I endured a rickety descent—one I hoped to never do again—by lift in West Eilian Village. By the second weeks’ end, I said farewell to Hadyn at the edge of the Great Forest.
As the trees became normal sized, I felt a huge release. Caedryn was two dense forests and a mountain ridge behind me. The fresh air filled my nostrils. I walked carefully and casually, noticing the green buds on the trees. The forest floor was smooth with sparse growth, so passage was effortless.
Hadyn gave me a crossbow so I could hunt for food. I carried that and my pack slung over my shoulders. I wore an extra-heavy cloak because my light had not recovered enough to keep me warm.
I still felt mortal.
It took time for scratches to heal. I was cautious crossing the bridges and cutting vegetables. I stepped firmly on the ground to avoid spraining my ankles. I drank more and ate a lot, not forgetting that the babe in my womb required me to do so anyway.
Crossing the ridge signaled passing into “wee” Brenin’s realm, as Hadyn had said. By my estimation, I was three weeks from the capital. Brenin and Tiwlip would return home as the weather warmed. I debated going there. I debated trekking even farther south until I found Tarren, Owein’s home.
No. I turned north toward the coastal plains.
Up ahead, through the trees, a fur-covered figure crouched in the underbrush. He fiddled with a knife, and as I approached, he was skinning a fox.
“Do you plan on turning that into a hat or a pair of gloves?” I asked. “You know, I never liked wearing fur. It’s—”
“A rotten carcass you wouldn’t be caught dead wearing,” the man said.
“How’d you know?”
The man peered from under his cap and wiped his hands on a rag. “Only one person has ever criticized my furs. And don’t think for one second that I’d forget her voice or her face.”
Those blue eyes. I stared. A close-cropped beard covered the man’s face, and hair poked out around the cap, nearly concealing his face. His coat was thick but worn. His fingertips stuck out from fingerless gloves. I recognized his knife, the one he kept in his boot.
Even under the rugged exterior, his eyes were unmistakable.
“Owein,” I said.
He stood. “I’d ask what you’re doing here, but it’s clear you had to see me. Missed me too much, didn’t you?”
My heart lub-dubbed strangely in my chest. “Owein!”
“Yeah. It’s me.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m trapping,” he said. “I told you I go all over the place. I’ve been working my way in this direction since I left Tarren. I make the journey every winter. I was going to head back and work my way south again.”
“You’re unbelievable.”
“I assure you it’s believable.”
“No,” I said. “I didn’t expect to run into you. I was turning north.”
“Now why would you do that? There’s nothing of worth up north. Just the plains. They’re dull, flat, and lifeless. Except for the prairie critters crawling all over the place. Can’t really make anything out of their furs.”
I laughed.
“I’m in a sorry state,” he said. “You caught me all wild man. I’m afraid I’m beneath Gorlassar’s standards.”
I scrutinized Owein until his brow crinkled with worry.
I laughed again. “I don’t care!” I threw my arms around his neck.
“You really missed me.” He dropped any hesitation and folded his arms around me. “Why are you here by yourself? Where’s Seren?”
I cracked. I tucked my face against Owein’s smelly fur coat and cried. “You don’t know how dreadful my winter’s been.”
“Oh, now. At least you found me. Come on. Let’s make ourselves a fox stew. I swear, once you taste my cooking, you’ll be sorry you never did before.”
I sniffled. “I should tell you—I’ve come to warn you.”
“Is that right?”
“Apparently an emrys woman can snare the hearts of every man she lays eyes on. I’m dangerous.”
“You know it’s too late for me. Niawen, I’m not letting you go. I’ve regretted walking away from you all winter. You’re like a bad prune.”
“That’s a ghastly image.”
Owein grimaced. “I’ve never been good with metaphors.”
After Owein wrapped his fox meat and bundled his fur, we headed to his camp.
“I should tell you a few things first, Owein. I’m not sure what you’ll think of me then.”
He stopped dead in his tracks and turned to me. “Nothing, and I mean nothing, will chase me off. I’m going to show you the simple things of this world. And that’s all there is to it, Niawen.”
I smiled. I couldn’t have been happier to run into the most mundane mortal of them all. One who was straightforward and kind. One who asked nothing of me and was willing to give me up so I could have the best of this life—even if the best had failed me and I wasn’t meant for it.
But I didn’t want the best. I wanted the mundane.
I wanted Owein and his humor and his twinkling eyes.
“Show me your world, Owein. I’m ready.”
EPILOGUE
I looked up from ogling the bundle in my arms as Owein entered our cottage.
His grin practically split his face. “Niawen, you have a visitor. You’ll never guess who it is.”
I knew. The heart-center I discerned
