All The King's Men - On HOLD

Mistakes of the Past

Chapter 15—Mistakes of the Past

Claire

Myrnin was spending the day with Amelie and Oliver, going over whatever it was they discussed. I had no desire to hang out with Amelie. She respected my decision and gave me the space I needed. So, while he was out of my hair, I planned to do some necessary cleaning and purging.

I stared at the mess in front of me. The closet was overflowing with mismatched clothing in an assortment of eye-challenging patterns and colors. As much as I tried to keep Myrnin's wardrobe current and less-than-crazy, somehow, over time, he seemed to collect an obscene amount of nonsense pieces.

I pulled out a yellow Hawaiian print with gaudy green and blue flowers, and wrinkled my nose. It was awful. The next item to hit my fingertips was an aqua velvet pair of pants. Seriously? What was he thinking?

He never went shopping. Where the hell did he get these?

I shook my head. It didn't really matter because I had a donation box ready for all of them to go to Goodwill.

The one article of clothing I didn't dare touch was his vampire bunny slippers. Even I loved those. I picked up the fuzzy slippers, letting my hand run over the matted fur. Fond memories rolled through my mind of the first day I had met the crazy vampire—crazy, in a very literal sense— dressed in ridiculous clothing, a lab coat and his beloved vampire bunny slippers. I smiled to myself and returned the slippers to their spot.

I made steady progress, pulling out more than fifty items, which I neatly folded and placed in the box, before moving on to the top shelf. I grasped a stack of shirts, pulling them down to go through them and stopped cold. The shirts weren't the problem. It was the ornate box hidden behind them, which caused my hands to tremble and adrenaline to race through my veins.

I reached and carefully lifted the box from the shelf. It was about four by five inches, and almost fit in the palm of my hand. My fingertips shook as I traced the familiar decoration, inlaid gold, sapphire enamel, and emerald stones. I had been stunned and breathless when Myrnin showed it to me those many years ago. He had explained it was centuries old, a treasure in its own right. But what it contained was beauty beyond measure.

I unlatched the tiny clasp and lifted the lid. The inside of the box was lined with deep blue velvet, a protective nest for the diamond ring nestled in its depths.

Memories flashed over me, so sweet but so bitter, overwhelming. I slid down to the floor, the box still cradled in my grip, my legs no longer able to support my weight. Pain, like a dagger wrenched deep in my heart, suffocated my chest, unbearable. I panted, my breathing low and shallow, as I pulled the little treasure from its resting place.

It hadn't been touched in years, but still, it shone so brightly it was almost blinding. In the center was a large three carat square diamond. So beautiful, so perfect, I could almost see myself in the abyss of its reflection. On either side, two more flawless diamonds twinkled brightly. The priceless stones were set in a delicate band of serpentine gold.

Myrnin had had it sized before he proposed. I never knew how he knew my ring size, but he had. He wanted everything to be perfect when he surprised me.

And everything had been perfect—except for me.

We had been staying in a five star hotel during one of our many expeditions to find Gwion. Rome was especially stunning that night, the stars brighter than I had ever seen them. Myrnin had taken me to an incredible restaurant with local cuisines, prepared by master chefs. Afterwards, we walked along the bustling thoroughfare until we reached a secluded garden. I sat on a bench, never expecting his next question, and gasped loudly when he got down on one knee in front of me. He pulled the ring from his pocket. I could still remember his exact expression, mouth curled into a smile, eyes glistening with emotion.

Until I told him no.

I couldn't marry him.

His face fell, shocked hurt his overriding feature, and I hated that I had done that to him, made him feel so much pain. But I just couldn't. I explained it to him that night. I couldn't get married without my best friend at the wedding, and certainly not while she suffered so, at the hands of Gwion. How could I allow myself that happiness?

Myrnin had nodded as though he understood, but his face was carefully expressionless. That night, he made love to me, comforting and soothing me, even though he was in so much pain himself. He knew I hadn't rejected him, but it still hurt him to let go of a dream he had envisioned for us.

I felt tears warm my cheeks. I had been certain we would find Eve any day, and then we could continue our lives. But we hadn't found her, and seven more years went by. Myrnin had respected my decision. The ring was tucked away, and he never spoke about it again.

Looking back now, I realized I made a huge mistake putting that part of our lives on hold, denying both of us the intimacy of that connection, that bond. More tears cascaded from my eyes. I couldn't catch my breath as sobs broke from my chest.

So wrapped up in my regret and sorrow, I did not hear him until he whispered softly, "Cariad?"

I looked up at him through my tears. I wasn't surprised to see him standing there. He could feel when I was in pain, and it always drew him to me.

My lip quivered, as I desperately tried to keep myself from breaking down completely. Myrnin didn't speak as he sank down to the floor next to me and gathered me in his strong arms. I couldn't hold back my cries then and clutched tightly to him. He gently rocked both of our bodies.

"I'm so sorry," I mumbled through my tears. "I shouldn't have told you no."

He tightened his grip around me, His voice low and soothing, "Shh, it's okay, love...I understood."

I sniffled and hiccupped, trying to get my tears under control. When I was finally quiet, he pulled back to look at me. His fingers gently smoothed my hair out of my eyes, tucking it behind my ear.

He cupped my chin, forcing me to look at him, his voice soft. "If you are okay that we are not in a romantic city, with a beautiful scenic backdrop, I would like to re-ask you a question."

I inhaled sharply and stuttered breathily, "Yes...yes, I'm okay with that."

He took the ring from my hand and held it suspended in the air between us. "Cariad, I have loved you almost since the first day I laid eyes on you. I have never met another woman with your tenacity and brilliance...and your heart. Somehow, you were able to tame the beast inside of me, and save me from myself."

Warmth filled every pore of my every being as I watched this beautiful man look at me with more love than I could even comprehend in his eyes.

He took in a deep breath and continued, "You are bonded to me in the truest sense of the word, and I have no intention of ever letting you go. But if there is an additional way to join our hearts and lives, then I want that for us as well." Another breath, his eyes alight. "Will you marry me?"

New tears fell down my cheeks, happiness and joy filling the void of regret and sorrow. There was no question in my mind, no hesitation in my reply, "Yes!"

His smile widened. He was positively breathtaking. He carefully slipped the ring onto my trembling finger. I threw my arms around his neck. He pulled me close, almost squeezing the life out me, his chest rumbling in pleasure. "I love you, Cariad."

"I love you, too," I giggled at his exuberance. I was soon going to be Mrs. Myrnin... Wait a minute. I pulled back, shocked I didn't already know the answer and asked, "What's your last name?"

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Okay Peaches, with limited time, its hard for me to continue this story since its less read than my other works. Inspiration/creativity really does come with reads and feedback, so my attention tends to stay on those works (and I'm working to get IAOO published). But as you guys know, I love these characters. They are very dear to my heart as its where my writing began and I greatly appreciate you guys that have kept with it. So, I just don't know...