Cosmic Twists 1 (Old Version)

Part Four - Eirah - Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

I am provided by one of Ronan’s maids with a silk gown, and when I wear it, I can’t help but feel happy in the way it holds me.

I am led by the maid down the stairs into the main hall, which is a cold, grey stone room filled with a long mahogany table covered in food platters and candles. The general murmur of the council members chatting with one another fill the air as the maid announces my entrance.

“Sir Ronan, Sir Stracken, and members of the Council. Miss Eirah Flynn.” She bows her head, encouraging me to step forward, and a smartly dressed young man takes my arm to lead me to my seat, opposite Ronan at the other end. I take me seat and the man next to me fills my goblet with a dark red, sweet smelling liquid. Stracken stands in his place at the centre of the table and raises his goblet.

“A toast, to a new age” is voice echoes around the room, and everyone raises their goblets. Ronan looks at me, smiling, and raises his goblet slowly towards me, like we’re the only two at the table, never mind the 50 gentlemen sitting between us.

It’s as if the girl who was dragged in by the guards several hours ago was somebody else; in here I’m treated like royalty. The evening trundles along as we eat and drink and the volume of chatter in the room gets louder and louder. There’s several drunken songs to be sung after desert until eventually the evening comes to a close when Stracken dismisses himself from the table.

The room begins to empty and the servants and maids come in to take the dishes away. I see Ronan standing in the threshold grasping his goblet. He watches me closely. I step towards him. He says nothing, but leads me up the spiral stairs in silence, holding my hand firmly in his.

I walk to a plain, open room with a huge open window that takes up one side of the room which overlooks the city, under the moon.

“This is where I go when I need to think,” he says wistfully.

“Ronan,” I say, but he continues.

“It’s hard, pretending to be someone I’m not. I don’t really know how to compete in their games.”

“Ronan, I know we’ve only really just met properly, but… I feel like I’ve known you for a long time. Long enough to tell you that this isn’t your burden anymore. We’re going to play in their games together. Whatever it takes, I will be by your side.” I breathe.

“I wanted to do this properly, for real. I want this to be for us, not them. I want you to want to be here, not out of obligation.” I step towards him as the last word hangs on his lips. His wide eyes flicker down to his pocket and he kneels, bringing out a small box in his palm and opening the lid with his other hand. The diamond shimmers in the torchlight. “Eirah Flynn, will you marry me?”

“No.” The word shoots out before I’ve even processed the question. I look at him, he blinks at me expectantly, too shocked to look surprised.

“Oh...” he looks down and brushes his head with his hand.

“Wait,” a small laugh escapes me. “I mean, could we do that again? I just, well, you said about obligation and I just kind of, I don’t know, there was so much pressure, but I know what I want now…”

“And you didn’t know a few seconds ago?” he laughs too, and I feel a sense of relief.

“Well no, I mean, yes, I just. It’s all confirmed now. Please just asked me again so we can pretend this didn’t happen…”

He shakes his head at me in humorous disbelief. “Eirah Flynn, would you do the honour of becoming my wife?” he looks up, slightly recoiled as he waits for my reply, biting his lip as if preparing himself for the worst. I kneel down opposite him and look right into his sparking brown eyes.

“I’ve never wanted anything more,” I whisper, and I lean towards him. Our lips meet and I suddenly feel weightless. I kiss him and he kisses me back, just like I had always dreamed of. Reluctantly we pull away, the energy drawing us into each other as we try to resist it. He takes my hand and slides the ring effortlessly onto my third finger, then he stands and pulls me up gently with him. We walk back to the window where he leans against the cold stone, and I lean against him, feeling his warmth against me as we look out over the city below us, encompassing our fate in a deceitful silence as its distance from where we stand forms a void between what is real and this other space that only we have created. The stars twinkle above us as we hold each other. I look up at the moon.

“Together?” he whispers into my hair, and I look at him, feeling a deep flame burn inside of me.

“Together.”

THE END.