Chương 148: Chapter 147 [Laurels and Low Light]

"Good night?" Shai asked, her hand still in his.

"Best one I've had in years." He meant it.

"Probably ever, if I'm honest." She squeezed his hand.

"Mine too."

"You reckon the others made it home all right?" Shai thought about it.

"Sam's probably ended up in one of the rooms above the pub. That's where most of the visitors from the other villages end up staying."

"Didn't take him long."

"Apparently not." She smiled slightly.

"Luka's with Shalendra. She works with the village's farm animals, that's probably how they met, both of them being the way they are about animals and all. She's a bit wild once she's had a drink, though. I'd say Luka's in for an interesting night."

"Good interesting or bad interesting?"

"Good. Probably very good. I expect he won't be getting a lot of sleep." She glanced at him.

"And it wouldn't surprise me if Phil's already got his cock out. Neither him nor Sasha really seem like the type to wait around." Leo nearly tripped over nothing.

"Jesus." Shai grinned, entirely pleased with herself.

"What? I'm not wrong."

"No, you're probably not. Just wasn't expecting that out of you."

"Oh? And what is that? Do I strike you as someone naive?"

"No, not at all. It's just, well, it makes the whole not wanting to tell you about fifty shades a bit silly."

"Yeah, well I found that funny. The look on your faces when you thought you were going to have to explain a movie about sex to the innocent locals. Hilarious."

"You're devious. You know that?" Shai grinned at him.

"Hang on. If that's the case, what was with the glare after Brandon explained it?"

"Oh, that? That was more about the fact I had to listen to him explain it while standing next to Rika and Torren. That was more embarrassing than what he said. If you'd have told me about it separately, I would have just found it interesting."

"Good to know." The streets quieted the further they got from the square, the lantern light thinning out, the noise behind them turning into something distant and warm rather than loud. Leo could still feel the weight of the crown on his head, the wood settled and comfortable now, and he reached up and touched it without really thinking about it.

"You can take it off, you know," Shai said, watching him.

"It's not glued on."

"I know. Feels weird to take it off, though. Like I'm supposed to wear it at least 'til I'm out of public." The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Well, that's fair enough. Honestly, though, it's tradition, but you don't need to keep it on." She smiled.

"Normally, after today it goes on a shelf somewhere and you forget about it until someone asks why you have a crown."

"Do you still have yours? From whenever you won?"

"I've never won the guard tournament outright. Close, a few times. But I've got a couple from when I was younger and entered the trainee tournament. They're at Kai's somewhere." She glanced at him.

"You'll probably end up with several of these before you're done, the way you're going."

"Don't jinx it." They reached her house. Shai opened the door and the room beyond was dark, nobody having been in since they left. She reached out and touched a section of the wall near the door where an enchantment was etched into the wood.

"Light." A soft glow spread out from several points around the room, warm and low, nothing like the harsh brightness Leo was used to back home. It was enough to see by without being too much, and once they'd stepped inside, Shai shut the door behind them.

"We've got light switches at home," Leo said.

"Still think that's cool, though."

"It's just a light," Shai said, amused.

"Yeah, but it's a magic enchantment. I know it might seem childish, but magic still seems so amazing to me."

"That's fair." Leo reached up and took the crown off, setting it carefully on the table by the door. Shai watched him do it and smiled.

"Better?" she asked.

"Yeah. It's nice, and it makes me feel cool wearing it, but it does feel strange. Is it enchanted? It felt like it should have fallen off a few times while we were dancing."

"Yeah, it changes size to fit the wearer's head. They can feel a little snug." He started working at the chain across his chest, the ceremonial jacket more complicated to get out of than it had been to put on. Shai watched him struggle with it for a second before she crossed the room and took over, her fingers finding the clasp easily.

"You've done this before," he said.

"I've helped Kai out of his a few times over the years. You get the knack for it." The jacket came free and she set it over the back of a chair. He stood there in the vest underneath, watching her.

"A lot's happened these past two days," he said.

"Good a lot, or bad a lot?"

"Good." He thought about it properly.

"Fighting in the tournament. Seeing the village for the first time, trying out the food. Watching you fight Kai. Seeing your parents. The crowning, then the dancing. All of it." He paused.

"Back in Monkhaven, I was stuck in a rut for years. Same job, same routine, same version of myself I didn't really like looking at. Since I got here, I've actually got in shape. People look to me for things. I've become someone I'm not ashamed to see in the mirror anymore." Shai watched him, listening properly.

"It's strange," he continued.

"All the physical stuff, the training, learning to fight, the magic, that's all been good. But it didn't really shift much of what was going on up here." He tapped the side of his head.

"Not on its own. Most of that's been you."

"Me?"

"I know I haven't really spoke about what went on with the kids' mum, and I'll tell you about it sometime because it'll probably help to talk about it with someone other than the lads. What it amounts to though, is I kind of gave up on this part of things. Didn't think I deserved it, or that it would happen again, so I stopped expecting it." He looked at her properly.

"I don't feel like a fraud standing here with you. Calling you mine doesn't feel weird, even though I think it probably would have a few months ago. You've helped me put away a lot of stuff that's been sat with me for a decade." He paused.

"It's not gone completely. I don't know if it ever will be. But it's a lot quieter than it used to be, and that's down to you." Shai didn't say anything for a moment. Then she stepped closer, close enough that he could feel the warmth coming off her.

"I wouldn't change any of it," she said.

"Especially not the part where you turned up." He kissed her then, slow, unhurried, nothing like the rushed heat of earlier in the day. This was quieter. He felt her hand come up to rest against his chest, right over where his heart was going faster than he'd admit to. When they broke apart, she didn't step back. She looked at him for a moment, her eyes focused on his.

"I don't want to just sleep tonight, Leo." Excitement and happiness came in equal measure alongside a little anxiety. He knew what that was. It had been a long time and he was nervous, but it wasn't going to stop him.

"Yeah," he said quietly.

"Me neither." She took his hand. He let her lead him toward the bedroom, the door closing softly behind them.