Beautiful walked beside Seeker, hand in hand, resisting the familiar urge to dash ahead and make him chase her. Not today.
Together they walked down the stairs, her hand still in his. She never got tired of the view—waterfalls spilling from the distant mountains into the stream below, carving its way through the ravine.
She knew exactly what was coming—he thought she hadn’t noticed the small velvet box hidden in his other hand. And yet, her curiosity buzzed inside her, impossible to quiet. She glanced at him, amused—he was trembling. Poor boy. This was the same man whose fists had sent brutes running just hours ago. And now he trembled at her. A girl who barely reached his shoulders.
Relax. You’re doing fine. He stopped at the stone where they’d sat the very first day. This is where their adventure had begun. Where she’d accidentally blurted out husband. Somehow, even then, she’d known. No. She’d known the moment he smiled at her in the wheat fields. He had seen her.
He dropped to one knee. He could really, really be ridiculous sometimes. This was so cliché.
“Beautiful,” he said, “will you…”
She leaned in. Yes? She waited. And then waited some more. Her heart pounded. She couldn’t take it. She sat down on the stone—the very one where she’d given him her extra sandwich. Funny, he never seemed to think that was odd. She pulled him down beside her.
She slowly, deliberately took off her shoes and dangled her toes in the water, letting the coolness wash over her. Then she pulled off his boots and dropped his feet into the stream beside hers. Water splashed all over her. She didn’t care.
He still didn’t say anything. How long was he planning to keep her in suspense? Unable to take it anymore, she snatched the ring case from his hand.
“You wanted to give me this?” she said, flipping the lid open.
She gasped. It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen—a delicate band of the purest gold, set with diamonds that gleamed with an otherworldly light, dancing like the water her toes dangled in. She counted them. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Seven lustrous diamonds. Where had he gotten this?
No. She didn’t care where it came from. It was hers now. She leaned in and kissed him.
“Yes, Seeker—I will be your wife!”
He just sat there smiling, not saying a word. It was starting to test her patience.
“Well, don’t sit there like a dumb boy. Put the ring on my finger!” she snapped, her tone warm. Tender.
