“Thank you,” Traven replied, not sure of exactly what to say. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
“How ironic,” Gavin exclaimed with a wry smile. “Those are the same words Kalista used. Whether or not you two meant it, it happened. I know the princess well enough to know that she will not be swayed from her decision, so I did not endeavor to change her mind.” He paused and directed an intense look at Traven. “I want you to understand that I do still have feelings for her and because of those feelings, I will respect her wishes. I will not stand in the way. However, I demand that you treat her with respect and kindness.”
“Of course I will,” Traven responded. He was surprised at how well Gavin seemed to be taking it all. “I do love her and only want her happiness.”
“I know you will keep her safe. That, you have clearly shown numerous times. Whether or not you will make her happy and whether or not you are ready to be king is another question and not one for me to answer.” Gavin sighed. “The thought of not having her in my life saddens me greatly, but I no longer think I was meant to be the High King of Kalia. My heart lies in rebuilding my home city of Candus. I have lost so much, but that does not mean I cannot restore my city and find love again.”
Traven sat quietly while Gavin stared vacantly at the wall. He could hardly believe that all had gone so well. He had expected harsh words, threats, or maybe even a challenge. He was still amazed that the vice baron didn’t seem more upset. The situation was obviously hard for him, but he had chosen to bow out gracefully. Gavin was a good man. That thought made him feel worse about the situation, but he was sure Gavin would find satisfaction in rebuilding his home and that there would be no shortage of women who would be happy to see him no longer engaged to the princess. After awhile of silence, Traven cleared his throat. The faraway look in Gavin’s eyes disappeared as his focus was brought back to the present. He rose and offered Traven his hand.
“Good luck,” Gavin said with a strained look as he shook Traven’s hand with a grip that was tighter than necessary. “I wish the best for both of you.”
“Thank you,” he replied. “I hope the best for you as well.”
With nothing left to discuss, Gavin walked him to the door. As soon as he was out of the room, the vice baron shut the door firmly. Darian and Giselle looked at Traven expectantly, eager to know what had transpired. He just shrugged as he proceeded to the entryway and left the palace through its large bronze doors.
“It was very quiet in there,” Darian said as they mounted their horses. “What happened? Did he threaten you?”
“No,” Traven answered. “He merely informed me that the princess returned his ring and that he hoped I would treat her as she deserves to be treated.”
“What?” the elf said. “He did not challenge you to the death? I knew he had no honor.”
“Oh, hush,” Giselle said with a smile. “He is a human, not an elf. The important thing is that the princess returned his ring. That means she is now free for Traven to pursue.”
Traven hadn’t really thought of that. Before, she had always been forbidden territory, but now she was no longer promised to anyone. What should he say the next time he saw her? Was he even allowed to court a princess? Why hadn’t he thought of this before?
“Let’s get you to bed,” Giselle said kindly. “You have a dazed expression and look as if you might fall out of the saddle. It was a long night. You will feel better after some rest.”
Traven was about to protest, but he couldn’t argue the fact that he suddenly felt dizzy and weak. The hard part was supposed to be over. He had already professed his love to Kalista, defeated the galdak wielder, and made peace with Gavin. Yet, now he felt even more nervous than he had before. He rode back to the small house in the eastern section of the city with his mind full of concerns. The rest was supposed to be easy, wasn’t it?
* * * * *
Kalista nervously stood outside the small home that she had been told was Traven’s current quarters. Her guards had already taken up positions around the perimeter of the small building. It was early afternoon, and she felt like she had waited long enough to speak with Traven. She took a deep breath before raising her hand and knocking lightly at the door. The door was opened promptly by Traven’s elf servant, Darian. He smiled and motioned for her to come inside.
Kalista entered the home, motioning for her guards to remain outside. Darian closed the door and showed her to a chair. The room was small and consisted only of a tiny sitting area and a kitchen. The female elf was busy in the kitchen cooking. The two elves looked much different without their cloaks on and their heads hidden in hoods. Both were lithe with fair skin and sharp features. The female elf brushed off her hands and disappeared into the back room of the home with a large grin.
“Giselle will let Traven know you are here,” Darian said. “He has slept long enough.”
“Thank you.”
Darian remained near the door while she waited for Traven to get up and come out. She felt slightly bad about waking him up. She knew he had fought all night and would be fighting again tonight. However, she had not spoken with him since he had first arrived in the city and professed he loved her. She had broken off her engagement to Gavin the morning following their late night chat but had not had a chance to speak with Traven yet. The last day and a half had been spent wondering if she had acted rashly. She had left Traven alone this morning but could not wait any longer to see him. She needed confirmation that she had not made another huge mistake.
Her stomach was in knots as she waited for him to emerge from the back room. It was not too long before she heard someone coming. She anxiously looked up, but it was only Giselle returning. The svelte elf quickly finished whatever she had been doing in the kitchen and walked over to Darian. After whispering something in the elf’s ear, she turned to Kalista.
“Our master will be out in a moment,” she said with twinkling violet eyes. “We will wait outside so that the two of you may truly speak in private.”
The two elves bowed their heads to her before slipping out the front door. The sound of it shutting behind them stood out starkly against the silence that followed in the small room. The thought of being completely alone with Traven caused her to feel even more nervous. It was rare that she was completely alone with anyone other than her chamber maid. The thought of the time she had been alone with Traven in the gardens of the palace at Candus caused a slight blush.
Her heart began beating faster as she heard steps approaching from the back room. Traven walked out into the front room with a nervous smile. A look of surprise crossed his face as he looked around the room.
“Where are Darian and Giselle?” he asked.
“They are waiting outside.”
“Oh,” he replied as he slowly walked over and sat down in a chair opposite her.
Kalista was confused. She had assumed he had commanded them to wait outside. She quickly forgot about the elves as she gazed at Traven. His clothes were slightly wrinkled, and he still appeared to be blinking away the last remnants of sleep. He was smiling shyly at her, and the sparkle in his eyes made him look as handsome as ever.
“I am happy to see that you have survived the last two nights of battle unscathed,” she said.
“Mostly,” Traven replied as he rolled up his sleeve, exposing a bandage that wound all the way down his arm. “The galdak wielder managed to give me a nasty burn before I defeated him.”
“Does it hurt much?” Kalista asked as she moved to the edge of her seat and leaned towards him.
“It stings a little,” he replied as he pulled his sleeve back down.
“Why have you not healed yourself?”
“This might sound strange, but I decided to keep it as a reminder of the battle. Giselle has been changing the bandage regularly. It should be fine in another couple of days. I can’t complain. I am happy to have walked away from the duel with only a burn.”
“I am glad you were able to wa
lk away from the grueling fight at all,” she said sincerely. “I heard the reports of how long and intense it was.”
Traven shrugged.
“I was lucky,” he stated.
“I believe it was your skill and preparation that led you to win,” she observed.
“That helped,” Traven said with a smile. “It also helped to have someone special to be fighting for.”
Traven’s meaning was not lost on her. Her pulse began racing as she remembered that they were completely alone and sitting so close to one another.
“I heard you are no longer engaged to be married,” he added carefully.
“Not for the moment,” Kalista responded demurely.
At first a look of confusion passed over Traven’s face. His eyes then widened slightly with understanding as a slight redness rose to his cheeks. The young wielder reached forward and gently grabbed her hand. A shock of energy coursed up her arm and through her body at the feel of his touch. His strong, calloused hand felt even better than she had remembered.
“When you say that, are you being serious?” Traven asked in a slightly shaky voice.
“Yes,” she replied as she put her other hand on top of his. She knew she needed to fully explain her thoughts and feelings without the numerous contradictions that had been present in the letter she had previously sent him. “You have saved my life several times, protected my country from numerous enemies, and never abused the immense power you possess. I must admit that I am in awe of all that you have done. I have often thought of you and worried for your well being since you first risked your life to save mine. I have struggled with the idea of how I could ever repay you for all that you have done for me.”
“You don’t owe me anything,” Traven quickly said, interrupting her.
“I know,” she replied. “At first I thought my feelings towards you were nothing more than gratitude, but the longer I thought about them, the more I realized there were other feelings present as well. I began to recognize the love I felt for you. I tried to ignore the feelings, but they kept growing. I finally came to the point where I could deny them no longer. My love for you is deep enough that I ended my engagement to Gavin.” She then paused before continuing and took a deep breath. “I hope your feelings for me are as strong as mine are for you.”
Kalista waited anxiously for Traven’s reply. He had already confessed his love for her and had shown that love multiple times by saving her life. Nevertheless, she needed to know that he was serious about making a long term commitment to her. She was expected to marry soon, but had terminated her engagement to a good man because she could not say that she loved him. She had strong feelings for Traven but wouldn’t allow herself to demean her station as princess with a frivolous relationship. Traven glanced away from her intense stare and looked at the floor. Her heart sank. Was it possible he did not want to marry her?
“All I’ve ever wanted from you was your love,” Traven began while still staring at the ground, “but it was hard for me to imagine that you could ever love a commoner like me.” He looked up with glistening eyes. “I’ve dreamed of you almost every night since I left Calyn. My visions often included me wearing the crown of Kalia with you standing firmly by my side to guide me. I didn’t dare to hope that the visions were literally showing me my future, but deep down I wished that somehow my future did include you. When you said you loved me the other night, the words from your lips were the sweetest melody I had ever heard. I wondered if our fates were truly intertwined.” He paused and leaned closer to her. “To answer your question, my feelings for you transcend my feelings for all else. My feelings for you are as strong as yours are for me, if not stronger. Kalista, I love you and will love you forever.”
The strength with which Traven pronounced his feelings and the intensity of his eyes left no doubt in her mind that he meant every word he had said. Tears sprang to her eyes at the joy that filled her heart. The young wielder reached up with his free hand and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks. She closed her eyes and smiled as she felt his firm hand against her cheek.
Upon opening them, her eyes locked with Traven’s. For the moment, nothing else in the world existed. Her pulse began racing as his hand slid from her cheek to the back of her neck. Traven smiled sweetly as he leaned forward and gently pulled her head towards his. She offered no resistance as the space between their lips vanished. The warm touch of his lips against hers filled her with unexplainable joy and chased away any doubts about her future happiness. He was the one.
43
The battle at Kavar lasted five more nights. It had been expected that the galdaks would retreat after the first night or two without their wielder, but they kept coming night after night. There were several small groups of the creatures that deserted the rest of the horde and headed north, but the majority of the warriors were determined to fight to the death. By the end of the fifth night, no galdak was left standing.
The next few days were spent burying and burning all the corpses as they cleaned up the battlefield. The celebrations were then held. The soldiers of the Kalian Army were regarded as mighty heroes, and the elven warriors were treated as saviors. Above all, Traven was adored as an equal to the beloved High King of all the land. Another ten days saw the departure of the elven army, the reverse exodus of many of the citizens of Candus, and the beginning of the rebuilding of the walls of Kavar.
Traven didn’t go north with the elves or remain in Kavar. Instead, he took his journey to the southeast, accompanied by his future bride, his two devoted servants, and a small retinue of Kalista’s guards and servants. After a few days of traveling, he found himself nearing his hometown of Oak Tree. Everything looked exactly the same as he remembered. It was hard for him to believe he hadn’t even been away for a full year. He felt as if an entire lifetime had passed since he had set out for Calyn at the end of the previous summer. Yet, as he entered the small town, all appeared as if nothing there had changed in the slightest.
“So this is where it all began,” Kalista said at his side.
“Almost,” he replied. “My grandparents’ cottage is a little way outside of the village.”
He smiled and waved to those he recognized as a crowd began to form to see who was visiting. At first, he was taken aback by the surprised stares he received, but then he realized he must look quite different than when he had left. He supposed the presence of the royal guards had something to do with it as well. It was doubtful that anyone would recognize Kalista as the princess. She was dressed in fine clothing but nothing to suggest that she was royalty.
Traven led the group past the large oak tree in the center of the village and back out into the forest without stopping to talk to anyone. He had come for the single purpose of seeing his grandparents and introducing Kalista to them. As he continued down the trail, Traven suddenly realized how nervous he felt. He was excited to see his grandparents after such a long absence but hadn’t expected the mixture of emotions coursing through him. He didn’t doubt they would approve of Kalista but wondered how they would respond to everything that had happened.
At last, the cottage came into view through the trees. He pulled up, bringing the party to a halt. Kalista excitedly stared at the small cottage in the distance, while Darian and Giselle happily inspected the trees all around them. Traven took a deep breath.
“This is it,” he announced.
“We did not come this far just to stare at it, did we?” Darian offered from behind.
Traven shook his head and urged Pennon forward. He pulled up at the edge of the cleared area that surrounded the cottage. After dismounting, he helped Kalista down as well. She smiled excitedly and squeezed his hand as they walked to the door. The breeze changed to blow in their direction, bringing with it the smell of his grandmother’s cooking. The smells, sights, and sounds brought back a flood of happy memories. He smiled at the pleasant thoughts and knocked at the door. His grandparents would be so surprised to see him.
They did
n’t have to wait long before the door was opened by his grandmother. She took one astonished look at him before breaking into a huge smile and throwing her arms around him excitedly. Traven hugged his grandmother tightly as tears threatened to escape his eyes. It felt great to feel her loving embrace again.
“Who is it?” his grandfather called from inside.
“Traven!” his grandmother shouted elatedly as she let go of him and wiped the tears from her eyes.
“Traven?” the voice from inside asked gruffly. “Well, it’s about time the boy came to visit us. He could have at least sent a letter ahead to let us know he was coming.”
Traven smiled as his grandfather slowly made his way to the door. He sounded the same as he always had.
“Mind your manners,” his grandmother scolded as her husband came into view. “He has a pretty young lady with him.”
“I don’t care who . . .” his grandfather began before trailing off as he looked outside. He looked from Traven to Kalista and then past them to the rest of the party. A large grin broke out on his face. “I see. Won’t you come in?”
Traven led Kalista into the modest home he had grown up in. He smiled at the familiar furniture and smells. The cottage was tiny and simple compared to the rooms of the palaces he had stayed in, but it felt more warm and comfortable.
“Sorry about the mess. I would have cleaned up if I had known there would be company,” his grandmother said as she quickly picked up several objects that had been resting on the kitchen table. “Please sit down.”
Traven chuckled to himself as Kalista and he sat down at the table. The cottage was completely clean, just as his grandmother always kept it. His two beloved grandparents sat down at the table across from him.
“So what brings you here?” his grandmother asked politely.
Wielder's Fate Page 40
