Gusion and Guinevere had just barely landed on the roof of one of the houses in the main village of Land of Dawn when a boulder came flying towards them at an incredible speed.
He had to hurl Guinevere away from its direction before it could hit both of them.
"What was that?!" he snapped as they both turned to where it came from, peeking under the hooded cloak they had around them to conceal their faces.
Then came a loud nasty bellow on ground, where a dozen Palace guards were trying to subdue a troll thrice their size and height, who thrashed its dirty long arms filled with boils and threw whatever was in its reach.
This time it threw a cart filled with logs, earning a scream from the spectating terrified villagers.
"What is a troll doing in the middle of the Village?" Guinevere asked, pacing through the roof as if to jump and help.
Gusion grabbed her arm and stopped her.
Before she could protest, Gusion flicked his blades downwards.
To his surprise, his blades made of silver iron looked like they were glowing glass. A dozen set of it flitted through the air swiftly, reflecting purple and sky as they changed direction the way Gusion directed them with his hand until it pierced through the trolls body, all 12 of them hitting different vital parts from head to toe.
He heard a collective gasp from the crowd below and a disastrous thump of the still body of the troll before all the heads turned up; to where Gusion and Guinevere's hooded figures were.
Gusion took it as a time to yank Guinevere off her feet and ran away, jumping from roof to roof until he was certain no one had followed them anymore.
They came at the edge of the village, farthest from the Palace and Gusion set Guinevere down.
"I think we need to change these cloaks." Gusion said, glancing down to the dark blue cloak made of velvet that he was wearing.
"I don't know. I like the color on you." Guinevere said, and he could almost see the smile judging on the tone of her voice.
He couldn't help but scoff a chuckle. "I am serious."
"You have the Cube." She said confidently as she took his hand. "No one in the soldiers are strong enough to capture us with that."
Gusion pushed his hood off, frowning at Guinevere. "Are you suggesting for us to become fugitives?"
She came in front of him, pushed the hood back on before tiptoeing to reach for a peck of his lips. "I'm suggesting a life free of worry."
"You'd just brought us to the place where we would likely be separated and you're telling me not to worry?"
"Ssshh." She held his face and kissed him again. "Do not think about me. I want you to regain your glory here."
"I told you, I---!"
"Let's go find a place to stay for the night." She led him to start walking.
"We don't have a single coin in our possession."
"Hmmm." She reached for her neck and held out an emerald embedded in gold chain. "I wonder how much this would cost?"
"Guin!"
"Let's go find out."
"Guin!" Gusion called again but Guinevere had stubbornly walked ahead of him.
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Gusion was lying at the bed, staring at Guinevere who was smiling like a child as she ate her porridge at the small table of the room they had acquired in a tavern.
"Are you that happy?" He asked, finding himself smiling as he saw how Guinevere's eyes sparkled.
"We got a month of stay and free food with the necklace!"
"We've been swindled." He said matter-of-factly.
He got almost disappointed when he saw the sparkle in her eyes dim at what he said.
"That necklace was worth a year of stay in this room, maybe even more."
"But still." She insisted, casting him a glare.
"Besides, I thought when you said to go back here, you meant Castle Gorge or House Paxley."
"Not yet." She merely said.
Then she set her spoon on the empty bowl and went over to him.
"What is going on with your mind?" He asked as he reached for her face when she leaned over him.
"I don't have a plan." She admitted, pressing her palm against his. "But I have faith. Hope."
He smiled and pulled her down to him to wrap his arms before shifting their weight so he came over her.
"How do you expect me to sleep, Guinevere Baroque?"
"You lay on one side of the bed and close your eyes."
"Not so soon." He leaned down and started kissing her jaws, making her coil her shoulders and squeal.
"Gus!"
He continued kissing her, his lips coming down to her neck and her shoulder blades.
All Guinevere could do was submit as she felt Gusion's arm tighten around her, his hand going aggressive, his breathing going rash as his lips invaded the sensitive parts of her body.
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"What are you trying to do?" Gusion asked, scandalized as Guinevere dragged her out in the village with nothing to conceal their faces. "You want us to get caught?"
"Calm down." She said, giving his hand a squeeze as they walk through the busy morning street.
"Anyone might recognize us." He said under his breath as he looked around cautiously and pulled her closer towards him.
"We're wearing normal clothes." Guinevere stated, glancing down at the clothes she had begged from one of the maids at the tavern.
Guinevere never really knew the impact of one's clothes until she was treated as someone ordinary the moment she wore something filthy and ragged.
There were no admiring stares or judging looks from anyone.
It was like Guinevere had just discovered the real definition of freedom.
There. With no responsibilities. Holding the hand of the man she loved. It was perfect.
Despite the fact that it was noisy and hot and chaotic.
The place were filled with merchants selling all different kind of items from faraway places, some were ones Guinevere had never heard before.
One part of the merchant street were full of mothers with woven baskets in their elbows, getting filled by different fruits and vegetables as they walk through the lane of neccesities.
Then they came through a part filled with shining objects, necklaces, earrings, rings! Linens that were smooth and soft velvets and light satins.
Guinevere pulled Gusion to one of the stalls where a lady merchant was yelling for customers to come.
"Anything for the lady?" She asked when they approached in her strange accent.
"You want something?" Gusion asked her.
Guinevere merely smiled and looked through the lines of cheap jewelry in front of them.
Her heart was pounding hard, she couldn't even explain why.
And she became so aware of Gusion's hand interlaced with hers, along it came the fear of letting go.
She scanned through the items, trying to find the perfect pair.
Until she came across them.
She picked up two plain silver rings, in different sizes, and faced Gusion, who looked puzzled.
His features looked so out of place from his clothes, which were a size too big for him, and a bit filthy despite how many times it was washed clean.
Guinevere had always been a fan of spur of the moment decisions, but she was certain of what she was feeling at the moment as she looked up at his clear blue eyes, his bushy brows furrowed as he looked down at her trying to figure out what kind of unexpected surprise she was into this time.
"Time will tell us of marriage. But I am already yours since the day I started caring about you." She said, and her heart swelled as she watched how his eyes grow wide in disbelief. "But for now, let this ring be my promise to you."
She slid the bigger ring into his slender finger and smiled widely as she stared at Gusion's frozen expression.
There, in the middle of a busy street, with people shouting all over the place, the world seemed to have gone in a blur and silent as Guinevere sealed her love for Gusion Paxley.
"I am yours, Gusion Paxley. And forever will be."
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Gusion was dumbstruck.
Just when he thought he had Guinevere all figured out, she did something so out of nowhere again.
She vowed her love for him. Right there! In the middle of a noisy street with them wearing filthy clothes!
And he could swear of the Lord of Light he fell even more in love with the woman!
"Guinevere...!" He blurted out as soon as he snapped from surprise.
She was grinning from ear to ear, her eyes shining with glee. He tilted his head so he could press his forehead against hers, admiring the woman ever so much and not knowing how to love her even more.
Just when he was about to claim her lips, a chorus of cries rang through the air.
They both looked ahead and saw stalls and carriages being topples over by an incoming charriot of some sort.
Just when it came near them did they see that it was an ogre driving the chariot through the merchants with a dragon twice Gusion's size at the back, breathing fire on everything it passed.
Soon enough there was a scattering fire all over the village, and people starting to scramble their away from it.
Just when it was almost on their way, Gusion flicked some blades into the chariot's wheels, causing it to topple over and overthrowing the ogre to the other side.
Another flick of his hands and his glass blades followed, right into the throat of the dragon.
A series of pierces and the creature collapsed, immobile, into the ground with a last puff of smoke from its snout.
The people, seeing as the dragon was easily defeated, turned to look at them.
Gusion instantly faced Guinevere and kept their heads low, concealing their faces from the crowd.
"That's it, time to go." He locked his arm against her waist and hauled themselves into the nearest roof, running away from the people, until they came at the top of one of the few double storey houses of the village.
"Before we proceed, let me just do this."
Before Guinevere could speak, Gusion's tongue had already invaded her mouth.