“Yes, well, despite that she might be right about that, as a former royal, I was raised a certain way, and I believe this is a proper formality,” I said. “So, I’m asking… may I have your blessing to take your sister’s hand?”
“Of course!” Arthur clapped me on the back. “This is wonderful news. You’ll make her happy. That’s all that matters.”
A wide smile spread across my face. “Wonderful. Shall we share a drink?”
“I can’t think of a better reason.The Drunken Dragonit is,” Arthur confirmed.
A sense of satisfaction came over me as I proceeded to the bar with my future brother-in-law. Everything was in order. All I needed now was the perfect place to ask for Emma’s hand in marriage.
I had just the thing in mind.
I’d takento practicing swordplay with Emma nearly every other evening. We took breaks, to allow time for her knee to heal, but when we were practicing it was game on.
I didn’t go easy on her. I kept drilling her, teaching her how to stay off her knee and use other parts of her body as an advantage while wielding a weapon. I was going to keep working with her until she was more proficient with a blade than she had been before her knee was destroyed, to prove to her she could be better than she ever was, even with an injury.
It felt very reminiscent of those days when Lord Lucien had trained me after I’d lost my leg. It made me miss his presence.
Emma was quicker to pick up than I had been. Dealing with a hurt knee was easier than having to learn how to walk and run on a prosthetic, so I was certain we’d get her back up to speed in no time.
On May first, I knocked on Emma’s dorm room door and presented her with a bouquet of apple blossoms and tulips.
“Well hello there.” Emma smelled the flowers. “What’s the occasion?”
“I thought I’d drop by and wish you a happy Shotzanek,” I said, giving her a kiss on the cheek.
“Shotzanek? What’s that?” Emma asked.
“It’s one of the main holidays of the Wheel of the Gods,” I explained. “Shotzanek is the Arcanean festival of love. I thought we could enjoy it together.”
I held out a hand to her. “Shall we go?”
“Yes, lets.” She put the flowers in water, then took my hand as we wove our way down to Dolinska.
“So what’s the Wheel of the Gods?” Emma asked as we walked.
“Each of the Seven Gods has their own corresponding holiday,” I told Emma. “Shotzanek is Luka’s holiday, a yearly festival where the bond between mates is celebrated.”
“Your god is the head of the festival of love.Veryromantic. Now I know where you get it from,” Emma teased.
“Milonna may be the god of love, but Luka is the god of passionate romance,” I informed her. “As the thief god, he is known forstealing hearts.Shotzanek is a holiday that celebrates sexual connection, and to show loved ones affection. A holiday for mates, if you will.”
“So there’s a Wheel. Every god must have their own holiday,” Emma said.
“Correct. After Shotzanek, Midsummer’s Eve is on the summer solstice. It’s Radek’s holiday, the Day of the Fae. On this holiday, we’re the most powerful. We celebrate by partying, drinking, and partaking in abundance. People do a lot of mock battles on that day, to acknowledge wars gone past.”
Emma nodded thoughtfully. “And the others?”
“Pierniwa is August first. It’s Vesna’s holiday, the first harvest. It is our thanksgiving, a celebration of friendship. We are grateful for our friends, and all we have. We resolve to be wise like the goddess of wisdom by preparing for the future, and preparing for Droga to arrive.”
“Droga?” Her eyebrows scrunched.
“Heimskanun, our biggest holiday, is his holiday,” I said. “I have told you before that on that day, he takes the sun away and makes the veil between the world of the living and the dead thin. Then there’s the Winter Hunt, Tomir’s holiday, and Bognival, Milonna’s holiday and the festival of spring arrival. You know about all those.”
“What about Neva’s holiday, the goddess of time?” Emma asked.
“That’s on the Spring Equinox. It’s calledVosna-En, orlife blooms.Vosna-En is a reminder that time progresses and new life begins just as old life ends. It’s a cyclical holiday celebrating rebirth.”
“That’s interesting. I haven’t noticed so many Malovian holidays since coming here.”
