Confessions

Lysa deals with her feelings for Aaron

11.

Confessions

 

For a long time she sobbed pitifully.   They stood there completely naked in the mid-morning light, but Aaron didn’t interrupt her reaction.

“I can’t do this.”   She finally said, not looking up as she spoke through her tears, “I just can’t do this any more, Lord!   I’m sorry, I know its wrong and I’ve failed, but… I love you.   I can’t help it; I really, really love you!    I’m sorry, but I can’t help it!   Please don’t send me away!   I can’t bear it!   I’ve got to be near you!   Forgive me, but I love you so much!”

Aaron squeezed her close to him, stroking her long black hair, “It’s alright, Lysa.    You have nothing to be ashamed of and you certainly haven’t failed me.   I’ll tell you something that I’ve tried to keep hidden.     I love you too.    I think I have since I saw you standing over me when I fell in battle against Redburr and you came to my aid.    I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

Lysa looked up, her beautiful blue eyes sparkling with tears, “You love me?”

He took her face in his hands, “Yes, my dear, I love you.   You have no idea how much.    I want you to no longer be my squire, but my wife.”

She silently mouthed the word ‘wife’, too stunned to speak.

“Think about it, okay?   I’ll give you all the time you need.    But it better be yes.    Lysa, I can’t imagine living without you.      It scares me to death, but I know we are meant for each other.”

She looked at him with wide eyes and clung to him, still too thunderstruck to speak.

A man clearing his throat made them both jump and look around.     At the other side of the pool stood three of the soldiers, all looking extremely embarrassed.   One was Sergeant Wilkks.  

“I’m sorry, Your Grace, to interrupt you and your lady, but we’ve been looking all over for you sir.”   He said nervously.

Though he knew he had to explain everything, the puzzled look on the young soldier’s face made Aaron laugh.    The soldiers and Lysa looked at him as if he was insane as he threw his head back and laughed, but he couldn’t help himself.

“Your Grace?    Are you alright?”   Wilkks finally asked.

“I’m WONDERFUL, Sergeant!    What happened to the rock monster?”

“Lord, once we finally got out of the blockhouse, we found the thing up by the stairway that we stumbled across yesterday.    It wasn’t moving.”

“Was it raining when you found him?”

“Raining?   Why, yes, it was.   Why?”

“Water stops him.”

“Really?   Well, he’s been destroyed, sir.”

“He has?   How?”

“That is what else I need to tell you.    We had an unexpected visit from an airship.   The Autumn Maid arrived at dawn, Your Grace.   Reverend Mother Zeatt and Baron Alvis were on board and they’ve been helping search for you.    She destroyed the golem, Your Grace.”

“Are they still here?”

“Yes, sir.    She used magic to determine that you both were alive, but she couldn’t pinpoint where you were.    We suspected that you went down the stairs into that underground tomb.”

“It wasn’t a tomb, Sergeant, but a sort of zoo.    Yes, that is where we were and you won’t believe what we’ve been through.     Some of your men broke into the place and were killed by that rock monster.”

Wilkks nodded, but it was clear that he and his two soldiers were puzzled why Lysa and him were naked.

“It is a long story, Sergeant, but you need to avoid this pool, as it apparently is a sort of natural love potion.”

“Ah.”  Wilkks said with a slightly sheepish expression, “Should we leave you alone, sir?”

“Just so we can dress, Sergeant.    We’ve got to go see our guests and tell everyone about the complex that Helios built underground.”

“That sounds fascinating, My Lord.    We’ll wait for you over there, sir.    Sorry to disturb you.”

 

***

They didn’t say anything as they quickly donned their arming doublets.   Aaron knew how Lysa felt - she was embarrassed and he certainly didn’t want to make it worse by saying anything.

They didn’t bother strapping on the rest of their armor but gathered it up and carried it until they joined the waiting soldiers.

The men, for all their gruffness, seemed to sense the two Paladins’ moods and volunteered to carry their bundles of armor.

 

Reverend Mother Zeatt and Baron Alvis waited for them at the entrance to Helios’ complex, talking to the soldiers about the Rock Monster.     The Drow cleric had used some of her magic to dispel the creature and it lay on its side like an odd sculpture.     For several hours they pulled out the bodies of the dead soldiers and buried them, then Aaron and Lysa briefly led the Priestess of Yesh and her husband on a tour of the complex, accompanied this time by a number of soldiers.

Nothing stirred in the complex, and they all marveled at the place and the dead creatures in the largest room.

But what was of their greatest concern was the demoness trapped in Aaron’s magic bottle.    

“I can’t do anything about her while we’re here.”   Zeatt told them, “But we don’t want to wait long with something like this.     Come with us back to Westmark tomorrow morning and I will be able to send this demon back to Hell.”

Aaron agreed and after a long day of burials and exploration, they all ate dinner in the courtyard of the blockhouse.   Lysa had stayed by his side all day, but had remained extremely quiet as if deep in thought.

Just before Zeatt and Alvis were going to retire to their quarters on the Autumn Maid for the night, Zeatt pulled Aaron off to the side while Alvis was speaking to Lysa.

“I haven’t forgotten your request of me.”   The Drow lady said as she pulled a small pouch from her belt and handed it to him.

“I finished it yesterday and I was going to wait until I saw you again to deliver it, but when King Eleazar requested that we come here to retrieve you, I thought I’d bring it with me.”

“Retrieve me?   What do you mean, Reverend Mother?”

Zeatt smiled, “Well, I thought I’d keep it a surprise for the two of you, since you both were coming back anyway, but yes, the real reason we were sent here is to bring you and Lysa back to Westmark.”

“Why?   Is something wrong?”   Aaron said in alarm, and Zeatt laughed at his serious expression.

“No, child, nothing like that at all!    It is something wonderful, something that will be announced tomorrow evening during a feast that the King is holding in honor of it.    I won’t ruin the surprise, but I will tell you that it does concern the royal family.    He wanted all of his court there for the occasion.”

“Yet you already know about it?”

Zeatt smiled smugly, “Yes, in fact I was one of the first, but I can’t tell you more about that.   It will be a grand occasion, though, so be prepared for it.    The Queen has taken the liberty of having suitable attire prepared for you and Lysa for the banquet and dance that will follow the announcement.”

Aaron nodded, “Wow, it does sound important.”

Zeatt’s red eyes sparkled, “Oh, it is indeed!”

For a moment neither one spoke, and Zeatt noticed Aaron glancing across the yard to where Lysa chatted with Alvis.

“Aaron?”   She spoke, touching his arm, “How are things with Lysa?”

Aaron smiled slightly, “I’m rather transparent, aren’t I?”

“What has transpired since we last spoke?”

He told her about the incident at the pool and what they had said to each other afterwards, “Reverend Mother, she hasn’t mentioned that since then.     In fact, she’s been very quiet all day.    I fear I scared her to death with my proposal.”

Zeatt laughed, patting him on the shoulder, “Child, that wasn’t a proposal but merely a suggestion.”

“What do you mean?”

“Try it again, child, this time with the proper props, if you know what I mean.”   She gestured at the pouch that she had handed him.

“Oh… well, alright, but what if she doesn’t want to marry me?   Maybe it was just the effect of that pool, and now it has worn off and she feels trapped.”

“Yesh preserve me, child, surely you aren’t that blind!   She loves you, Aaron.    My goodness, she loves you powerfully.”

“Well I love her too, Reverend Mother.”

“Then that is all that is needed.   You will of course allow me to conduct the wedding.”

“I wouldn’t think of anyone else.    Reverend Zeatt, would you do me one more favor?”

“Certainly, child, what is it?”

“Pray for me when I talk to her.    It seemed easy back at the pool, but now I find that I’m scared to death.    I know it seems crazy, but I am really nervous bringing the subject up with her again.”

“Then I’ll pray for you, Aaron.     Don’t be afraid, you’ll see, it will go the way you hope for.”

“I certainly pray that it does.”