Flames

Chapter Fifteen

The seasons passed slowly until it landed the two at the end of summer.

Cedric had, finally, made up his mind. Life had been outstanding the last year and a half with Amber and had taken his loneliness away, but it wasn't enough. He would see her at least once a week in the forest, twice or three times if they were lucky. The other days of the week were hard; the mere knowledge that he would get to see her soon was how he pushed through and managed. Yet, he missed her. He missed her from the time they would leave each other to the time they finally met up again. He wanted that to change. He was ready.

But was she?

They had never discussed what would happen if their relationship worked. Marriage had never been brought up between the two, given the dire consequences if they were found out. Each step they took together was risky enough, but marriage? Surely, it would be out of the question.

Yet, Cedric couldn't bear it any longer. It was torture to be apart from her. He had seen the sun and never wanted to go back into darkness. He had already thought of ways around the whole issue, ways he would tell Amber to convince her to say yes.

It wasn't the most solid of plans, but he didn't care. Nothing else mattered when it came to her. He would do anything, even if it meant leaving Phaepyr.

When the night began to fall, Cedric eagerly left Phaepyr for their tree. The ring he had crafted for her felt as though it was burning in his pocket as if it were excited to be placed upon her finger.

He had heard stories of how men would draw out their proposals or by taking them somewhere romantic where they could finally ask, but Cedric didn't believe he could do that. He wanted her to know that he was ready for this step now. He didn't want to wait. His love for her outweighed his care for anything else.

As soon as he saw her leaning up against their tree in the distance, a wide grin spread across his face and he sent his horse into a gallop. His heart was pounding in sync with the hooves of his racing horse, beads of sweat falling down his face as his nerves prayed she would say yes.

Without so much as saying hello, Cedric was quick to stop his horse near the tree and jump off. Before Amber could say a word, he had dropped to his knee.

"Amber," He grinned, eyes entirely locked on her pale ones. Nervous fingers frantically reached into his pocket, closing around the band he had made. "I love you." His tongue felt as though it was swelling, making each sentence a tongue twister. The words that had filled his mind the journey over had vanished, leaving him entirely alone with his present thoughts.

She had, at first, tried to help Cedric up believing that he had fallen. As he continued to speak, a realization hit her eyes and Amber took a step back. "I love you too. Cedric, what are you doing?" There was a disbelief present as if she knew what was going to happen but prayed that it didn't.

Cedric reached up with his free hand, grabbing hers tightly to ensure he didn't frighten her away. He couldn't lose her, not after all this time. "Amber, you have changed my life. Because of you, I know what happiness is. I know what love is and what being a family is. I know our relationship breaks the law of all the lands around us, but I don't care. I know that we deserve this just as much as anyone else does." With a tremor in his voice, he pulled the ring free from his pocket and held it up to her. It was a basic silver band, several small diamonds embedded into the sides. It was the only thing he had been able to afford due to his sudden decision. Cedric's eyes never left hers. "Amberlynn, marry me. Become my wife, and I promise no harm will ever come to you. You will never know suffering. I promise that we can have a normal life soon. I will do anything for you if it means you'd be happy. I will provide for you."