Island Dream [a Damian Priest fantasy story]

25 Giggles and snow

Damian carefully helped Sanja to sit up. She was fine again, but she still felt a little weak. That was to be expected, as it had been a while since she had eaten anything.

She gently put her arms around Damian's neck so that she could pull him close to her. Sanja sighed deeply. The relief of still being able to hold him was almost overwhelming. Damian himself shared these feelings. Even more so. He sniffled softly as the fear of losing her slowly but surely lifted from him.

For minutes, the two of them just sat there and held each other. Words were not necessary. They both knew how close it was. And no matter how this unquestionable miracle came about, they accepted it. Her grandfather had saved his granddaughter's life more than once without knowing it... or maybe he did. Without Damian, however, it would not have been possible.

Damian detached himself from her so that he could take a closer look at his fiancée. He wanted to convince himself with his own eyes that she was truly well. Just the sparkle in her eyes was enough to know that she was perfectly fine.

He gave her a kiss on the nose to hear her giggle. It was the most beautiful melody for him.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you too. Do you want to lie down with me?" she replied.

"In a minute. First I should get you something to eat and drink. You must be starving. After all, you have to get your strength back so that we can get married as soon as possible. Because I'll tell you one thing... I won't be able to wait long to make you my wife... my Lady," Damian said and gave her a quick kiss.

Before Sanja could say anything back, he hurried out of the room and down the stairs. Worried glances met him, but one look at his face was enough for everyone to know that Sanja must be feeling better.

So while Damian went into the kitchen to get all the food she loved, Sanja slowly got out of bed. The cold air blowing in through the windows gave her goose bumps and she quickly began to shiver. She closed the windows before setting about lighting the fireplace. The dry wood crackled quickly as it began to warm up the room.

Sanja remained in front of the fire and looked at her hand. Looking at this gorgeous ring. It was as perfect as Damian himself. She couldn't believe it was all real. Somehow it all seemed like a dream to her. The flames made the gemstone sparkle and although it was orange, the sparkling reminded her of the ocean.

"Do you like it?" she suddenly heard Damian's voice ask from behind her.

"Is that even a question? I love it as much as I love you." she replied as she held out her hand to him.

Damian placed a tray of drinks and food on the floor before sitting down next to Sanja. He immediately pulled her into his arms. He simply wanted her close to him. The feeling of being lost was too fresh.

They sat in front of the fireplace for a while, always in touch while they ate and drank together. During this time, they talked about everything that had happened. It hurt Sanja to know how much heartache she had caused her beloved. But he had never given up hope.

It was almost poetic in a way. Now they had saved each other's lives. By saving each other's lives, they had even saved their own. Love did that for them.

At some point, Damian stood up and lifted his love into his arms so that he could carry her to their bed. Sanja's eyes held his gaze as he slowly laid her down on the soft sheets.

Although they were both exhausted, physically but especially emotionally, they did not miss the opportunity to make love in the dim glow of the crackling fire. With every touch, they expressed their love for each other and celebrated the new level they had taken their relationship to. They had experienced... survived... so much in their short time together and because of this they were certain that nothing could separate them.

Late at night, Sanja gently stroked Damian's back. Her gaze wandered to the windows. Somehow it was too light for the late hour. She carefully climbed out of bed and wrapped herself in a blanket before standing by the window.

She immediately realized why it was so bright. It was snowing. Everything was covered in a fine layer of snow. It was as wonderful as it was unexpected. She had never seen snow in her life. As quietly as she could, she opened the window. Sanja took a deep breath. The air was cold and the little snow crystals danced around her nose. She giggled like a little child.

She stretched out a hand. The flakes landed on her hand before they quickly melted. Too bad, she thought to herself, but it was still a wonderful experience.

Damian had sensed that she was no longer lying next to him and so he got up. He carefully wrapped his arms around Sanja from behind. He rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Aren't you cold? It's such a stark contrast to last night's fever," he wanted to know.

"Now that you're here, not anymore. It's just too beautiful. Everything is white. I didn't know how lovely snow was." she said softly as she put her arms on his.

"You'll have the whole winter to enjoy it. But it's late now. You should rest. After all, we have a wedding to plan." he replied with a deep chuckle.

"That's true... But actually, you're all I need for that." Sanja said.

"I feel the same way. But I still want it to be something special." Damian replied as he pulled her away from the window and closed it.

As they lay back in bed, Damian held Sanja from behind as they both watched the snowflakes dance their way down to earth.