Wednesday, April 30, 2014

A to Z Challenge. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX -- TIME


           The zephyr blew her thick hair back as she stood on the balcony of their bedroom. The sun painted the jagged sky a gorgeous palette of crimsons and oranges. She breathed in the cool air in contentment.    

           The rugged fortress home appealed to her. It reminded her of the Aerie in that was cradled in a valley of those same rugged mountains. The forest was tame here, but it was still a breathtaking sight.

           Below her, in the main hall, she knew that the zakuski were being plated and the zitherist was giving her instrument the last bit of tuning. Tonight was the anniversary celebration of their marriage. The jubilation would commence the moon’s zenith.   

            Two years. She said a prayer to thank the Zeitgeist for giving them such zephyrean benevolence. Only the minor conflicts between lords and petty disputes between neighbors had plagued them. The diplomatic relations between the bordering countries were strong.

            A knock sounded on the door. “Enter.”

            The door opened and a loving rogue strode into the room. His eyes lit up as he saw her come into the room, closing the balcony doors behind her. A scar curved over his left eye, a permanent reminder of Phaeris. 

            “How is my zaftig woman?” he asked as he touched the obvious bump with a gentle hand.

            A snort escaped her as a second person entered the room. “My wife would much better off if you would quit manhandling her with such zeal all the time.”

            “But, coz, she doesn’t mind it. Do you, Ruya?” Garrick asked with a pathetic puppy look.

            “No, I don’t mind,” she answered as she gave his hand a tender squeeze before approaching Nándor.

            Nándor pressed a kiss to Ruya’s temple. “Don’t encourage him. It only makes him worse.”

            “Still jealous?”

            Nándor gave Garrick a speaking look. “Don’t push your luck, coz, or you’ll find yourself on the training fields with the first years.”

            Horror washed over Garrick’s face. He raised his hands in supplication and backed toward the door. “Oh no! Anything but that!” he groaned. “Will you let your husband torture me?”

            Ruya giggled. “Why not? They could not ask for a better teacher. The story of your scar is legendary. They will flock all over you in worship.”

            Garrick made a disgusted sound and said, “You’re as bad as he is.”

            They watched as he hastened out of the room; their laughter ringing out into the corridor.



©djinnia 2014

12 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. thank you. i had this written when i was in the process of writing s and t. =D

      Delete
  2. Yay, the happy ending! Gonna miss reading this every day - great job telling an entire story in 26 days.
    Marlene at On Writing and Riding

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thank you. aw! that's so sweet to say.
      i did cheat a little and started the story when i signed on a to z in february so i had a little leeway.

      Delete
  3. And a happily ever after ending! Congratulations on finishing the challenge and entering with your story. Unless you have a book planned for these characters, I'm going to miss them.

    ~Patricia Lynne~
    Story Dam
    Patricia Lynne, YA Author

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thank you. i'm glad you enjoyed it. it was a near thing there.

      i loved your posts too. i'm going to miss the flash fictions.

      i don't know what i have planned. planning never works out for me. i'm more spur of the moment. =D

      Delete
  4. Nice ending. I've had fun catching up on your posts. The best part about falling behind is I didn't have to end a chapter on a cliffhanger. ;) Very well done, djinnia. I've had a lot of fun reading your story, and am now a little sad it's over. I'm glad to have found your blog, and will definitely be back. Congrats on completing a terrific A to Z Challenge.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm not usually as exciting as this. I'm glad you enjoyed the story.

      I will definitely follow your blog as well.

      I know I fell behind too so I got to read a bunch of chapters from other stories and a lot of awesome mythologies and creatures.

      Delete
  5. I LOVE how this ended! Fantastic story! Congrats on an outstanding A to Z finish-line:)

    WriterlySam
    Echoes of Olympus
    A to Z #TeamDamyanti

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thank you, sam. i'm so happy i got through it. I loved all your posts. they were excellent teasers. i really want to read it through now.

      Delete
  6. I used zaftig too! :-) Great words, as usual. Congrats on finishing A to Z! I don't see a means of contacting you - I'd like to invite you to a Writing Process Blog Tour. If you're interested, you can contact me via my blog.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I saw! I was grinning when I did.

      Thank you! You did amazing as well.

      Delete

PLEASE LEAVE A MESSAGE IN THE LITTLE BOX!