It was the day of the Harvest Festival, and Esmerelda was humming to herself as she did the laundry.
She hated how dry and calloused her hands got from all the washing, but doing laundry for the village was a decent way to make money, and she desperately needed it to support her elderly father.
Her father was deathly ill, and Esmerelda was terribly worried about him, but today was a special day. Esmerelda was pretty sure it was the day that Zachary was going to ask her to marry him.
Esmerelda and Zachary had grown up in the same village, but it wasn’t until about two years ago when he asked her to dance with him at the Harvest Festival that they started spending time together.
Before her father had fallen ill, he told her that Zachary had asked for his permission to marry her, and she had recently overheard Zachary talking to a friend about asking her something at the Harvest Festival. So, for the first time in a long time, she smiled.
“You seem to be in a good mood today,” a voice said. It was her best friend, Clarissa.
“I think today is the day!” Esmerelda said, unable to hide her excitement.
“Well congratulations in advance!” Clarissa said. “Zachary is one of the best looking men in the village–aside from Roland, of course!”
“Do you think Roland is going to propose soon?” Esmerelda asked.
“I wish! Sometimes I think all he thinks about is hunting! I mean, it’s a fairly lucrative profession, but he barely ever has time for me. He used to be so romantic,” Clarissa sighed. “I remember when he first started courting me. He said I was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. He’d read me poetry and bring me flowers…He says he loves me and is just trying to make enough money to provide for me and our future children, but I’m getting tired of waiting. I have to admit, Esme, I’m a little jealous.”
“I’m sure Roland is planning something,” Esmerelda said with a grin.
“Do you know something?” Clarissa asked.
“My lips are sealed,” Esmerelda said.
“No fair!” Clarissa complained. “If you know something you have to tell me!”
“I promised Zachary I wouldn’t!” Esmerelda said. “I’ve already said too much…Just…give Roland a little more time. I promise, it will be worth it!”
In the afternoon, Esmerelda went to see Zachary. He wiped the sweat off his brow and smiled when he saw her.
“You’re covered in soot!” she exclaimed.
“Perils of the trade, I’m afraid,” he said, brushing some off of his apron.
“Well…you do look kind of sexy like that…” she said, caressing his cheek. “It’s very manly, you know…working all day at a hot forge…Do you think you can sneak away from work for a few minutes?” she asked.
“I think that can be arranged,” he said with a grin.
Esmerelda took Zachary’s hand and led him to the stables.
“I thought we could spend some time alone,” she said, seductively.
“Have I ever told you, you have the most amazing eyes?” he asked.
“Kiss me!” she said, throwing her arms around his neck.
He did as she asked, and pushed her down onto the hay bales. His blue eyes were burning with desire.
“You have no idea how badly I want you,” he said, kissing her hungrily.
She ran her fingers through his blond hair and opened her mouth slightly as he kissed her. Their tongues danced, and they felt a growing heat between them.
Esmerelda desperately wanted him to take her right there, but much to her disappointment, he stood up. “I had better get back to work,” he said reluctantly. “I’m sorry I’ve been so busy.”
“At least give me one more kiss,” she said with a pout that always drove him crazy.
He had already started walking towards the door, but he turned around and pulled her into a deep kiss.
“I’ll see you tonight,” he said with a grin.
“I can’t wait,” she replied breathlessly.
She brushed some hay off of her dress and went back to work, fantasizing about their secret tryst in the stables.
By the time she had finished everyone’s laundry, the sun was setting. She met up with Clarissa to get ready for the festival.
“How do I look?” she asked, posing.
“You look beautiful!” Clarissa said. “How about me?”
“Gorgeous!” Esmerelda said.
“I can’t believe you’re getting engaged!” Clarissa gushed. “When it happens, you have to promise to tell me everything!”
“Of course I will!” Esmerelda said, hugging her best friend.
“You clean up well,” Esmerelda said when Zachary arrived at the old barn. “Push me on the swing?” He smiled and complied, allowing his hands to linger on her waist just a moment too long before he pushed. “Esmerelda looked back at him in amusement. “You washed your face.”
“Just for you,” he said, chuckling. “You look beautiful tonight–just like that night two years ago.”
“What made you notice me that night, anyway?” Esmerelda asked.
“It would have been impossible not to!” he said. “Remember how I asked you to dance, and you told me you were waiting for your boyfriend?”
“How could I forget? He didn’t show up until hours later and by then I was so angry at him that I decided to dance with you. I probably shouldn’t have kissed you to make him jealous, though…” she said apologetically.
“It was worth it,” he said with a grin. “After he punched me, you felt so bad for me that you danced with me for the rest of the night.”
More people had started to arrive, and the bonfire was blazing. People had started dancing happily. They had a lot to be grateful for at this Harvest Festival; the crops thrived in the past year, and they had enough that they were able to eat a meal every day even though the king demanded most of their harvest. They walked up to the bonfire hand in hand to join the other peasants.
“Well, shall we dance?” he asked, bowing slightly and holding out a hand.”
“Only because you asked so nicely,” she said curtseying back.
“I’ve been practicing,” Zachary said proudly. He spun her around and dipped her. As he leaned in, she expected him to kiss her, but instead he whispered, “I have a surprise for you.”
Esmerelda’s heart skipped a beat. It was silly really. She had known that Zachary was planning to propose for a while, but now that it was really about to happen, she was nervous. Was she really ready to get married?
She looked around at everyone talking and laughing and dancing, and she felt like a trapped animal. Lightning sparked at her fingertips, and she clenched her fists, digging her nails into the palms of her hands until her knuckles were white.
She thought Zachary might have asked her if she was ok, but she was so overwhelmed that she barely heard him. The more she tried to hold back the lightning, the more persistent it became, and she ran.
She heard Zachary calling her, but she didn’t turn back. She stopped behind the barn and tried to take deep breaths. It took a few minutes for the sparks at her fingertips to die down, but when they finally did, she began to sob.
No one knew about her magic–not even Zachary. Could she really withhold that kind of information from him? And beyond that, as much as she loved Zachary, she was starting to doubt that she was ready to marry him.
She scolded herself for being so foolish. When she found out he was going to propose, she had been overjoyed and hadn’t even bothered to think about what it meant. Marriage was still at the comfortable distance of “some day,” but now some day was actually happening.
She loved Zachary but what did marriage mean? Marriage meant staying in this village for the rest of her life. Marriage meant having children. Marriage meant growing old together. She wanted all of those things, but it was too soon.
“Are you ok?” Clarissa asked.
“I think I just freaked out a little bit. What if I’m not ready for marriage?” she asked.
“You’re just getting nervous,” Clarissa reassured her.
“He told me he had a surprise, and I just lost it…”
“It’s perfectly normal to be nervous about something like this,” Clarissa said gently.
“I don’t know…” Esmerelda said doubtfully. “I started thinking about our future together and I just–I want a future with Zachary–I do–but I’m still young, and when I think about the rest of my life I start to panic!”
“Well, of course you panic when you look at things from that perspective!” Clarissa said. “The Watcher knows, life isn’t easy, but it’s much easier to take things one day at a time than to try to handle it all at once.” Clarissa gave Esmerelda’s hand a comforting squeeze. “Just take deep breaths and follow your heart.”
“Thanks, Clarissa,” Esmerelda said. “You’re a good friend.”
Zachary found her the moment Clarissa went inside. “I knew I’d find you here,” Zachary said. He took her hands gently. “What happened back there?”
“I…I don’t know…” she couldn’t tell Zachary the truth.
Zachary looked up at the dark sky. “It’s starting to rain. Come inside with me,” he said. “People have already started to leave, so it will be less crowded.”
She smiled at Zachary’s kindness. He was a good man, who could give her a good life, and she loved him. Maybe she didn’t need to be nervous after all.
Zachary pulled Esmerelda close to him, and his hands began to slide down her backside.
“Hey!” she said, swatting at him playfully. “Stop that! People will talk!”
“Let them,” he said in a husky voice that drove her wild. She gasped and giggled as he pinched her. Then she rested her head on Zachary’s chest and sighed contentedly. All of her worries seemed silly when she looked into his gentle blue eyes; everything just felt right. Maybe she could marry him after all. Clarissa was probably right–she was just getting nervous because she was thinking too far in the future.
“What about my surprise?” she asked.
“It’s late,” he said. “It can wait. Good night.”
“I love you too,” she said, stunned by his abrupt departure.
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