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Chapter 3 Extract

“Open your eyes, my dear.”

I did. And suddenly, the smell made sense.

I was sitting on a carpet of my favourite pink flowers, the beautiful blooms stretching as far as I could see, weaving through moonlit white trees that were bowing under the weight of bright turquoise vines, each of which was covered in sprigs of plump green berries.

The clearing was bathed in silvery light, and looking up, I sighed at the sight of dozens of tiny bright orbs - fireflies - floating about. It was like something out of a dream, and I wiped a tear from my eye as the beauty overwhelmed me.

Then, there was music. 

I whipped my head around to find Siggurd on one knee beside me, viola in hands, playing the most lovely melody. It began slow, and a blissful expression filled his face as he caught me watching. Swarms of the fireflies lazily drifted down to bob around us as the song started to build to something. The bow in his right hand seemed to enchant the air, as the fireflies swayed with it - I found my own head and shoulders doing the same and smiled to myself.

Siggurd was breathtaking in the filtered moonlight. I couldn’t do anything but stare as he rose with the crescendo of the song, circling the meadow with graceful steps. I was taken back to the night we danced together. 

The night I realised I loved him.

Gods, I loved him.

He was on the other side of the clearing when I stood. I gripped my skirt, felt the perfect, un-frayed hem between my fingers, and took a breath. Then I ran to him.

I saw his eyes widen a split second before I’d collided with him and sent us careening backwards. He yelped a laugh as we hit the soft petals, and I kissed him.

We both froze as our lips touched, and a wave of panic washed over me. Barely a moment later, to my huge relief, he kissed me back. It was barely a graze though, and then he pulled away quickly, searching my face for permission to continue. I nodded, and his hand threaded through my hair as we connected again.

Just like his song, the kiss started soft, and slowly grew into something desperate and hungry. In an instant, I realised we’d both been wanting this for ages. Why it’d taken this long for it to click, though, had me chuckling into Siggurd’s hair as his mouth explored my neck.

“What?” He sat up, grinning lopsidedly.

“I think I’ve loved you since that night at the old mill.”

Maybe even longer, I wanted to say.

He plucked a pink flower from the ground and tucked it behind my ear. “Imelda, I’ve been in love with you since the day I met you.”

I kissed him again.

“And your cherry tart, of course.” He added, and ducked as I went to shove him. “Hey, okay! The tart was a nice bonus at best. Anyway.” I watched him pull a small pouch out of his pocket, “Thanks for kissing me - that was amazing. But the real reason I wanted to see you tonight is here.”

He handed the pouch to me. It was very light. I eyed him warily as I opened it, no clue what could be inside. A small key fell into my palm.

“What’s this?”

“It’s the key to the old mill.” Siggurd grinned. “I bought it two days ago.”

My heart leapt.

“It’ll take a lot of work and time, but I want to fix it up. Make it a real nice spot for people to come to eat and drink and party - and I’d love it if you’d help me get started.”

I just about catapulted myself at him and hugged him so tight, he choked out another laugh.

“I take it that’s a yes?”

[avaniacrux-blog]

The Rosy Loaf (wt)

I'm working on a novel - it's a whimsical fun high fantasy setting that transforms into something far more sinister as the story progresses. Our protagonist is Imelda Whiskerfoot - a baker from the tiny village of Corn nestled at the edge of a dangerous forest. Her baked treats attract many adventurers on their journeys through the land; she infuses each one with a little pick-me-up of healing or luck magic and loves to trade them for stories of the battles and explorations of said travellers. One day, her husband doesn't return from a quest and then strange ancient magic begins surging throughout the land - transforming everyone who lives there into animals. Now Imelda must gather her friends and pack some extra sweet muffins if she'd to save her husband and put a stop to the chaos along the way. I'll be using this account to track my progress and post extracts as they happen. Stay tuned ;)