Up & Down

The days grew longer and more humid as the year bloomed into summer. Birds rose earlier to sing in the beginning of the day, their playful tunes mimicking the spring in every villager's step. Children galloped along the pathways leading to the shore, their minds free of schoolwork and house chores. Even the old man who lived on the outskirts of the village, cast aside his cloudy misgivings to roam the bustling market and nag the stall keepers slightly less than usual.

For this was the first summer since the end of the war, that their tiny corner of the world was beginning to look like the brightest part and they had little to envy of the rest of it. The war's end had brought them their new village chief, Theo Cornaro and his beautiful and resourceful wife, Siluca. Everybody was convinced that Sistina's future could only go upwards from here.

But beyond the knowledge of the village, not everything was basking in sunlight…

"Aah!" Theo shot upright in bed. A sheen of sweat coated his skin. His hands shook violently as he brought them to his face. Another nightmare.

"My love… it's okay. Everything is okay." His wife's voice was soft and reassuring but a slight undercurrent of pain ran through her words. Her husband's despair was familiar to her now, and it made her tremble with how much it tore at her heart.

"Siluca… Siluca…" Like a mantra, her name fell from his lips. The contorted expression on his face slowly relaxed as she folded him gently into her arms.

They remained in the same position for another ten minutes, recharging their depleted spirits. Eventually, Theo gently pushed away his wife's arms and swung his legs to the edge of the bed. She looked on worriedly.

"Must you get up already? It is still early, you should get more rest." Theo didn't turn towards her as she spoke, knowing how much she suffered watching him in pain. Guilt gnawed at him.

"My dear, I am well rested. I simply cannot sleep anymore." He pulled on clean trousers as he sat on the edge of their bed. Siluca cast her eyes over her husband's hunched form and placed a hand on the bare skin of his broad back. She didn't speak, leaving her concern locked away.

Theo sighed softly, appreciating her cool hand on his overheated body before turning to face his wife. She was half prone, half sitting in their bed, her golden hair framing her face like a messy halo. He smiled at her dishevelled appearance and relished that this was an everyday sight for him. Picking up the hand that was just placed on his back, he kissed it chastely before leaning in to give a more passionate kiss. She responded in kind, her mouth moving softly against his own.

"I love you," he whispered as he pulled away. Her worried amethyst eyes softened.

"It should be forbidden to use seduction tactics to avoid talking." The corner of her mouth rose up in a small smirk but her hand tightened on his own. She was playful, but she meant business. Theo inwardly begged for mercy.

"Tactics against a master war strategist such as yourself? I wouldn't dare." She gave him a light smack on the arm at his sarcastic tone, drawing a smile onto his handsome, weary face. But it soon fell as he caught the look in her eyes. Sadness. Worry. Desperateness. It brought him straight back to dark days of war, their faces always painted with the same expression of loss, not knowing whether there would be a tomorrow…

He could feel the strength in the arm that was propping him up seep out and he collapsed onto Siluca's warm body.

"My love…?" Concern whipped through her words as her arms came to embrace his limp form.

"I'm sorry," he breathed as he buried his face into her collarbone. "I didn't want it to become this way."

Siluca threaded a hand into his hair. She straightened out the wayward strands and undid the knots. She too relished the fact that Theo was hers to hold every morning that she awoke.

"I couldn't possibly desire an apology from you for the life I am living here."

Her husband shook his emerald head.

"The war has ended, yet it still haunts us." Theo swallowed thickly. Siluca held him tighter. "I promised you a life free of worry and sadness here, but I am the very reason that you still worry so." She considered his words for a moment and thought back on all the restless nights they had endured. Yes, they were difficult, like trudging through an endless tunnel of treacherous unknown. But every morning, they greeted the light, the smiles of the villagers, the fruits of their efforts and their pain became lessened, almost forgotten.

She brought her hands to Theo's face and tugged it slightly to look up at her. Purple irises bore into brown as she intended for her words to sink deep.

"Any path I walk with you will be filled with happiness, no matter the struggles we face." Her expression, serious at first, melted into a loving smile. Theo almost melted into the mattress in response.

"I am your wife, dear husband. I am with you, whether we're basking in the upward climb or holding on for the downward spiral."

At those words, he decided that the outside world and all its treasures and tragedies could wait a moment longer.