Arrow's Wind (The Healing Touch): The Elemental Realms

by Gina Manis

  “Then what do you want?” I ask seeing the frustration in him. I hate that I make him feel this way. It turns my stomach, “I am trying here.”

  “I know you're trying but there is only so much I can’t show you until you trust me. I want you to heal,” he says, softer this time. “I don’t want you to be afraid of me and to think I would ever do what they did.”

  “I… I know you wouldn’t,” I say, shaking my head.

  “No, you don’t,” he says, looking into my eyes. “You say I have pity in my eyes, and you don’t want me to look at you like that. How can I not when all I see is fear in your eyes? It isn’t fear of them, Jenna. You have faced that pain already. You fear me, and I can’t stand it.”

  He walks away from me, then, and leaves me alone. I hadn’t realized I looked at him with fear.

  ◊ ◊ ◊

  “What is bothering you tonight, love?” Bran asks me as we settle down on the beach after playing in the water's edge.

  “Arrow says I look at him with fear,” I tell him, not hiding my feelings from him. He can read my mind, but he likes for me to talk to him about it. “I didn’t realize I did that.”

  “Your fear is fading. It may be a slow process, but you will get there,” he assures me. “You touched him the other night. You told me you didn’t feel fear then.”

  “I didn’t, but… today I wouldn’t allow him to touch me,” I say, looking out at the water. “I disappointed him.”

  “Arrow is a patient man. Maybe a little rough around the edges, but he will do nothing you are not ready for.”

  “I know he will not. I think it has become a natural reaction for me now. He pushes me sometimes. It causes us to fight but maybe I need him to push me more.”

  Bran shakes his head. “You need to move slowly, Jenna. I know your thoughts on this are changing, but pushing yourself with him will not help.”

  “But he is right,” I tell Bran. “I need to learn to fight, and he can teach me.”

  “If you move too soon, all you will fight is him,” Bran warns. “Arrow is a vigorous man, but he cannot accept that.”

  “So, what am I supposed to do?” I ask him.

  “Keep doing what you have been doing,” he says, wrapping me in his arms. “Touch him in the moments you feel you can, and with more time, you will handle his teachings. But don’t rush it. It is not good for the both of you.”

  I nod and rest my head on his shoulder. “Do you know how to fight?”

  He chuckles, “Yes, but I avoid it. Many men have come after me, and I do not wish them harm. Some can love a woman very deeply and still not know how to help her.”

  “Is this a fantasy, or do you really come to me in my dreams?” I have to ask as Arrow has called my dreams a fantasy but to me they feel so real.

  “A little of both,” he whispers. “When your heart is heavy, you call me and I come. But when you dream of us like that first night under the waterfall, that is more fantasy.”

  “But, I haven’t dreamed of the waterfall.”

  “So you know, this is not a fantasy right now,” he says smiling at me. “I will always come to you when you call. I promised you I would.”

  I raise up and move over into his lap, placing my arms around his shoulders. “I am glad this isn’t a fantasy.”

  “So am I,” he says as I lower my lips to his. I like the fantasy he has built for me but dreaming of him like this, on the beach or on the prairie, is better. Our conversations always make me more certain of where I am going in life. Ending my dreams with a kiss is the best thing of all. I like the closeness I can feel with him.

  There is soul warmth that fills me with life being in his arms. Those childhood dreams of falling in love and having a family spark in me. I can see myself playing with the other kids, boys and girls. My first kiss with Bran. I am starting to have the urge to be close like this in real life.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Jenna

  “I guess that is everything,” Brit says as we finish dinner with a peach cobbler. I helped her cook the meal, and it amazed me how she used her hands more than her eyes with it. “Tomorrow morning, you two will pull out, and it will be just us again, Ruff.”

  “Arrow, do me a favor, will you?” Ruff asks as he pulls a fiddle out from behind his chair. “Give Brit a spin around the room for me. We dance most nights, and I know she has missed it with me being laid up.”

  “Oh, Ruff, don’t bug the young man,” Brit says, even though she is blushing. “he doesn’t care to dance with an old hag like me.”

  “Nonsense,” Arrow says, standing and holding his hand out for Brit. “It would be an honor, Madam.”

  She reaches for his hand, and he pulls her into his arms. I watch with a smile on my face, seeing the joy in her eyes.

  “You better watch it, Ruff. I might throw you over for a younger man.” She kids him as Arrow takes her around the small room.

  “You just wait till I’m walking again, woman,” Ruff says, and I laugh. I can tell they both love each other very much. Brit has told me they have been together for nearly fifty cycles. They both have to be in their sixties now, and so they had to have met when they were young.

  It makes me a little sad to think I will never allow myself the chance to fall in love. Something I haven’t cared to think about before, but now that I know Bran and Arrow, it has entered my mind.

  “Okay, I think that is enough for me,” Brit says, breathlessly as she takes her seat. “Why don’t you and Jenna show us how it is done?”

  “Oh, I don’t know Brit,” Arrow says, stepping back. “I should make sure nothing else needs doing before we leave.”

  “You have done everything, son,” Rufus tells him as he continues to play. “Now, get your girl and give her a spin.”

  I never told Brit or Rufus about my affliction with men, and it didn’t feel right to say anything now. But they want me to dance with Arrow, and I’m not sure if I can. I tell myself I have nothing to fear in the back of my mind and that he will not hurt me.

  Arrow looks unsure of what to do. I know now is the time Bran told me to try, and I need to let my guard down and just go for it. If he will ever train me with anything, I need to know what it will feel like with his arms around me.

  I stand up before I can talk myself out of it. He looks at me, surprised, but holds out his hand. I take a step to him and then another and slowly slide my hand into his.

  “Jenna, are you sure?” he asks me, not making a move. I nod, unable to say anything. I don’t dare break eye contact with him, focusing on him entirely. He lifts my hand but doesn’t touch me, waiting for me to make the first move. I raise my other hand and place it on his shoulder. His hand skims my side, and I jump, and he pulls away.

  “It is okay,” I whisper and take a deep breath. “Do it again.”

  His hand comes to my side again, and I don’t flinch this time. Slowly he moves, but I am not a good dancer and look down at our feet. He lets go of my side, and I watch him lift his hand until he places it at my chin and raises my head until I am looking at him again.

  “Watch me,” he whispers as he places his hand at my side. His gaze welcomes me into a safe place, and I find the strength to let my fear slip away. I let go and follow his movements. There is an adequate space between us, and after a few turns, I relax into the dance a little. I even smile, and he smiles back.

  Suddenly he turns me, and I am caught off guard and almost fall into him. I right myself, though.

  “You’ve never danced before?” he asks me, and I shake my head.

  “Thomas tried to show me once, but he has two left feet. I went to bed with sore toes instead of learning anything.”

  “I’m kind of glad,” he says, smiling at me, his face soft. I like his eyes and the gray in them. I never paid much attention before. His blond hair is pulled back at the base of his neck as he usually wears it. I don’t recall ever seeing it down, but knew it had to come a
bout the length of his shoulders. “It gives me one more thing to teach you.”

  He spins me again, and this time I keep my balance. I almost laugh when he places his hand on my side again.

  “You’re even more beautiful when you smile,” he says, and I take in a sharp breath.

  “You think I am beautiful?” I ask, not looking away from him.

  He looks uncertain for a moment before he whispers, “Yes.”

  The music stops, but it is a moment before I realize it. I pull away, realizing that Arrow was closer to me than when we started. Not enough to touch our bodies, but that only makes me more aware of how close we are.

  “That was lovely,” Brit says with an enormous smile as she claps. “Oh, it makes me miss it.”

  “Miss, what old woman?” Rufus asks her.

  I tune them out, looking back at Arrow and seeing him watching me. I don’t know what his eyes are saying now, but it isn’t pity or desire. Well, maybe a little desire, but that isn’t what makes my heart flip in my chest.

  “You two should turn in,” Rufus says, loudly enough it breaks into my thoughts. “You got a long journey starting tomorrow.”

  “We should,” Arrow breaks eye contact with me to look at him. “Thanks for the tunes, and thank you for the dance, Madam.”

  “I’ll have you both a hearty breakfast in the morning to start you off.” Brit comes over, hugs me, and whispers in my ear. “You are going to be okay, baby girl. He is going to show you it is okay.”

  I meet her eyes when she pulls back, and she caresses my face before stepping away. She ushers us out the door and closes it behind her. Why did she say I was going to be okay?

  Arrow takes my hand and stops me. I look down at his hand thinking that he has never touched me before without my permission. It feels strange, but it doesn’t scare me as it would have before.

  “Dance with me?” he breathes.

  “We… we just did.” I turn to him but make no further move.

  “That wasn’t dancing.” He smiles at me as he steps closer. His hand comes up to my side again, and we sway. “Would you like to see how a Wind element dances?”

  “The wind?” he excites me with those words. I feel my heart racing, and I don’t know why. “How?”

  “Trust me,” he says with a smile. “Do you trust me, Jenna?”

  He has been asking me for this for what seems like forever now. A part of me wants to do so badly, but there is still a small part that still resists. I don’t want to let that part win though, and respond, “Yes.”

  “I need to hold you tight.”

  He wants to hold me? I can’t help but breathe hard at the thought. It isn’t completely because I am scared, but I am frightened. What if I can’t do it? I want to let go with him but feel I am pushing things too fast.

  “Come with me, Jenna,” he calls me back to him as he presses lightly against me. I tense as he whispers. “Put your arms around and hold on.”

  I fight the urge to pull away, wanting so badly to overcome the pain. I place my arms around his neck as he pulls me closer, and I groan as it doesn’t feel quite right, but he makes the front of my body so warm pressed against mine. Both his hands rest on my back, but they are so large they cover it and give heat there, also.

  I bury my face in his chest and breathe him in, fighting the urge to pull away. This is so new and I know I am pushing myself, which Bran told me not to. He may be right but I am wanting to do this. I am wanting to trust Arrow.

  His head bends down and comes closer to my ear. “Let me take you to the stars.”

  His arms tighten around me and I groan as I feel my feet leave the ground.

  “Arrow!” I cling to him tighter as he goes higher in the sky. I can’t believe how high we are already when I look down. “Please stop, don’t go higher.”

  He gives a quick chuckle, “It wouldn’t matter. You fall now, you will certainly fall to your death.”

  “Don’t joke like that! Please stop. I am going to be sick.” I say, closing my eyes and burying my face in his chest. Looking down is terrifying to me.

  “You better hold on to me then,” he says into my ear.

  “I am, I am!” I admit, and I know I have a death grip on him. Before, where it was hard to be in his arms, now, it is my lifeline. “You did this on purpose.”

  “It was kind of an idea of mine,” He admits to me. “I didn’t know it would work so well, though. I think you are going to leave marks in my shoulders.”

  “You are so going to get it when we get back on solid ground,” I tell him.

  “You are going to have to learn to kick my ass first,” he says as he spins us around.

  “Arrow, no!” I squeal, and he laughs but stops us.

  “I’m sorry; I will stop.”

  “You better, or I am going to barf my dinner all over you.”

  He laughs again, and I find I like it. I have never heard him laugh before. “Seriously, Jenna. How do you feel being this close to me?”

  I look up from his chest and meet his gaze, “I have no intention of letting you go right now.”

  “Are you still scared of me?”

  “It feels… strange but the only fear I have right now is falling.” It isn’t fear of him that keeps holding me back anymore, but something else.

  “I’ll take strange,” he says with an encouraging smile. “At least it has you smiling at me.”

  “You did this so we could start training, didn’t you?”

  “Maybe,” he says softly. “But I really wanted you to have this view.”

  We look out over the forest and the river below. The moon is bright tonight and I can see the shadows in the trees. I can see so far out and it is beautiful.

  “Thank you, Arrow,” I breathe as I look back at him. “For everything. I’m glad you are with me.”

  “Jenna, I know I said I would leave once you settle, but I want to remain one winter with you. I want to know you can handle being alone.”

  “But you are returning home,” I say, surprised by his request. “What about your family?”

  “We can visit them if you would like. It doesn’t change where I want to be. I bet I can find you a cabin not too far away from them. Maybe within a day’s walk.”

  That sounded nice. Both ideas. I wasn’t sure if I could handle a whole winter with him but I would like to try. He makes me feel safe even though he has me so high in the sky right now. My fear has slipped away knowing he isn’t going to let me go.

  “Do you think you could find me a place near to your parents?” I ask him.

  “There is one I already know of, to be honest,” he says. “I think it would be perfect for you, but it needs work. Lots of it before winter comes. I worry about you. The mountains are not kind in the winter season. Will you let me stay with you?”

  “Can I think about it?” I ask him. I want him to for all the reasons he says, but it is talking about living with a man. A man for almost an entire cycle? It is a commitment I’m not sure I am ready for.

  “Let me know before the weather turns,” he mumbles, and I nod.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Jenna

  We set camp in a little cove and I find some strawberries while gathering wood. Arrow skinned the meat he killed on the trail today. Two squirrels he has cooking over the fire for meat in the morning and the rabbit for tonight.

  I eat more of the meat than regularly because I am starving tonight. I split the strawberries with Arrow, and we are lying back on our blankets, looking up at the stars. Neither of us is talking that much, but we are more content with each other now.

  I cover up with my blanket, not used to the mountain air. “It is getting cold tonight.”

  “Feels good to me,” he replies as he munches on the berries.

  “Will you tell me about Mountainside?” I ask.

  “Not that much to tell,” he says as he looks up. “It is much smaller... a quarter of the
population of the Star Kingdom. People are different. Not as many hotheads or fighting going down. The markets are full of the fur trade.”

  “What are homesteaders like?”

  “Homesteading can be boring. Most set up in family units within a few miles of each other. They work together in most of their tasks from herding livestock, building a well, a barn. The women band together to do canning in the fall.”

  “What did you do before you left?”

  “I cut trees and helped clear fields, mostly,” he says. “I can put a tree down at any angle. One time, an old-timer named Pat had a tree growing right by his house. The dang thing was leaning over it. I brought it down less than a foot by the house. My best yet.”

  “You seem to have enjoyed your life. Why did you leave?”

  “I was twenty-two when I got my wings. I didn’t know what they meant, and my parents encouraged me to follow the legends.”

  “You mean Star Kingdom legends?” I ask.

  “Yes. I went there to learn if there was something special I could do in this world. When I got there, I met Thomas. He is the only person I ever told. He said it wasn’t safe, that he knew the king was searching for my kind. There was talk of him stealing the powers from them. He told me to leave and not to come back.”

  “But you stayed.”

  “I wanted to know the legends, and so I did.” He looks over to me and then back up at the sky. “Thomas liked to keep me close. It is why he always invited me to dinner. He said it was better if I stuck with humans.”

  “It almost feels like forever ago, even though it has been maybe two weeks gone,” I say.

  “Walking is tiresome,” he says. “When we get to Mountainside, let me go in and see about purchasing you a plot. I know the mountains well and the best ones. Danner, if he is still there, he has a leering eye. He will be all over you.”

  “That sounds gross,” I tell him. “I counted my coins, and I only have four hundred to buy. Do you think that will be enough?”