Chapter 10 - A Simple Gift
2060 Words
Millane who was stirring a thick vegetable broth in a large cooking pot supported right over the large fireplace, was working down on her knees when the door suddenly opened inwards.
She glanced up when she heard him enter before closing the door behind him. Smiling, her eyes met those of her husband’s, and she sighed loudly with obvious relief.
Relief that he was at last home and safe.
“Oh, Atamier my love. I do hate it when you come home so late in the evening.” she announced, finishing her stirring and then hanging the large wooden spoon beside the pot.
“I never know if you’re in danger, or if something’s happened to you...”
Atamier smiled at his wife’s concern as he placed the leather pouch he had worn down onto the table and moved across the room toward her. Placing his hand lovingly on top of her head, he stood there stroking her long blonde hair for a moment.
“I’ll always return to you, my love. You of all people should know that.” he assured her softly.
Millane chuckled.
“Well, you’d better!”
She frowned, holding out an arm for Atamier who then proceeded to help pull her up onto her feet once more. With her massively sized belly it was getting more and more difficult to get up and down from the floor nowadays.
“I’m not planning on raising this child on my own, you know.”
She rose both brows at him as she spoke her statement in a stern tone.
Atamier simply smiled as he cupped her face and stared into her beautiful crystal blue eyes. They seemed to sparkle as the flames flickered in the fireplace below. How he loved this fiery woman.
The crackling sound of the flames dancing across the wood was the only sound heard for a moment as the loving couple both stared into each other’s eyes in silence.
Eventually, Atamier leant in and kissed his wife affectionately on the lips, one hand held behind her head and the other around her waist as their tongues slowly danced inside each other’s mouths.
Millane closed her eyes and keenly returned his affection, pulling him in as close towards her as she could manage with her protruding belly.
As they each pulled away slowly and opened their eyes once more, Millane was the first to break the silence. Her hand moved to caress his stubble-covered cheek.
“You always use that on me.” she smirked.
He frowned, feigning confusion for a moment.
“Use what?” he shrugged before smiling with guilt.
“I’m sorry for worrying you.” he admitted.
“It’s fine… Come, I’ve made your favourite.”
She began walking towards their table where two bowls were already set out with a wooden spoon resting beside it.
Atamier glanced down at the sizzling brew sitting over the fireplace. The slushy liquid-like mixture had visible chunks of different vegetables native to the Kingdom as it bubbled violently.
He could visibly see the hot steam rising up from the bubbling pot.
“Ooh, slushy soup... my favourite!” Atamier taunted, grinning directly at her.
He appeared to be in quite a playful mood for some unknown reason.
Millane playfully hit his arm and frowned, shaking her head.
“Honestly, I don’t know why I bother...”
As she went to walk away in a huff, Atamier quickly grabbed both sides of her curved hip and pulled her back to face him, smiling down at his beautiful, loving wife.
“Because you love me?” he asked.
Millane’s eyes were narrow, her eyebrow c****d as she voiced her reply.
“Hmmm...”
Kneeling down before his wife, Atamier moved both of his hands to Millane’s rounded belly, which by now was clearly protruding out from her front.
“And how’s my little one?”
Millane’s eyebrows shot up, she seemed flustered.
“Doing its best to cause me much discomfort. I swear whoever it is in there keeps moving more and more with each passing day. But it also seems to have a gentle temperament. Much like its father I imagine.”
Atamier rested his ear to Millane’s belly, listening attentively and smiling as he felt a slight kick against the side of his head.
Chuckling, he looked up at Millane with a smile.
“Whoa! Boy or girl, it’s certainly got a good kick!”
Millane chuckled seemed solemn for a second as she replied, “You have no idea.”
She was still quite concerned about their child being born as a girl. She could not bear to raise their child only to one day lose her to their tyrant of a King. Her concerns were suddenly washed away as Atamier once again rested his ear against her belly and spoke lovingly.
“Daddy’s here baby, daddy’s here.”
She loved how he doated on their unborn child.
Standing up, Atamier watched as Millane put both hands onto her belly, pretending she were holding her child nestled safely within her womb.
His eyes suddenly lit up brightly as he remembered the exciting news he had yet to tell her.
Biting his bottom lip as he thought, Atamier thought of how he would break the news of their lucky find. Swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat, he took both her hands in his and Millane stood by, apparently confused by his sudden mannerism.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Millane, my love… I want to show you something...” he began, releasing her hand and reaching down into his shirt.
His fingers slid around to grasp the large gemstone, still nestled safely inside of his pocket, then lifting it out and up for Millane to see.
As he slowly opened his fingers outward, he kept his gaze fixed on that of his wife, to view her reaction upon seeing the stone for the first time. He wanted to remember this moment for the rest of their lives.
Millane’s blue eyes widened to the size of saucers as the giant sapphire was revealed to her. Her mouth dropped open, gaping widely at such a sight.
“Atamier!”
The singularly spoken word was breathed out instead of being spoken, as words had apparently escaped her. Glancing upward from the gemstone to meet her husband’s eyes, her expression was that of shock and disbelief.
Almost the same one Atamier himself had displayed the first time he too viewed the sapphire.
“How did you… where did you...?” she was beyond baffled by this.
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” he admitted.
The stone was easily the biggest either of them had ever seen and Millane watched in wonder as it suddenly began to lumpiness, glowing a bright blue colour just as it had done earlier on in the forest.
Now her brows were furrowed.
“Why is it glowing?”
It appeared that Millane seemed a little shaken by the brightened display, but she stayed and continued to stare down at its obvious beauty. The light seemed to brighten slowly, beaming out into their home and surrounding them with a warming sense of peace.
“Honestly, I’m not sure. It did the same thing when I found it in the middle of the forest this evening. I was on my way home and-”
“-Wait, you found it?”
Atamier nodded his head, smiling.
Now she seemed nervous, swallowing and frowning with caution.
“Atamier, this has to belong to someone. Someone will come looking for it.”
She hesitated and stepped away from it for a moment.
“No, I swear to you, there was no one there. It was simply lying out in the middle of the forest, buried in a sheet of dying leaves. I only found it by following it’s ominous glow deeper into the forest.”
Millane appeared to take this information in for a moment in silence. Clearly she was still uncertain of keeping something so rare and priceless.
“But what if someone comes looking for it?” she asked cautiously.
Atamier shook his head, taking her arm gently to assure her.
“No one’s going come looking for this, Millane. I promise you.”
He gently rubbed her arm with his thumb, looking into her eyes with nothing but admiration.
“Besides, I actually want you to have it.”
Millane appeared shocked, “What?”
“As a gift, my love. A gift for the woman of my dreams. The one bringing our child into this world safely.”
“Atamier, whilst I deeply appreciate the sentiment behind such a gift, this single stone would feed us for months, perhaps even longer.”
“Millane, how often does one come across such a treasure in a single lifetime? This... this is a treasure, just like you. And you of all people deserve something so stunning and precious.”
He found himself fighting to convince her to keep the stone now and it confused him. Shouldn’t she be pleased by such an extravagant gift?
Atamier had always wanted to give Millane the world, from the first moment he had met her, all those years ago. She was his everything and more.
Millane’s lips were pursed tightly together as she looked down to see the gemstone resting in his open palm.
Her eyebrows furrowed as if she needed further convincing to take it.
“It... is exquisite.” Millane marvelled to herself, apparently caving to the idea at long last.
“It is, isn’t it? I’ve never seen anything quite like it in all my years as a goldsmith. The size, the colour, the clarity... it’s simply astonishing to make such a find. The gods must be smiling upon us, my love.”
Atamier smiled kindly down at her.
“I can’t keep this…”
Millane shook her head as she spoke, fear showing in her eyes.
“Yes, you can.” he argued sternly.
“No, no I can’t, please Atamier.”
“Yes... you can, no one will know. Look here, I’ve already got it all planned out…”
With this, Atamier took the gemstone from his palm and strode across the room to grasp at something sitting on the counter. When he returned to her, he held it up, revealing the plan he had in mind to conceal the precious stone.
In his hand was a large silver locket, one that he had merely kept around for a moment such as this. He carefully worked to thread a long silver chain through it, attaching it and creating a new necklace, one capable of concealing the sapphire from view, but also allowing her to wear it around her neck.
Millane frowned, shaking her head from side to side at the idea he had clearly concocted.
As he gently opened the locket between his large fingers, he then nestled the glistening sapphire inside, closing it shut once more with a great, big smile as it clicked shut.
“Ah, perfect... I thought it might fit inside, but honestly I wasn’t sure.”
Holding it out for his wife, Millane slowly reached out and took the locket in her hand. Looking down at it with intrigue she noticed that it was still glowing from inside of the locket.
Letting out a loud sigh of defeat, she released the locket and wrapped both of her arms around her doting husband, pulling him in towards her.
“I’ll hold onto it, but only for now. Until we can think of the right way to use this.” she agreed, causing Atamier to chuckle.
That was as close to a ‘yes’ as he was going to get, it would appear.
“And just how do you suggest I thank my loving husband for such an extravagant gift?” she asked, pulling back from his embrace to meet his gaze.
Atamier grinned devilishly as he replied.
“Hmmm... I’m sure you’ll think of something.”
Millane let out a small laugh and they leaned in for another passionate kiss.
What she didn’t yet know was the god-like power she now held within her hand would soon be sought after.
Accepting this gift may very well have sealed her fate.
- Writer
