“Come let us rebuild our town so that we may celebrate on the morrow,” Michéal bellowed rolling up his sleeves and kissing Aisling before everyone set to work repairing the town and the harbour.
With their combined efforts and ungodly strength coupled with the magical abilities of the witches and hags, it wasn’t long before their efforts showed fruit and just in time as the night was falling. It was time for some merriment and Aisling would be the one to instigate it.
“Right, that’s the working day done and dusted. It’s high time for a well-earned pint,” she called out waving everyone to the Ill Omen tavern taking Michéal’s hand and made sure he didn’t have time to sit down when they got inside.
“Who’s up for a dance?” she asked, quickly answered by a hefty number of Gnome’s Dwarfs and Minotaur’s while a group of mixed-race creatures got their pints and made their way to the musical instruments and began to play like the night would never end. It took no time until everyone in the inn was up on the devil’s dance floor throwing shapes without a worry in the world.
The joyous feeling never lessened as the night went on but Aisling and Michéal did sneak away for some private time together. He led Aisling away from the tavern in the middle of a rather loud dwarf boasting contest. He picked her up in his arms and raced the long trek to Tír na nÓg. It was a number of miles north of the emerald bay and yet with Michéal racing, they reached the waters of Tír na nÓg in a matter of seconds. Aisling hung in his arms looking all around her at the visible magic in the air that swirled around them, bursting like glowing bubbles high above their heads.
“I remember this place, this is where…” she started to say but began to blush.
“Where we first made love,” Michéal finished.
“Yeah, that was an amazing night,” she replied tucking her head into his chest feeling his heartbeat.
“Is that why you brought me here?” she asked jokingly.
“No,” he nervously chuckled putting her down, watching as she walked to the base of the waterfall. He couldn’t find the courage to say what he wanted to say but he knew it was now or never.
“I was going to bring you here the night of, the night of our betrayal. I had something I wanted to tell you that night, something I wanted to ask of you,” he drawled as he tried to remember where he had hidden it. Then panic set in. What if someone had found it, what if someone had sold it or worse, what if that someone was wearing it at this very moment?
“Michéal, I think I know what you were going to say that night,” Aisling told him as she cupped some water in her hands from the waterfall’s pool and sipped it with overwhelming glee.
“I think I know what you were going to say that night and in truth I’m glad you didn’t,” she retorted causing Michéal’s thoughts of the past to burst like sparks before his eyes.
“I don’t understand,” he asked with a startled expression, an expression she didn’t see. She never looked away from the water.
“It would have made things um, it would have made things worse you know with my father and the council,” she clarified but he could feel she was hiding something, but he couldn’t think of what it could be.
“I guess you’re correct. At the time our relationship was rocking the boat, so to speak. We were altering people’s perceptions.”
As disheartened as he was, he could see the logic in her lie.
“So, if I may be so bold as to ask, where do we stand now? What I mean, after all that has brought us here, I feel that it may have been for naught especially with the…with what you have just said,” Michéal queried.
“No, it wasn’t a waste of time and it wasn’t for nothing. I do have feelings for you. I want to take things slow. I don’t want to get your hopes up or anything. Just be patient,” she finally turned to face him with a bright smile and a loving look in her eyes
“Be patient? As you wish, I can do that,” Michéal laughed graciously.
They both had a long road ahead of them and while there was no telling where that road would lead, there was bound to be trials and tribulations ahead. What was known for certain is the road they walked would need a little bit of luck and a great deal of effort if they wanted to see its end.
