𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐛𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐬

Always yours | Bard

I think Bard deserves this so... here it is!

It was a cool spring day, and the first flowers were showing in the grass and on the branches of the trees. Right in front of Y/N there was a large lake, and she, meanwhile, was looking at it leaning on a railing, waiting for her date, who was late. A car was heard parking nearby and the car door slamming shut. After a while, while Y/N continued to contemplate that lake, the image that her eyes saw vanished and she could only see darkness; two hands had covered her eyes.

"Sorry I'm late, I ran out of gas, but at least the boat is ready right on shore," said a male voice, one Y/N knew quite well.

As soon as those hands were removed from her eyes, she could see that man, Bard, who, with a smile, was handing her a bouquet of flowers.

"Bard! Thank you for these flowers! They are very beautiful," she said, smelling them. "But next time you should check first if you have to refuel or not when you have something important to do."

Bard smiled and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

"Bain, Sigrid and Tilda kept me busy all day yesterday and I didn't remember to fill the gas, but the important thing is that I'm here. Ready to go to the lake?" he asked, offering her his hand. Y/N nodded with a mischievous smile and took his hand to go down to the lake and grab the boat to push it into the water.

When they were far enough into the lake, Bard was the only one who began to row slowly as they strolled along. Both were admiring the place while eating some buns and nuts; the evening sun sneaking through the mountains, the clear sky that from time to time was crossed by small birds, the crystal clear and calm water, the sound of the oars crashing against the water, with no other people nearby and just a few cars passing by on the road from time to time. Everything was very quiet. Bard blew the air out of his lungs and stopped rowing once they were right in the center of the lake. He made himself comfortable in the boat and, suddenly, the nerves began to surface inside him.

"Is everything alright?" she asked, noticing his nervousness.

Bard looked at her and smiled again, clearing his throat.

"I'm going to do something I never thought I'd be able to do, but with you I've discovered that I can," he replied, leaving Y/N confused.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

Bard thought for a few seconds, looking at the calm water.

"I need to do this, I feel like I have to, and not only that," he said, directing his eyes to Y/N and his hand to the inside of his coat. "My children have been telling me for a long time, telling me to do it, because they see me happy, and they longed to see me like this... It's true that I haven't felt this way for a long time and I also know that they need it as much as I do."

"What do you mean, Bard? I don't understand... Are you okay? It's something wrong...?"

Bard smiled once more and, after a few seconds, showed a small box, causing Y/N to widen her eyes and bring his hand to her mouth.

"Y/N, my dear..." he said, opening the box. "Will you marry me?"

She smiled still with her hand on her mouth, surprised above all things.

"Is this why we came here?" she asked, looking into his bright eyes, making Bard nod.

"Yes, I do, darling," she said, and Bard then took the engagement ring and slipped it onto her ring finger with tears welling up in his eyes.

Instantly, and unexpectedly, Bard caught hold of her cheek and kissed her lovingly on her lips, grateful.

"You don't know how happy you make me," he said after breaking away from the kiss. "I thought that after the death of my former wife I would never be able to love someone in those ways, and life has just brought me back to someone with whom I want to rebuild my life. Thank you, my love."

Y/N saddened her face, ashamed of his story.

"Now I understand why you've gotten like this... I definitely want to belong to your life, you're what I'm looking for and what I want, and it will be a pleasure to have your children as if they were mine," she said, taking his hands and caressing his cheek. "It's time for you to rebuild your life, but this time by my side."

"Thank you, once again, Y/N... I thought I would never experience this again."

"Of course, I'm here for everything," she said with a tender smile.

"Come here," he said, approaching her.

Once again they kissed each other tenderly and, after separating, they went back to rowing and taking their romantic walk, now engaged.

Once night fell, they returned to Bard's house and told Bain, Sigrid, and Tilda the good news. The children almost instantly cheered and hugged them both together. They always loved Y/N as their second mother. Too many years they were missing from the mother's side of the house, and with her, they would live that experience again.