It was as if the land itself lay folded in a sense of expectancy; a sublime, breathless waiting that does not allow for the stirring of a single blade of grass nor leaf.
In the forest clearing, only the dragonflies dared breach that stillness, dotting along the surface of a pool surrounded by mosses and fern, and dappled shade of the canopy far above.
Between one moment and the next, a subtle sound of tiny bells broke the silence, bells that adorned the bridle of a snow-white horse bearing two riders. Even its hooves were soundless in the emerald sward that hugged the edge of the water.
As quiet as the land itself, they paused; the starlit gaze of the horse's master sweeping the glade before deciding all was as it should be. Golden he was, for no other description would have done justice to him. Bright hair flowed unbound past his waist, and his entire being spoke of sunlight, though the shade of the trees fell upon both he and the one who rode with him.
His passenger, in contrast, was the velvet night to his sunlit glory; as dark as the other was fair, his raven locks catching the filtered sun, glowing blue where its rays fell. He was pressed close to the other's back, eyes closed, one hand about the golden one's waist, their fingers entwined. The other hand was buried within the bright fall before him. An expression of drowsy contentment was upon his face, as if there was no other place he would ever be that meant as much as where he existed in that moment, nor no more welcome companion.
An aura of strength and solidity defined them as warriors, and yet an ethereal grace overlay all; radiating from within and seeming to lie shimmering upon their skin, speaking of otherworldliness and the slow passing of ages.
Surely they were lords; for their tunics, one a deep blue hemmed in sapphire jewels matched the star-bright glitter of his eyes, rendering them even more vivid. By contrast, the other wore deep garnet red, his own costly raiment casting sparks where their facets caught the light. Both wore leggings of an even deeper shade that matched their tunics, tucked into tall black boots.
A murmured comment from the golden one met with a sleepy hum, and was answered in turn by low, musical laughter.
The golden one dismounted slowly; turning immediately to his companion. Strong hands caressed from ankle to hip, and the dark one turned into this subtle embrace, bringing his leg over the horse's back and not so much dismounting as flowing down its side as would water, to be caught in the other's arms.
They were of almost a height; the darker lacking a hand's span and tipping his face upward only slightly to gaze into the other's eyes. Strong hands drifted up from his waist, across the chest, pausing to caress, causing the dark one's breath to catch, and his eyes to flutter half-closed. Upward those gentle hands traveled once more, only becoming still when the dark one's face was cupped between them, the fingers buried in those obsidian strands and held as gently as if this ethereal being was a priceless and fragile treasure. Lips descended, to brush their counterpart in a caress as soft as a whisper.
As they drew apart, the golden one spoke with quiet intensity; his expression conveying an earnest hope. The dark one's lips parted, his eyes widening; a faint dusting of rose staining that porcelain cheek as the golden being's hand disappeared within the folds of his tunic and withdrew an object that captured the dreaming light in a glittering arc.
Gently, reverently, he placed the band on the dark one's finger, and kissed the place where it rested. A long moment of silence followed, as the dark one gazed astonished upon his gift. His gaze then sought the golden one yet again; he whispered a single word.
The glory of the day manifested itself from the golden one as his joy rippled forth in melodic laughter. Catching the dark one into his arms, he spun them both around; the glowing of their forms spreading outward until it seemed as if fireflies had forsaken the night to surround them in the day. The kiss that sealed the two was followed with gentle caresses that soon flared to a burning display of hunger; clothing fell away with each new and desperate touch, their lips following each newly revealed treasure.
They had been magnificent before…but as they were bared, their hair their only covering, the glow that had surrounded them mingled, coalesced into a shimmering bond that drew them ever closer. Each line of muscle and soft skin was caressed, mapped with gentle fingers, tracing paths, memorizing, touches wove a trail of fire as they yearned toward one another.
A single beam of sunlight fell across them, and they paused. The golden one's expression as he gazed upon his companion held a mixture of reverence and longing, his fingertips caressing the arms of the other as the dark head came to rest upon his shoulder. He stepped back, gently gripping the other's shoulders before slowly sinking to his knees, his attitude as he gazed upward into his beloved's face that of worship. His golden hair then fell about his face as he rested his brow against the dark one's body. Slender fingers combed the bright mane, and he gazed down upon his lover with adoration. Thus they paused, suspended between the thoughts of time itself.
From somewhere beyond them came the strains of a soft music, notes weaving among the trees as if spun from their very leaves, and drifting across the water to mingle with and become the embodiment of the land itself. It seemed to waken the pair from their tableau, and the light about them grew until it sparked across the water as a thousand rainbows, and they were engulfed within it. When at last the light had faded back to the tones of the summer afternoon, the clearing was empty.
********
It is said there are places and wrinkles in time where worlds overlap; and the ancient land remembers not only tragedies but moments of quiet joy, keeping the divine balance as the seasons turn to eternity.
Such were these, where I, as a momentary traveler in a faraway time witnessed a shard of holy enchantment.