*Kai*
It was hard to believe it had been nearly eight years since my sister and I arrived in the valley.
It was so long ago that there was a haziness surrounding the mory. It was not that parts of it were blurry, but there was a dream-like quality to it. I had been a scrawny eighteen-year-old at the ti, still very much a kid in a lot of ways.
What I rembered most about that day was my excitent for entering the unknown. I loved my initial ho in Drogomor, but all throughout my life, I felt like I was sothing of an outcast. My older siblings seed to know what they wanted to do in life. Kellan would be Alpha of Drogomor, and Briella always planned to lead their military.
I was a healer but hadn’t always wanted to be one. My siblings seed to have destinies lined up for them as soon as they opened their eyes at birth. As a shy child, I tended to fall into the shadow of my older siblings, allowing them to take the spotlight and the attention.
My parents were good though. They didn’t allow to just disappear and fall into the background. They encouraged to do what I wanted, but I had no clue what I wanted. It was my mother who realized how compassionate and kind I was, suggesting that I go the healing route as soon as I was old enough to comprehend those topics.
I doubted her instincts at first. I hadn’t seen myself as kind or compassionate. I was quiet and shy, often spending my free ti reading. However, when I began taking courses to pursue dicine and began training with so of the older healers, I found that my mother had been right. Not only did I seem to be absorbing the material pretty quickly, but I also enjoyed caring for people. There was sothing satisfying about it. I wanted to help people.
When Briella was asked to go to Embervale to learn about the ancient magic of our mother’s people, stories that we were told as children ca flooding back. My siblings and I grew up listening to tales of the magical realm.
The ones that stood out to the most were the ancient dicinal rituals that were practiced by the valley’s priests. It was like my voice ca out on its own when I requested to accompany Briella to the realm.
It felt like my chance was being handed to on a golden platter. Maybe it was presumptuous of to assu that I would be welco in that magical realm, but for the first ti in my life, I felt a strong desire to pursue sothing.
It had happened so suddenly, but I knew at that mont that I was ant to go to Embervale.
I flipped a few pages in the book I had grabbed, a small grin forming on my face. I could have never predicted what my life would beco. Briella and I assud we would return to Drogomor after a few months. In the past few years, I had only been back to Drogomor a couple of tis a year.
I heard so light footsteps in front of and looked up. I couldn’t stop the warm smile from spreading out across my face.
Lillian was across the large room and clearly hadn’t noticed sitting at one of the library desks. The library would be closing soon, so she probably didn’t notice I was there. She was often extrely unaware of her surroundings.
It was a personality trait that both terrified and endeared .
I felt a mischievous part of surface. I quietly closed my book and stood from the desk so I could make my way over to her.
We had been dating for years, but the sight of her still caused excitent to flit through . She was wearing a light yellow sumr dress. Her long hair was twisted into a long braid own her back. She had a small white ribbon tied around the end to secure the hairstyle.
She looked very cute.
I leaned against a nearby bookshelf for a couple of monts, just content to watch her. Her fingers skimd one of the titles. She took a breath in before stretching even further, barely able to wrap the tips of her fingers around the biding to pull it down. She turned, staring down at the book for a mont before she noticed standing there.
Her bright blue eyes widened, and she dropped the book in surprise. “Kai,” she said, her tone chiding, as her cheeks dusted a soft pink color. “You scared .”
I chuckled. “Didn’t you notice sitting right over there?” I asked, gesturing behind to the table I had been occupying.
Lillian’s cheeks darkened as she shook her head, looking embarrassed.
My heart ward at her bashfulness. I had assud that her shyness would diminish the longer we were together, but she still blushed so easily.
It was one of her many traits that I found adorable.
“You got off work early,” she noted, tilting her head slightly as she smiled. She skipped toward and tiptoed so I could press a kiss to her mouth.
“A little bit,” I confird, wrapping my arms around her waist in a greeting hug. “The delivery went much more smoothly than we were expecting. Mother and baby are doing well.”
I had originally expected to be working overti that night with one of the won in our village having gone into labor earlier in the day. Thankfully, she gave birth much more quickly than expected, leaving free to take off a bit earlier than normal.
“I ca here to read and wait for you,” Lillian said sweetly. “If I had known you were getting off early, I would have waited at the infirmary cafe or sothing.”
“It made sense for you to wait here,” I said. “It’s not too far for to walk over. You would have been bored at the infirmary.”
“I could never be bored where you are,” she said quietly.
I felt any previous tension from the day’s stress completely leave my body. I never expected to find love in Embervale, and I sohow found the kindest woman in existence.
“Have you eaten yet?” I asked. I reached out and gently plucked the book she held out of her hands so I could carry it for her. My eyes skimd the cover before I glanced over at her, my eyebrows rising. “Another romance?”
Lillian bit her lip shyly before her hands shot out so she could take the book back. “Of course,” she said, sticking her tongue out at . “You should know that I read these by now.”
I ruffled her hair with a laugh. It was clear that she knew very well that I was teasing her. “Would you like to go out for dinner tonight?” I asked. “I thought we could go into town and get sothing.”
Lillian bead up at . “I would like that,” she said.
I nodded and reached down to take her hand. “The honor is mine,” I told her warmly, marveling at how after eight years, the butterflies that sward in still raged violently when she was near.
Lillian and I were both working at the infirmary the next day. Lillian worked mainly with infants and children, so she usually worked in the morning while I took more shifts in the afternoons and evenings.
I worked with both children and adults. Once in a while, we had the pleasure of working together.
I grinned at Lillian as we approached the room of the patient we were seeing—the woman who had just given birth the day before.
“I love this part of my job,” Lillian said, skipping lightly as we closed in on the room.
I laughed fondly. “You look like you’re headed off to get dessert instead of work,” I said.
Lillian giggled. “I can’t help it,” she gushed. “I love newborn babies. There’s sothing so peaceful and sweet about them.”
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from voicing my opinions on newborns. They were so squishy-looking in my opinion. I wasn’t going to tell my girlfriend that though since she looked so excited.
I opened the door and held it open for Lillian to enter ahead of . “Good morning,” Lillian chirped.
Both mother and baby were awake. The mother was sitting up cradling her child. She looked exhausted, but I noted that she had a healthy hue to her face and her eyes were wide and focused.
I checked the mother over while Lillian took the baby in her arms and started with its care. “How are you feeling?” I asked the mother.
“I’m doing much better than yesterday,” she said. “I’m just really tired right now and sore.”
“You’ll feel even better by the end of the day,” I promised her. “I’m going to do a quick healing ritual on you. It should help with the pain and give your body the strength it needs to heal the cuts you accumulated during labor.”
“Thank you,” the new mother said with a deep sigh.
I nodded and began the ritual, reaching into my white coat pocket to retrieve the magical serum to spread over her stomach. After murmuring a simple healing chant, I spread the glowing mixture over so of the deeper cuts on her tummy, watching carefully as the skin began to knit itself together more firmly than it had before.
“That already feels so much better,” the mother sighed, her eyes shining with gratitude. “Thank you.”
“Of course,” I said gently.
I turned to go but not before stepping over to where Lillian was retrieving information on the baby. She had the little child on a small table, taking its weight and other vital data to ensure the infant’s health.
“You’re doing so well,” Lillian cooed, jotting down so notes before scooping the little baby up in her arms and swaddling it in a thin blanket.
I felt my whole body begin to lt as I gazed at my girlfriend holding a stranger’s baby. She seed to be glowing as she cradled the child. Her face was so gentle, her movents graceful as she walked over to hand the baby back to the mother.
Sothing happened inside of then. I could only stare at my girlfriend. It was as if I was seeing her for the first ti. I had known that her compassion toward others was unmatched. She was the most selfless person I had ever t, hardly ever thinking about herself and always making herself available to help those around her.
“Kai?”
I blinked and shook my head slightly. It took a mont to realize that Lillian was staring at oddly.
She tilted her head to the side. “Is sothing wrong?” she asked, concern creating a little wrinkle between her eyebrows.
I wanted to kiss the tiny divet away, but I held back, knowing that it was a professional setting and I needed to act as such. I settled for giving her a warm, reassuring smile.“Nothing at all,” I said. I nodded first to the mother and then to her before taking my leave.
As I walked down the hall to my next patient, I decided that I was going to ask Lillian to marry .
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