fic: The Question
Feb. 14th, 2022 12:30 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bonnefoisTitle: The Question
Fandom: Fire Emblem Heroes
Character/Pairing: Reinhardt/Ishtar
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Ishtar tries to figure out how to propose her personal guard. In worlds where men usually make engagement proposals, how would a woman ask this of her knight?
Word count: 2,921
Author's note: Julius isn't in this Askr because I never bothered getting him via the grail shop/GHB. So in my Askr, at least, there are a lot of Reinhardts and no Julius at all.
Mentions bridal versions of canon pairs (Pent/Louise, Nailah/Rafiel.) Not enough to be tagged.
As one who had once been engaged before, you'd think that Ishtar would have more idea on how to ask someone she adored to marry her.
But, she found no answers looking back at her previous engagement.
Back then, Lord Arvis had asked father and mother on Julius's behalf. It had been worked around. And before then, Julius had put his hand in hers in the gardens and said one day, when we're grown, I'll marry you.
And it had been blissful. Until the day he'd gotten a gift of a tome. And the Julius she knew and loved began to disappear, until there was nothing left of the sweet boy she had fallen in love with.
She held on for a long time. Too long, perhaps. Enough that she had guilt and blood on her hands for the things she helped Julius with.
With death, she and Julius parted one last time.
But, death was not an ending. She was summoned to Askr. She began to work in her atonement, through seemingly endless grief. She reunited with her dearest, closest guard. Her Reinhardt.
Be it guard duty or more, Ishtar always asked to be assigned with Reinhardt. To be reunited with him in this place so far away from Friege was what she had needed most of all.
Her brother was not here, nor Liza. One day, perhaps Kiran would find them through space and time. She found that thought comforting. That death was not as infinite and inescapable as she had thought.
Together, Ishtar and Reinhardt help defeated the forces of the land of Múspell, help repel death herself, traveled to the land of dreams, and the lands of giants and dwarves.
Many heroes had been summoned after them, but through all of them, Julius was not brought to this land. And as she spent more time with her Reinhardt, she found something both familiar and new grew inside her.
The part of her which awaited to be reunited with Lord Julius faded slowly, as something new rose deep inside her. She could not say the exact moment when staying close to Reinhardt brought such feelings inside her.
He was such a part of her life, that her life felt in shambles without him at her side. It took quite some time to untangle the intimacy between knight and liegelady, and the intimacy of those on the brink of something more.
At first, she did not act upon her feelings. She did not even dare to speak of them. She joined festivals for love, and brides, and so many more with him by her side.
And even though he was entirely hers, Ishtar wanted more. It wasn't simply enough to have him as her partner in battle, or near for company.
But how to broach that question remained a mystery.
Reinhardt's parents did not reside here. His sister and him had a rather strained relationship, at least, it depended on when she was summoned from. Those that came after the battle Thracia would scarcely be able to speak to him, while those that came before would idolize him.
There was no one to ask, but Reinhardt himself.
*
The libraries in Askr were vast, and often filled with mages of many lands. It would be easy to get lost among the shelves, the marble floors and the many desks left for scholars, mages and tacticians alike to read at.
She gracefully was able to slip past, and find some historical tomes of her own to look through.
Ishtar studied many books, but the pages helped little. Most of them spoke of customs where parents of nobles would arrange marriages, whether the potential bride and groom were willing or unwilling, and many others told of men who would proclaim their devotion to their potential lady.
None said what would happen if a liegelady fell in love with her knight.
Often, rings were exchanged in proposals. If she gave him a ring, it would be hidden away beneath his gloves, or perhaps worn around his neck upon a golden chain.
He would accept it, as he would accept any token from her. Still, she wanted to give him something he would truly appreciate.
Therein was the problem. She couldn't propose with a thunder tome, or a pair of new gloves.
No matter what she read, none of them revealed on how to propose to one's knight. For even as they had grown closer, to be lovers, she knew Reinhardt too well. He was too stoic, too prone to take any hurt to protect her. He'd never make this move.
Even if it hurt him, he'd keep quiet.
Perhaps a gift of another sword. He certainly had treasured the one she'd given him before. One like the thunder swords she'd seen among the Liberation Army. One well equipped to cut down cavalry and armor alike, to take fliers from the sky and infantry, one well versed against mages and beasts and even dragons. A blade imbued with thunder magic so it worked like a tome and could hit far off enemies.
Could such a sword even exist? She mentally reminded herself to ask of the dwarves to see who might be able to make such a sword for her. One befitting of her knight.
She heard a familiar voice behind her. One noble, slightly wry, and filled with a specific warmth which was held only for her.
"I see you have kept to your studies of lightning magic," he said.
Reinhardt smiled.
She looked up, and once again was struck by how handsome, how unforgettable her knight was. Reinhardt truly was peerless among men. Clad in the black suit of a Friegean mage knight, with spotless gloves, and his dark hair slicked back.
He was strong, regal, and enigmatic all in one. She found that she liked looking at Reinhardt very much now, that her feelings had been unbound.
Somehow, he managed to attract even more attention in the halls of Askr. And with heroes and legends and gods that filled the halls of this land, that was quite an accomplishment.
With a blush, she hid the title of Bridal customs of Askr and Embla with her hand.
"Um, yes. Certainly. I must not let myself get rusty."
"Good," he said.
"I have some things to attend to. I will see you tonight at dinner?" he said softly.
"Oh, yes. I will look forward to it."
Reinhardt moved on to remove a tome of his own, and took it with him out of the library.
She let out a soft sigh as she moved her hand from the tome. She might as well put it back, for it had brought forth nothing remotely useful to her.
A mage who wore fancy wedding finery of a groom came by. His silvery hair was long, and held in a lose ponytail. His groom's outfit was truly quite remarkable, white and with perfect finery. His wife joined him, and her bridal gown was feathery and beautiful beyond words. She recognized them, Lord Pent and Lady Louise, from the land of--Elibe, was it? Their devotion for each other was known across all the lands.
And truly, both of them looked quite noble in their bridal attire.
Lord Pent shared a smile and took her hand, even as he looked for the book, as if he couldn't bear to be apart.
Of course. Every summer, the wedding festival was held. And many married couples attended, nostalgic for their weddings.
Lord Pent removed a tome.
Beside him was his adoring bride.
"Pardon my intrusion. I must ask you something important," Ishtar said.
Lord Pent glanced back, with a faint smile.
"Yes?"
"Forgive such a question, could you tell me the story of how you met, and proposed? I need to know for...research purposes."
Lady Louise smiled. While it was a personal question, she gladly told the tale. Her blue eyes were filled with such joy as she recounted just how they had married.
"...Each lady came out. I said I would use my bow to protect him as long as I lived, and never leave his side."
Lady Lady Louise lifted a gloved hand to her mouth. "I get this question a lot. I always love remembering the day my dear Lord Pent chose me."
"And our wedding, it was so romantic, and beautiful. A portrait was painted of that day, and I look upon it with fondness."
"I see. Thank you for sharing such a personal story with me," Ishtar said.
Lady Louise laughed. "Think nothing of it. I will never tire of telling this story, as long as I live."
Ishtar said her goodbyes and took her leave. When she left, Lord Pent and Lady Louise were staring into each other's eyes, with sheer adoration, as if they were still newlyweds.
*
She arrived at dinner at the crowded tables. Reinhardt had saved her a spot near him, and smiled as she came to sit there, just on the other side of him.
Meal times were always a noisy affair. It was, perhaps, not the best point to make such an admission. But she could scarcely wait. Each time she looked at Reinhardt, her dearest knight, she nearly said the words I love you, please marry me?
With apologies to Lady Lady Louise, perhaps these were the words she needed. She would not steal them, merely take inspiration.
She set her fork aside, and cleared her throat.
"Reinhardt, I'm grateful for everything you've done for me. You've been the finest knight anyone could ever ask for. Never have I been so supported, and so adored by you. You've made sure that I never had to fear at all on the battlefield or off when you were with me. But, I want to protect you, too. I will keep you safe as long as I live and be by your side."
Reinhardt smiled softly.
"Thank you, Lady Ishtar. I will endeavor to repay such favor all my life. Now... Pass the salt, please, my lady?"
She blinked, and did so without another thought.
And they returned to dinner. There was no grand kiss, no rings exchanged. Perhaps a dinner in the barracks was not the best place for such a declaration.
But, she knew she had not quite gotten through. The moment lost, she took his hand and went into the night. The romance of the moment slightly dampened by her inability to impart to him this simple question.
One she already knew the answer he would give.
*
Ishtar set to ask each and every bride of their story. Perhaps they could shed some light upon the problem which kept her up at night.
(Though, the lack of Reinhardt by her side, in bed with her certainly helped keep her from sleep.)
In the halls of the castle of Askr, she found the the tall and imposing figure of the Queen of the Hatari. Her dress was truly magnificent, feathery and white, slightly less feminine and delicate as Lady Louise's. The dress fit her even fearsome aura, Ishtar thought.
Ishtar asked the very same question which had filled her mind. So much so that she could only ask others to try and find some answer.
"You want to know the story on how I married him?"
Nailah smirked at the memory.
"I rescued him, and brought him back to the Hatari with me. I'd never met anyone so gentle, or with such beauty. He didn't need to be a fighter. He calmed my heart."
Ishtar tilted her head, so that her ponytail shifted down her shoulder.
While she had certainly helped Reinhardt in battle at times, Reinhardt was one of the strongest and capable men she'd met in her life. He was in now way fragile, and in need of rescuing.
"Thank you for sharing your story," Ishtar said.
*
Queen Caeda had been a friend, then more of King Marth's. Ninian had fallen in love with Lord Eliwood amid wartime. Juno and Zealot had been fellow mercenaries.
And no matter how she looked, as sweet as these love stories were, they did not fit her.
She sat back and rested a moment. She began to rub at her temples. There was a bench beneath a lovely flowering tree just outside the gates of Askr.
She heard approaching hoof beats. The rider dismounted.
"Is something troubling you, Lady Ishtar?" Reinhardt said.
His face was filled with concern.
"Do I look unwell? I am simply tired."
"Then, you should rest. Your health is most important," Reinhardt said.
She was no good at keeping secrets from him. Even now, this search for some grand secret way to confess the extent her feelings had grown left her ready to say everything she felt each time she saw him.
A wind rose up and the boughs above them bent to it. Flowers fell down onto his shoulders, and around them. Reinhardt looked up, always wary of potential danger.
"Perhaps I must be blunt, even to the point of being impolite. You see, I have been studying something..."
"Magic?"
"No, not this time," she admitted. "Magic isn't everything."
He looked amused. "Isn't it? And here I thought you were being extra attentive to your studies," Reinhardt said wryly.
Her hands rested in her lap. She could not help but blush as she spoke on.
"The truth is... I wish to ask for your hand in marriage. But I have no idea how to do such a thing. I have read books. None of them helped with our station, of lady and knight. Few noted at all what a lady is to do when she is to propose. I could give you some of my jewelry as a token, but I daresay it would not fit."
He smiled, and looked on the verge of.. laughing? Reinhardt was at his heart, kind. Those who faced him on the battlefield rarely knew it, but she had known it for all her life.
He was kind in a fearsome way. A protectiveness which would keep all close to him safe.
He would never mock her, or ever hurt her. So, she felt only faint confusion, one which did not even momentarily break her trust of Reinhardt.
He reached into a small satchel near where he had strapped on his tome to his side. He removed a delicate white-gold ring set with diamonds set in the shape of a flower. Over the band were etched a filigree of swirling lines. The ring was family heirloom of striking beauty. Reinhardt must have inherited it and kept it close for the woman he would marry for such a long time.
"I have felt the same for a long time. Yet it seemed too far a distance to ever bridge. I would have to simply satisfy myself with what I did have of your company."
"You wished to propose to me?"
Reinhardt looked down to the ring.
"Of course. I always kept the ring close, should I find the words to say to you. But there were many...complicating factors."
Reinhardt cared for her too much to ever bring up the way she'd taken the wrong path in the life before. But, she carried the guilt, and yes, the pain. A part of her would always mourn for what she had lost.
In the ashes, she had found something beautiful as well.
"Julius is in the past. Even if he showed up here...you are the one I have fallen for. I would not go down that path again. I already know where it leads."
"I will not inherit any crown, nor could I give you the life. Should we return, scandal might come of it. A knight pledged to serve his lady falling in love with her, and even marrying her..."
"All of that is meaningless to me. And many others managed it. Midir married his liegelady, Edain," Ishtar said.
"They were both branded traitors at the time, and both their titles had been stripped," Reinhardt said.
"Still...whatever dangers lurk, I would risk it for you. To be by your side is the greatest honor imaginable. And to share this life with you...I would fight Loptous himself, if I had to," Reinhardt said.
He knelt before her, and slipped the ring upon her finger. It fit remarkably well, and still held the imbued warmth of his thunder magic.
"I am yours, eternally," Reinhardt said.
She could not quite keep the tremor of emotion from her voice as she spoke. "I can't even begin to describe how happy this makes me, Reinhardt. I wish I could give you a token, too."
"You have already given me yourself, the greatest gift I could ever ask for," Reinhardt said.
He took her hand and kissed it.
"It seems so silly in retrospect. Of course this would be the result. It's you."
"We shall look back fondly on this little misunderstanding, when we tell it to our very own children, I think."
"I think so as well," she said.
She finally had the answer she had sought for so long.
Fandom: Fire Emblem Heroes
Character/Pairing: Reinhardt/Ishtar
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Ishtar tries to figure out how to propose her personal guard. In worlds where men usually make engagement proposals, how would a woman ask this of her knight?
Word count: 2,921
Author's note: Julius isn't in this Askr because I never bothered getting him via the grail shop/GHB. So in my Askr, at least, there are a lot of Reinhardts and no Julius at all.
Mentions bridal versions of canon pairs (Pent/Louise, Nailah/Rafiel.) Not enough to be tagged.
As one who had once been engaged before, you'd think that Ishtar would have more idea on how to ask someone she adored to marry her.
But, she found no answers looking back at her previous engagement.
Back then, Lord Arvis had asked father and mother on Julius's behalf. It had been worked around. And before then, Julius had put his hand in hers in the gardens and said one day, when we're grown, I'll marry you.
And it had been blissful. Until the day he'd gotten a gift of a tome. And the Julius she knew and loved began to disappear, until there was nothing left of the sweet boy she had fallen in love with.
She held on for a long time. Too long, perhaps. Enough that she had guilt and blood on her hands for the things she helped Julius with.
With death, she and Julius parted one last time.
But, death was not an ending. She was summoned to Askr. She began to work in her atonement, through seemingly endless grief. She reunited with her dearest, closest guard. Her Reinhardt.
Be it guard duty or more, Ishtar always asked to be assigned with Reinhardt. To be reunited with him in this place so far away from Friege was what she had needed most of all.
Her brother was not here, nor Liza. One day, perhaps Kiran would find them through space and time. She found that thought comforting. That death was not as infinite and inescapable as she had thought.
Together, Ishtar and Reinhardt help defeated the forces of the land of Múspell, help repel death herself, traveled to the land of dreams, and the lands of giants and dwarves.
Many heroes had been summoned after them, but through all of them, Julius was not brought to this land. And as she spent more time with her Reinhardt, she found something both familiar and new grew inside her.
The part of her which awaited to be reunited with Lord Julius faded slowly, as something new rose deep inside her. She could not say the exact moment when staying close to Reinhardt brought such feelings inside her.
He was such a part of her life, that her life felt in shambles without him at her side. It took quite some time to untangle the intimacy between knight and liegelady, and the intimacy of those on the brink of something more.
At first, she did not act upon her feelings. She did not even dare to speak of them. She joined festivals for love, and brides, and so many more with him by her side.
And even though he was entirely hers, Ishtar wanted more. It wasn't simply enough to have him as her partner in battle, or near for company.
But how to broach that question remained a mystery.
Reinhardt's parents did not reside here. His sister and him had a rather strained relationship, at least, it depended on when she was summoned from. Those that came after the battle Thracia would scarcely be able to speak to him, while those that came before would idolize him.
There was no one to ask, but Reinhardt himself.
*
The libraries in Askr were vast, and often filled with mages of many lands. It would be easy to get lost among the shelves, the marble floors and the many desks left for scholars, mages and tacticians alike to read at.
She gracefully was able to slip past, and find some historical tomes of her own to look through.
Ishtar studied many books, but the pages helped little. Most of them spoke of customs where parents of nobles would arrange marriages, whether the potential bride and groom were willing or unwilling, and many others told of men who would proclaim their devotion to their potential lady.
None said what would happen if a liegelady fell in love with her knight.
Often, rings were exchanged in proposals. If she gave him a ring, it would be hidden away beneath his gloves, or perhaps worn around his neck upon a golden chain.
He would accept it, as he would accept any token from her. Still, she wanted to give him something he would truly appreciate.
Therein was the problem. She couldn't propose with a thunder tome, or a pair of new gloves.
No matter what she read, none of them revealed on how to propose to one's knight. For even as they had grown closer, to be lovers, she knew Reinhardt too well. He was too stoic, too prone to take any hurt to protect her. He'd never make this move.
Even if it hurt him, he'd keep quiet.
Perhaps a gift of another sword. He certainly had treasured the one she'd given him before. One like the thunder swords she'd seen among the Liberation Army. One well equipped to cut down cavalry and armor alike, to take fliers from the sky and infantry, one well versed against mages and beasts and even dragons. A blade imbued with thunder magic so it worked like a tome and could hit far off enemies.
Could such a sword even exist? She mentally reminded herself to ask of the dwarves to see who might be able to make such a sword for her. One befitting of her knight.
She heard a familiar voice behind her. One noble, slightly wry, and filled with a specific warmth which was held only for her.
"I see you have kept to your studies of lightning magic," he said.
Reinhardt smiled.
She looked up, and once again was struck by how handsome, how unforgettable her knight was. Reinhardt truly was peerless among men. Clad in the black suit of a Friegean mage knight, with spotless gloves, and his dark hair slicked back.
He was strong, regal, and enigmatic all in one. She found that she liked looking at Reinhardt very much now, that her feelings had been unbound.
Somehow, he managed to attract even more attention in the halls of Askr. And with heroes and legends and gods that filled the halls of this land, that was quite an accomplishment.
With a blush, she hid the title of Bridal customs of Askr and Embla with her hand.
"Um, yes. Certainly. I must not let myself get rusty."
"Good," he said.
"I have some things to attend to. I will see you tonight at dinner?" he said softly.
"Oh, yes. I will look forward to it."
Reinhardt moved on to remove a tome of his own, and took it with him out of the library.
She let out a soft sigh as she moved her hand from the tome. She might as well put it back, for it had brought forth nothing remotely useful to her.
A mage who wore fancy wedding finery of a groom came by. His silvery hair was long, and held in a lose ponytail. His groom's outfit was truly quite remarkable, white and with perfect finery. His wife joined him, and her bridal gown was feathery and beautiful beyond words. She recognized them, Lord Pent and Lady Louise, from the land of--Elibe, was it? Their devotion for each other was known across all the lands.
And truly, both of them looked quite noble in their bridal attire.
Lord Pent shared a smile and took her hand, even as he looked for the book, as if he couldn't bear to be apart.
Of course. Every summer, the wedding festival was held. And many married couples attended, nostalgic for their weddings.
Lord Pent removed a tome.
Beside him was his adoring bride.
"Pardon my intrusion. I must ask you something important," Ishtar said.
Lord Pent glanced back, with a faint smile.
"Yes?"
"Forgive such a question, could you tell me the story of how you met, and proposed? I need to know for...research purposes."
Lady Louise smiled. While it was a personal question, she gladly told the tale. Her blue eyes were filled with such joy as she recounted just how they had married.
"...Each lady came out. I said I would use my bow to protect him as long as I lived, and never leave his side."
Lady Lady Louise lifted a gloved hand to her mouth. "I get this question a lot. I always love remembering the day my dear Lord Pent chose me."
"And our wedding, it was so romantic, and beautiful. A portrait was painted of that day, and I look upon it with fondness."
"I see. Thank you for sharing such a personal story with me," Ishtar said.
Lady Louise laughed. "Think nothing of it. I will never tire of telling this story, as long as I live."
Ishtar said her goodbyes and took her leave. When she left, Lord Pent and Lady Louise were staring into each other's eyes, with sheer adoration, as if they were still newlyweds.
*
She arrived at dinner at the crowded tables. Reinhardt had saved her a spot near him, and smiled as she came to sit there, just on the other side of him.
Meal times were always a noisy affair. It was, perhaps, not the best point to make such an admission. But she could scarcely wait. Each time she looked at Reinhardt, her dearest knight, she nearly said the words I love you, please marry me?
With apologies to Lady Lady Louise, perhaps these were the words she needed. She would not steal them, merely take inspiration.
She set her fork aside, and cleared her throat.
"Reinhardt, I'm grateful for everything you've done for me. You've been the finest knight anyone could ever ask for. Never have I been so supported, and so adored by you. You've made sure that I never had to fear at all on the battlefield or off when you were with me. But, I want to protect you, too. I will keep you safe as long as I live and be by your side."
Reinhardt smiled softly.
"Thank you, Lady Ishtar. I will endeavor to repay such favor all my life. Now... Pass the salt, please, my lady?"
She blinked, and did so without another thought.
And they returned to dinner. There was no grand kiss, no rings exchanged. Perhaps a dinner in the barracks was not the best place for such a declaration.
But, she knew she had not quite gotten through. The moment lost, she took his hand and went into the night. The romance of the moment slightly dampened by her inability to impart to him this simple question.
One she already knew the answer he would give.
*
Ishtar set to ask each and every bride of their story. Perhaps they could shed some light upon the problem which kept her up at night.
(Though, the lack of Reinhardt by her side, in bed with her certainly helped keep her from sleep.)
In the halls of the castle of Askr, she found the the tall and imposing figure of the Queen of the Hatari. Her dress was truly magnificent, feathery and white, slightly less feminine and delicate as Lady Louise's. The dress fit her even fearsome aura, Ishtar thought.
Ishtar asked the very same question which had filled her mind. So much so that she could only ask others to try and find some answer.
"You want to know the story on how I married him?"
Nailah smirked at the memory.
"I rescued him, and brought him back to the Hatari with me. I'd never met anyone so gentle, or with such beauty. He didn't need to be a fighter. He calmed my heart."
Ishtar tilted her head, so that her ponytail shifted down her shoulder.
While she had certainly helped Reinhardt in battle at times, Reinhardt was one of the strongest and capable men she'd met in her life. He was in now way fragile, and in need of rescuing.
"Thank you for sharing your story," Ishtar said.
*
Queen Caeda had been a friend, then more of King Marth's. Ninian had fallen in love with Lord Eliwood amid wartime. Juno and Zealot had been fellow mercenaries.
And no matter how she looked, as sweet as these love stories were, they did not fit her.
She sat back and rested a moment. She began to rub at her temples. There was a bench beneath a lovely flowering tree just outside the gates of Askr.
She heard approaching hoof beats. The rider dismounted.
"Is something troubling you, Lady Ishtar?" Reinhardt said.
His face was filled with concern.
"Do I look unwell? I am simply tired."
"Then, you should rest. Your health is most important," Reinhardt said.
She was no good at keeping secrets from him. Even now, this search for some grand secret way to confess the extent her feelings had grown left her ready to say everything she felt each time she saw him.
A wind rose up and the boughs above them bent to it. Flowers fell down onto his shoulders, and around them. Reinhardt looked up, always wary of potential danger.
"Perhaps I must be blunt, even to the point of being impolite. You see, I have been studying something..."
"Magic?"
"No, not this time," she admitted. "Magic isn't everything."
He looked amused. "Isn't it? And here I thought you were being extra attentive to your studies," Reinhardt said wryly.
Her hands rested in her lap. She could not help but blush as she spoke on.
"The truth is... I wish to ask for your hand in marriage. But I have no idea how to do such a thing. I have read books. None of them helped with our station, of lady and knight. Few noted at all what a lady is to do when she is to propose. I could give you some of my jewelry as a token, but I daresay it would not fit."
He smiled, and looked on the verge of.. laughing? Reinhardt was at his heart, kind. Those who faced him on the battlefield rarely knew it, but she had known it for all her life.
He was kind in a fearsome way. A protectiveness which would keep all close to him safe.
He would never mock her, or ever hurt her. So, she felt only faint confusion, one which did not even momentarily break her trust of Reinhardt.
He reached into a small satchel near where he had strapped on his tome to his side. He removed a delicate white-gold ring set with diamonds set in the shape of a flower. Over the band were etched a filigree of swirling lines. The ring was family heirloom of striking beauty. Reinhardt must have inherited it and kept it close for the woman he would marry for such a long time.
"I have felt the same for a long time. Yet it seemed too far a distance to ever bridge. I would have to simply satisfy myself with what I did have of your company."
"You wished to propose to me?"
Reinhardt looked down to the ring.
"Of course. I always kept the ring close, should I find the words to say to you. But there were many...complicating factors."
Reinhardt cared for her too much to ever bring up the way she'd taken the wrong path in the life before. But, she carried the guilt, and yes, the pain. A part of her would always mourn for what she had lost.
In the ashes, she had found something beautiful as well.
"Julius is in the past. Even if he showed up here...you are the one I have fallen for. I would not go down that path again. I already know where it leads."
"I will not inherit any crown, nor could I give you the life. Should we return, scandal might come of it. A knight pledged to serve his lady falling in love with her, and even marrying her..."
"All of that is meaningless to me. And many others managed it. Midir married his liegelady, Edain," Ishtar said.
"They were both branded traitors at the time, and both their titles had been stripped," Reinhardt said.
"Still...whatever dangers lurk, I would risk it for you. To be by your side is the greatest honor imaginable. And to share this life with you...I would fight Loptous himself, if I had to," Reinhardt said.
He knelt before her, and slipped the ring upon her finger. It fit remarkably well, and still held the imbued warmth of his thunder magic.
"I am yours, eternally," Reinhardt said.
She could not quite keep the tremor of emotion from her voice as she spoke. "I can't even begin to describe how happy this makes me, Reinhardt. I wish I could give you a token, too."
"You have already given me yourself, the greatest gift I could ever ask for," Reinhardt said.
He took her hand and kissed it.
"It seems so silly in retrospect. Of course this would be the result. It's you."
"We shall look back fondly on this little misunderstanding, when we tell it to our very own children, I think."
"I think so as well," she said.
She finally had the answer she had sought for so long.
