It was just like any other morning for me, Ethan Lawson Wate, the Wayward son of a Keeper. I found myself waking up next to the girl I loved more than life itself, Lena Duchannes, the half and half Caster daughter of the most powerful Dark Caster to have ever lived, in her bedroom at Ravenwood Manor. As it was nearly every morning I had woken up before her as the sun squirmed its way into the room through the cracks in the curtains. I waited and let my eyes adjust to the small amount of light before slowly creeping out of bed so as not to wake her. I knew from experience never to wake her unless it was an emergency. I'd been subjected to a few too many internal downpours as a result and I wasn't keen to repeat that, especially not today. I stood up and turned around to look down at her, a sight I could never get enough of.
The familiar scents of lemons and rosemary filled my nose as I watched for what seemed like ages as she slowly moved around, beginning to stir. One such small movement propelled her curly black hair into the small sliver of sunlight that had worked its way in. It made her hair glow and shine, just as she did to me. I observed this and smiled to myself, a tear forming in my eye. 'Death really had been worth it' I thought. As I thought this, she slowly started to display the signs of a waking person. She moved gracefully, even if she wasn't completely in control, or fully awake for that matter. Eventually, her multicoloured eyes opened and she too allowed them to adjust to the light that came in every morning.
Morning, sleepyhead.
I heard her presence and her voice unfurl in my mind and at once, I was placed in an even deeper state of calm and relief. Kelting will do that to you. Few Casters and even fewer Mortals can do it, yet we have been able to basically since I met her. It's our own private communication system, if you can call it that, and it comes even more naturally than talking. We do more than just communicate, it can help us understand each other's feelings, thoughts and emotions. That's why it's so useful and one of the many reasons why we're so close all of the time. There's obviously the occasional crossed wire with Macon and Link getting involved, but 95% of the time, it's just me and her in each other's minds. Her presence and the connection we share is what keeps me going every day, a sign that I have everything to live for and everything to lose.
Good morning yourself.
Sleep well?
The best.
You say that every morning.
That's because it keeps getting better.
I remembered what it was like when either me, or both of us, would be yanked from our sleep by nightmares that we couldn't control, showing us visions from the most tragic parts of our past and futures. Luckily, since the Order had been restored and had come back, valiantly, they had all but disappeared.
Valiantly, eh? Surely that deserves a reward.
She moved across to my side of the bed and yanked me down and over her so that I was lying down again, our positions reversed. I stared into her one-green one-gold set of wide, beautiful eyes and kissed her. After it became apparent that both of us needed air, our lips parted ways, missing each other already.
Morning breath.
I looked over at her and sat up, feigning as much of an overreaction as I could.
'How dare you!' I said, the first spoken words of the day between us coming out louder than I wanted them to.
'Shhh' she said, also now sitting up. 'You'll wake everyone up.'
'What if I want to?' I fired back.
'Then be my guest' she responded, her curls starting to sway a little bit.
'But don't blame me when Uncle Macon comes out in a mood because you've declined him the sleep he so richly deserves after years of being unable to.'
'We'd best not upset your uncle then' I said and lay back down before starting to tickle Lena up and down.
She started laughing, quietly at first before being unable to inhibit it and started laughing loudly as she tried to fight back to no avail. I thought I had the upper hand until a powerful, yet small gust of wind knocked me away from her and onto my back. She took this opportunity to pounce, and got on top of me, her face displaying a triumphant look.
'Hey, not fair' I said. 'No Casting on me.'
'Whoops, I must have forgot' she said above me and leaned down to kiss me again.
It was during this kiss that I regretted having been so loud as, at the exact moment she was kissing me in that position, the door opened, more light trickled in, and Reece entered the room.
'Lena, Uncle Macon says…' It was obvious what moment she saw us because her speech trailed off and she looked at us dumbfounded. A flicker of embarrassment trailed across her face before she composed herself and gave Lena the traditional unimpressed Reece face.
'Lena' she tried again. 'Uncle Macon says breakfast is ready and if you could join us in the promptest of manners, he would be most grateful.'
'We will' Lena replied. I couldn't see it, but I knew she'd be blushing an almost Liv shade of pink as she climbed off me.
Reece didn't move and after Lena got off me, she turned to looked at me. Her face immediately contorted into a look of realisation, and I knew what she had seen.
'Oh. My. God' she said.
'What?' Lena asked. 'What's up Reece?'
Without Lena seeing, I gave Reece a look that basically said, 'don't you dare say anything.'
'Uhhh' Reece stuttered for a few seconds before collecting herself. 'Nothing just don't think that again while I'm around. She is my cousin you know.'
I gave her another look that angrily displayed my thoughts of 'that's the best you can come up with?'
Reece shrugged and excused herself out of the room, closing the door behind her.
I walked over to the light switch, but before I could flip it, the curtains were open, and daylight streamed into the previously dark room.
'So, what were you thinking about that made my cousin react so Ethan Wate?' Lena asked. 'What was so dastardly about what you were thinking that made Reece, who isn't known for being quiet, suddenly go speechless?'
'Crap' I thought, no longer having the darkness to hide anything.
Come on Ethan, tell me.
'I'm sure you can imagine' I said, praying that she'd take the bait whilst looking at her suggestively.
'Oh, you mean' she began, and blushed again. 'You mean that.'
'Yeah, that' I replied, lying.
Aren't you forward.
Shut up, given the position we were in, can you blame me?
I suppose not. I'll let you off this time.
'I appreciate that' I said loud. I kiss her one last time and we got dressed for breakfast.
'So kind a you to join us.' Macon's voice rang around the Ravenwood dining room, decorated to look like a 19th century ballroom, as we entered. 'I was beginning to think your bedroom had become part a the Tunnels since time seems to pass differently up there.'
'Very funny Uncle' Lena said as she approached him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. 'We were just enjoying our morning.'
From the far side of the table, Reece coughed. We both gave her a death stare, which we gave up after less than a second realising who in fact we were looking at. Staring at a Sybil was basically like saying 'hey, come on in, here's all my deepest desires. I'll go make some tea whilst you sift through my every memory.' I didn't need that right now.
'That's what I hear' he replied, looking down at his copy of The Stars and Stripes whilst sipping coffee.
'What?' Lena and I said simultaneously, stiffening up.
'The laughter, it was unmistakable' he responded, not looking up.
'Yeah, the laughter' I replied, relieved. There were too many close calls this morning, I need to just get it out. Before I do, I need Lena out of the house and far away.
'Lena, I thought you should know, Marian asked after you, you're needed at the library' Macon said, out of nowhere. I was shocked. 'She said something about Genevieve, I thought you should go see her after breakfast.'
'Sure' she said, enjoying a slice of toast. 'Me and Ethan will go after this.' She grabbed my hand and squeezed it a little. These were the little things that I noticed. Ever since I came back, the physical inhibitions that existed to keep a Caster and a Mortal from being together had, for us at least, completely dissipated. We were free to touch, kiss, hug and … without any barriers anymore. That's what made it so worthwhile.
'Actually' Macon replied. 'I'd like to have a talk with Ethan, just the two of us. We don't hang out, as you kids say, often enough and I'd like to take this opportunity to do just that.'
Lena looked suspiciously at her uncle, then back at me, then back at her uncle. 'Okay…' she said, trailing off the y syllable to show her suspicion. 'I hope you have a good time hanging out.'
'I'm sure we will' Macon said unfazed. 'We have so much to talk about.'
I ate my waffles, had some chocolate milk and enjoyed myself. Breakfast finished pretty soon after that with no more notable conversation. Lena, after changing quickly, went off to go and see Marian for her "Genevieve project." After seeing her off, driving away in her trademark hearse, I walked back inside, where Reece and the rest of the family had seemingly vanished. Only Macon remained.
He was sitting down in one of two chairs that had appeared, facing each other. We were in the sunlight, but there was none of the glare as I sat down.
'So' he began. 'I assume you're wondering why I've sent Lena away, so me and you can talk.' He sounded warm, like he was genuinely excited to have this talk.
'Yes, sir I am' I said, before immediately realising my mistake. I hadn't called him sir since our early days of knowing each other, he was Macon to me, Lena's uncle.
'Sir?' he sounded genuinely surprised as he got up and started pacing. 'Mr. Wate I thought we were past that; you've been with my niece for a long time now.'
'Yes Macon' I corrected. 'What do you wanna talk about?'
'Ethan' he began, as he leaned forward and grabbed my hand. 'I just wanted to tell you that I'm extremely proud of you. I know that since Amma and your dearly departed mother.' He paused at the mention of my mother. I swore I could've seen a tear in his eye, but he continued. 'Since they've passed on, you might not hear it that much what with your father busy with teaching and whatnot. I wanted you to know that. What you did for me, for all a us, for the whole world and especially for my niece is beyond repayment, but if there's anything I can ever do for you, please do let me know.'
'That's extremely kind of you Macon' I responded, surprised in a happy way by what he had said. 'I owe it to you though. Without your sacrifice I would never have been in a position to release you from the Arclight. We've both done a lot for each other, and for Lena, and for my mother.'
He stood up and did something I'd only ever seen reserved for members of the Ravenwood family, and Lena. He came over and he hugged me. An actual proper hug that I reciprocated in its entirety, as a good boy raised in the South would do. And in that moment, I knew it was time to tell him the thing Reece had undoubtedly seen in my mind. I was planning to tell him today anyway, he would and should be the first, besides Reece, and he had given me the perfect setting, timing and environment to do it in. After we finished hugging, he went back to sitting in his chair.
There was a few seconds of silence before I finally decided to say it.
'Macon' I said, exhaling.
'Yes Ethan?' he replied pleasantly.
'I know how much you care about Lena, and how protective of her you are. Both of us share those qualities even if she is probably the most powerful Caster to have ever lived.'
'That she very much is' he said and raised his mug of coffee that had suddenly appeared by him.
I continued. 'I appreciate how much trust you put in me in order to keep her safe, and to keep her happy. I love her so much and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I want to spend all my lives with her. And that's why.' I braced for it. He had his eyes fixed on me, his mouth curving into a smile. Here we go.
'And that's why I want to ask her to marry me. I've never been so sure of anything in my life as I am about this. And I knew I wanted to tell you first, seeing as you are the person she looks up to most in life.'
'No, my boy' he said, the biggest smile I've ever seen from Macon Ravenwood inhabiting the lower part of his face. 'That's you. I may be the one who raised her, but you are the one who influences every single thing about her like no one else does. And I know you're not asking for my permission, frankly I wouldn't expect you to, but this is wonderful news. When do you plan on proposing?'
'Tonight' I said. 'I have it all planned out.'
'I don't conceive of you as ill-prepared in anything, but may I see the stone you plan on putting on my niece's finger?' he asked.
'Of course,' I said. I ran up the stairs to her room, and opened up the one shoebox of things that were exclusively mine and fished around under everything until I found the box that held the key to my future. I went back down to find Macon in exactly the same position, still smiling. I opened up the box and handed it to him. He opened it to find a gold ring, my mother's gold ring, augmented with a deep green emerald sitting on the top. The ring had a little inscription on the inside that read 'I will always love you.' He examined it for a little bit before handing it back.
'It's perfect' he said. He looked at me for a few seconds before remarking. 'I'm so happy she found you.'
'We found each other' I said. 'Just like you and Mum.'
Macon nodded and smiled as if he was holding back tears. That was understandable, she had been the most important person in his life, just like Lena was to me. I couldn't imagine being forced to leave Lena simply because of what I was, but he had to do just that, and I would always respect him for that. He had made so many sacrifices and now it was paying off.
'Macon' I said. 'I know, regardless of what she says, she'll want you to walk her down the aisle and I want you to do that as well. It's only fitting as you've taken care of her all these years, Gramma as well, but you were always the one who was there for everything, and even gave your life so we could be together in the first place.'
'Ethan' he responded. 'It would give me no greater pleasure in life. I wish you both an eternity of happiness.'
'You know what that means' I say, grinning. 'I'll be your nephew, and you'll be my uncle-in-law.'
'Son' he said. I remembered all the way back when he had called me son for one of the first times and I threw it back in his face. But now I understood, and it was an honour. 'Just an uncle, none a this in-law crap. I will not have myself referred to as an in-law.' He didn't say it, but I know he was thinking 'I'm too distinguished for that.' And to be fair, he is.
'Now, all I've got to do is tell the others' I said.
'Who might the others be?' Macon asked, intrigued.
'Well, there's Link, Dad, Marian, Liv and John. Ridley. For starter. And of course, your side of the family. Del, Leah, Gramma and everyone.'
'Don't worry about them. It's Caster tradition to tell them after it's happened' Macon explained.
'That makes it considerably easier' I admitted. 'I know how I can tell Link, Marian and Dad. And I can ask Link to rip me over to England to tell Liv and John. I could knock it out in an hour if I had to.'
'Efficiency is one underrated quality Ethan' Macon said.
'That it is' I said.
Lena, can you bring Marian back to Ravenwood when you come back. I need to talk to her.
Of course, is something wrong?
No, you do your thing. I'm having a good time with Macon. Just bring her back when you're done, please.
I will.
Thank you. I love you.
I love you too Ethan.
Then I reached out to someone else.
Link, get your butt over to Ravenwood Manor, now. And don't forget that…
Before I could finish, I heard a loud thump outside the front door.
I went to open the door while Macon stayed seated. I opened the door to find a Linkubus lying on his back on the porch.
'Dude, how many times' I began annoyedly. 'You can't Travel into Ravenwood anymore.'
'I be forgetting' Link replied. 'Sorry man. No harm done' he pointed to the porch where there was a very real and seeable Link-shaped dent in the wood.
'No worries' Macon called and within seconds, it was back to normal.
'Never get tired of seeing that' Link said as I invited him inside.
'What's up man?' he asked. I looked over at Macon.
'I'll make myself scarce' he said and wondered off in the direction of the entrance to his study in the Tunnels.
'Well,' I began. 'I've been thinking and me and Lena have been together for a long time.'
Link smiled and I could tell he knew where this was going.
'I'm gonna ask her to marry me. Tonight.' I didn't even get out the last word when the force of a thousand trucks at the speed of sound hit me in my front as Link wrapped his arms around me.
'That's AMAZING!' he screeched. 'When did you decide?'
'I've known for a while' I said, whilst directing his attention over to the ring on the side. 'This is the ring.'
'Oh my God it's perfect. Green and Gold, just like her.'
'That was the idea' I said. 'You think it'll do?'
He looked at me and the expression in his face changed to one of complete seriousness. 'Will it do? Will it DO!? Dude it's you and Lena, you could probably get her a bottle cap attached to a piece of wire and she'd still wear it every day for the rest of her life.'
'It's made out of my mother's ring' I confessed.
He smiles so hard; I was concerned for his facial muscles. 'DUDE, that's like even better beyond something I didn't know could get better.'
Then I could see a lightbulb moment had hit him. 'Please can I play at your wedding?'
'Hey, hold your horses there buddy, I haven't even asked Lena yet.'
He tried to contain his excitement, but with Link it was like watching a six-year-old try and remain calm at a party full of presents and cake.
'I'll think about it' I said, and another bone-crushing hug ensued.
'Link' I said breathlessly.
'Oh right, sorry man' and he put me down. Then I had an idea.
'You know' I began. 'Marian and Lena won't be back for a while, you wanna help me go and break the news to Liv and John?'
'And go and see my second-favourite English-speaking country while we're at it? Sure thing man.'
'Macon!' I called. 'We're gonna go and see Liv and John, should be back soon. I've asked Lena to bring Marian. If we're not back, please tell them to stay put.'
I didn't hear a response but Boo, Macon's Caster dog, emerged from the shadows and gave a nod.
With that, I grabbed the ring, walked over to Link again and prepared for the familiar sensation of Travelling.
I heard the rip and saw the temporary darkness. Then we were no longer in Ravenwood, but in London, the hustling bustling English capital.
We ripped into a small side street with (luckily) no people around. We looked around for any sign of where we were.
'Dude, where did you bring us?' I asked breathlessly, my head spinning. Travelling will do that to you, especially if you're not a Linkubus or a Caster. He straightened out before answering.
'I don't know man' he worriedly replied. 'I just thought London, and Liv and John, and here we are.'
I shook my head, fully back to my senses, and started to look for a street sign or any indicator of where we were. Link saw what I was doing and followed suit. It's no wonder then that, with his superior sight, he found what we were looking for.
'Cavendish Square' he read out from a street sign that I couldn't even begin to make out. 'Where's that?'
'How am I supposed to know?' I asked.
'At least we're here' he said, mocking a British accent. He'd done it frequently around Liv and she'd always dismissed it as quote 'the worst display of Britishness from an American since Dick van Dyke.' He of course had no idea what it meant, but I had to concur with her on this one.
'Well, we are here, but how do we find them?' I asked.
'I'll try and hear for them' Link said and closed his eyes to concentrate. It was obvious from his face that he was trying hard.
'What's up?' I finally asked him.
'There's too many' he said. 'In Gatlin there was always extra noise, but it was always easy to route through, I mean it was Gatlin. You know everyone and know what every noise means. Here there's so many noises. Cars, people talking, people in offices, a weird rumbling noise from underground, there's so many I can't decipher.'
I was just about to tell him not to be so hard on yourself when I heard a voice that I didn't need Incubus hearing for.
'Oh come off it John, we both know that the half-moon is when it's strongest to Cast Light Casts' said a familiar female British voice from around the corner in front of us.
'I know, I'm just asking why is it that way?' said another, deeper voice, belonging to none other than Incubus-hybrid John Breed. Me and Link looked at each other and nodded before moving forward in the direction of where their voices were coming from. They rounded the corner and stopped dead in their tracks when they saw us.
'Ethan! Link!' Liv said, her blond hair swaying in the cold London air. It was at that point I realised how cold it was.
Maybe we should have brought jackets.
You know I don't need one right?
Oh yeah, wrong person to say that too I guess.
'How have you both been?' she asked as she bounded over and gave me a big hug before doing the same to Link.
'Oh you know, can't complain' Link said.
'I've been great Liv, how have you been?' I asked.
Olivia Durand, or Liv as we affectionately called her, was something of an enigma. She had first come to me in the wake of Lena having gone AWOL and she helped guide us to her, during which time got rather close. Too close if you ask some people. Her knowledge and expertise kept us alive more than once and she even made the ultimate sacrifice of her dreams of becoming a Keeper in order to help us free Macon. She had given so much for us, and eventually decided to return to England, her boyfriend John Breed in tow. If Liv was an enigma, John Breed was a puzzle, wrapped inside a Rubik's cube, contained inside an enigma and existing in a different dimension. His parents were still unknown, and he had been bred (hence the name) by Abraham Ravenwood to be the new breed of Demon Soldier. Luckily he'd been freed from that way of thinking by Liv and had followed her back to England when she got accepted into Oxford University. She had graduated a few months ago and now they were living in London together, happy as can be.
'I've been great' she answered, excited to see us.
'Hey John' I said, approaching him.
'Good to see you Ethan' he said, and we shook hands. 'And you Link' he said. Link did a small salute at him. Despite John being the one who had turned Link from regular old Link into an irresistible (for women), strong, powerful Linkubus, there was no resentment between them. They weren't close friends, but they were allies.
'To what do we owe this wonderful surprise?' Liv asked, her face bright with a smile.
'Well' I said. 'Shall we go somewhere and talk, I've got something big to tell you. I'd also like to get out of the cold.'
Link's big grin and nodding face told them all they needed to know.
'Sure, let's go to our usual hangout' Liv said to John. Then she turned to us. 'There's a restaurant called Leon just round the corner with amazing coffee.'
'Sounds like a plan' I said, and we all headed over. Not five minutes later we were all sat down, me and Liv with coffee, as if it was the Dar-ee Keen back home.
'What's the big news?' Liv asked expectantly.
'Well' I said, turning to Link.
'Tell them' he urged.
'I'm going to ask Lena to marry me' I confessed.
The reaction that followed was not what I expected, but in a good way. I was expecting a squeal, perhaps a reach-over-the-table hug, but that didn't happen. Instead Liv's eyes just began to water as a huge smile crept over her face.
'That's… that's' I could tell she wanted to say something but couldn't find the words to say it. 'That's amazing Ethan. When?'
'Tonight' I said.
'Do you have a ring?' John asked, his big frame moving forward to see if I did.
'Yeah I do' I said and pulled it out and showed them. 'It's made out of one of my mother's gold rings.'
Liv was crying now. 'Ethan, that's amazing. It's perfect, I'm sure she's going to love it. It's absolutely perfect for her.'
'She better' I joked. 'I was actually wondering if you'd be happy to come back with us, just to I can have you all together: Link, Macon, you guys and Marian before I ask her.'
Liv and John looked at each other. 'We'd be happy to' John replied, looking into Liv's eyes. They shared a kiss.
'Aw come on, I don't wanna see that' Link said, overreacting. 'I see enough a that with these two' he pointed at me.
'We apologise' Liv said with a cheeky smile on her face. We sat there for a few more minutes, joking and drinking before it was time for us to head back to Gatlin. We removed ourselves from the café and back into the cold London air and headed back into the side street in which me and Link had first ripped.
'You mind if you do it John?' I asked. 'I get less sick when you do it than him' I gestured at Link.
'Not at all' he said. Link pouted but I grabbed his and John's hands before we all entered the darkness and re-emerged back in Gatlin, a few feet away from the Ravenwood front door. Immediately the heat hit me, and I was grateful that it did.
'See Link?' I said. 'That's how you make a graceful entrance.'
'Whatever' he said and put the middle finger up at me. I ignored him and knocked on the big front door of the Greek-revival style mansion.
The door opened after the first knock and the interior looked the same as it did about an hour ago. That made a change. Every time I entered Ravenwood, no matter how short the time could be between two entries, it had always changed.
As I looked in, I saw Macon, Marian and Lena in conversation around the same chairs me and Macon had shared earlier, although with an extra one to accommodate Marian.
Lena and Marian looked up at us and saw John, Liv and Link with me. Lena got up and walked over to me, a smile on her face. She kissed me on the cheek before turning to Liv and John.
'What are you guys doing here? This is such a wonderful surprise' Lena said, hugging Liv before moving over to John and hugging him too, albeit with less vigour. Before, a sight like that would have made my stomach churn and make me want to beat John up, but I knew better now.
'What about me?' Link asked.
'I see you almost everyday Link' she said. 'But it's good to see you too.'
He smiled a triumphant smile and went over to see Marian and Link.
'We just had a spare few hours and thought we could spend them here with you guys' Liv said matter of factly as if it were actually true. I hadn't actually thought about what I would say to Lena when she saw them but, as usual, Liv was one step ahead of us all. As Liv and Lena went away chatting and John went over to join Macon and Link in the most twisted former/hybrid/twisted Incubus conversation I could imagine, Marian came over to me.
'Ethan how are you?' her usual smile was beaming across her face. 'Good on you for bringing Olivia and John back with you, I've been meaning to talk with her.'
'No problem Aunt Marian' I said. Even if she wasn't my biological aunt, she had been my mother's best friend. They were practically sisters and so I've honoured that bond by calling her my aunt.
She went to walk away to find Liv presumably, but I stopped her.
'Can I talk to you alone quickly?' I said. 'There's something I wanna tell you.'
'Of course' she said, a worried look suddenly cast across her face.
'Nothing to worry about' I said quickly. 'Quite the opposite.'
She looked relieved and led me out of the room unnoticed. We entered a side room, Ravenwood Manor had plenty of those, and she turned to me.
'What is it you wanted to tell me' she said.
'Well' I said, preparing to utter the words for what I counted as the fourth time in as many hours. 'I'm planning on asking Lena to marry me. Tonight.'
Marian's face lit up brighter than I'd ever seen, and tears formed almost immediately.
'Really?' she exclaimed.
'Yes' I said, motioning to her to calm down. 'I wanted to tell everyone, and you were the final name on the list. Macon, Link, Liv and John, and now you.'
Her face become serious again. 'What about your father Ethan Wate.'
'I plan on telling him after I do it' I said. Truthfully, I had wanted to wait as I wanted his reaction to be memorised by both of us, not just by me.
She smiled again. 'That's amazing Ethan. I wish you both a lifetime of happiness, and a wondrous existence together. As if you haven't already had that.'
I chuckled a little bit. 'We should probably get back out there before she starts asking questions.'
'You're right' Marian responded, and we headed back out into Ravenwood's spacious front room.
Having everyone back together was an amazing experience and on any other day it would have been at the forefront of my mind to enjoy myself as much as possible. Today, however, with what I had coming up in the evening, I could only look forward to that. The time that we had together, though funny, was just a prelude to the main event, a main event that I was deathly nervous and overexcited about at the same time. We went around Gatlin, roamed around the grounds of Ravenwood purposely avoiding Greenbrier, more on that later, and laughed until our sides hurt. It was obvious Link was missing Ridley, and after my Dad's wedding it had finally clicked for them. There was no end in sight for her new powers, but she had made it work with him. With her being away in Barbados though, she would have to find out later. I felt a twinge of guilt, but what's one "Dark" Caster finding out a little later than everyone else. Besides it was Caster tradition to tell them after it happened…
But throughout all of this, we all knew what was coming, except one Natural Caster girl, with one green eye and one gold eye who, tonight, I would ask to spend the rest of my life with as my wife. As the time grew nearer, and I was getting more nervous and more excited. I was fidgeting so much that Lena had to ask me what was up.
You've been acting weird all afternoon, is everything okay?
Yeah, just have a lot of energy today.
I knew she didn't believe me, but it was enough to see off the question.
I had decided that I would do it before dinner, speaking of which everyone was kind enough to stay for. And when Macon loudly professed that dinner would be ready in half an hour, I knew it was time.
'Do you wanna go for a walk before dinner?' I asked her as Macon's echo died out. 'Just us. It's been a day of us being a group again, what do you say to a little alone time before we eat?'
'I think I would love to' she said smiling. As I saw that smile, all nervousness and any hint of doubt was expelled from my body. She put on her shoes, grabbed a cardigan, and we headed downstairs. The dress she was wearing, a dark green colour with a pattern over it was something that I had got her for Christmas the year before. She wore it with a nicely white coloured cardigan that complemented it very nicely. As we made it downstairs, everyone was lounging around and talking. When they saw us coming down, however, they all stopped and started looking at us. Macon was beaming, Link looked like he could burst into tears. Liv and John held each other silently and Marian just smiled. I gave a subtle nod to indicate that it was time.
'Is everything alright?' Lena asked when she noticed everyone staring at us. 'Do I have something on my dress?'
No. You look perfect. They're just as starstruck as I am when I see you.
She kissed me on the cheek.
'No, no' Macon said. 'You just look radiant my niece. Have a nice walk.'
'I will Uncle' she said, and we headed out after she hugged him.
'Greenbrier?' I suggested as we made our way down the front steps.
'Perfect idea' she said and leant her head onto my shoulder as we walked. I could feel the ring in my inside jacket pocket. 'Just a few more minutes' I thought. We walked through the Ravenwood grounds, through the decrepit stone buildings, through the Duchannes family graveyard, and over the decaying stone walls to our spot in the middle of the beautiful Greenbrier grounds, the former home of a building of equal majesty as Ravenwood today. We sat down at our usual spot, Lena laying her head on my chest as we stared up at the sky.
'When I first met you' she said, after a few moments of silence. 'I looked up at the sky and thought, I'm going to love this person because even the sky looks different.'
She had told me this before, but it didn't make it any less perfect to hear it again.
'I love you Lena' I said. It was time.
'I love you too Ethan' she said, perfectly oblivious as to what was about to happen.
I sat up and gently eased her off me. She pouted but eventually sat up to join me.
'Lena' I began, taking her hands in mine and standing up with her following suit.
'Ethan' she said, smiling at me and wrapping her hands around mine.
I smiled back as I continued. 'I've known I've loved you from the first moment I met you, even before when you appeared in my dreams. You give me purpose, and you made me realise that everything I wanted to find away from Gatlin, I could find right here, with you. You are the reason I exist; you are what I live for, and you are what I died for, literally. I love you beyond this world, beyond all worlds, and beyond all things. My Wheel of Fate has you in every spoke. You are my past, you are my present, and you are my future. There is nothing more that I could have asked for in life than to have found you, and I am forever and eternally grateful that I get the chance and the honour, every single day, to wake up and call you mine.'
'Ethan I love you so much' she said and kissed me. But I wasn't done there. Once the kiss was over, I put my hand into the inside pocket of my jacket.
'I can't imagine any other way that I'd want to spend the rest of this life other than by your side.' I pulled out the box and unclasped the lid. Time seemed to stand still as she finally appeared to realise what was going on.
'With all that being said, Lena Duchannes.' I got down on one knee, the final piece to the puzzle. 'Will you marry me and do me the honour of being my wife?'
The tears had entered her eyes long before I'd asked the all-important question, and as soon as I uttered the final syllable, the rain started to pour. But not the rain that everybody hates like a thunderous downpour. This was cooling, refreshing rain, like the first rain after a long summer. She glanced down at the ring, then back up at me. She wiped her eyes and said one word. One singular word that I would never forget.
'Yes!' she replied, happiness infiltrating her voice. And with that, the rain stopped, replaced by a clearing of the clouds and intense sunlight came streaming through the beautiful blue sky.
She reached over and pulled me into an embrace unlike any we'd ever had since our one on top of the water tower years ago. After what seemed like ages, I took the ring out and showed it to her.
'Ethan' she said, trying not to start sobbing again. 'It's so beautiful, it's perfect.'
'It's made from mum's old ring; she'd want you to have it Lena. It's green and gold, just like you.'
'I love you so much' she said. 'I love it Ethan. Thank you so much. For everything.'
'It's just the beginning Lena' I replied and kissed her again.
I put the ring on her finger, and she admired it. She hadn't stopped smiling since she said yes, and in all fairness neither had I.
'I know I've already said it' she began. 'But I think it truly is perfect Ethan.'
'Just like you' I said. With particularly poor timing, as I leaned in to kiss Lena again, my stomach rumbled. I prayed she didn't hear it.
'Someone's hungry' she said. 'We should get back for dinner and give everyone the great news.'
'Sounds like a great plan' I said. I stood up, helped her to her feet and she held my hand as we walked back to Ravenwood.
We walked in five minutes later to a sight that I was not expecting. Ravenwood modelled itself after the emotions of its chief occupier which switched between Lena and Macon but was more often representative of the former. It was a beautiful sight. The room had been transformed into a brilliant spectacle of light. It was amazing. As we walked in I smelt and spied an amazing array of food, one which I know Link would be killing to eat, if food gave him any pleasure anymore that is.
We walked through to the dining room where everyone had sat down. When we walked into the room, they all looked at us expectantly.
'Everyone' she said, pulling her hand over the one with the ring on so as to try and surprise everyone as they looked up. 'We have an announcement.' She revealed the ring. 'We're engaged.'
Macon beamed the biggest smile I've ever seen and got up to congratulate us. There were claps, tears and congratulations all meal long as we celebrated in style.
I got a mocking bad look from Lena when someone let it slip that I had told them before actually doing it. Even the perpetually stone-faced Reece was happy for us. Everyone seemed to be echoing the sentiment of 'It's about time!' or 'It was never a question of if, but when.' And I have to say, I agree with the latter. Gramma, Aunt Del and Ryan all voiced their congratulations too. A heartier meal had never been so enjoyed and eaten.
After dinner, and Liv and John had headed back to London, me and Lena decided it was time to tell my Dad. We excused ourselves and decided to take Macon's hearse. Link offered us a rip, but we declined. It just felt more natural this way. We arrived and parked up. I could tell Lena was nervous and she told me as much.
'It's gonna be okay' I said, and we got out of the car. We approached and I knocked on the front door of Wate's Landing. After a few seconds, Dad answered the door.
'Ethan' he said. 'What a nice surprise, come in. Nice to see you Lena, looking beautiful as always.'
'Thank you Mitchell' she said. She had been reluctant to call Dad by his first name, but she eventually came around and it sounds natural now.
'What can I do for you?' he asked as we shuffled into the kitchen and sat around the table that had been in our table for at least seven generations.
'Just thought we'd drop in; we have some exciting news' Lena said. 'Where's Mrs English?'
'Lilian' Dad said. 'As she has repeatedly said she is fine with you calling her, is still up at the school working. Late nights unfortunately, what with it being exam season.
'Don't remind me' I joked, after remembering those dreaded Jackson High exams. We all laughed together. Even after all this time, it still made me happy to see Dad smiling and actually alive again. He had been a shell of a man after Mum died and he slowly lost himself. Eventually, Ridley managed to convince him to end his own life, but in actuality it provided us with the opportunity to get him the help he needed, and he hasn't looked back since.
As the laughter died out, Dad spoke up again. 'What is it you wanted to tell me.'
'Well' I began, the anticipation growing inside of me. I grabbed Lena's hand which held the ring on it and raised it onto the table. 'Earlier this evening I asked Lena to marry me, and she accepted. We're engaged.'
'It's true' she added. 'We're getting married.'
I'll never forget the look on Dad's face as he looked at us and then at the ring. He recognised it immediately.
'Is that?' he asked, tears forming in his eyes. 'Is that your mothers ring?'
'Yes it is' I said. 'I know she would have wanted Lena to have it.'
'That she would' he said. 'It's perfect'. I had heard that repeatedly throughout the day, but I wasn't getting sick of it.
'I love it' she said. 'And I love you' she turned to me and kissed me on the cheek.
'I'm so happy for you too' he said to us both before turning to me. 'I know Amma, and your mother would have been so proud of you my son. As much as I am now. You're becoming every bit the man your mum predicted you to become. I'm so proud of you.' He stood up, as did I, and he hugged me. The kind of hug that means so much to a father and a son. After we finished, we sat down again, and he turned to Lena.
'I would welcome you to the family, but you've already been a part of it for ages. What you've done for my son, the things you bring out in him, it's like he's a completely different person when you're together. You are meant for each other in every single way, that's clear for everyone to see. I wish you and Ethan the world of happiness and a lifetime of love.'
'Thank you so much' she said again and got up and hugged my Dad where he sat.
'You know' Dad began. 'Your mother always said that the person you found in life to love would be the one who could teach you the most. Even in love there is knowledge to be found. I don't think I could agree with her more right now.'
'You and me both' I said to Dad. I went over to the fridge and retrieved some chocolate milk and three glasses. I poured us all a glass.
'To both of you' Dad said and we all cheersed our glasses. Sitting in that kitchen, I knew that I was ready for this, that we were ready for this. I couldn't wait to stand up in front of everyone and marry the girl that I'd loved since before I'd even met her.
