Chapter 48

chapter Forty-six

The sun blazed as they entered Samanthia. The last burning embers before night would set upon them. Travion, Birna, and Little Lennion were swinging beneath the tree, laughing as Damion and Volencia came back.

It was Birna who greeted them first, "How was your walk?" She was practically jumping out of her skin.

"So, did everyone know before me?" Volencia giggled, eyeing Damion suspiciously.

"I only told Travion, Birna goes with the territory, but no one else will be expecting it." Damion gave Trey a pointed look. "Right?"

Waiving a hand, Trey smiled. "Right. Well, Trish may have overheard us talking. Ma was as mad as a badger today when I wouldn't let her go in your house too. So, there's that."

"Enough!" Birna squealed, grabbing Volencia's hands. "Tell me all about it! What did you say? What was the binding gift? Did you see one?"

"This." Volencia pulled the star from between her bosoms. "Of course, I said yes, and we did see unicorns."

"Unicorns? As in more than one?" Birna grabbed her arm, looking as giddy as Volencia felt.

"A whole herd actually." Volencia blushed as Birna squealed again.

"Of course, you would see them all. So blessed! That means you are too Damion. It's like fate is pushing the two of you together. It's so romantic." Volencia gasped as the lizardess pulled her into her arms, her feet coming up off the ground. "I have a sister! You can't believe how excited I am. I was so worried Damion wouldn't find someone who could accept us as family." Putting her back down on her feet, she kissed Volencia's forehead, "What did he give as a binding gift again?"

Damion smiled down at her, "My mother's necklace."

"Oh!" Birna clapped her hands together, startling a small squirrel near the trunk of the tree. "Such a beautiful piece belongs with someone as gorgeous as you. I never thought he would actually give it away."

Damion blushed, looking away from them. Trey was the one to call him out. "Yeah, he used to say he'd never give it away. That not even his wife would touch it. Even refused to allow Birna and mom to borrow it when they asked. Look how much a good woman can change you." He slapped Damion on the shoulder cordially. "I mean it, I'm glad you found someone you can share everything with. This is a huge step for you. Does she know what the other option was?"

"No." Damion glared at Trey, "And don't you dare say anything. I will find the right time to give it to her."

"You realize now that you don't need it, we could sell if for a small fortune and replenish our herds. Even double their size with that kind of money."

Damion shook his head, "We could but I won't. I've already made enough to replenish the sheep. I just need to scout out the best route to get them here and lay big enough spaces to keep them safe for the travel. I'll also need a herder to help. The rest will come next. I'm already working on it. The route we took here was decent, but we'll take our time heading back. I need to find a clearing or create one."

Placing her hands on her hips, Birna scowled at them. "Leave it to you two to ruin a moment. Come on, why don't we go see what mom and dad have to say about this?" Birna pulled at Volencia's arm.

"Uh, Birna?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't you think Damion should come?" Volencia dug her heals in, realizing he and Travion were still mid conversation. "I would be upset if he told my father without me."

Birna blinked at her. "Yeah, I suppose" She turned to watch the brothers. "Hey!" she called to them, "Dinner is served, and there are three different types of pie for dessert tonight. Stop dilly-dallying and come on."

At the mention of pie, both their heads whipped around. Travion grabbed Lenny's hand and Damion made a slow march over to where Volencia waited near the door. His fingers curled around hers as he came to stand beside her. His amazing smile made her heart skip a beat. "I love you."

Stepping into him, raising herself up on her toes she reached up to pull him down to her, kissing him deeply. "Mnm." When he pulled away, her whole body tingled from head to toe. "You know what I would love? A picnic beneath the tree. Just the two of us. Maybe we could fall asleep there, holding each other and accidently spend the night together." She blushed, clinging to his chest.

His large hands caressed her back, "I like the sounds of that. We'll make it a plan, you and me, under the tree for supper. We'll see about accidently falling asleep-"

The door to the house banged open and Lenny was standing there. "Come on!" He said, throwing his hands in the air, exasperatedly, "Supper will be cold by the time you get in here."

Taking Damion's hand, Volencia led him into the house after Lenny stared them down. "Oh, dears, would one of you go grab a chair from Damion's? We're going to be short a sitting space."

"Volencia can sit with me." He wrapped an arm around her waist.

"That doesn't sound comfortable." Kirna frowned.

"Really," Volencia agreed, "I would love to share a seat with him."

"Suite yourselves." Kirna waved them off with a curious glance at them. "But make yourselves useful and set the table. Birna, help me in the kitchen please?"

Damion pulled Volencia to the shelves holding the dishes and utensils, handing her a cup full of the later while he grabbed the stack of thick clay plates. "Do you want to share a plate also? It may feel cumbersome to have two in front of us with how many folk will already be at the table."

"As long as you promise to share the food, that's fine with me." She giggled, moving to Lennion's place at the table first and laying out a napkin putting out a fork and spoon on it. Damion positioned himself behind her at the table, and wrapped his arm around her from behind, placing the plate on the table. Kissing her behind the ear which sent the butterflies in her belly wild. As she moved to a different chair, he continued to do the same thing each time he laid down a plate, kissing her quickly and secretly as Travion and Lennion talked, and Birna and Kirna bustled around the kitchen. On the neck, shoulder, cheek, ear, anywhere he seemed to think he could get away with it.

As they got to where she and Damion were going to sit, the last setting that needed to be put down, he went in for a kiss on her jawline, but she grabbed his face, pulling him into her, leaning into the kiss. The entire room stopped as the plate clunked on the table and Damion wrapped her in his arms.

"What do you think you are doing?" Kirna cried out, dropping the pan she'd just pulled from the oven onto the counter with a clatter. "You two want us to trust you to be left alone, yet you can't even keep your hands off yourself with us around! What would Venron think? He sent you here with the expectation that we would ensure your safety. Even if it must be from my own son-"

Damion pulled at the silver chain around Volencia's neck, sliding the crystal star out from between her breast. "Mother, we've gotten ourselves engaged. She will be my wife, sooner rather than later, if I have my way. But considering a kiss here and there is not something others in our position would worry over." Volencia pulled his arms down to settle them at her waist as she leaned back against his chest. His hands covering her belly protectively.

Kirna covered her mouth, her eyes wide, "You you're engaged?" Tears sprang to her eyes, and she ran forward, wrapping her arms around them both. "I'm so happy for both of you! After yesterday I thought-I"

"Careful mom, you don't want to suffocate my bride before we can make it official." Damion laughed.

"It's unlike you to move so quickly." Lennion smiled at them, resting his chin against his hand.

"It doesn't feel fast at all." Damion said, brushing her hair back off her shoulder, his arm wrapped around her waist. "I feel like we've just been waiting for this moment to come. As if our lives were frozen, stretched out in darkness, waiting for our light to appear. I finally feel whole."

Volencia gripped his hand, she felt exposed after listening to him say those words. She felt the same. Her cheeks flush as his finger hooked her under the chin, pulling her to look up at him. His lips met hers in a sweet and chaste kiss. "I can't tell you how happy I am." Kirna wiped at her teary eyes. "Anyway, let us sit down and eat before supper gets cold."

"Yes!" Travion roared, lifting Lenny into his arms, "I'm famished, what would you like, my little squirrel?" Kirna, Birna, and Travion were already at the counter prepping their plates, so Damion and Volencia just hung back waiting.

"Congratulations." Lennion smiled up at them. "No other two souls deserve happiness more than you two." He held his hand out to her, and she took it, bending low to squeeze him in a hug. "I'm sorry for what both of you have had to go through in the past, but I'm glad to see you both so happy together. I'm sorry for what hand I've had in those things, but I want you both to know that I don't regret my actions. Especially not after seeing how it all turned out."

Perching himself on the arm of the chair, Damion leaned over his dad and kissed the top of his head. "We are grateful for what you've done. It couldn't have been easy, and there were many choices you could have made that would have ended with us never meeting. So, thank you." Damion started to back away, but Lennion's hand shot up to grab him before he made his escape.

"Son, about last night," his one good eye sparkled with tears, "I never meant that I think that of you." His eyes flicked nervously to the Princess.

"Don't worry, she already knows."

Lennion nodded. "You've spent your entire life before us, growing into the elf you are today. The Queen was wrong. Taking you away from the world would have destroyed us and other endangered creatures all over Rhelia. You have brought light into many of our lives. I'm sure your newly betrothed would agree. All our worlds would be darker and greyer without you here. You are not the darkness she thought you would be. You complete our world and bring joy and happiness to all our lives. I didn't get to say that to you last night, but I needed you to know that."