Chapter 69. A Proposal

he would miss the garden in spite of its trimmed and artificial nature.  So many pleasant memories now resided within its arbors and winding paths and the smell of rolled chamomile would forever mean the comfort of Pendaran’s arms.  It had been a blissful week with many tears but an equal measure of laughter as he had told her his story from the ashes of Ascalon to the final days of Luitha.

Zhou looked up from the scroll he was reading.  He sat comfortably ensconced in a cast iron chair with dragon talon feet beside a matching table upon the terrace that gazed down upon the meandering path of the rose arbor.  At some point he had gathered roses and laid them beside the pile of scrolls yet to be read.

“I have your answer,” Teleri said and he gestured to the chair on the other side of the table.  Drawing a deep breath of the heady morning air, she sat down and admired the sound of birdsong and the lazy buzzing of bees.  They would have an hour or two of privacy before Pendaran, a now legendary slugabed, rose to interrupt them.

“I suspect I know the answer,” Zhou said, rolling up the scroll and laying it aside.  She remarked that he looked much more hale and rested.  A smile even played at the corner of his lips and his dark eyes were gentle as he gazed upon her.

“I want to marry him,” she replied, “When he is ready, of course.”

“And you understand the consequences of doing so?”

“Yes.  We have done a great deal of talking this past week.  He is not really allowed to do much else,” she laughed and Zhou chuckled.

“I am glad he has mastered himself.”

“Yes, good for him.  Not so good for me,” Teleri replied ruefully.

“What of your future?  Will you stay together now?”

“He wants to come home to Tyria with me,” Teleri replied, almost proudly, “He said he would follow me wherever I went.”

“And you understand the consequences of that?”

She shrugged.

“I just won’t let him out of my sight.  I’ll post a guard on him.  We’ll work something out.”

Zhou laughed.

“Can I give him the Luitha’s sapphire back now?  I know you told me to hang onto it, but I’m worried I’ll lose it and it isn’t mine.”

“The moment of its return will be made clear.  And that leads me to a proposal.”