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“No, we don’t. We can make a bower under that tree if we want to.” Harden pointed to a large tree with lavender leaves that spread shade out in the late afternoon sun.
“You’ve got it, babe.” Every so often, Brayden reminded him that he was from another place. His words would come out so amusing, and he used such strange pet names.
Still, it was amazing to watch Brayden set up camp because he did it so quickly and with such eager joy. Brayden loved to be useful to him.
To impress him, too, he thought.
Brayden had lived with only his brothers so much and for so long that being able to have someone else to show his love to seemed to be a wondrous thing.
He gathered wood for a little fire, not setting it yet, but just getting it ready so they could have a meal later. He cleared a space, stacked the wood just so and set stones in a circle to contain the fire.
By the time he was done with that, there was a lovely space available for them, thanks to his mate.
He went and sat under the tree, removing his boots and wiggling his toes.
The sound of the brook was hypnotic, and he found himself dozing in a most pleasant way, just being quiet and alone with his mate on an adventure.
It was so much nicer than coming to see his parents by himself.
Brayden came to lean with him, and he realized that the fire was now going. Brayden had made a lovely dinner out of bread and cheese and meat and fruit, which was their favorite shared meal. Brayden called it charcuterie or sometimes girl dinner, which he wasn’t sure he understood. It didn’t matter as long as they were together and sustaining each other, it felt wonderful.
“So what should I expect when I meet your parents?” Brayden asked him, taking his hand.
Harden held on, tracing circles on Brayden’s palm. “My father is very practical. He’s a dragon of the earth and loves his bwostfal more than life itself, I think. Mother is much more fiery, and she has a great passion for her things. She makes many things —pots, clothes, and woven fabrics. She’s always about growing things, doing things, and creating things.
“I can remember when I was a child, it was so exciting, and I found my father dreadfully dull. As I grew, I discovered how much I craved what my father does, and also found I had a skill for it.”
Brayden glanced at him and smiled. “You have fire in you too.”
He couldn’t help but laugh. “Mostly wind, but yes, I do blow. I have my father’s terseness and my mother’s temper, and sometimes that makes for problems. All in all, they should welcome you with open arms, and you should expect to get many gifts welcoming you to the family. Since I informed mother of our mating and of our upcoming child she has been in a frenzy of creation.”
“Wow, we might have to drive two wagons back to the homestead, huh?”
“We might. Thankfully, my parents have many, and we could borrow one for the time being rather than buy a new one. Or perhaps you could fly things home and then return and drive back with me.”
“I would rather travel with you in two wagons. This has been a fun thing, this trip, already. It’s only been one day.” Brayden fed him a piece of fruit with his free hand.
His mate was always thinking about him and his hunger and his comfort.
“And we are heading away from the mountains and into the pasturelands, so there will be new things to see. There is a lake where the water is lovely. They have many fish.”
“Perhaps on the way back, we can stop, spend a few hours there.”
He chuckled. He knew his mate’s love for fishing. “We can. We can salt the fish to take them home, or eat them right there on the shore.”
“Nice. There’s nothing better than fresh fish right out of the water. And you can tell me which ones are yummy and which are better fed to the ciucui.”
That he could do.
“What else?” Brayden asked.
“We will be going on the big road tomorrow for a ways. It will have many people going back and forth with trade items to sell in the city.”
Brayden’s eyes twinkled. “Are there are little markets along the way?”
“There often are, especially when the carts are on their way back from the city and there is something they didn’t sell. We can then buy different vegetables and fruits at a very good price and then give them to the village to pass around to all.”
“I love that. That’s something that I think so many people in the world I used to live in have lost — that sense of providing for the community.”
