Chapter 29: GraceDance

I stared into the Celtic half of the marketplace, carefully choosing my 1

next destination with the hope of less expensive products. I was clothed 2

in the simple style of traditional brown and green, entirely homespun by 3

my own pair of hands. A basket of cheese and bread swung from my elbow- 4

just the minimal rations for a growing child and her older siblings. The 5

scene could have been cut out of the older times and quickly pasted over 6

the heavy discontent that carpeted the entire town. Even as I nodded 7

quick greetings to fellow townspeople in passing, suspicion continued to 8

still swim beneath cordial salutations, threatening the awkward balance 9

of near-peace between two enemy nations.10

In the almost-year that I had been living here that same suspicion had 11

been churning, gaining support…somewhere within the hearts of the Celtic 12

people the concept of rebellion had been growing, even in a tiny 13

community previously promised to peace. 14

Thankfully such horror would have to wait, for this dawn was the holiday 15

that I had come to regard in the highest honor: RoseFest, the one day 16

that had drastically altered my life eternities before. My eyes were 17

drawn to the sweet children as they merrily hopped down the 18

cobblestones, eagerly gazing up at the colorful decorations that now 19

patterned the streets. In a sweet whisper of familiarity they would tug 20

their mother’s skirts, jumping about to proclaim the enthusiasm that 21

came with the day. Amazingly enough, even the Gaelic half coughed up 22

their own pathetic versions of sickly decoration to celebrate the coming 23

of spring and sunlight- I knew not the reason for such open acceptance, 24

yet it was relaxing to know that the most celebrated holiday in Celtic 25

culture would be celebrated to its greatest potential.26

My heart was greatly surprised by the vast escalation in the festival’s 27

scope. For even though the Gaels were hardly knowledgeable upon the 28

tradition’s meaning, they seemed to notice an excitement that was 29

pulsing through the air. Even those who considered themselves adults 30

appeared to be curious of this native ritual, even embracing their 31

enemy’s culture instead of denying it. ‘Twas truly a sight of beauty to 32

witness the attempt of both sides to find some form of reconciliation 33

with one another, yet a frown pressed upon my lips. A wide no-man’s land 34

continued to exist between the two civilizations, personified by the 35

empty stones between each half where none dared to set foot save the 36

young. Old wounds still remained within that empty space, wounds that 37

begged not to be healed in entirety, for without those wounds there 38

would be no such reason for division and at this time, division was a 39

style of life.40

As I moved through the market I noticed a small band of musicians who 41

were carefully situating themselves in the direct divide between the 42

town’s dual races. They must have been from a town down the River and 43

knew not of our situation, for they seemed not to notice the awkward 44

glances given them by both halves of the street- or perhaps it simply 45

mattered not to them. When the day of RoseFest came, one never knew what 46

types of visitors to expect in WinterRose.47

I exchanged a handful of money with a decently priced merchant; mentally 48

drawing up the pattern of Grace’s new garb- my goodness that child grew 49

so quickly! As I stepped to the next booth the warm, seductive sound of 50

a violin caressed my ears, fooling my thoughts with the prospects of the 51

past. I attempted to suppress myself, focusing all thought onto the 52

present- yet the picture of Burton exploded into my thoughts. I held the 53

image of him carefully, feeling his music through the notes of another. 54

Memory won, thus the flood of recollections triggered by violin music 55

flowed. Keitha- Spirit- Kael…each of them lovingly displayed upon the 56

wall of my memories. At points in this life I occasionally found myself 57

wishing to return to my adopted family oh so far away….58

I made another purchase even though our budget would never have allowed 59

it: a festival gift for Grace. Was it so wrong to dote upon one’s 60

younger sibling? It was then that I noticed the band’s honest beginning 61

with all of the instruments playing as one. They began their first song. 62

I pushed the music into the background, attempting to place it on the 63

same plane as the conversations that where being held about me- not any 64

of my business. Such a feat was unable to occur, for they played a song 65

that sat too close to my heart: “The First Rose of Spring”. My thoughts 66

were on Kael, for this was the dance we had preformed together that day 67

by the River. The ghost of him still lingered in its mysterious notes, 68

refusing to allow my heart the full reign of freedom.69

I forced my mind to the task at hand, recalling the list of items that 70

needed to be seen to on behalf of the family which I now took care of. 71

Thankfully the band faded into an alternate version of the song- slow, 72

sweet, gentle- yet the familiar melody lay behind all of it, not 73

allowing me the surrender of quiet sanctuary. 74

I looked up from the butcher’s wears for only a breath- just to glance 75

quickly at the Gaelic half of the road- nothing involved or long or 76

serious- just a simple glimpse to see how the other half was reacting to 77

this display of Celtic culture. My soul leapt, instantly grateful for 78

committing the sin of curiosity.79

Sunlight glistened from the blades of a merchant’s shop, innocently 80

displayed for sale. Yet my eyes were not drawn to the wares themselves, 81

but to another pair of eyes that floated near the glowing weaponry. 82

Calmly, almost hesitantly I traced the edges of those eyes, taking note 83

of every flicker, every detail, every sweetness…I wanted to examine 84

every piece of those swimming pools of tranquil azure to be certain, 85

certain. I feared, oh did I fear- perhaps my heart was lying to my mind 86

for the two were known to be in continuous conflict. I latched onto 87

those eyes, allowing them to hold me captive with the spark of 88

communication. They knew me so intimately that they could pierce all of 89

the way to my core and throw open my soul’s deepest thoughts.90

Our eyes held one another as we moved through the market, never wishing 91

to let the other go. Not again- oh never again! I continued my business 92

true, yet the puddles of pupil assisted mine through the crowd, speaking 93

to them in silence. Is it you? Is it truly you? My eyes were silent in 94

their response- doubtful, questioning. Thus must have been some sort of 95

magnificent dream greater than a living being could ever comprehend. 96

With all of the joy that spilt through my veins…it could not have been a 97

reality.98

I advanced upon the eyes, finding courage somewhere within to approach 99

the dream and ask if it was real. We found one another on the edges of 100

each city’s boundary, at the center of the no man’s land where neither 101

Celt nor Gael dared tread. Yet those petty arguments dissolved, eating 102

away at the purposelessness they stood for. Words weren’t wasted, only 103

the tension of requested reality and the fear of loss. I refused to 104

touch him; he was too delicate. The moment was too perfect, the glass 105

between us, too fragile. Physical touch would disturb it too greatly.106

Gradually the gentle melody gathered momentum, pouring speed into their 107

rhythm. It was the normal version of the song, carrying every piece of 108

lively joviality that could be contained within the human spirit. My 109

partner’s eyes sputtered into tiny flames, inquiring without speaking. I 110

only assume that my pupils reflected a similar vision, for he took the 111

lead. He touched me, took my hands, and pulled me into the dance with a 112

thick stream of fluidity.113

He was real! 114

My physical senses trumpeted the truth. Only he would have known this 115

dance as I did; the first that we had journeyed through together. I must 116

not have been standing inside of a magnificent dream that feared a hasty 117

shattered….118

It was him.119

My thoughts could not conjure a why or how- yet it mattered not for he 120

was here now.121

Barely even a handful of steps later we began to gather an audience on 122

both sides of the grand divide. For the appearance of this was something 123

entirely different from its truth- the people perceived the occurrence 124

as friendliness- intimate friendliness- between a Gaelic man and a 125

Celtic woman. Such a concept held no coherent reason to them for, thus 126

far, such an event was unprecedented. 127

I found a tiny giggle rising to my lips- Kael wasn’t Gaelic. This is 128

more than a single dance, as most watchers neglected to perceive- it was 129

a gathering of a Faerie and a lost Angel after being told they would 130

never glance upon one another’s faces again. A childish portion of my 131

mind reveled in this knowledge, glad to know something that others did 132

not.133

It was as if a stone monolith of imminent doom had been pulled down from 134

its foundations. In the eyes of the assembled we had broken an immortal 135

taboo- life had never previously been experienced without such a decree. 136

Awkward glances skipped between each respective half, the questions of 137

daring and risk began to rise into view. The children, forever wise, 138

were the first to act upon the growing idea mounting between the races. 139

They danced to the music together- playfully of course, and naturally 140

without any mind to form or perfection but only to the joy at hand. 141

Kael and I continued through the dance, adding our own element every few 142

steps yet still keeping sacred the dance’s original essence. And most 143

specifically, its meaning at the Riverside where we had first danced 144

together. Neither of us paid a great deal of attention to the growing 145

number of dancers around us- jovial Celtics grateful to live the 146

greatest piece of their culture, cautious Gaels uncertain yet entranced- 147

only to the universe of one another’s eyes. For but a fragile piece of 148

time the two entities of WinterRose appeared to be in community with one 149

another. The music’s conclusion came far too rapidly.150

Humanity instantly dropped back into its normal course, working back to 151

each race’s usual side to continue the day as if nothing significant had 152

occurred. Yet no matter the great measures each citizen used to appear 153

unaffected, I easily noticed masked grins radiating beams of goodwill. 154

Mayhap nothing would come of this day, but it was comforting to see that 155

acceptance was a possibility some day in the future….156

The music changed into another tune that I failed to recognize thus it 157

became only yet another sound of the street. I grinned widely at Kael 158

before wrapping him in a hungry embrace. The spell spun above our heads 159

dissolved.160

“Kael…” I spoke first, “Kael I- how? How can you…?”161

The Angel carefully rested his fingers over my mouth, ceasing the 162

impending frenzy of inquiry. He leaned in a little close, speaking 163

quietly to keep his secret hidden to any curious passer-by. 164

“He let me go.” his words were gentle, “Spirit let me go when he died. 165

It was nearly half an eternity ago for I have been searching all of the 166

land for you.”167

Spirit…dead?168

None of my brain functions chose to absorb the information handed to 169

them. A puddle of repressed sorrow gathered at my feet as my mind 170

gathered its broken bits back together. Coherent thought came shortly 171

after- the only way that Kael could have been here is if Spirit was 172

dead. Anguish collided with that string of idea- had he died on my 173

account, so that Kael and I could be together? Pangs of guilt 174

overwhelmed my heart.175

“How- do you know how he died?” I meekly managed after a substantial 176

period of silence.177

“Not precisely…mostly feelings…rumors. I know for certain that it was 178

not a tragic occurrence nor was it filled with sorry,” the Angel quietly 179

explained, maintaining a cool air of reverence within each carefully 180

chosen word, “He was ready to go; it was his time. He died for himself 181

and not for any other. The only fact that I have come to discover of his 182

passing was that as his life was fading away from him, a smile formed on 183

his lips. With that grin etched into his cheeks one singular word 184

escaped his lips- my name. That gesture broke into the fragile fabric of 185

time, breaking a crack into the mirror that separates your world from 186

mine just enough for me to pass through unharmed. He allowed me to 187

become free from the rules that govern reality so that I could be with 188

you.”189

He gently slid a finger across my cheek, delicately- so delicately! - 190

touching every pore of skin upon my face and memorizing, savoring each 191

tender curve of my face. Pain cut deeply into my heart, silently eating 192

away at me- Spirit was dead and now I was enjoying the benefits of his 193

passing. The thought began to sicken me, shifting waves of guilt into 194

blankets over my heart. How could I enjoy this when the cost was so high?195

Similar pain radiated from the Angel, yet he spoke first, making the 196

best of the world this place now was.197

“I’m free now- from everything. All of the ties that held me to the 198

Angel kingdom, my betrothal to Fiona- all things that grounded me to my 199

home have vanished…all for you,” he leaned downwards to bring his lips 200

to mine, yet I refused to move across the grand cliff of nothing that 201

rested between our hearts.202

“You lied to me before about…many things. It hurt so passionately when 203

you were away from me, love. How am I to believe that all things are 204

perfect now, that we can continue in the same world of simple love that 205

we had once been residents of? The land has changed Kael- thus I have 206

changed as well…” my lips cracked dryly as I spoke, painfully creaking 207

as words- words that I could not even recall creating!- passed between 208

them. My thoughts had frequently dwelled upon this mysterious Angel that 209

I had come to love, constantly wondering what he was doing, how he was 210

feeling- if he still bothered to think of me. 211

But somehow, this seemed too simple- was I being tricked into a false 212

idea of perfection? It was all too…wonderful.213

“Have all things changed?” he tilted his head a slight twist towards the 214

now-empty street where we had danced barely a handful of heartbeats 215

previously.216

I remained silent.217

“What about the one that you loved for many a time- Caelum? Are you 218

happily married and have a home full of young Celtic children?” 219

According to the unspoken laws of the land I should have been in 220

precisely such a situation, yet I had refrained. Within the inner-most 221

chambers of my heart I knew that I was awaiting the day when I found 222

Kael again. That and the well known fact that Alana was pregnant with 223

yet another one of Caelum’s children making the marital bond between my 224

two former friends even stronger…225

“No,” I pressed the treacherous innkeeper’s daughter from my 226

thoughts, “I could not after you…”227

He silenced me with the grand treasure of his lips upon mine. I let go. 228

Thank you Spirit-oh thank you!229

My consciousness found only that mere phrase to explain my utter joy. 230

Words were a weak and wasteful thing to be called upon for full 231

description of this dear moment. All I know is that every piece of doubt 232

was pulled out of my being until all that remained was the grand debt 233

that I owed to Spirit. Yet I knew that he wished me to not look upon his 234

actions as so- but only as the final gesture of love that he made in his 235

life. 236

We drew awkward, measured glances from the Celtic side, each onlooker 237

renewing the grand importance of a kiss in their minds. I would have 238

been blushing if this had occurred in the times Before. But now I only 239

wished to laugh, for in their eyes I had forsaken any ideas of marriage, 240

unlike the ideal WinterRose woman, living with her blind brother and 241

young sister, entirely in charge of a household. Now I stood in public, 242

completely covered in the man that I had been awaiting- and even worse, 243

a very Gaelic looking man to their uninformed eyes.244

I kissed him harder.245

Fortunately the Gaels made a strong effort to ignore us, not bothering 246

to get involved with others who shared their living space. 247

Once every other being within the market square had laid eyes upon us at 248

least once he let go of me.249

“Come,” I slid my hand into his, taking the lead back through 250

town, “Come and meet my family.”251

It was as if I had the power of summoning, for right then I noticed the 252

playful bouncing of dark curls as a little light parted the crowd. Her 253

face was split into a grin, sparkling in her crystal eyes filled to the 254

brim with warmth. With the pure innocence of youth she waltzed directly 255

up to me, unmindful of the stranger who stood with me and of the Gaels 256

who scrutinized her actions- for who would allow a young child such as 257

her to travel to market unaccompanied?258

Little Grace tugged at my skirts, hastily chirping in her newly acquired 259

voice- with rather advanced articulation:260

“Kara! Kara! Kara! Kara! Kara! Kara!” words were all a game to her, a 261

sweet song that she sung whilst going about the day’s chores caught 262

inside of their mysterious meanings. For reasons unknown, Grace had been 263

rather late in the development of verbal speech.264

“Kara! Dyl asked me to come and find you- you were taking so long and he 265

was getting scared…”266

I patted her silky curls carefully, sensing every follicle of hair that 267

brushed my fingertips, “I am very sorry Gracie for frightening him, but 268

I met an old friend…” I indicated Kael.269

Grace’s response was immediate, instinctive. Her tiny hands grasped my 270

skirts, quickly ripping the fading fabric in front of her body hoping 271

that it was a strong enough barrier for protection from the stranger. A 272

thin mask of fear coated her pupils, turning them into careful hues of 273

pale purple- measuring, wondering…glancing to me for an answer. A mild 274

shiver vibrated over my clothing, alerting me to the place where Grace’s 275

eyes rested: upon the sword that hung at Kael’s hip; for in the Celtic 276

world, civilized beings walked in public without weaponry.  277

Kael’s brow fell into sweet kindness, melting at the sight of absolute 278

innocence within a physical form. Carefully he slid his weapon farther 279

to the side, attempting to hide it from tender young eyes.280

“I truly apologize Grace- I didn’t mean to steal your sister away from 281

you,” he crouched closer to the ground, taking the child’s eyes at the 282

same level as his own, “I forgot to ask- how rude of me! May I borrow 283

your sister for a few moments, sweet Grace?”284

She ducked even deeper into my skirts, hoping that he would forget that 285

she was still there. Kael replied by turning on a greater amount of 286

charm:287

“I cannot voice the sorrow I feel for not coming to see you first dear 288

Grace,” he grinned at her, “I know now that I must have come to visit 289

you first- for you are the pretty one.”290

A musical giggle tip-toed through the air, timidly emerging from Grace’s 291

throat and heralding a sudden tug on my skirts as she buried her face 292

playfully into the fabric. Her face was widened in a grin of pure 293

joviality, happily accepting the Angel’s compliments. I smiled secretly 294

at Kael, grateful for his effective workings with charm. 295

“Well Mistress Grace, if I had known that you would be here than I would 296

have been certain to bring a little love ribbon for you to tie back your 297

wild curls with. Then I would take you away into the setting sun- 298

heading into the endless horizon on my noble steed,” his eyes found mine 299

with a secretive smile as Grace clutched my skirts in her fists, shaking 300

with childish giggles.301

“Are…are you a prince?” my sister’s eyes were glowing, “Just like in the 302

stories?”303

“Yes,” Kael’s eyes were on me now, “Like in the stories…”304

Grace’s dreamy gaze brought twinkles to her eyes, sparkling with the 305

possibilities of her overactive imagination. Meanwhile I wrapped myself 306

in the euphoria of Kael’s eyes, this was right; I found myself thanking 307

Spirit once again for giving me the greatest treasure in life that I had 308

always longed for. A quick yet deliberate tug upon my skirts pulled my 309

mind back to the present, bringing my eyes to those of my younger 310

sibling. Without the burden of words she inquired if she could speak 311

with me in private; I leaned over so that my ear was at the level of her 312

mouth.313

“I like him,” she half whispered with giggles, “Is he your prince?”314

“Yes,” I replied in a half-hearted whisper, “He is my prince.”315

She was silent, thoughts churning inside of her little head. Her mind 316

made a decision and her fingers dropped my skirts, forgetting that its 317

protection still remained. Grace took my hand before taking Kael’s and 318

placed the two carefully into one another. Her tiny fingers firmly held 319

our palms together, all the while grinning at her revelation.320

“He’s a really good prince. I give you permission!” Grace nodded as if 321

making the final decision for us. With a final grin she bounced back 322

down the street in the direction of home calling back to us so that we 323

would not be lost to her sight- every movement of her little skip 324

brought a fresh bounce into her curls.325

“Well,” Kael watched her depart, “I am glad that she approves.”326

That said we followed after the bouncing ball of joy, hand in hand. 327

Perhaps now was a good time to re-introduce Kael to my brother Dylan and 328

hope that no more blood will be spilt.329