A Winter's Tale

Chapter 19:

Chapter 19:
EMERY'S POV:

I was sitting in the kitchen, watching Miriam prepare dinner when the door swung open, and Kane entered bringing a whirlwind of frost and snow behind him. Geoffrey quickly shut the door, but snow already blanketed the floor in front of it. I shivered from the sudden onslaught of cold as the wind made its way through the kitchen. Miriam paused for a moment to rearrange her cloak around her before returning to her vegetables. Alice came in from the back room, mumbling, "it's cold in here," under her breath.

She smiled and sat down beside me to show me the dress she was making. It was a pretty color violet, made entirely for the summer. The fabric was too thin to offer any warmth in this weather. Geoffrey walked over to tell Miriam that William would be in just as soon as he had the stables in order. She just nodded, and hummed in response.

Slowly, Kane walked over to me. He stood there for a moment before on a rushed, stubborn decision, leaned down and gave me a hard, fast peck on the lips. There was a stunned silence in the room, for no one expected it, especially not from him. It seemed so different from the man he was just a few weeks ago, lurking and creeping, refusing to allow anyone in. Miriam's face lit up in a teasing smirk, giving Alice a look that said, "I told you so."

Geoffrey was the first to speak, "well, I see you two are really betrothed now." Alice giggled, "yes, they are, aren't they?" I blushed and chuckled lightly, acutely aware that Kane had yet to move away. He seemed comfortable standing behind me with an arm winded loosely around me. I wasn't prepared for this, for us to act as if we were in love. I knew I loved him, and I knew he loved me. It was no secret, and since our kiss in the corridor in front of the room his parents were murdered in, my love for him has only grown.

Now, though, he spent more time back in the library, focused on stopping this mysterious, "darkness," or as he called it sometimes, "the Order." I believe the sudden realization that he dreamed of a happier time with me spurred him on. It made him even more determined to rid this place of the, "evil," he perceived was lurking around every corner. Some nights, I would hear him pacing in front of my room again, like he did my first night here, and the truth of why he did this became shockingly clear. He was there to protect me, to stop any threats that may harm me in my sleep. I hadn't asked him, but I was sure his parents were murdered some time during the night, and when he awoke, he watched his parents die.

      He never acknowledged the fact that he stood outside my chambers all night, nor that he loved me so. We'd never said it to each other, yet it was an unspoken rule between us; it hung in the air as we sat there, completing a part of the estate that had been missing for an exceptionally long time.

       William came in a moment later, shuffling against the cold, and shutting the door quickly, causing a loud bang to resonate through the kitchen and down the stone corridors. He stopped abruptly when he entered, shocked at the sight of his friend and boss with his arms wrapped around his betrothed. A small smirk, just like his wife's, lit his face, "well, look at these two. They'll be married before we know it. Miriam, better start preparing for the ceremony." Even Kane chuckled a little at his remark, and my blush burned even brighter.

Geoffrey and William exchanged a prolonged glance full of promises to talk later. I could only guess what they would say about the Count and I. Alice and Miriam would just tease me, telling me they had to fill me in on what my wifely duties would be. Miriam assured me she'd handle the cooking even though I told her I made my own food back at court. Alice offered to make my wedding dress, and that was when I told them they had to slow down. Yes, we were betrothed, and yes, we loved each other, but there was no certainty that we would indeed have a ceremony.