Alice continued to hug him. "I heard your wishes. I heard everyone's wishes. Actually it was a little noisy," she chuckled. Her face turned down to his chest, lovely touch streaming along the nape of his neck. "But not you Martin. Never you. I'm so glad you kept talking to me."
"What else," he said shakily to her skin, "was I supposed to do?"
"I don't know." This time when she tipped back she made sure to catch him in her playful eyes. "Make some swords?"
He laughed, the sound choked by leftover tears. Sheesh. With one arm around her he hurriedly rubbed at the blasted evidence. No more of that.
"Does everyone else think I…?" she trailed off.
"Yeah. It's been five months."
Upset pinched her brow before she buried her face against him. Five months missing. She must realize how that would affect everyone. It took a few seconds before the clutch of Alice's fingers in his shirt started to relax. She mumbled, "Guess that explains why I feel so tired."
Had she seriously not slept this whole time? Though it seemed like the Forest of Beginnings operated on its own rules. "You should rest. Are you hungry at all?"
Alice wordlessly shook her head into his chest.
They were both reluctant to let go of each other. Martin kept wondering if he was dreaming. He knew he wasn't but it felt like it. Alice's hair brushed through his fingers while he tried to summon the wherewithal to stop holding her.
"Is it okay if we go home?" she asked.
"Yeah."
He'd come to the great tree alone. He left with his one and only fire. The closer they got to the bridge the more their walk slowed. On the other side of the river Alice's footsteps quit matching his. He turned back to see her looking up at the tall SEED building and its dark panes bereft of life. Further up the road to the mountain Martin's house sat, its windows just as lonesome.
"Um…" Rare shyness made Alice quiet. "I asked if we could go home, but what I meant was, can I go home with you?"
Gods be good.
Yes. Please. He didn't want to be by himself a single night more. Martin tried to choose his words. "That would make me very happy."
"Good, because I'm really worried I don't have much of a room to go back to."
She'd always have a place with him. "We'll figure it out. I think all your furniture is still there." SEED was probably a mess but it was hard to tell with Captain Scarlett stepping up for Livia's loss of heart. When Alice went out tomorrow she'd have a lot to deal with.
He pulled the thick iron key from a pocket and unlocked the front door. Internally he managed the panic about bringing her home by creating a task list. Change sheets, make hot water, wash, clear the ore off the living room table, find out which room she wanted.
"Cecil's not home yet?"
"He's living in Palermo. We saved up so he could go to the academy there."
"Woah. Really?" The facts sank in. "Then… you've been alone."
Martin hummed, not wanting to think on it. Living separate from Alice might create more of an ache now than when there'd been zero chance. If he offered a place to live and she said no he'd be stricken. But, that's what he wanted to say: I'll do whatever it takes to make this your home. Move in with me.
He held his breath, stacking ores on the big table into the unsorted section of a shelf while Alice poked around changes in the living room. Fear that she'd disappear was making him reckless. The drowning relief, the sheer surreal impossibility that Alice was alive—he didn't trust himself to be rational.
Leather straps on his arm guard pinched while he pulled them tight enough to get the buckles loose. He removed the gloves and started putting his things away. "Erm. Cecil's room is clean if you wanted to sleep there."
She hesitated. More shyness. "Is… that where you want me?"
"No," slipped out. What he wanted was to be together. Alice perked right up.
"Then I'll stay with you."
Okay, s-so. Clean sheets for the bed. Better do that. Martin made himself busy while Alice looked on and tried to figure where he put things, helping where she could. He didn't have the heart to chase her away from the chores. Right now it was easier when she stayed in plain view. Who knew how long he'd be able to see her, when the next self-sacrificing heroic deed would take her away.
Watching her happily smooth fresh bed coverings gave his heart a pang. Martin looked back to the wash basin. Warm water scrubbed over his hands and face. Trickles poured from the wrung-out cloth.
Alice went into the kitchen and he took the opportunity to change into pajamas. Would this be okay? Would she be comfortable here, in his room, in his bed, with him? Nerves jittered at the thought she might not like it. If only this were a proper bedroom without all the work stuff. Martin reorganized tools on his desk. The sound of Alice's bare feet circled back from the kitchen.
Her presence warmed up the bedroom. The bed's wood frame squeaked a little as she sat on it. Meanwhile Martin collected a set of metal punches off the desk and put them in the nearby shelf.
"You're nervous," she pointed out.
"I want you to be comfortable."
Her bright laugh made his heart ache with how much he'd missed it. Alice's hands folded in her lap. "I think I'll be nice and cozy once you finish fussing and join me."
Bold. It was funny—Martin knew how assertive he could be—but Alice melted him right down to quicksilver. He turned soft only for her. And he was more than happy to do whatever she asked. He left behind the metal in the shelf to sit beside her.
She snuggled to his side right away. Pure Alice cuddled into his pajamas. He brought her close, his miracle in so many ways. "I missed you. More than I can say," he said.
"Sorry I took so long."
They were both tired. Gradually they made their way under the covers. Right when Martin got settled with an arm over her, Alice pulled away. He reached, trying to bring her back before she vanished.
"I'm only going to see if I can find my pajamas. I'll be right back."
"You can borrow mine."
Alice's shock softened into that cute tease that always meant trouble. "Are you sure? What will you wear?"
"I have two pairs you know," he mumbled under a blush.
"Haha! Then don't mind if I do." She said this as if she somehow knew exactly how adorable she'd be. A few minutes later Alice stood in front of the bed wearing olive green pajamas too tall for her. The pant cuffs sloped over her feet and the sleeves covered her hands.
Welp. She had him wrapped around her finger like a ring.
"Speechless?" she said, because she darn well knew he was with the way he stared. Martin huffed through a smile. Toying with him and he was a sap for it.
"Come to bed."
Slender hands slipped into his. He reeled her in. This time she stayed.
Could this be forever? Half asleep and cuddling he managed to ask, "You won't leave again, will you?"
"I don't plan to. The Forest doesn't need me right now."
"You're really from there."
"Yeah. It's a little weird, isn't it?"
His laugh was a whisper puff against her skin. "Heh. Not any weirder than having amnesia."
"I'm glad… that's over…" the drowsiness in her voice dropped off. She cozied close.
Holding his most precious treasure Martin basked in the calm he felt. Night smoothed the corners of the room, all the details drifting away. With Alice nestled against him the quiet of sleep slowly took over.
Hrm. He had the strange sensation he was asleep but also awake. There wasn't anything to see but Martin could feel a giddy excitement from the blackness around him. Ah. Of course. He sighed. "What?"
Ludmila popped into existence. She squealed and latched around his neck. "I'm so happy!"
"Ugh. Hey, don't—"
She pinched his cheek. "I'll leave you two lovebirds alone. Don't be too bad now, you hear? Or maybe… do?" One of Ludmila's fangs saucily hooked the corner of her mouth. Before Martin could flap her off she let go. "I bet Scarlett will love to hear this, heehee. Ta ta sweetie~"
Ludmila flounced off into the ether. Phew. Ugh. She was too much to handle on a good day. Err, night. Whatever.
He got his dreams back. But, he didn't really need them, now that he'd be waking up to one.
x x x
Dawn glazed the gap below the bedroom curtain into a band of light on the floor. The calm rise and fall of Alice's sleep moved against him. She smelled nice and warm. He couldn't resist, nuzzling close and leaving a kiss, trying not to wake her. Alice's breathing stayed restful. She must have been exhausted like she said.
For once Martin did not want to leave bed. He knew he had things to do. But, maybe for a few more minutes he could enjoy this. Alice lay comfortably against him and they were both safe and cozy.
He caught himself dozing off. Being relaxed enough for that to happen was new.
He sat up and scooched to the bottom of the mattress so he could climb over the footboard. Awkwardly he managed it without disturbing Alice. First thing he'd do tonight is rearrange so neither of them got stuck against a wall.
With as little noise as possible he collected his things, occasionally checking over his shoulder to see if she had woken up yet.
Alice continued to snooze quietly on her side. Covers rumpled over her and the spot he'd been. One hand lay unfurled near her mouth, sleep smoothing all the features of her usual energy. She was peaceful and relaxed in his bed wearing his pajamas. It had to be the most gratifying scene he'd ever witnessed.
Martin could not help himself. He kissed her cheek, a morning greeting he vowed to give every day he had the chance. "I love you."
She might sleep all day like that. He penned a note and left it on top of her tunic, letting her know she could eat whatever was in the kitchen, and to come find him if she needed anything. The ink looped into a heart at the end.
He longed to be there when she woke up, maybe even keep her as a secret a little more before the rest of Rigbarth found out, but he knew he couldn't sit patiently at home. It was only a matter of time before Ludmila failed to contain herself anyway. She already knew.
Martin gently closed the bedroom door behind him.
x x x
"Master Darroch, you shouldn't lean so far into the furnace like that."
"Mmm? Ah, right. Somethin' came down the chimney this morning and I haven't been able to get a stable flame going. Maybe you have a look at it, Martin."
"What came down, a monster, or…?"
"Fire pixie I think. Anyway it's in there but it won't come out."
Martin approached the side of the smithy where the charcoal pile in the furnace was burning. Without warning the flame burst into a heated roar. Master Darroch flinched back at the ball of fire. Anger coiled inside the furnace, the flames raging with a will of their own.
Martin clenched his teeth as a puff of burning air lanced him in the face. His own fire sparked the edges of the brick around the furnace opening. Spats and sizzles hissed at the monster hidden inside the roaring furnace. The big fire flickered, shrinking back as if in surprise.
Before it could retaliate Martin hooked a poker into the charcoal and shuffled it around. Sparks hazed off the wood. Blackened crust fell away to reveal a cherry red orb glowing inside the furnace.
"Were you working on something?" Martin asked.
"Nope. No sense in it if I can't get a fire going."
Martin put the poker's hook against the orb. The thing radiated fury that was cautiously held back in the presence of his fire magic. Like responding to like, he supposed. He dragged the orb to the furnace lip before switching to a pair of heavy duty blacksmithing tongs to collect the jewel.
Resting it on top of his anvil he waited for the color to cool. It did not. Low humming anger waved through the smithy.
"Some kinda rock causing all this trouble, huh," Master Darroch said. "Not sure what we should do with it. Looks about ready to melt through the anvil."
"I'll take it outside."
"Careful not to start a grass fire."
Tightening his long protective gloves, Martin looked outside the smithy. He waited for a trio of travelers to head down the bridge on the way to Misasagi's. The he picked the star off the anvil with the tongs.
At a solid arm's length he carried it down the hill. It pulsed hostility at the surroundings. If he dropped the red star it would burn the grass, the trees, the dirt itself. It'd burn the wood frame of his house and leave only a toasted stone foundation behind. He took care opening the door. "Alice?"
No answer. His bedroom sat open so she must be out. Loneliness hit him seeing all her things gone like she'd never been. The star pulled at the sadness and began to glow hotter orange so he swept his feelings under a layer of focus. With his unoccupied hand he gripped a sharp metal plate out of the scrap box and wedged it free.
Tssssss the star hissed as he set it on top of the metal. A black ring spread where it sat. Not wasting any time Martin moved the heaviest items off the bedroom shelf and grabbed the side supports. Muscles at his core clenched. In one long heave he dragged that end of the shelf away from the wall. Metal rattled. Wood ground against stone tile. The join between the floor and wall revealed itself.
Martin dug a crowbar into the seam between two of the stones in the floor. He pried up the flat stone. Underneath, a hollow compartment revealed itself. Quickly he removed the case containing the deed to the house. Then he plucked the star up with the tongs and lowered it into the chamber. It sizzled into the stone at the bottom, sinking into a small dip of its own creation. Then it went quiet. Martin stood there watching the red glow for a few minutes.
He replaced the tile and pushed the shelf over top of it. The star's presence felt hot in his chest. Fire magic swirled. He huffed and the steam coming off his breath scalded the bottom of his nose.
Shoot. If only Radea were still around. No time for that. Thoughts raced about where he could spend a lot of fire, fast. Fiersome. He grabbed the hammer off the rack and poured flame into it. Relief burned a glow over the weapon's scales.
Martin uncapped the inkwell on his desk and slid out a parchment.
Come back. Hurry.
—M
Rummaging through the scrap box he swabbed his fingers across every grease and soot stain he could find. Then he pressed the black prints to the parchment before ragging off. He folded the paper and wrote Knight Reinhard on the outside before taking it to the detective agency.
"I need a message delivered to Reinhard."
Behind the desk Terry dipped his chin, looking over the rims of his dark shades. "He could be outside the country by now."
"Try Sharance first," Martin said.
"Alright. Next courier who's headed out that way it'll be done. Oh, and if you could do me a favor, say welcome back to Alice for me."
Terry knew?
"Your smile gives it away," Terry said.
"Ah."
x x x
After work Martin repositioned his bed. Then, he turned to the wall of furniture.
On the middle shelf sat a small treasure box. He flipped the lid and shuffled through knickknacks: a tiny metal elefun, dad's wax seal stamp, rune crystal shards, a pleasantly smooth black stone. He hooked the length of the thing he wanted and pulled it from the collection.
It was in good shape, hardly used since he made it. He tipped a bottle of moondrop oil over a rag and rubbed a fresh coat onto the metal anyway. Then he placed the important item at the edge of the living room table right where he could see it.
He couldn't come up with a smooth or believable way to offer the present. An idea might come if he continued to look at it while he worked. He dragged a heavy chain shirt onto the table along with the pliers and snips to continue where he'd left off. Piece by piece new rings lined up.
Before it got too dark he should find Alice. First, to make sure she still existed on this plane, but second, because when she had a lot to do she sometimes put off eating or sleeping or generally taking care of herself. Worry about how she might react to Rigbarth's changes furrowed a line between his eyes. It would be very like her to run after Beatrice and Reinhard or Radea.
As he was thinking this the main door clicked open.
Alice brushed stray hay off her sleeves before coming inside. "Wow, I have so much to catch up on. I thought I'd never escape!" She hung her hat on the hook by the entrance.
Surprise popped his attention off the chainmail. He'd forgotten how good it felt to see her come through the door, how often she used to do so.
Alice unlaced her boots. "All my worktables are still upstairs and the beds haven't changed so I should be okay to go back tonight. I'll have to move everything around again because it's set up for visiting rangers. Scarlett said if I plan to stay we can section off part of the second story into a permanent room like hers."
"Looks like you plan to stay," Martin said, since she was wearing a new uniform.
"For now, yep! It's kind of the only job I know, even if all I do is go on patrols."
"What about the farm?"
"That's the part I like. I missed all the monsters and the dragons. Which reminds me I need to order a huge number of seeds from Misasagi. Anyway, did you eat yet? I thought I could cook for us."
The chainmail chimed into a pile. "Do you want any help?"
"No no, it's okay. Keep working on your project." Alice headed for the kitchen and Martin tried to say… to ask her… ah. He couldn't find the words. She strolled past, rolling her sleeves up before flipping her hair into a tie to keep it back. Each movement flowed with comfortable determination. Memories of nights where the three of them cooked supper together swelled.
Did she want to stay? He stared at the item laid in plain view on the edge of the table. "I'll cook tomorrow," he said.
"Great! The Silo's cold box is empty and I didn't have time to restock it."
You don't need to, Martin thought. Come over every night.
Water magic filled a basin in the kitchen. Scrubby sounds of vegetables washed and chopped followed. The rhythm of Alice's cooking kept him company. Tomorrow they'd trade places and he'd make supper while she read, or crafted. His pliers clicked a chainmail rivet in place and squeezed.
It was very easy to imagine a life together. Maybe it was just him. He wasn't an extravagant person, he'd grown up poor, and the only thing he could offer was unwavering commitment and all the love he had.
She brought plates in and he cleared the table except for one thing.
"What's this key for?"
"It's. Um. I want to give it to you but I didn't know how to say it. It's a key to the house."
"This is for me?"
"Yeah."
Alice's fingertips rested over the hand-forged iron. They curled around it. "I'll try not to bother you too much."
Martin shook his head. "It's nicer when you're here. I want you to feel like this is your place too. If there's anything you need tell me. I'll work on it."
Green eyes shimmered. Alice looked at the floor and said, "The only thing I really need is you."
The brazen flirt startled him. At his reaction Alice burst out giggling. "Sorry," she said. "Sorry. It's mostly true though. I mean, there are some things. A place for my clothes would be good."
"Sheesh." He smiled. Of course he'd make space in the obvious ways. He'd meant whether she needed anything special, but, hopefully she'd just ask when it got to that point.
He reorganized to give Alice her own area on the shelves and in the wardrobe. She carried some essentials over from the Silo and stayed. They spent the night together again.
A few days later he finished the chain mail. It would fetch a good price but he'd have to take it to Palermo. Finally he had an excuse to create the vacation he'd promised. They planned the trip together.
He was happier than he'd ever thought possible.
But, there was only one true sign that things were fine. Here it came. Ryker yelled over the bridge at him after work. "Commission a bigger bed already, idiot!"
Martin threw a rude gesture over his shoulder.
Out of spite he waited precisely 36 hours before doing exactly what Ryker said.
x x x
Alice's chemistry set was the first thing to move into the living room. Martin had smashed his thumb under a hammer at the smithy and it turned out distilled pink cat made a potent painkiller. After that came the crafting station so Alice could tinker without having to go over to the Silo. Then all the bins of odds and ends arrived too. Her stockpile of tool and weapon maintenance supplies got combined with his.
The day they carried the phonograph down the stairs and over to the house was probably when it became official. Alice slotted her personal journal into the bedroom shelf. From then on she was the one he always came home to.
The only night they spent apart was after Beatrice came to reclaim the red star living under the floor. Alice insisted on escorting Beatrice and Reinhard to the first checkpoint on the way to the capital. The trio left with proof of the princess' heritage in tow.
When Alice was away the loss became palpable in the silence at home. At night Martin didn't like how empty the bed felt. The lonely evening slept into a quiet morning with no one to kiss or care for. He wasn't quite complete without her, but he got on to work just fine and was happy there knowing she'd return soon.
Afterwards at home he stalled in the kitchen. He prepared ingredients for cooking without actually doing it so the food would be hot when she arrived. The whole time his attention tuned eagerly for the sound of the door. He couldn't wait to see her again and it'd only been one darn day. Embarrassing, really. Alice would tease him if she knew.
He smiled over the cutting board. Strawberries split their sweet centers. The knife he'd made was strong, just like the life he'd forged out of all the pieces he'd been given.
In that moment he was proud. He was glad he'd become a blacksmith and infinitely glad for his little hometown, the place that let him stay, the place that led him to Alice.
When he heard the door he set aside the dessert to meet her. Gold hair mussed from a long day on the road, a smudge marked one cheek, and her eyes shone bright soon as she saw him. Alice's face lit up with his favorite smile. "Hi, I'm back."
Martin greeted her with a kiss, and then he got to say the thing he'd been hoping to say to her for so long.
"Welcome home."