Two bright lights appeared overhead; two stars spinning in circles and flashing brilliantly against the velvet night sky. The lights were dancing. It seemed like a vision out of a dream, but she was certain it wasn't.
Radianne smiled in the darkness. Blink had reunited with his mother. He'd made it home.
**************
They woke early with the first subtle rays of morning light. The Pegasus went off to one side of the field to graze for a bit before their departure. Henrick and Thomas would fly with them to destinations of their choosing.
Radianne was a little worried that someone she knew would soon be up and about and take notice. As eager as she was to see her family and friends again, there were matters she had to see to first.
Her eyes slowly drifted over to the two of them. Those two ruggedly handsome companions, two opposite men that had both had left impressions on her in one way or another.
They stood a little ways off and seemed uncomfortable and unsure of what to say to her, or to each other for that matter.
Radianne's heart began to beat a little faster and ache in an odd way at the thought of saying goodbye to them – admittedly, they'd both become her friends even though they'd infuriated her at times.
She'd developed a special fondness for Thomas, but she was dreading saying farewell to Henrick. And even at that moment the reason why didn't make much sense to her…
Shyness took hold. Her cheeks flamed and she fidgeted. She felt nearly as embarrassed as the day Henrick had caught her bathing nude in the river. Almost.
Thomas, gallant soul that he was, decided to make the first move. “Well,” he said, scratching at his long black hair a little nervously as he took a few steps toward her and held out his hand. “What I said before still stands, Radianne. I'll leave that decision up to you,” he winked. “For now though, I guess it's goodbye. I have things I must attend to.”
Radianne wondered what things he was referring to but had no time to ask. Thomas moved forward then and embraced her, kissing her cheek, darting a mischievous look at Henrick as he did so. He smiled as he noticed Henrick watching the exchange with an unpleasant expression on his face.
“The desert is waiting,” Thomas whispered in Radianne's ear, out of Henrick's range of hearing. “And I will be too. Always.”
Radianne smiled softly as she hugged him back. “Thank you for everything Thomas. Stay safe and alert! I'm sure Elin has it out for you even more now. I'm also sure we will meet again one day, possibly sooner than we think. We have another mission, after all.”
Thomas nodded and pulled back. “Until then. Take care.”
Slowly, he turned around to face Henrick and cleared his throat. “I know things haven't been great between us,” he told him. “But in truth, if you're ever looking for someone to help you organize an army against the Snorgs, I will be happy to fight beside you.”
Henrick, though his eyes were slightly steely, gave a curt nod. “I appreciate that.” To Radianne's surprise, the two men proceeded to shake hands.
Thomas waved one last time to Radianne and set off to join the Pegasus. Sadness began to well up inside her again as Radianne watched him walk away and she thought of the journey coming to an end. While she had indeed grown to appreciate home and family more than ever before, life in Eugladia would never be the same now, she knew. Despite the ache she felt for it all. Her own path and story had been forged, and it was only the beginning.
She felt Henrick's eyes on her as she stood there under the warm rays of early morning sunlight. The moment had come at last.
Slowly, she raised her eyes to meet his. Her heart skipped a beat. His eyes were now stormy, his hair looked like strands of spun gold in the sunlight.
“Well, this has been quite the journey,” he said slowly, as he kept his gaze locked on hers.
“It certainly has.” Radianne shifted from one foot to the other. She thought about how much she'd hated him at first. His arrogance… how he had seemed to want to sabotage her adventure… how he seemed to know everything.
He cautiously took a step closer. “We've both come far, I think.”
“True. In more ways than one.”
“Where does this journey lead now?” He raised an eyebrow.
“I think I need a little time to figure this all out…” Radianne paused for a moment, before continuing. “I want to go back for the Floppersnogs as soon as possible. Maybe with the help of a Pegasus this time though,” she added, with a small laugh.
Conveniently, the Queen had given her a special device, which would call on the Pegasus when the time came to rescue the Floppersnogs. It would save her quite a bit of mileage on the return journey.
Henrick nodded. “I see.”
He cleared his throat and looked over to where Thomas was standing, just about ready to take off with the winged horses.
“So… I have to ask… what was that Thomas was talking about? What he said before still 'stands'?”
Radianne's lips cracked into a hint of a smile. Was that a bit of jealousy? Henrick seemed to be worried that something romantic may have happened, or might in the future happen, between her and Thomas. Interesting, she thought.
“Oh. He asked me to join him in the desert. I said I'd maybe see him sometime soon.” Radianne said the words nonchalantly, trying to keep her voice level and devoid of any emotion. She watched closely to see how Henrick would react. He looked confused.
“I'm surprised you didn't say you would join him,” he said with a frown. “I know you want to see your family and all… but I at least thought you'd ask him to stay or say you would join up with him later?”
“Why would I do that?” It was Radianne's turn to raise an eyebrow. And then, feeling a little bold, she took a step toward Henrick, tired of feeling intimidated or made foolish by him.
Henrick flushed. “Well…” he stumbled over his next words. “I, er, uh. I guess you could say I did happen to see you two together, back at the castle.”
“Spying again.” Radianne shook her head and sighed. “And?”
Henrick averted his eyes. “I guess it's just hard to read your feelings, that's all. You two seem quite taken with each other."
Radianne was quiet for a few moments as they both fought with their emotions and tried to figure out how to put everything they were feeling into words.
Her feelings for Henrick had gone up and down, this way and that way, since the day she'd met him. But in that moment she knew she had to do one thing, even though pride nearly prevented her from doing so.
She cleared her throat.
“Henrick, I honestly never thought I would be saying this,” she said sheepishly as she looked up at him. “But I just want to tell you that now, in the end, I am grateful you came along when you did. I admit I was a bit naive at the beginning of the quest.”
She paused and shifted her feet around. “Though pride almost prevents me from doing so – and if the truth be told, you have indeed completely infuriated me at times – I will be the first to admit that I don't know how I could have done it all without you. Blink would say the same, I'm sure.”
She stopped talking a moment to take in his surprised expression.
“Although,” she continued, a glint forming in her eye, “I know I'll be quite capable of handling the next quest presented to me on my own. Without your help or, should I say, hijacking. It will be completely my adventure, on my terms.”
Henrick smiled. “I'm sure it will be.”
Then, in typical Henrick fashion, his expression sobered and he looked pensive. His next words surprised her.
“You are stronger than you know,” he said. “And I'm going to say I am sorry if I've been a horrible friend at times and didn't reassure you of that… if I ever made you doubt yourself or feel bad. You have every reason to feel proud. I have been cantankerous and moody at times, I'm well aware of that fact. You are truly an amazing woman Radianne. And I believe I got what was coming to me many times on this journey, esp
ecially in recent days.”
He took another step closer. “But all that aside, it has been worth every second. There's something else I have to tell you too.”
Radianne's heart quickened.
“Yes?”
Henrick reached out slowly, gently taking one of her hands in his, lacing his fingers in her own.
“You have changed my life more than you know,” he whispered. “You have given me something to fight for, something to hope for again. You never really gave up on me or pushed me away. You made me realize the power of my own inner strength, when for years I've felt like a failure. Finishing this journey with you showed me that. Last night I reflected deeply on it. I know I may have been somewhat of a moody beast on this adventure, and I will understand if you want to walk out of my life forever…” he trailed off.
“And I know it may be too late, and Thomas may have very well swept you off your feet, and you might very well have plans to meet up with him again sometime soon. But…” He hesitated, looking deeply into her eyes. “I will have no regrets. I just have to tell you… I want to tell you… I love you Radianne. Even if I acted like a child at times and couldn't treat you the way you needed to be treated. I love you.”
“There,” he breathed, with a very flushed face. “I've babbled quite a bit but I've said it. And I suppose it can't be undone.”
Radianne's heart soared. “No, it can't,” she agreed.
In that moment, when she had confirmation Henrick felt the same crazy way she did, she felt as if she could soar all the way to the stars and dance with Blink and his mother – her spirit felt so light. As she stood there looking at Henrick's face, she knew she also had to be truthful.
“I might as well say it… just so you know, I turned Thomas down,” she said with a smile. “I turned him down because there is only one man my heart can belong to. And despite your beastliness, I do believe that man is you… I love you too, Henrick.”
The two weary wanderers stepped forward and embraced. Then they held one another close for some time in the early morning light.
**************
Radianne sat on her thinking boulder and stared up at the sky, searching the stars for any sign of Blink. The day had been a busy one and the reunion with her family had been emotional.
However, she'd not encountered the wrath she'd been expecting. Her parents and brother had been overjoyed to see her and were quite overcome with emotion, though they did eventually give her a good talking to about never disappearing like that again without proper notice.
No matter how old she was, her parents told her, she would always be their daughter and they would always worry. And as the day wore on, they must have sensed how the journey had profoundly changed their girl too. They both commented how their daughter had grown into a remarkable woman during her short time away. Even her brother seemed impressed. They no longer treated her like a child.
As for Henrick…
Soon, she would join up with him and figure out how to rescue the Floppersnogs and save his sister.
Before she'd gone home, they'd walked in the woods for a while. He told her he wanted to give her time to spend with her family, but would soon return to properly introduce himself to her parents before the next quest. Which they would happily be embarking on – together.
Where Henrick would go in the meantime, Radianne wasn't sure. But she now knew Wanderers had a multitude of secret hideaways and he would be fine.
“Until we meet again,” he'd whispered as he kissed her goodbye and walked away in the early morning sunlight.
As she finished reflecting on the day's events, Radianne began to fervently search the sky once more. A lump formed in her throat as she wondered what Blink was doing at the moment. Was he telling his family and friends stories about their travels together? Did he miss her as much as she already missed him?
As she fretted, her fingers brushed against the necklace still hanging at her throat, and she smiled. The mermaid's pearls had certainly brought her and her friends luck, in the end. She had to believe that same luck would continue in the future. By The Creator's grace, it would.
The wind picked up and it seemed a storm was looming on the horizon. The stars suddenly were blocked by oncoming clouds. Radianne knew she would have to leave soon or get caught in the downpour.
Disappointed, she scanned the sky once more for any sign of her friend. She was just about to give up when… there!
She spotted him in a sudden clear patch of sky. It was as if the clouds parted just for her. The one lone star, twinkling and winking three times, then zooming around. She knew it was Blink, and, as promised, he was putting on a show just for her.
She waved and blew him a kiss, knowing that even if he couldn't physically see it, he would sense it. They were connected that way, forever. She knew he'd always be there, looking out for her. Just as she'd look out for him, all the rest of her days. He'd been a light that had miraculously come into her life and she'd never forget the inner light he'd helped her find.
With a smile on her face and that familiar warm glow filling up her spirit, she stood, turning toward the laughing river.
And headed home.
About The Author
R.M. Anderson grew up in Illinois with a love for reading, writing, fantasy and imagining worlds populated by talking animals and magical creatures. After graduating from Northern Illinois University, she worked for two years as an English teacher in Taiwan, traveling through several other Asian countries while living there. She considers those few years to be dear and transformative chapters in her own life story. Her faith is an important part of who she is, and is often an inspiration in her writing. She currently lives in a renovated 1800s farmhouse in northern Illinois with her husband, her daughter, and their husky – who may never be a sled dog, but is an expert chowhound.
More at www.rmandersonbooks.com
Starfall (The Starfall Chronicles Book 1) Page 23