In a Clearing
A Valentine's Day Story
"Is that music?" Lina looked over her shoulder to locate the source. She was talking to herself.
Yes. Soft chamber music from a string quartet was wafting through the trees; as comforting as a cool breeze on a hot summer's day.
"And lights. I definitely see lights and hear music. And where there's entertainment, there's bound to be food!" She picked up the pace until there was only a barrier of wild forest hackberry between Lina and her target.
"What!" she froze in place, aghast.
She was standing at the edge of a circular clearing. Before her was a dining table dressed in a snowy white tablecloth, littered with crimson rose petals. On either side, balancing the arrangement, were two delicate-looking chairs bearing creamy, velveteen cushions with peach welting, and tied with matching ribbons reinforced with strips of twill tape. Thousands of tiny candles flickered from the boughs, framing the still-life in eldritch light.
And that was all. No musicians, no banquet, nobody. Mostly it was the lack of company to complete the setting which troubled at her. It was a stage waiting, its audience hushed in anticipation for the play to commence.
But it was beautiful, compelling Lina to action – to enter and take her place.
Lina thawed from her shocked pose. She tiptoed forward, afraid that her loud clothes might disturb the quiet, until she reached the table. Running her fingers along the smooth fabric of the tablecloth soothed her nerves. It was a fine luxurious weave from a royal depository. On closer observation she could see a geometric pattern worked into the cloth, adorning it even further. She pressed so hard a crushed petal stained the tablecloth like blood.
"If only I knew who this was for. I feel like I am interrupting someone's private moment."
And then she said the magic words: "I wish this was all for me."
Magic, because she didn't think that the scattering of petals had been arranged to spell out 'LINA' before. On second thought, she knew it hadn't. That touch of whimsy was of the moment.
"Come out! Whoever you are!" she shouted, her suspicious nature returning Lina to her senses.
"Do you like it?"
Lina watched the apparition coalesce into a familiar face and dress. "Xelloss? What's this all about?"
"Tradition." He smiled and strode toward her leaving the table, a passable but solid impediment, between them. He was dressed as he had the first time they had met, which was unexpectedly elegant at all times, and disturbingly appealing.
"Whose tradition? It's not a Mazouku one, certainly."
"Oh, ho, ho," he chuckled softly. "Certainly not. You're right about that. This is a human custom intended to celebrate a particular holiday." His face grew wistful. "I do so love the change between day and night," he said and lifted his face to look up at the sky. "Everything between sunset and darkness. There is so much room for imagination. You see things in a different was from the glare of daylight There's a richer beauty, and an awareness of how fleeting it all is, how ephemeral."
Lina looked at him quizzically, "You are talking nonsense, Xelloss." But then she added a smile.
His cheeks grew warm, but he would not allow Lina to embarrass him. "Would you like to join me? There will be delicious food," he added quickly, coaxing her to take part.
"Wouldn't be much of a reason to have this fancy table without food to go on it, would there?" she grinned. "Sure, I'll play along; you're too crafty to poison me." She leaned over the table and said importantly, "It would be too easy. No challenge."
"Poison you? Oh, by Rubyeye, Lina. I have seen you devour food that would kill a dozen men. No, I don't think I could poison you, even if I wanted to...which I don't."
Xelloss swept his long staff over the table, the ruby orb at its end glowing faintly. Platters heaping with a checkerboard of delicate finger sandwiches and luscious, Lilliputian tarts the size of her earrings appeared. Two place settings of shell-pink china fenced in by heavy-looking silverware engraved with roses completed the artful arrangement.
Lina exuded interest in the resulting transformation, rewarding Xelloss for his effort. "Oh..."
"Hmmm, what's missing? Oh, something to drink. Champagne," he smiled, content with his choice as two glasses and a bottle materialized out of thin air.
He shimmered around the table, closing in on Lina, and offered her a long stemmed flute.
"Sure, what the heck," she chuckled girlishly and took the glass. Her sudden movement caused the glasses to clink together, a tingling bell tone of pure leaded crystal. "Oops!"
Pop!
They both laughed as the stopper flew over her head and a fountain of bubbly foam issued from the narrow opening of the bottle.
"Hurry and pour it before you lose it all over the ground," she said urgently.
Xelloss poured, dripping the pale amber champagne over her wrist and hand.
"Klutz," she muttered.
"My apologies," he whispered. Then he did an extraordinary thing: he leaned over and lapped up the droplets.
She gasped at the feel of his warm wet tongue tickling her skin as it slicked up the back of her hand, "Xelloss! Watch it! You'll make me drop my drink!"
He lingered briefly, pressing his cheek to her palm. "I wouldn't want to do that," he smiled, but his teasing expression hinted otherwise.
She freed her hand from his, punched his arm, causing him to spill some of his drink, and said good-naturedly, "Goofball, you sure are in a funny mood. Now, get outatheway and let's eat."
"Yes, dearest," he replied with a wink.
Displaying the gracious manners of a nobleman, Xelloss rushed to a chair and pulled it out, "If you please..." This was like acting, which he had always thought he was good at, if only in a minor way. He had the eyes, the beautiful profile, the charm (when he wished it,) the bearing and an excellent voice. And he knew how to be the center of attention gracefully, or how to avoid it when the job required him to act with circumspect.
Lina blushed, but sat dutifully, "Thank you."
"You are welcome, Lina."
Xelloss took his own seat. "Sandwich?"
Lina reached for the entire platter, but hesitated momentarily. If the demon could play the gentleman, then she wouldn't be out done– Lina could play the lady, and do a damned good job. Displaying great restraint, she only took two and placed them on her plate.
Xelloss took two also, and then ate one. "What do you think? Chicken curry?"
"Yes, and my other one is cucumber."
"Ah, mine is rimmed in red. Radish slices, you think?"
"Uh, huh." Lina closed her eyes to take in the entire experience. The bite-sized sandwich was excellent: tender tooth, delicately flavored with tidy trimmed crusts.
They finished the sandwiches, trading off turns and comparing the contents in friendly conversation. Next, they each tried a strawberry tart.
"This is good," she sighed felling a rush of pleasure. Thin slices of plump, ripe berries fanned out aloft a cloud of cream, and then nestled into a flaky pastry crust– perfect.
She tucked into half a dozen more, before setting back in her chair and saying, "So, Xelloss, tell me about this particular holiday. I mean, don't get me wrong. Any custom which features tasty food and nice ambiance is all right in my book."
He sat up straighter and looked thoughtful, "Okay. Well, the people in this kingdom celebrate Valentine's Day today. It showcases gifts."
"I like gifts..." she nodded. "Go on. Like what kinds?"
"Candy!" he exclaimed. Instantaneously, he conjured up a pink-and-white striped, heart-shaped box and passed it to her with a flourish.
"Oh!" she giggled gleefully. "Chocolates!"
Each truffle was garnished with a ribbon of contrasting chocolate and a sliver of candied fruit. Top quality, she could tell. Lina plucked one from its paper shell and bit in. For a few seconds, Lina said nothing, savoring the texture. It melted smoothly on her tongue, the luxurious blend of cream and brown sugar yielding to a sharp bitterness essential to dark chocolate.
"Hey, this is great! What else?"
Xelloss relaxed a little more. Everything was going well so far, making it a most pleasant interlude indeed. "Flowers. What are your favorites?"
Lina thought a moment. "Roses will do, but not the white ones...aaaand I'm not crazy about the pink either."
"Very well," Xelloss chuckled. He snapped his fingers, and in a twinkling he held a dozen long-stemmed roses. As they watched, the tight buds unfurled, revealing full-blown flowers arrayed in the colors of the sunset: plumy-red, russet, flaming orange, gold, and lemon.
"Those are gorgeous, Xelloss, but pretty light in the fragrance department."
"Ah, yes. It's terrible what they're doing to roses these days. It's all about color and disease-resistance. The scent is the first to go."
"Eh, can't be helped then. Doesn't matter. This is fun so far, is there anything else?"
"Well, often cards are exchanged," his voice was soft and his eyes veiled in secrecy.
"Cards? Not playing cards, I'll venture. Notecards? What for?"
"Oh, the cards are beautifully decorated and contain a poem, sometimes a wish. Like this," he said as he produced an extravagantly embellished card with a magical flourish.
Lina looked at the frilly card he had pulled from nowhere: glossy, red paper trimmed with white lace and the words 'Be Mine' written in cursive with glimmering gold ink across the front, corner-to-corner. She was thrilled to be the recipient of the hand-crafted treasure.
"Fancy, huh?" she managed to choke out.
He nodded slowly and watched intently as Lina opened the card. She read the spidery lettering, then turned the vellum page and read the next, then the next to the very end. And then she closed the card and held it shut, eyed downcast focused resolutely on the cover.
"That's a lovely poem, Xelloss. Did you write it?"
"Yes. It is in keeping with the tradition; the sentiments, that is."
Lina recited aloud from memory: "My dearest and most cherished Lina, On gossamer wings you fly overhead firing off arrows of such a fine intensity that they sear my heart, sealing it against infiltration by any other. I am only capable of love for one, which is you, for eternity. You cast spells with abandon, enchanting me further, binding me to you and you to me. Until the golden lady takes us both, we are like one. Yes, spellbound for eternity, yours Xelloss."
"Hmmm, I think this is my favorite part of the tradition. The poem where you reveal your inner most secrets," she smiled tenderly and closed her eyes. The music swelled and fell in time with her breath.
Xelloss, pleased with her response, enclosed her hand in his and squeezed it gently. "And you are certain that you've never heard of this holiday before?" he asked.
"Naturally I have! I just wanted to see how far you were willing to take this. From my stand point, I'm coming out of this pretty good."
Xelloss opened his eyes and bore past her bluster, seeing what secrets lay buried in her heart. "I will take this as far as it goes, for as long as you'll have me, until death...do us part."
The blood rushed to her cheeks, burning all the way to her ear tips. "Oh, well...I see. How much time do you have before you are recalled to work?"
His eyes widened with surprise, and then lowered, "At least a couple hours. I have a ground floor room with a hot springs off the patio."
Lina's eyes flashed up to meet his. She did not consider Xelloss to be ruggedly handsome. His sleek hair and refined mannerisms cast him in the 'beautiful man' role, and hid a complex mix of treacherousness, deceit, frivolousness, and camaraderie. And yet, he was terribly attractive at the moment. He simply oozed seductive charm.
"Lucky you."
"It could be yours too, however... you must share."
"Let me see what you're talking about and then I'll decide."
"Oh, you know what I'm suggesting. Decide now." His eyes were dark and lust-filled, his lips parted in anticipation as he vanished, then reappeared at her side.
His sudden warmth as he leaned into her side left her breathless. Without a doubt, he wanted her to share his bed, at the very least. "Okay, but I get dinner afterwards. That little spread you put on could hardly be called 'snack time'."
"Of course," he smiled and sank his nose into her hair. "All you can eat."
Then he leaned further and pressed a burning kiss on her lips. And they both disappeared instantly, extinguishing the lights, doing away with the furniture, the food, the roses, all except for the card, which Lina carried off with her.
"They've left," Zelgadiss announced.
He, Amelia, Sylphiel and Gourry closed the music folders and went about putting away their instruments.
"Ten years, can you believe it? They've been married ten years and still he tries to out-do her on the romantic thing every Valentine's Day," Zel sighed.
"Oh, it certainly was romantic this evening, although I liked the mauve and black year better. Remember that? The mauve-lavender silk tablecloth with the black tulle and the vase of black roses?" Amelia said as she closed up her violin case with a snap.
"That made up for his blunder the year before with the all pink stuff. I mean, didn't he know how much she hated that 'Lina the Pink' thing?" Gourry asked, shaking his head and smiling. "You did tell him, didn't you Zel?"
"I swear I told him how she hated being inducted into the magic sorcerers society with that title. Or maybe I didn't," Zel smiled slyly.
"Zelgadiss!" Both his wife and Sylphiel chastised him.
"I can't forget last year, though," Sylphiel said, "when Filia and Milgasia brought their baby Val to our Valentine's Day celebration. He was one holy terror...oh!"
They all chuckled at her pun, for surely as the baby ancient dragon might become a container for holy magic someday, he had been a criminally destructive little demon all that evening. That was a year ago.
"I'm so glad we all agreed 'no children' after that," Gourry said, planting a light kiss to his wife's cheek. "Valentine's day is for lovers, like us."
"Oh sweetie," she blushed with pleasure.
Zel packed Amelia's violin case under his arm and held his own while his other arm collected their chairs. Gourry did the same for Sylphiel and himself, while shouldering the music bag as well. Amelia and Sylphiel carried the music stands and they all left the inn patio. Inside the double doors was a storage room where they stowed their borrowed instruments and equipment.
"We have an hour and one half to," Zel looked meaningfully into his wife's eyes then continued, "...change...for dinner. We have reservations for 8:00."
"That's not long," Amelia purred as she clung to his arm.
"Who's gonna ring Xelloss and remind him this time?" Gourry asked, clearly not wanting to volunteer.
Zelgadiss responded to his wife's whispered urging, "Oh, I will. I told him dinner reservations were for 9:00, so it will be fun interrupting them early."
Sylphiel giggled, "But you do that every year. Don't you think they'll be expecting it this time?"
"Maybe, but it's tradition now," Zel smiled and led the way to their luxurious holiday suites.
And so passed four successfully matched couples, dredged in caring, napped in constancy, and fired in passion, a recipe for eternal love.
.:. Bon Appetite! And Happy Valentine's Day! .:.