It shouldn’t have surprised her that Jorge knew the way to her house. Without any directions, they made it there by early afternoon. They rode right past her garden which wasn’t thriving as it had been when she’d left but still doing much better than she had expected from the young girl with only a modicum of gardening training. Her novice also wouldn’t have much time since she was the only one running the shop and mixing all the lotions, potions, and spells. Roxen knew she was lucky that the store was open at all.
They tied the beast’s reins to the post in front of the store. Roxen led the way up the steps and a bell rang as she opened the door. “I’ll be with you in a moment,” a young female voice called out.
The girl ran around the corner and almost fell as she came to a sudden stop. “Oh dear goddess, Roxen! I’d almost given up on your return,” her novice Filorea cried.
“It’s alright. I’d nearly given up myself. This is Filorea my novice. Filorea this is General Jorge and some of his soldiers,” she offered.
“You are back to stay, aren’t you?” Filorea asked.
“Not today, but soon. There will be a joining first,” Roxen explained.
“You’re joining?” Filorea asked in shock. “Who?”
“Me, young lady. Roxen has made my heart sing,” Jorge answered.
Filorea blushed prettily at Jorge’s attention but he didn’t look at her long. He quickly sent two of his soldiers to the barn to start outfitting the loft for lodging. They would leave the two soldiers behind when they left but they had instructions to stay away from the young witch. That would be a complications that no one needed right now and Filorea was too young by witch standards to be wooed.
Roxen toured Jorge through her home and was relieved to find her personal areas had not been bothered and nothing had been changed. Things had been kept clean and dusted, thank the goddess. Jorge stared at her bed and she was sure he wondered why she would have such a large one. “It was my mother’s from when my father was still alive. Only the mattress has been changed over the years.”
“Show me the room you would let me use as an office.”
He followed her to a bedroom just behind the store. She had chosen it because of its accessibility. His soldiers wouldn’t have to go through the house to find him. The window looked down on the road so he would see company coming. It was a wise choice all the way around. The room was currently used for storage but only one corner had items in it. They could easily be moved elsewhere. Jorge would have to find his own desk and chairs, but he could do that with little trouble. Roxen felt good about the way things were going and the decisions she had made, all of them.
There was a feeling of good things ahead and she wasn’t sure if it was because she’d gotten closure with her father, found the enemy hiding among her friends, or made the right decision about Jorge. Maybe it was all three things because they had such a big effect on her future. Before they left, she told Filorea about the Elder widow. Once they returned to camp, Jorge would allow her to send a message to the Witch’s council. That witch needed to be punished and she had escaped her fate for far too long already.
The trip back was quiet but enjoyable. Any trip would be for Roxen compared to being stuck in the small room Jorge had at the encampment. It would be a lie to say she wasn’t looking forward to moving back home and to joining with Jorge. The ceremony couldn’t happen too soon now that she had had a change of heart about the affairs of love. When looking deep inside herself, she could admit that Jorge owned her heart. He had snuck up on her and stolen away with it when she wasn’t paying attention. That he was an amazing and exceptional man went without saying, that he was gorgeous was obvious.
She would have a few days to plan the joining ceremony and wrap her head around the changes in her way of thinking. It would be good to think about having a life with Jorge and maybe even having children. Maybe it was for the best that all this had happened since otherwise she might not have waited for Jorge or even have met him. They made it past the gate and into what had become her world for a lunar cycle.
Jorge left her in their room while he went to deal with his duties. It would be difficult, but he intended to get ahead so they would have a few uninterrupted days together after the ceremony. The thought of having Jorge all to herself was exciting and there would no longer be any limits on what they would do. They would soon be lovers in every meaning of the word and while a small part of her was nervous, mostly she couldn’t wait to experience everything with him.
The ceremony would take place in three days and she was sending out invitations to three of her relatives that lived near enough to make it in time but not in the nearest town. Her novice, Filorea would attend as well as a couple relatives that did live in the nearest town. There would be a small feast afterward with drink and dancing. It occurred to Roxen that she didn’t know if Jorge danced, most male witches did, but soldiers didn’t always learn how. Jorge was also a noble and they usually did. She would just hope for the best and assume he could.
On Jorge’s part, he would invite a handful of upper level officers like Adame. His family was too far away to make it, but he would send word of their joining as was proper. Some kings would expect to approve the joining but Jorge assured her his brother had no interest in such things and would be happy for him. Roxen had no need to receive approval because of her age. Had she been a novice, she would have to have gotten approval from her master witch or a parent. It seemed there was a benefit from being long in the tooth.
She would wear her white dress, it was one of the outfits Jorge had Adame procure for her before the peace talks. It went well with her mother’s necklace and a few odd baubles she had. Maybe she would wear a wreath of flowers in her hair and she would be barefoot, so would Jorge. It would be a simple ceremony and one of the witches from the council would officiate. It was said to be the happiest day in a young woman’s life.
The day passed faster than expected and Jorge returned to sup with her. “Did you make some decisions about our joining ceremony?” Jorge asked.
Roxen told him all her decisions and he approved of everything she’d decided. “I can’t wait until you are completely mine,” he admitted. “Why don’t you come with me to my office and we’ll prepare the messages and send them,” he suggested.
“I’ll be glad to have them sent,” she admitted.
As they stood, he pulled her into his embraced and kissed her sweetly. “That will have to hold us for a while,” he whispered with a smile. He led the way to his office and sat behind his desk as she sat across from him. Pulling out an inkwell, a quill, and parchment, he handed it to her. She wrote all the missives needed and he rolled them and sealed them with his mark in wax. He yelled for a messenger and one appeared as if he’d been waiting to be summoned.
“I need these messages delivered close by, but this is further away,” he explained. He handed the boy two messages and his pay and had him send another messenger for the other. Roxen was relieved to have things completed.
Jorge led her back to their room with his arm around her waist. He walked next to her tall and straight. She couldn’t deny a small amount of pride that she had such a capable and handsome man. They got to the door and he opened it for her. Someone called out to him and he paused. “Wait for me, Sweetheart. I’ll be in soon,” Jorge said.
Roxen went into the room that had been her home for over half a lunar cycle. It would be a lie to say she would miss the room itself. The memories she and Jorge had made, those were another matter. Things would change as soon as they moved into her house together. The memories they could make there would be endless. Freedom would improve the life they could live and boredom would be the least of her concerns.
Her house had been built on that location by her ancestors for good reasons. It wasn’t too far from the swamp, but just as close to the village. There was a lake that backed up to the property and it wasn’t far off a main travel route. All things of importance were nearby, but far enough a
way to have some privacy and security. It was the perfect compromise between isolation and being in the middle of everything.
It would be the perfect place for the ceremony. She planned to have it on the area near the lake. Flowers of all kinds grew back there and she had an outdoor table longer than Jorge was tall. They needed to build two more from logs so they could seat all the guests. In the morning they would be leaving for her house and they would stay there to prepare for the joining and the celebration afterwards. They should sleep but Roxen feared she was too excited for that. Jorge showed her that he wasn’t the slightest bit nervous when he got in bed and promptly went to sleep. At some point she slept too, but she was still exhausted when she woke.
She wasn’t sad after they ate breakfast, when Jorge took her away from the encampment for good. When they got to her house this time, they got right to work. Roxen cleaned house and took stock of what food and household items were on hand while Jorge went back to the area where you could see the lake and started building the two tables and bench seats. He had some soldiers bringing her clothes and other items on a cart. It was one thing less for her to do and she had plenty to do.
Her novice was handling the store and the daily things while Roxen prepared for their celebration. She wrote a list of needed items for the feast and the celebrating that would go on late into the night. Once the list was done, she made her way into the village and began negotiating and making deals for the needed supplies. Jorge would have probably insisted on a guard to escort her had she told him but this was a witches’ village and she was safe here except from the Elder widow.
Since she knew to watch for her, there would be no problems. She didn’t buy any meat because Jorge had assured her he would take some soldiers hunting early in the morning and bring back all they could possibly need. It was also a tradition for the groom to donate a large kill to the poor of the nearest village. That way everyone would feel the blessings of the new couple. There were plenty of poor in the village since the war had been raging so long.
The last place she went was the mead house where she would bargain for large amounts of alcohol. She would buy enough not just for the celebration, but to last them the rest of the year. It was one of her least favorite places and that was the reason she’d put it off until last. Hanbal ran the place like his own private kingdom but she was always nice to the man even if she didn’t like him much.
“Hey Roxen. Haven’t seen you in several moon cycles,” he said.
“No, I’ve been away but now I’m back. What kind of spirits do you have in stock?” she asked.
“I’ve a few barrels of mead, ale, wine, and even whiskey. Anything you might need, I’ve got it and of course you know I’ve the best prices around,” he quoted. He had the only prices for miles around since she’d have to go into enemy territory or travel hours to find a competitor.
“What’s your mead run?” she asked.
Hanbal quoted prices depending on whether she wished to barter or had gold or other valuables. She went all in and bargained for two barrels of mead, a barrel of wine, a barrel of ale, and a quarter barrel of whiskey. Men liked the whiskey, she knew it and it would be her joining gift for Jorge. Roxen had dreaded this part of the dealing the most and yet it turned out the best. A combination of bartering and money had given her a deal she was proud of and everything she would need to make the year comfortable. Hanbal had even thrown in the delivery. Plans were well in hand and she hoped Jorge was doing as well. She turned her beast, loaded with other purchases, back toward home with a smile on her face.
Once she got home and carried her purchases in, she looked for Jorge. It seemed he and his men were still working on the tables so she put some food in the kettle and built a fire. While she left it to simmer, she continued putting her supplies up and doing other preparations for the party coming up. By the time she could smell the cooking food throughout the house, Jorge and his men came in looking tired. They must have jumped in the lake to cool off because they looked clean and their hair was wet. It was smart to clean off first so they’d be ready to eat. She got out some bowls and filled them up with roast and vegetables for each man.
Since there would be so many extra people around, she would have to figure out how to cook bigger meals so they would all get as much as they wanted. The kitchen wasn’t large, there had been a time when there had been an outside kitchen but it had fallen into disrepair when her mom was young. It would be great to rebuild it especially for cooking when the weather was hot. It would go on the to do list.
“Did things go well and who escorted you?” Jorge asked.
“I managed to complete the shopping and the spirits will be delivered soon,” she bragged. “I was fine without an escort.”
“That is good news. We finished the tables and we cleaned up some. Tomorrow we hunt and the next day you will be mine,” Jorge said his voice filled with promise. “We will also be discussing your safety later and how to follow advice from someone in an area where they are the expert not you.”
The deep rumble of his voice made need shoot through her and she missed the intimacies they had shared before and looked forward to their joining night but at the same time it made her nervous that he was upset with her. Her cheeks warmed as she thought of lying naked in his arms and the look he shot her made her wonder if he was thinking about the same thing. They finished eating before there was noise outside that alerted them to an approaching wagon. Hanbel had arrived.
Jorge walked out on the porch. “You need help unloading?” he asked.
“Sure, who are you?” Hanbel asked.
“I’m Roxen’s intended,” Jorge replied.
“I had no idea she was spoken for,” he observed.
Hanbel and Jorge stood staring at each other. It was no contest really, Hanbel looked away first. “Best wishes on your joining,” Hanbel said grudgingly.
The wagon was unloaded quickly and the traded for items loaded. She was glad she’d paid the cash already. A suspicion that Hanbel had expected favors from her was niggling at the back of her mind. When he left, the man had looked miserable and as if he’d been robbed of a favored toy. Jorge had not looked pleased either.
“Why do you do business with that man?” Jorge asked.
“He’s the only seller of spirits in the area,” she replied.
“That would explain it. Otherwise with that personality he would be out of business,” Jorge complained.
They continued to prepare until dark and then they went to bed early. Jorge and his men would get up before dawn to hunt. Roxen slept in her own bed with Jorge pressed against her, it was heavenly. When she woke in the morning at dawn, Jorge was long gone. She prayed to the goddess that he would have a good hunt and no one would be injured.
It was midday when he and his men returned with all the game they could carry or drag behind them. They took the time to eat and then they went outside to dress their kills. Jorge had left two soldiers digging a burn pit to roast the meats in and they had a fire going already. He sent two others to take the meat for the poor to town after they were dressed. It was exciting as their special day drew near and things were on target. Her clothes had arrived and she had her dress hanging up waiting for the morning.
The work was getting done and then it was dark. It was time for everyone to go to bed and the final preparations would be made in the morning. She lay next to Jorge aching for him but one more day and they would fully belong to each other. Once they made their vows, they would be irrevocably bound. This time tomorrow, she would be locked in Jorge’s arm.
Roxen was nervous the next afternoon as she stood ready to meet Jorge at the end of the flower strewn path. She had woke in Jorge’s arms before the sun had risen. He had kissed her and held her tight. “A few more hours, my love and you’ll be mine forever,” Jorge whispered.
Now she was walking down the flower strewn path and she would arrive at the end where Jorge waited for her surrounded by the friends and relatives that h
ad come to wish them well. She was coming up on the curve and once she rounded it, she would see Jorge. A wash of cold dread ran over her and just as she reached the start of the curve, the Elder widow stepped out of the woods.
“You escaped Knorris but you won’t escape me,” she threatened.
“The witch council already knows about you,” Roxen observed.
“Your novice only thinks she informed them. Once you’re gone, I will be free to continue as I’ve done and gain more power,” she explained.
“But I sent a message as well. You will never win, I’m stronger than you think. Bring it on you evil old hag,” Roxen growled.
The elder widow pointed her wand and chanted something. Roxen moved up in the air. She floated moving toward the crowd of people until the lake was under her. “What happened?” the Elder widow asked.
“I’ve absorbed your magic. My strength can overwhelm you,” she threatened. She could see Jorge and Adame staring at her and colors flashed around her ever changing. The Elder widow hadn’t harmed her yet, but Roxen hadn’t grabbed control of the magic swirling around her either.
“Roxen, are you alright?” Jorge yelled. She could see he was worried.
“Yes, I’m fine,” she answered and she took a deep breath and thought. How could she take control? She wrapped her hand around her mother’s necklace. It could do so much including focus magic. Warmth built and the strength grew. Opening her eyes she looked at the Elder widow and she chanted. The woman disappeared in a bright flash of light and Roxen slowly moved down and over toward Jorge. Those colors that had flashed all around her faded out and everything returned to normal.
She finally rested on the ground within arm’s reach of her love. “Roxen are you alright? Where did that woman go?”
“I’m fine and I sent her to the witches’ council,” Roxen replied.
Beyond The Veil: A Paranormal & Magical Romance Boxed Set Page 244