Jimmy rushes off after Gwen and catches up to her on the street. "Nothing has changed Gwen."
Gwenhwyfar turns around to face Jimmy. "What is in your opinion a proposal? When the talk is about marriage?"
"It is a request, and a promise, and so much more. I promised you my loyalty, and implied a request for yours. I suppose that is the opposite of how it normally goes. Most people ask for loyalty and imply their own."
"Damn right. You'd ask me. Or if you're really old school you'd ask my father whom I don't have. But a proposal is every single time an offer asking for confirmation."
"But you handed me the bracelet and when I asked what that means you told 'Just what is says'. That is by no means a marriage proposal." Gwenhwyfar objects.
"Well I meant it as a promise. But it is because of more than that. I care for you deeply Gwen. Obviously I would like you to be able to return my feelings and my promise." Jimmy says trying to explain himself. "I want to protect you and care for you and be with you for as long as I can... I suppose that means I would like to be your husband. But you are still young and I didn't want to pressure you. So I made my part of the promise. Hoping that you would accept that and maybe in time offer me the same in return."
"I for sure will not accept a 'my loyalty is yours' as a marriage vow. And this loyalty of yours has lost quite some of its glamour as you sided with your mum." Gwenhwyfar replies.
"Would you rather I lied to you?" Jimmy replies. He pauses before he continues, voice heavy with sadness. "My loyalty and protection are all I have to offer with my vows."
"Not to me. To your mum!"
"Also it wouldn't have been a lie. You would just have approved my view on this." Gwenhwyfar states. "Also that sounds like you're not allowed to promise anything else?!?"
"On this day,
I give you my heart,
My promise,
That I will walk with you,
Hand in hand,
Wherever our journey leads us,
Living, learning, loving,
Together,
Forever." she recites from memory. "That's a marriage vow. And you give that to each other in front of the whole village. You can't tell me that on this side of the hills people approach each other with 'my loyalty is yours' and wait for the other to return this vow and then that's it? I already told your mother: That is a vow a knight makes to his king. Not one a couple takes." Gwenhwyfar thought she knows lot about Jimmy. But here she finds out she has no clue what goes on behind this blue eyes.
"To hold your hand and nobody else's is loyalty. To never let go is loyalty.To hold your hand and stop you from falling is to protect you." Jimmy says equally confused. "The loyalty I speak of is not the loyalty of a knight. It is the loyalty of my heart."
"That sentence on that bracelet means all of that to me."
He pauses for a moment."Of course it would t have ended with your return promise. We would need to make that promise before your mother and my parents and a priest. And then you and I would make that promise again and again each day."
"If it means all that, then you'll have no problem with the more romantic version of the vow. Once you can bring yourself to make a real proposal. See you later. Nor-awaui" And with that she disappears.
Jimmy stands there in shock again. He stands there for moments, then seconds, minutes and what feels like hours.
When he eventually turns around and heads inside his parents are already asleep. He makes his way into the room he was to share with Gwen. He finds it empty.
He sits on the side of the bed for an age before he stands again and makes his way out back of the house to look into the forrest. Hoping that maybe for sunrise Gwen will be praying beneath a tree.
Meanwhile
________________________________
"Where are we going - now that those love birds left us?" Tauriell asks as Jimmy and Gwenhwyfar leave without saying a word.
"Collecting a debt." Abomentolor replies with a evil grin.
"Sounds fun." Tauriell tells and puts on the hood of her cape. "Shall I stand behind you looking intimidating or should I hide in the shadows?"
"We're going for bold. No hiding." Abomentolor decides and leads the way to a farm at the outskirts of town.
Abomentolor doesn't really like dogs barking at him. Being of small size puts him at disadvantage.
The dogs whince and retreat, but don't stop with the noise. With all the barking and shouting the Farmer comes out of his manor to see what's up. And he would recognize that little firestarter gnome from a mile away. "You got balls to show up here again. Have you come to pay me for the barn?"
"Dream on. I've come to collect my pay for the job done. You owe me 3 gold" Abomentolor replies.
"Is that what you brought this cloaked figure for? To make me pay?" the farmer inquires. "I don't think this will work. I believe we will see you chased out of Nybor with pitchforks. Just like the last time." He takes a pitchfork that stands beside the door.
"You're welcome to try. Call your mob. Your choice. Either you pay now the three gold. Or you pay in front of half the village 3 gold and lose your dignity. Please choose the latter." Abomentolor replies. He draws his wand and casts mage armor on himself.
"You're going to humiliate him or shall I call the undertaker?" Tauriell asks.
"We'll see."
The farmer shouts several names over the farmstead and one after the other comes out of the buildings. The blacksmith with a horseshoe and a hammer in hand, some farmhands with pitchforks and brooms, two milkers with the stool still tied to their behind. Also the maids come together to watch the spectacle. The men group up behind the farmer picking up tools on the way. "Last chance to get lost and never show up in Nybor again!" the farmer tells the gnome.
"Last chance to pay me the three gold you owe me." Abomentolor counters. He readies a stinking cloud.
"Get him." the farmer orders.
As the farmer stumbles out of the cloud Abomentolor hits him with a ray of enfeeblement. "Do me a favor and take him along to the center of town." he asks of Tauriell.
The Farmer is unable to carry his own weight anymore.
"But he is heavy." Tauriell objects
Abomentolor walks over and casts reduce person on the farmer. "Better?" Then he leads the way in direction of the center of town. At a large stone he stops. "Put him here." he demands. He knocks the farmer out with a color spray and then imprisons him in half a sphere of stone with a small hole that he doesn't suffocate. With chalk he writes on it:
THAT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR PISSING OFF ABOMENTOLOR GOBLINBURNER
He steps back and admires his work. "You think they get it?"
"We'll see." Tauriell chuckles. "I guess he wishes he had paid you the three gold now."
"We are going to ask him tomorrow about that. I still don't have my money. Let's go and find an inn."
Tauriell looks everything over again and the follows. "Is there a large selection?"
"Not that I know." Abomentolor leads to the one inn he knows and rents a private chamber for them.
Gwenwhyfar just appears behind the house opposite of the street. From there she walks to the center of town to see where she can stay for the night. On the way two street thugs whistle at her. In her head she goes through her spells if there is something to put them in place. But lightning would send them straight to their grave. The best option would be to charm one and have him hit the other. But in the end she decides they are not worth the hassle. She ends up in the same inn as Abomentolor and Tauriell.
"Hey, what are you doing here?" Tauriell asks surprised.
"I need a room for the night. You wouldn't have some space for me?" Gwenhwyfar asks.
Tauriell puts her arm around Abomentolor. "Of course we can make room for you if you want to join in?" she tells with a mischievous grin.
"On second thought." Gwenhwyfar starts and turns to the innkeeper. "I'd like a room for myself. The one farthest away from those two."
She pays the price and goes to the room. There she throws herself on the bed and stares at the ceiling. Where did this take the wrong turn? she asks herself. Spepmothers! That's the reason!
Though not really. She was rather nice. Even though she taught her son wrong things about proposals. That is definitely her fault. She throws herself from one side of the other. But her thoughts revolve around that again and again. And it is horrible to be alone. Well, not really alone. Her cat is with her. It's magic how she manages to reappear every time. But explaining the problem to the cat doesn't help either. Cat relationships work too different. If meeting to procreate counts as relationship at all.
But Gwenhwyfar has never ever been alone for even a single night. And after some hours she decides that this won't become the first night alone either. As it is dark and she doesn't want to meet some of these thugs at night she flies the short distance back to the Fiddle home. She lands in front of the window of the room she slept in this afternoon. Assuming Jimmy would now be there she carefully knocks at the window.
The tapping on glass is a sound so foreign for the night that Jimmy hears it, even sitting on the stairs outside the back door. He walks around the corner of the house and notices Gwen floating there.
He smiles a smile that splits his face in two as he sees her. "Gwen..." is all he can say
Gwenhwyfar turns to Jimmy, takes his hands in hers and kneels down in front of him. "Jimmy. You've been with me since the day I left my mum...'s home. You saved me, you protected me and have been there for me ever since. It is only a few month, but it feels like we're together for a long time. And I don't want to be without you any more. Will you give me your heart together with your loyality and receive mine? Will you marry me?"
"It is already yours. My heart has belonged to you since before we climbed down the cliff in Sandpoint." Jimmy says, his voice cracking slightly with the emotion, "Yes Gwen, if you will have me." he says as he kneels in front of her and pulls her into an embrace
Gwenhwyfar sinks into the embrace. That's where she wants to be.
After a while she starts giggling. "Want to come with me? I have a room in the inn." Even though it is not this suggestion feels like making him running away with her from his home. Which feels exciting.
"Why not." Jimmy says with a smile as he stands and lifts Gwen into his arms and starts to walk towards the inn
That is something she could get used too. "There, the last door in that corridor." Gwenhwyfar directs Jimmy.
With Jimmy around the bed in the room is perfect. Where she was throwing herself from one side to the other for hours she now snuggles into Jimmy and falls asleep within minutes.
Jimmy lies awake for a while after Gwen is asleep. Not really thinking about much or doing much. Her hair keeps falling in her face so he sweeps it out of her face and gently caresses her cheek. Her breath on his chest is relaxing and after a while he can't keep his eyes open.
Through the night you hear the hammering of some people working to release the Farmer from his prison. As the dawn comes almost nothing is left to remind anyone of this incident.
As the sun rises the peaceful quiet is replaced by lively noise. The streets start bustling as the market is set up and the people of Nybor come to buy their groceries for the next days.
Though the night is dark and full of tremors Jimmy's sleep is undisturbed.
In the morning he awakes before Gwen for once and wakes her as the sun rises.
"Good morning dear." he says moving hair from her eyes
Gwenhwyfar squints her eyes as Jimmy starts sweet talking. She embraces him and replies "I'm not getting up and you're not allowed to leave." She snuggles closer to him and nods off again.