Our house had never felt so full. With Demelza and Arnold joining us, the atmosphere was lively, and we even laughed when we heard the loud snoring coming from inside, where Alexander was sleeping.
The children were busy playing with the new toys we'd brought back and eating candied pineapple, which they seemed to enjoy immensely.
Eli and Mother started the cooking. Demelza and Granny chatted about the clothes I'd bought. I desperately wanted to give Zephyr his present but wanted to do it when we were alone. I kept looking for an opening, but he simply sat there politely, listening to our chit-chat.
"These ones are beautiful, Lylly." Demelza lifted a long white dress and admired it. "You have a good eye for clothes."
"I bought one too many, and that one would look great on you. Why don't you try it on?"
Before she could refuse, Granny chimed in.
"It's true, this would look lovely and might even be just the thing to aid your husband's recovery." She poked Demelza's side, eliciting giggles.
I watched them all happy and felt my face heating up. I am twenty years old; I shouldn't be this innocent about everything. I worried that maybe Zephyr felt this way, too. But looking at the man was useless; he looked as pleased and composed as ever. I told myself it was nonsense—we hadn't even kissed yet.
Lucian came through the door with his mother close behind. He smiled at Eli first, then turned to Zephyr. "They are all gathered."
"Thank you, Lucian. Hello, Mrs. Mordin."
Miranda returned his greeting, then joined Eleanor and Mother to help with the cooking.
Zephyr looked tired already, and it wasn't even night yet. He and Granny were about to leave, but Ilianna insisted on going with him. He couldn't say no to her.
I wanted to go too. I wasn't supposed to, as these meetings were for the village elders. My secret plan was to just show up, hand-in-hand with Zephyr; nobody would dare say anything.
"You can't come, Lylly." My grandmother saw right through me.
Zephyr was busy talking to Lucian further off, so I walked a little further myself and waited for Granny to catch up.
"Why not? I'm supposed to be by his side, and Ilianna is going, too," I complained. "I also want to hear the meeting. Please?"
"If you were his wife, you would be welcomed to... but that's a little further away, and Ilianna is his daughter now." She killed my plan with cold facts and poked my cheek. "Don't be childish. He probably just wants to discourage those who still want to fight Emet. It's nothing interesting."
I felt pouty but didn't want to act like that in front of Granny or Zephyr. "Fine... he'll probably tell me everything later."
"Yes," she patted my head like adults do to delusional children, then delivered the final blow: "And maybe, then you can stop playing it so slow and take the leap."
"What? P-playing what?"
She pulled me further inside, away from the children, where Alexander still slept soundly. "Sweetheart, I know you don't have any experience with men, and that's fine. But for weeks now, he has been making his intentions clear. Have you?"
She was right. I had been waiting until after the sacrifice, but now that everything was about to change, I needed to make my feelings crystal clear.
"I want to give him the necklace..." I pulled it out, letting the blue stone unravel and catch the light.
"I will let him know my intentions then. So... hurry and bring him back quickly, please."
Her expression was proud and deeply relieved. I guess she'd been worried about my inexperience. But even someone like me could tell: I loved him. And I wanted him to know.
I hugged my grandmother. Without her, I'd probably still be confused by all these new feelings.
They soon left, and I turned to the more experienced women—my mother, Demelza, and Miranda—for advice.
"Mom... I need your help with something." I grabbed her hands and looked at the boiling pots. "Can you help me pick out a dress and pack some of your dinner for a picnic?"
She screamed loudly and threw the spoon she held into the air, jumping to hug me. "Sweetheart... I can't believe it's tonight! I have been waiting so long!" She sounded relieved. "Look at you, late bloomer... you want me to give you pointers?"
I quickly freed my mouth from my mother's shoulder. "I don't know what you're thinking is going to happen, but I just want to... make our relationship official. Nothing dirty... probably."
The last word was silent, but my mother, Eli, and Demelza all screamed in excitement. It was lucky we didn't wake Alexander.
The cooking was left to Miranda, and I was whisked away by my mother, Eli, and Demelza to get dressed and, hopefully, make me somewhat attractive.
"For Ehlite, I never understood why you got your father's hair, honey," Mother fussed with my wild hair. "Well, at least your skin came from me."
"You do have nice skin, sis. Do you plan to give him the necklace you bought?" Eli ran her fingers along my arm, tickling it.
I showed the necklace to Mother and Demelza, who hadn't seen it yet.
"It matches his eyes and hair. He is going to love this... your first gift." My mother shed some happy tears while admiring my choice.
"Look at you... I'm happy for you, Lylly. For the both of you," Demelza added, genuine and kind.
Having my sister and mother share in this happiness... looking back at myself, I could hardly remember how it felt to be so alone, so lost. I couldn't believe it was less than a month ago, and it felt like another life, a sad one.
"Thank you two for putting up with my stubbornness for all these years." I felt I needed to let this off my chest. All the guilt I'd been feeling, the frustration with the world, the fear we as a village lived in—it all came out in a rush of tears, and my chest felt lighter than air. "All that you had endured... I promise I'll make it up to... you two."
"There's nothing to make up for. You protected your heart because deep down you knew there was someone better out there," Mother played with my hair and wiped her own tears. "Lucky for you, Eli was nice enough to find him for you."
We laughed and cried for a little bit. Time passed, and I was ready as I'd ever be. I felt like a brand new person, and not just because of the new dress and makeup they had put on me.
I arrived at the field we had left just a few hours ago. I placed down a blanket and set the food aside. I also brought some wine, following Mother and Demelza's advice.
Eli was waiting by the main hall. When people started leaving, she ran home, giving me enough time to set up everything. I listened to the sounds of the summer night. I loved how the frogs and insects had taken over the songbirds' job.
The moons were waning, and their light bathed the field in an ethereal glow. That same light bounced back from the water of the Sen. I made a mental note to spend more time down here with Zephyr and Anna, just watching the stars and listening to the music of the night.
I heard footsteps behind me and saw Zephyr walking up to me slowly, climbing the small hill where I had placed our night picnic. He stopped just a few feet from me. The moonlight paired perfectly with his hair and unearthly presence.
"Are we having a picnic under the moons?" he asked, looking up admiringly.
"I wanted to do something nice for you... also, I wanted to talk."
He laid down next to me and took my hand.
"Then let's talk."