“One final day in Annwn?” she whispered into my ear. I met her eyes and decided to stop complaining. Arawn tossed a basket towards us and Belis caught it in the air without turning around. I felt a smile tugging at my lips.
“Fine. One more day.”
“Excellent.” Arawn stuck his shovel into the earth and pointed to a field of trees behind him. “See that orchard? The fruit is ready to harvest. I’ll come for you when the birds begin to roost.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “No more brambles.”
He smiled. “No blackberries. Just apples and pears. Fill up the barrels at the base of the trees. I promised it was an easy one.”
Belis tugged at my hand and we wandered over to the orchard. Wide oak barrels were scattered on the ground, next to neat wooden ladders. The trees groaned with golden apples, rosy pears, each one ripe and ready to eat. Belis picked up a ladder and leaned it against the nearest trunk so that I could climb and reach out for the fruit. I dropped each one down to her and she caught them easily, transferring them to the barrels once she had an armful.
It wasn’t hard, climbing up and down the ladder and swinging through the branches, but it was satisfying. I found I enjoyed the rhythm of the work, enjoyed labouring beside Belis. This could be a life that made me happy, I thought, and the realisation made me quick, raining apples and pears down on my beloved until she begged, laughing, for me to slow down.
We had cleared the whole orchard by late afternoon and sat down against a tree, trading bites of an apple.
“We should have an orchard,” I said, swallowing my mouthful. “Wherever we end up. We could sell the fruit or pickle it for winter.”
“I don’t think you can pickle fruit,” Belis said. “You have to dry it or store it in a cellar.” I waved a hand at her.
“Whatever it is. I’m sure you can work it out. You and Cati.”
“What will you be doing while I’m drying fruit?” I heard the smile in her voice.
“I’ll be clearing the land or minding the flocks. I trained the hounds, I can train some sheepdogs easily enough.”
“You have a very romantic view of farm labour, my love,” Belis said, snatching the apple back from my waving hand.
“Or we can go and live in a town and keep a shop. I know all the goblin traders. We can sell fae crafts. We’ll go north, keep fifty miles between us and the Roman frontiers. There’s plenty of redheads up there, you’ll blend right in. Everything will work out.”
Belis was silent for a moment. I shifted around to look at her. “What is it?”
Her eyes were downcast.
“Do you think Cati will want to stay? After she finds out what I did to her?” I reached out to cup her cheek.
“Would you forgive her if it was the other way round?”
“Of course. She’s my sister.”
I smiled. “Then I’m sure she will. It might take a while but we have our whole lives ahead of us.”
“I can’t regret everything I did,” Belis said, raising her eyes to meet mine. “After all, it brought me to you.”
I kissed her then, until the birds began to sing their evening melodies and I heard the faint crunch of footsteps.
Arawn was striding down towards us, something white gleaming in his hands. He smiled as we scrambled to our feet and nodded at the barrels of packed fruit.
“Good work. I deem your side of the bargain has been completed. Now for mine.”
He held out the thing he was holding. It was a white shell, a whelk, the outside all knobbed and pointed, the inside a gleaming coral. It was strung on a long strand of scarlet thread.
“As agreed, your sister’s soul. I have trapped her spirit within this shell. It still yearns to come home to Annwn, so you must reach her body before the tenth day dawns. The matrix of the shell will not hold her longer than that. Place the opening in her mouth and blow.
“You may recognise the thread. Spun from flax harvested from land you cleared with your own blood. It will not break nor be removed from your neck unless you wish it and while you wear it no mortal blade shall harm you. A little reminder of your time here.”
Belis slipped the pendant over her head, hanging it neatly around her neck, the shell resting above her heart.
Arawn extended a hand to each of us.
