Hi! This story is based off of this post by Rhu! I read it soon after its publication and wrote this nearly as soon as I had finished. I spent a bit tidying it up, planning on posting it. Then I forgot for a while during my vacation.... But now it is here! Enjoy!
A Proposal's End
Artham glanced out the window overlooking the front gardens of Castle Rysen for what was likely the millionth time in the past half hour. Today is the day! He grinned, a bubble of nervous excitement forming in his stomach once more.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and jumped, then turned to see Esben smiling amusedly.
“Be patient, Artham.” He laughed. “She’ll come.”
Artham’s grin turned sheepish for a moment. “I know.”
“Look,” — his brother glanced out the window, and he spun around to see nothing— “You’ve liked her for, what, ten years?”
Artham's eyes widened. “How did you-”
Esben laughed. “I know you thought it was secret, but, I hate to break it to you, it's been pretty obvious the whole time, especially since you started ‘secretly’ courting her.”
Artham ran a hand along the back of his neck. “Everyone knows?”
His brother nodded, still grinning. “I'm sure you’ll be very happy. And probably write a lot of great poetry.”
He smiled. “Thanks.”
“She’s supposed to arrive in about ten minutes, right?”
Artham nodded, his smile growing wider.
Esben looked him up and down. “It’s tonight, isn't it?”
He nodded again, smoothing the wrinkles in his outfit and glancing out the window. “Tonight.”
“After dinner?”
He swallowed. “At its end.”
Esben nodded, then glanced toward the window again.
Artham spun around, and his grin widened. She’s here!!
He turned and practically ran down the corridor, jumping down the steps two at a time, managing to restrain himself a little.
He could hear his little brother’s footsteps following him, but paid them no attention. He was focused on only one thing.
He skidded to a halt at the door, smoothed his clothes once more, and tried to calm his excited breathing and pulse.
The huge doors opened into the welcoming hall, and Artham sucked in a breath.
“Arundelle!” He smiled broadly, welcoming her into the castle.
“Artham!” She smiled, and he felt his heart leap with anticipation and love.
Esben made it down the staircase. “Welcome, Arundelle!”
She curtsied. “It’s good to see you, my king.”
The king rolled his eyes with a smile. “Please, drop the pleasantries. It's good to see you.”
She smiled, straightening. “It’s good to see you too, Esben.”
“How was your trip to the Hollows? Did you find everything you were looking for in the Ban Rona library?” Esben glanced at Artham. “I’m sorry we couldn't accompany you.”
Arundelle nodded. “Yes, I found the most wonderful book on the emotional impact of certain rhyme schemes and meters! It even mentioned ba dum ba dum pentameter, and said that it has the exact effect I intended!”
Esben smiled, then held up a hand clearly not nearly as interested in the topic as the other two in the room. “Nia and the children are waiting in the back courtyard with her parents, so we had best not keep them waiting.” He motioned for the pair to follow.
Artham offered Arundelle his arm, which she gladly took, and led her to the courtyard behind his brother, his grin growing ever wider and his nerves ever more excited with each step. Tonight is the night.
They entered the garden and greeted Nia, Podo, and Wendolyn, who held Leeli in her arms. Arundelle immediately began speaking with Nia.
Artham looked at the little children with a grin. Janner stood by his mother with a timid smile on his face, while little Kalmar had toddled over to the table and was reaching for the fruit bowl laid out as an appetizer.
Artham glanced around, then picked a plumyum from the basket and stooped down, handing it to Kalmar with a finger pressed to his lips.
“Artham.” He raised his eyes to see Esben looming above him with his eyebrows raised. “Are you giving Kal treats again?”
“No-o.” He shook his head, putting on an innocent look and standing up.
His brother did his best to keep the stern look on his face. “Don’t lie to your king. I'm pretty sure that's a crime.”
Artham put on a look of mock offense. “Me?”
Esben cracked, grinning. “Just because you’re my Throne Warden, don't think you’ll get off easy.”
“Just because you're my king, don't think I won't feed my nephew treats before dinner.” He grinned, then glanced toward Nia. “Just don't tell his mother, or I might be thrown out of the castle by someone other than you.”
Esben tried to poorly hide his laughter behind one hand. “I'll do my best.”
“Fooo!” Kalmar grabbed onto Artham’s leg, and he glanced down.
“Shh!” He held a finger up to his lips, then stopped to pick up Kalmar, but he was too late.
“Artham Wingfeather, have you been doing it again?” Nia strode over, fixing a harsh eye on Artham, who bowed.
“What can I say? You have the most adorable children I have ever been blessed to behold.”
The corner of Nia’s lips twitched upward. “No more food for Kalmar, or you’ll spoil his appetite.”
Artham widened his eyes slightly, then glanced at Arundelle, who was trying to hide her smile. “That would be quite a feat, Nia, if it is even possible to begin with. Your son has a bigger appetite than his father.”
This time, Nia laughed. “You may be right, but let's not test your theory.”
Artham bowed his head with a grin. “I'll do my best.”
Esben stepped forward. “Speaking of food, is our plan to stand around and talk all evening, or eat dinner?”
Artham chuckled, feeling his stomach begin to knot itself more firmly as the minutes ticked by.
“Aye!” Podo rubbed his hands together. “We’d best eat it ‘afore it cools to mush!”
“Alright,” —Nia laughed— “we can eat.”
The six of them took their seats at the table, which was, thankfully, far smaller than the one in the Dining Hall, and carefully set the children in their places. Esben sat at the head of the table, with Nia on his right and Artham on his left, seated next to Arundelle. Little Kalmar sat between Nia and his older brother, and the little song maiden lay in a cradle behind her mother. Podo was seated between his wife and Janner.
The first course was served, and Artham forced himself to eat the dish of pasta with hardly a thought to what it was. All his attention was focused on Arundelle.
“Do you remember when we were young, and Esben had his twelfth birthday present?” Arundelle smiled, taking a sip of her wine.
Artham ran a hand along the back of his neck.
“How could I forget?” Esben let out a laugh. “It was the most wonderful day of my life up until then, and Artham was scared half to death that I would drown without him!”
Artham gave a smile. “What can I say? It was his first time alone at sea, and a lot can happen in two hours. Besides, that wasn't very long after he slipped on a pebble and broke his arm. I had good reason to worry!”
Arundelle let out a soft laugh, and Artham glanced at her, smiling.
The conversation turned toward sailing, and Podo told a few stories, making Artham wish he didn't know the man’s hidden history. Nonetheless, the evening went by in a happy blur, brimming with excitement.
Artham watched Arundelle with his heart light as a feather, his head slightly dizzy, and his stomach clenched tight as the knots he made when sailing.
Finally, dessert was served, a frozen cream with fresh fruit, and he knew the time had nearly come. His heart beat at double its usual speed, but he kept his expression carefully controlled, only failing to stop his constant glances toward the woman he loved.
They finished the last of their dessert, and Artham stood up, as the others continued their discussion. “Arundelle,” — he smiled, offering his hand— “I have something to ask you.”
Arundelle’s eyes seemed to light up more than usual, and she took Artham’s hand as he led her to the side of the courtyard, underneath a flowering tree which the pair had played in as children, feeling more awake, yet more in a dream, than he ever had.
Artham took a deep breath, staring at Arundelle and knowing that Esben, at the very least, was bound to be watching. He smiled, then motioned for her to sit on the log seat beside the tree. He got onto both knees and looked up at her, pulling out a silver ring with an emerald and a ruby entwined in silver bands. “Arundelle, you know I have loved you since we were children, playing together in the gardens of Rysen and the brooks of Anniera. You have always been by my side, encouraging me in my duties and, when necessary, refraining me from stalking Esben on his birthdays or other occasions when he was granted permission to be alone. No matter what I faced growing up, I always knew that you would be there for me, and as we grew into adults, each pursuing our love of poetry, you remained by my side. We studied together, spending long hours in the libraries, and wrote of each other, placing messages into our words that only we could understand. You are a constant light in my life, and in you I have found all the happiness I can imagine. If the Maker were the Sun, you would be the moon, reflecting back all His light onto my soul in your own beautiful way. If the Maker were a river, you would be a flowering tree, and I the bird that rests in your boughs. I love you, Arundelle, as I will never, nor could ever, love anyone else. Will you marry me?”
The expression on her face was one of pure joy, as though she could see heaven in Artham. She parted her lips to respond, but was cut off by a thunderous warcry.
Artham’s head snapped up as horrid heads of disfigured animals appeared over the wall encircling the garden.
Esben got to his feet, running to Nia and helped her up.
Wendolyn and Podo leapt up as well, their faces a mixture of shock, fear, and determination.
The six stood frozen for but a moment as they recalled the rumors of monsters, fangs, and armies in Dang, before they began running back toward the castle.
They heard a second warcry as the monsters scaled the wall, dropping like pebbles on the other side.
“I’ll ready the boat!” Podo shouted, splitting off toward the courtyard gate.
Artham drew his sword and pulled Arundelle to Esben’s side as he ran, not daring to leave either where he couldn't see them.
Nia ran to Leeli and scooped the child into her arms, then hurried to her mother, who had picked up Kalmar. She led Janner by the hand.
They entered the castle, slamming the door shut and barring it, then ran through a number of rooms until they reached the king and queen’s quarters. Artham motioned toward a door on the side of Esben’s bedroom, but saw his brother hesitate.
Esben set his jaw and ran toward a different door.“Get them to safety, Artham!”
Artham dropped Arundelle’s hand, running for Esben’s. “What are you doing? We have to leave!”
He heard a sound like thunder that rocked the castle as the door to the courtyard gave way. How did this happen?
“Get them out, Artham!” Esben set his jaw.
The wails, shrieks, roars and cries of trolls and monsters unlike anything Artham had ever seen reached their ears, sending shivers down their spines. Where are the guards?
“Esben!!” Arthan grabbed his wrist, spinning him around. “You have to come with us!”
“Please, keep them safe, Artham! Don’t worry about me! I'll fight as long as I can!” Esben glanced toward the way they had entered with a shudder as Artham began pulling him toward the door.
“I’m your Throne Warden! You know I can't leave you!” Artham squeezed his wrist tighter, building momentum and glancing behind him every second with his sword at the ready. Arundelle ran on his left.
“Please, Artham! I need you to keep them safe more than anything else! It’s an order! Will you promise me?” Esben stared into Artham’s eyes, pleading, and trying to break loose from Artham’s grip.
“I’ll protect all of you! You're coming with us!” Artham glanced around as flames began to lick the corridor outside, spreading far too quickly, and bringing with them deadly smoke. The first monster reached them, and Artham fell back to cut it down, keeping himself between Esben and the beasts. Bonifer should have seen them coming from his cottage!
“There’s something I need to get, but I’ll meet you at the river! I can't let it fall into Gnag’s hands!” Esben pulled away, more forcefully than he ever had before. “Remember, you promised, Artham!”
Artham stood, frozen for a moment, then glanced around at his family and swallowed hard. “I'll come back for you!” He turned away, tears pricking his eyes and his throat constricting, as Esben disappeared. Artham thrust his sword into what he could only assume was a fang, while his stomach twisted like kelp around an anchor. I'll come back for him! We’ll all make it out!
He took a shaky breath, seizing Arundelle's hand, and charged toward the door he had pointed out as the flames and horrors rushed toward them in the stiflingly hot hall.
He opened the door and leapt down the stairs toward the servant's quarters, as the monsters began to find them, their beady black eyes and forked tongues lunging for him and his family.
Artham swung his sword, slicing through the first two, then shuddered as they turned to dust before his eyes. But he had no time to waste.
He felled every creature they ran across with ease, but there seemed to be no end to their numbers, and he was forced to duck and dodge around his family to cut down the horrors chasing them.
Artham dusted another, but, master swordsman though he was, one against a thousand, or a hundred thousand, or a million, was doomed to take a loss at some point, and Artham knew it. Yet still, he fought the fangs back, slicing his way toward their escape.
The castle was engulfed in flames, eating through the fine wood and sending it crashing down around them, and while the monsters seemed impervious to the fire and smoke, Artham and those he protected were not. The haze clouded their vision and filled their lungs, slowing them down with its coarse poison.
He spun around, and came face to face with a beady eyed mix between a flabbit and a snake, but as he did so another’s claws sliced his left shoulder. He gasped and sucked in a breath, then felled both, but in that moment of pain, he had involuntarily released the hand of the woman he loved.
“Arundelle!!” Artham spun around wildly, searching the nightmare for his love, but to no avail. She had vanished as surely as the dinner they had eaten such a short time ago.
Tears rose to Artham’s eyes and his throat began to burn, but he caught sight of his niece and nephews, terror in their eyes, and knew he had to save them. Gnag can't get them! He blinked back the tears. I'll find her! When I come back. But I have to keep the little ones safe! I promised.
He sliced the horrors around him with renewed vigor, knowing that every second counted.
After what felt like an eternity, Artham skidded around a corner, then turned the hidden stone, revealing the ancient escape route that would lead them to the River Rysen, and dashed through it.
“Hurry!” Artham waved his family through, then dusted another monster, this one black with fish scales and snickbuzzard wings, and rushed after the others, sealing the entrance behind him.
They reached the river, but Podo had not arrived with the boat. A stab of panic entered Artham’s mind as he considered the possibility that the old pirate had finally met his end.
He glanced around, then sucked in a breath as a horde of trolls and monsters converged on them from every direction, as though they had known exactly where the tunnel led.
Artham pushed his family behind him, forcing them against the riverbank, but separating them from the horrors rushing toward them.
He felled three monsters, not caring what they were, then glanced toward the water. A spark of hope returned as Podo rounded the bend of the river, his eyes wide. He pushed the boat against the bank’s edge.
“Nia! Get yerself an’ the young uns in!” He cried, leaping out of the boat onto the shore.
Nia leapt into the boat, but as she did so, one of the monsters grabbed Leeli’s leg, twisting it. Nia fell onto her side, sheltering her daughter, then scrambled up. Podo turned, slicing the beast in two, then passed the boys to their mother, holding his sword with his free hand.
Artham sliced a toothy cow like monster with two legs, wolf ears, and a fazzle dove tail in half, then felt an arrow whiz past him, missing by inches. A cry of pain attacked his ears, and he spun around to see Wendolyn with an arrow in her heart. The arrow that had missed him.
She fell to the ground, and he rushed forward, but saw immediately that there was nothing he could do. He hefted her into the boat, hardly knowing why, then dusted another beast.
Podo gave a furious cry, then dusted half a dozen monsters.
“Papa!” Nia reached out her hand, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Hurry!”
Podo shook his head, looking as though he himself were on the verge of death. “No! Ye have to go!”
Nia shook her head vehemently, then grabbed Podo’s collar, dragging him to the ship, which bent down as Nia pulled, scooping him up.
Artham chose not to think about the old pirate’s history with the dragons, instead rushing forward and shoving the boat into the river.
He turned back to the collapsing palace, then ran back inside, ducking falling beams and monsters, slicing through everything that blocked the way to his brother and the woman he loved.
This is EXACTLY how I imagined this playing out!