Oberi was still soaking wet when we got in the limo. Ava used her Water magic to dry his husky fur, and we traveled to the botanical gardens located on the other side of the city.
It was completely quiet here, and Ava noticed. “Where is everyone?”
“My grandfather reserved the gardens. It’s only us here,” I explained. I didn’t want anyone else around for this, because I wanted it to be a private moment. I knew if there were people around they’d swarm us with cameras the minute I went to ask. The guards backed off to surround the perimeter of the gardens, finally leaving us alone.
We reached the gardens, and I pushed Ava through the gate. Oberi shifted into phoenix form and flew above us. Floral scents hit my nose, and a fountain trickled nearby. The sun was warm on my skin, and the air was pleasant, with a slight breeze. The gardens were peaceful and full of birdsong.
“It’s really pretty here!” Ava said brightly. “There are flowers of every color, and hedges surround the perimeter. You won’t believe the size of these sculptures. There are two massive sculptures of the Elvish goddesses, both covered in ivy and flowers. One of them has a fountain coming out of her hand that flows into a pond. That’s Idril— I recognize her from paintings in the palace.”
There were statues and sculptures all throughout the gardens. Ava explained that they looked like trees of twisting metal rising into the sky hundreds of feet. Hanging plants, ivy, and vines dangled from the tree limbs. The pathways were made of cobblestone, and we had to cross a couple of intricately crafted bridges over a winding river to journey around the gardens. My Earth magic felt how much plant life there was here, and it was incredibly abundant. The Elves had spared no expense in crafting this garden to be as beautiful as possible.
“There are ancient ruins here, unchanged from Ithriel. I can tell by the architecture and the quality of the stone that it’s genuine,” Ava said. “But the Elves have fashioned the plants to grow up the stone columns. The landscape is accommodated within the gardens, not the other way around. The Elves worked with the land, instead of destroying it to suit how they wanted the layout to be, but the pathways are still smooth and level enough that I can get through.”
It seemed to be a theme of the Elves. Instead of changing things or forcing them to adapt, they worked with what was available to suit everyone.
And you know what? They always made something better than the other supernatural societies did, because of the way they thought about things.
I heard the rushing of water nearby, and my breath caught, because I knew we were close to our destination.
“There’s a waterfall up ahead,” Ava said. “But the path looks like it goes right through it.”
“We have to go through the waterfall to get to the other side of the gardens,” I said, and I grabbed the handles of her chair. “You ready?”
“Absolutely.”
I picked up the pace and started jogging forward. Ava let out a little noise of excitement as we approached the waterfall,but instead of getting wet, the waterfall parted like curtains, allowing us through. As we stepped on through to the other side, I felt the Air around me vibrate with the sensation of hundreds of little wings.
“Oh,” Ava said in glee. “It’s a butterfly garden.”
“What’s it like?”
Oberi nestled in the trees above us. Ava moved forward and said, “There are so many I can’t even count them all. There’s monarchs, swallowtails, painted ladies, and others I can’t name. The butterflies look like a rainbow flying through the sky, crawling on all the different flowers. There are so many.”
She wheeled forward and laughed. “They’re landing on me. It tickles.”
Her back was turned to me. This was it. The big moment. I wanted this to be perfect, and I had to remember everything that I wanted to say.
I reached out to pick a flower. I felt the petals and realized it was a peony, still not in bloom. The petals hadn’t opened up yet.
I slipped the ring inside, took a deep breath, and stepped forward. “Ava. We’ve been married for almost a year, and you know how much I love you.”
“Of course. I love you, too. More than you’ll ever realize.”
I slowly got down on one knee. “Enough to marry me again?”
She turned around. I used my magic to make the flower I was holding bloom. Inside was the ring.
Ava let out a loud, surprised scream, like I’d jumped out from behind a corner. “What are you doing?!”
That wasn’t the reaction I’d been expecting. “I’m… asking if you’d like to get married again.”
I could feel her pounding heartbeat quivering across our bond. She was in shock. “But… why? We’re already married.”
“Because I love you. Because I want to live the rest of my life with you. Because every moment with you is like livinganother lifetime, and I want to live a thousand more. Because you deserve to have a gorgeous wedding and be a beautiful bride. Because I want to tell the world that you’re my wife, and I’m your husband.”
“I don't need any of that, because I have you,” she insisted.
“But you never got the pretty dress, or the celebration, or the traditional ceremony, and I want to give all of that to you. I know people say that doesn’t matter, but it matters tous, and I want to provide that. I have the opportunity to give you your dream, and I want to make you happy. So what do you say, pidge? We didn’t get to choose last time, but we can make a choice now. Do you want to be mine, forever?”
