The Forgotten Prophecy

Chapter 58

Under the heaven's stars where those blossoms of rainbow light, the night was freezing cold, but the bonfire was reliably warm. It sent glorious sparks into the starry black, tumbling upward as if they danced to the elves' music.

Matthew and Peter sat by the fire, too exhausted from the preparations to even move. They had helped in whatever way they could, from carrying candles and flowers to repairing the roofs of all the innumerable temples in the city. Matthew had a feeling that wasn't so much needed for the celebrations, but who could oppose the elders' orders?

He looked around him. Some of the elves danced to the music, their braided hair crowned with flowers, and further away others prayed and payed their respect to the dead. As the night would become day, as the stars would blend into the blue, they would choose to recall the warmth or only see the cold ashes of the winter's cruelty.

Matthew would try to choose the first; he wouldn't forget, but he would make the best of what he had found along the way and was still with him. With that in mind he automatically turned to Peter. 'It was worth the effort, right?' he nudged her playfully.

'Yeah. It's beautiful.'

'We can't let them take this from us. These little moments of joy. It means they have won.'

'Even when you know people will not be here to celebrate next year?' she looked at him with those big and mesmerising eyes of hers.

'Especially then.'

Their gazes locked in a magical trance, and everything seemed to fade away in the distance. Some gazes were the promise of protection, theirs was all that and more. Their hearts reached out for one another and connected like two parts of the same puzzle.

Matthew's eyes slowly traveled to her welcoming lips and felt his body unconsciously lean forward. He couldn't help but surrender to the irresistible urge to kiss her. Once Peter understood his intentions, though, she blushed and backed away from him, avoiding his intense stare.

Matthew was a bit surprised by her shy reaction. He hadn't expected her to become so flustered because of him, but he liked it. A broad smile of pride appeared on his face. 'Come on,' he said and grabbed her hand. 'Let's dance.'

'There are too many people!'

'We'll go somewhere quieter.'

'But I've never danced,' she stammered.

'Don't worry. I'll teach you,' he grinned at her.

. . . . .

Asking her to dance was a huge mistake and Matthew was already regretting making it. It wasn't that she was bad at it; at the contrary, she moved with much more grace and smoothness than he had predicted. And that did something dangerous to his mind. And his body.

While they swayed to the music's slow rhythm, he held her tightly like she was a light feather he could lose in the wind. With one of her arms over his shoulders and the other connected to his, they swirled amidst the foresty landscape. They forgot their pain and all the tragedy of their past, for a few moments they were just two lovers dancing under the moonlight, away from war and loss.

Matthew looked down at her. Her eyes sparkled in enjoyment, and she couldn't hide her smile. That was the woman he had lost to. No matter how many times she had fallen, she always got back up. It had taken her a resolve of iron to get that far, a resolve that can't be stolen. That was why he respected her like no other.

While Peter flowed in dance, it was as if she had finally opened up to him. Verbally she was guarded, physically she would be distant. In his arms her sensuality burst through into the most vibrant picture of a beautiful soul. Matthew carefully watched her move to the music. Besides, it wasn't like he could take his eyes off her.

His body started reacting to her. Wherever their chests met and whenever she stepped a little too close to him, he felt his muscles strain from the effort to control himself. He knew he wouldn't be able to hold back much longer.

'You definitely lied to me when you told me you have never danced before,' he told her.

Peter let out a ringing laugh that made him raise a brow. They were rare, her smiles, and he was pleased with himself to be the cause of them. Right then the music in the distance stopped and they reluctantly stopped dancing, but Matthew didn't let go of her.

He swiftly wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him, closing the gap between them. Peter's eyes widened in surprise and put a palm on his chest to steady herself. She didn't return his gaze and Matthew chuckled at her shyness.

'You know,' she gave him a coy smile, 'I'm glad you're here, even if I'm sometimes hiding.'

He tightened his hold on her and said huskily. 'You don't have to hide from me, Peter. Everything about you I find beautiful because I love you.'

'I know. Love knows love.'

And those words were the only confirmation he needed to capture her lips with his own.

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A/N: Aaah how much I love romance. Give them some star sparkle dear readers! Thank you for reading! Until the next one <3

Phrase of chapter: quisquis ubique habitat nusquam habitat / a man who lives everywhere lives nowhere - Martialis