hazardous trek across broken planks to the gapping hole where once there had been a door. Remains of a fence jutted up from the grass here and there, overgrown with creeping plants that sported greenish-gray hairy leaves and diminutive purple and white blossoms. In some of the windows, tattered remnants of what once had been perhaps curtains fluttered, grayed with age and exposure, their original hues long since lost. Filia lingered, gazing at it. "I wonder who used to live here." Valgaav stopped walking, looking back at her, then to the house. "People," he replied, shrugging slightly. "I know that, silly." She walked closer, and almost tripped over a rock which once had maybe been a footpath. "I wonder why they left. It seems like it would have been such a charming spot to live." Turning around, she looked toward the valley to make her point, admiring the view. "Any number of factors." He walked back to her side. "They could have died, or maybe they decided to live closer to town. Perhaps the well dried up, or the land didn't yeild anything fit to live on, or the winters were too harsh. Or it could have been for any one of a hundred other reasons." "It would seem such a place would make a charming home." "Don't tell me you're thinking of moving?" Valgaav asked incredulously. "Not moving, no." Filia shook her head. "But maybe, someday, a little getaway place." "That's an idea. We'd be best off finding another place, though. Not only might this still be owned, but the buildings are long past repair." "We can't really afford it right now anyway," Filia agreed, and gave the old place one more wistful glance. "It has a sort of charm to it though, in spite of its condition." Valgaav chuckled, looking down at her. "You're a hopeless romantic." "I may be a romantic, mister, but I am far from hopeless." "I stand corrected." He put his arm around her shoulder. "Shall we continue on? We're almost there." "Certainly." Filia stopped as they passed an old fencepost, and broke off a long strand of the creeping plant that was particularly full of the miniature blooms. Following behind Valgaav, the blanket slung on her shoulder, Filia carefully wove the long stem into a pastoral crown. Valgaav grinned when he saw what she had made, and when they finally reached a place near enough to the peak to be relatively level, he gave a little mock bow, gesturing to their surroundings with a sweep of his arm. "Is this to your liking, milady?" Filia couldn't help but giggle as she replied with a curtsy of her own. "Most certainly." He set the basket down and helped her spread out the blanket. After they were both settled, Filia started unpacking the picnic basket. It wasn't long before they were relaxing, eating at an unhurried pace. The silence that lingered between them was a comfortable one, and after the luncheon dishes were placed aside, Valgaav stretched out onto his back, and indicated for Filia to do the same, laying perpendicular to him. As she lay back, her head resting on his chest, he gathered up her hair and smoothed it out on his other side, carefully removing the tangled crown. Filia closed her eyes in a lazy state of bliss as he draped one arm over her upper chest, across her shoulders protectively, and gently stroked back her hair from her forehead with his other hand. She crossed her legs at the ankles, lacing her fingers together and resting them over her stomach, blinking drowsily as she basked in both the noontime sun and the tender caress. "I love you, Valgaav," she whispered quietly, the words escaping her lips as soon as the thought formed, before she was even aware she spoke. The hand stroking her head stilled momentarily, and the arm over her tightened a bit more in a brief hug. "I love you too, Filia," he murmured, and resumed brushing his fingers lightly over her skin and hair. She turned her head, looking at him. Valgaav glanced down to meet her eyes, and smiled softly. "May I ask something?" she whispered. "Go ahead." "Did you mean it, a few days ago, when you said, when you implied that you needed me for the rest of your life?" she whispered timidly. His hand came up to rest on her cheek, brushing it with the pad of his thumb. "Yes. Did you mean it when you said forever would have to end before you'd want me to go?" Mutely, she nodded, then hesitated. "Are you certain?" Valgaav quirked a small smile. "Are you?" "I asked you first. I mean, you've had your life taken from you for a thousand years. Why me? Is it gratitude, is it a lack of options, what?" The smile faded as his expression grew serious. "It's love, Filia. Around you, I feel safe." "Safe?" she echoed softly. "You won't betray me," he replied, watching his hand as he stroked her hair. "Trust isn't something I know anymore. In the course of a thousand years, I only trusted three people -- Gaav, Jillas, and Gravos. Then you came along. Yes, it took me time to get here, but here I am." His eyes met hers again, and she blinked back the sting of tears. "I don't want anything anymore except peace, that's all I've wanted for a very long time. With you, I have that. I love how I feel around you, who I am with you." He glanced around, gesturing. "Moments like these." Gently, he brushed his fingers over her eyes, caressing away the tears. "I'd like to have moments like these for the rest of my life, if you'll let me." Filia quickly changed position, laying beside him, her head nestled on his shoulder as she hugged him tightly. His arms came around her, holding her close. "I can't imagine life without you, and I never want to, Valgaav," she whispered, her face buried against his neck. "But I'm scared." His fingers gently caressed her cheek. "Of what?" he murmured. "Of what's happening. I don't even know what to expect." Silence reigned for several heartbeats. "What do you mean?" "We're talking about...forever, right?" "Yes." "Where do we go from here?" "I'm still not following what you're trying to get at, Filia." "The ceremony." Valgaav was still for a moment, then started chuckling. "Oh, that's what you were worried about?" Filia raised her head, blinking at him, confused. "Yes, what did you think I was talking about?" "Nothing, nothing. So...what's the problem?" "There isn't anyone left to do anything of the sort. Neither of us would want a ceremony from my clan, anyway, unless you remember anything about the ones your clan performed?" "Filia, not only do I not remember it, but even if I did, no one's qualified to do such a ceremony, and..." He trailed off, and shrugged slightly. "It's the past, Filia. Don't go there." "Sor--" She was cut off by his lips on hers, silencing the apology. "Do we even need one?" "A ceremony?" she asked. "Well..." Filia frowned in confusion. "Who's rules are we breaking?" The query stymied her. Everyone who had scripted and enforced such rules was dead. "I don't know," Filia admitted. "Do you want a human ceremony?" She shook her head, then hesitated. "Do you?" Valgaav snorted softly in response. "Humans have no concept of a relationship that can endure. How many of their so-called bindings end on a whim? Dragons" -- he curled a lock of her hair around his finger gently, watching it reflect the sun -- "mate for life." Filia felt her cheeks grow hot as she blushed, closing her eyes tightly and burying her face against his shoulder. "True," she whispered. "So, where does that leave us?" "Seems to me it leaves us wherever we want to be," he replied, resting his head against hers. "The Ancients are long since dead, and neither of us want anything to do with the Goldens. The past is in the past. We're not bound by the old rules anymore. Life's whatever we want to make it." "But what does that mean for us?" "No ceremonies, no rules. It's just us, Filia." She raised her head to look at him then. "Forever?" she whispered. Valgaav quirked a faint smile. "And then some." He brushed the back of his fingers against her cheek. "You up to that?" Filia took a few heartbeats to consider it, then couldn't suppress a smile as she nodded slightly, but enthusiastically. "Are you?" "Have I ever thanked you for giving me back my life?" he asked. "You just did." Chuckling softly, he held her tightly in his arms. "Hell, yes, I'm up to it." Gently, he kissed her forehead. "I love you, Filia." "And I love you, Valgaav." |
to be continued...
Chapter Nineteen