The Love That Bonds Us

Chapter 46 : A Coronan Affair

IDUNA

Life in Corona was as pleasant as I thought it would be.

I still hadn't had a chance to see Frederic yet, but I wasn't so anxious about that anymore. A fortnight had done wonders on how comfortable and at home I felt in the Kingdom of the Sun.

I had explored the quaint little town numerous times and yet still found something new to marvel at; often this was just some small thing that most would overlook. Having a keen eye for detail myself, these were the things that made Corona so wholesome and charming - I'd stop to admire a chalk painting on a sandy coloured wall, or the swaying lanterns that sprinkle you with light when the day turns to enchanting night.

Erik didn't understand why I cared so much for these details, but I just shrugged off his comments breezily. He didn't understand. Agnarr would. He always did; we both had an appreciation for the pretty things in life, the things you don't necessarily always pay attention to, but the things you'd miss if they weren't there.

And, another plus, the Kingdom was very easy to navigate. You didn't have to worry about getting lost because you could ask the friendly inhabitants for directions, or you could simply follow the streets.

I'd discovered this little trick very early on when I'd asked a little girl for directions to Sonne Cottage but couldn't understand her accent. I didn't have the heart to tell her I hadn't understood, so I'd just nodded and wandered in the general direction she'd pointed at, hoping I'd eventually find my way back home. To my surprise, within five minutes, I'd found the oak tree outside my very destination.

The only downside so far had been my inability to find a cottage of my own. I believed a small part of me wanted to stay at Sonne Cottage because I adored it. The view was perfect and the interior design was beautiful. I couldn't find anywhere nearly as pretty.

But I also knew that this place was rightfully Erik's, it would be wrong for me to ask him to leave just so I could live here myself. So I tried to keep an open mind, telling myself repeatedly that once I had a job here and was earning money, I could redecorate a house any way I wanted.

And that was what I reminded myself of as my realtor showed me yet another house.

She had been extremely patient with me so far, going great lengths to find the perfect cottage for me. I appreciated her help and felt bad for turning down all the other houses. So this time, I was determined to find something I liked.

Straight off the bat, I realised the composition of this house was quite pleasant; it had nice windows that were bound to have good views, and the shape was interesting - it was mostly rectangular, but there was a wide, semi-circular column attached to the house. It took up about half of the front wall and stood beside the red door.

"What do you think?" Freeda asked.

"It's nice." I have her an honest smile.

Something of relief washed over her and she gestured towards the door, "Shall we then?"

I nodded and followed as she opened the door and beckoned me inside.

"Feel free to take a look around," Freeda said, "There are two bedrooms upstairs, in case you want guests, and both have an onsuite washroom. The kitchen is through there and the living room is that way."

I nodded and started the tour for myself. Freeda had tried to give me the tour for the first few houses, but I preferred to look around the cottages for myself without her eagle-eye watching my reactions.

The kitchen was were I started; the window set in the rounded wall of the room boasted a good view of the street (rather like the scene from Sonne Cottage), shelves and cupboards adorned the other three walls above the polished, wooden work-surfaces, and in the middle of the room sat a square table which doubled as extra workspace.