The Wind Valley

The Wind Valley was the deepest and largest valley between the North and the South. Travellers would usually choose to avoid this bad route by going through the populous towns and cities; otherwise, the only way to travel from Isolde to Theros was to cross the rope bridge spanning over the valley. It was the oldest bridge in the land built entirely of rope and thin planks of wood which were dangerously few and far between. It took a significant amount of time to cross it and could not hold more than the weight of two persons. Rowan had crossed it twice, but the second time had felt no different from the first, so he feared Rain wouldn't dare to step on it let alone cross it with him.

They stood on the cliff, holding their breath and watching the bridge swing from side to side like it was about to flip over or just break on its own. The blustery wind was howling like a wild beast as it blew dust and dry leaves everywhere, whirling around them, creating a scene of madness as if threatening to swallow them whole. People said if you fell into the bottomless abyss below would you'd be falling straight to hell, and that thought had haunted Rowan since he was a child.

He couldn't tell Rain that story for he didn't want to scare her, but he didn't have to as he could already sense her fear. She chewed on her lip, her chest was heaving up and down as he reached for her hand, but her hands squeezed into fists and she pulled away quickly.

She hadn't spoken to him since they left the cottage in the woods, and it had been three days. Three days of them acting like strangers who were forced to travel together. Never had he been in a situation where he couldn't come up with anything to say. She only asked and answered questions when she must, and it was killing him.

"I'll go first to make sure it's safe, then Thunder and Lightning, and you'll go last."

"Why do I have to go last?" she asked him, her face contorted. He wasn't sure if she was offended or afraid or just simply angry at him. All could be true, but he didn't dare to ask.

"If all three of us have crossed safely then you'll be safe too," he said.

She rolled her eyes and looked away, thinking for a moment. "Why don't we let the horses go first? Thunder, and then Lightning, then you and me together."

"Okay." Rowan pressed his lips into a smile which Rain completely ignored. She turned back to Thunder, giving him a tight hug and whispering to him that everything would be okay even though Thunder seemed braver than both of them combined. Rowan guessed the horse had gone through worse and this kind of danger didn't scare him anymore, or maybe he was scared but didn't want to let it show and make Rain upset. It was one thing Thunder and Rowan had in common. They would risk their lives for the same girl.

Thunder carefully stepped on the bridge, taking some time to make sure it was secured before he continued. He made it seem so easy and managed to get to the other side in no longer than ten minutes. Lightning, however, struggled a bit more. Rowan and Rain had to hold their breath while watching the poor horse trying to keep her balance on the wobbling bridge. Thankfully, she still got there unharmed.

"Take my hand," Rowan said, and Rain wasted no time to intertwine her fingers with his. She clutched the strap of her satchel and gave a nod to let him know she was ready.

They started off slow with small cautious steps. She was gripping his hand, her knuckles turned white but he was too anxious to feel any pain at this point. He could have been bruised and bleeding and wouldn't have even noticed, for one wrong step could end their lives.

As they walked, he kept reassuring her that there was nothing to be afraid of for he was never going to let her fall. It was a bold statement to make but he meant every single word. He would protect her as long as he stayed alive.

The wind had become stronger, shaking the bridge violently and they had to stop a few times to keep their balance and secure their grip. Rowan's heart skipped a beat as Rain squeezed his fingers. She was so quiet, and although he couldn't see her face, he could imagine what she looked like at that moment, with her cheeks flushed and skin white from the cold and her black hair blowing everywhere like spilt ink in the air, he thought she must look like a frightful yet beautiful mess.

"We're almost there," he said to her and she nodded her head, too scared to make a sound. The closer they got to the other end of the bridge, the lighter Rowan's heart felt. A smile was forming on his face when suddenly a powerful wind knocked them over. Rain screamed as the planks beneath her feet broke and she dropped through the large gap, pulling Rowan with her.

"PEACH!"

He grasped the rope with one hand, her wrist with the other, keeping them both from falling into the abyss. Her body was dangling at deadweight. She shouted his name, tears flying out from her eyes and Rowan was horror-struck yet he forced himself to stay calm.

"You're okay, Peach! I've got you!" He clenched his jaw, using all the strength he had left to try to pull her back up, but the wind was attacking them from all directions. Rain was whimpering uncontrollably, her breaths busting in and out, but she kept her eyes on him and didn't give in to gravity.

"Peach, the satchel..." he hissed, his face was red from pulling too hard. "You gotta...fuck...you gotta let it go..."

"No!"

"You have to, Peach! The gold is too heavy!"

She froze, her glassy eyes met his as her fingers tightened around the strap of the bag. He could tell there was something valuable to her in there, but the only valuable thing to him was her and he couldn't hold onto her any longer if she kept holding onto her satchel. The veins popped up on his neck as he begged, "please, Peach...you must let it go..."

Panting, she took off the satchel with one hand and lifted it towards him. "Take it!"

"I c-can't." His face scrunched up as he shook his head fast. "If I took it, I'd have to let you go."

"Just try!"

"Peach, stop being so fucking stubborn!"

Another wind struck them hard and knocked the satchel out of her hand. She gasped loudly as the satchel, the jewellery, and her crown all fell into the black eternal pit.

Rowan could finally haul her back onto the bridge and hurriedly gathered her small frame into his arms. She lay her head on his chest, sobbing hysterically as he kissed her face. "You're okay, Peach. I've got you. I've got you and I'm never letting you go."

"We've lost all the gold..." she murmured in tears as he pulled her closer.

"It doesn't matter," he said, slowly rubbing her back. "I didn't care about the gold."

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.

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By sundown, Rowan and Rain had reached Vidarr River. Their shadows had faded into the blackness and the heat of the day had been replaced by the chilliness of the night. They decided to rest on the grassland by the river and save their energy to continue their journey at dawn. Rain collected wood. Rowan lit a fire. And they sat down to feast on the bread and fruits May and Mary had packed for them.

Rowan kept stealing glances at the girl during the meal to study her expression and try to guess what was on her mind. She acted like the accident on the bridge had never happened, but he knew deep down she was still shaken and just didn't want to confide in him. He figured he should give her more time and space. Hopefully, she would forgive him before they parted.

"Hey."

Her voice made him flinch. He turned around, startled to see her standing right behind him and she was quick to hold him back by the arm before he tripped over his own feet and fell into the river. Both of them laughed nervously as she let him go and he wiped his wet hands on his pants.

"H-Hey. I was just...washing my hands..."

"Yeah, I could see that." She gave a small smile that made him rather uneasy than elated. She then pulled out a ring from the little pocket of her skirt and handed it to him, leaving him puzzled.

"What's this?"

"For you," she said, staring at the shiny object instead of him. "I'm sorry we've lost all the gold because of me, but I still have this ring so--"

"I told you the gold didn't matter to me so...I can't take this." He pushed her hand away, making her frown.

"But we have made a deal," she asserted.

"Yes." He nodded once. "You would break me out of prison and I would help you reunite with your uncle. You've done your part so now I'm doing mine. I don't want your gold, Peach."

Rain scoffed and rolled her eyes at his response. "You need this ring to get the best doctor for your mother, Rowan. Just take it, please."

Not giving him another chance to refuse, she put the ring in his hand and squeezed it into a fist, holding it tightly. The determination on her face amused him. He could tell she was torn between wanting to stay mad at him and wanting to be grateful to him for having saved her life. If only she knew, she had saved his life since she showed up in that dungeon.

He shook his head and gently grabbed her hand. She had such pretty and soft hands for a maid, and he would've joked about it had she not been mad at him. Her forehead creased as she stared dumbfoundedly at his face while he admired her fingers before sliding the ring on her middle one.

"It looks better on you," he said. She huffed but said nothing back. That was his cue to go on. "I'm very sorry...I know you're going to say you don't want to hear my apology and I owe you nothing, but I know that I was wrong and--and I cannot justify what I did, so I'm not going to give you reasons, I'm just going to apologise."

Rain bit her lip while twisting the ring on her finger. She didn't ask him to shut up so he let out a sigh of relief and continued right away, "I'm sorry for what happened with Mary, and I'm sorry for killing that man right in front of you. I know you were scared and you must think I'm this murderer--"

"I knew that man."

"What?"

"I knew that man, Rowan," she said, unable to look him in the eye. "The guard that you killed, I knew him, and he knew me. He had known me since I was a baby, and that day he was going to kill me anyway. So yes, I was scared, but I wasn't scared of you. And I certainly could not blame you or anyone but myself."

"Peach, you've done nothing wrong..."

"That's not how it feels to me."

The corners of his lips lowered as he took a moment to think. "Was that why you considered marrying Stefan? Because it was the safer choice?"

The questions left her baffled, her mouth fell open. "How do you know about that? I never told you."

"May and Mary did. That was why I got drunk. And when I--I thought...I thought she was you..." he faltered, rubbing the back of his neck, "I wish it had been you..."

Being able to get it off his chest might have been the best feeling he'd ever known. He felt like he could finally breathe, but now he was too afraid to look up and watch her reaction. He waited for her to say something, anything at all. But it was Thunder who broke the silence by neighing loudly and pawing the ground. Rowan breathed into his palms as she turned away, then he heard a gasp.

Fireflies. There were fireflies everywhere!

Hundreds of them lifted off the dewy grass, flying so slowly as if they were struggling against the weight of mist hanging heavily in the night air. They danced in a heady swarm of light like a tiny galaxy on the dark river, giving the place a buzz of excitement one could rarely witness.

Rowan managed to catch a firefly and raised his glowing fists above his head, shouting with the enthusiasm of a little boy, "Peach! I caught one!"

But then he stilled as he saw her, arms spread and tip-toeing on the grass with a cloud of sparks soaring around her. She looked like a fairy stepping out of a storybook, and he couldn't stop himself from gawking, awe transforming his face. His heart beating quickly and his cheeks turned red when they made eye contact. The fireflies parted to make way for him as he came closer.

"You caught one," she giggled as he let the firefly go. It landed on the tip of her nose before joining the others, flying high above their heads. She kept watching them while he was watching her.

The words slipped out faster than he could think, "I would like to court you."

She looked at him, blinking rapidly. He thought she'd missed that so he said it again, "I would like to court you...if you'd allow me. Not right now, of course. You need time to think it over and to forgive my foolish mistakes, and...and we still need to get you home to your uncle. But I don't want to wait until we say goodbye to finally tell you this."

She breathed out a nervous laugh, his heart pounding harder.

"Why are you talking nonsense, Rowan?"

"I'm not."

"You don't mean it."

"I do! I could be uncertain about a lot of things but you are never one of them!"

Rain huffed and turned away, but he managed to seize her wrist and held onto it even though she was scowling at him.

"Please don't turn me down just yet. My heart would break if you said no now, but it would also break if you said yes and changed your mind tomorrow. Please wait until we get to Theros to give me your answer. Whatever you choose then, I'd be happy to accept."

A line appeared between her brows as she took in the sight of a distressed Rowan. She had never seen him like this before, and neither had he. It had come naturally with Kenny as he had always known he would fall in love and be with her when they got older. This was nothing he could have expected. And as much as it scared him, it was everything he wanted and more. After almost losing her twice, he could not waste another opportunity to tell the truth.

"Fine," she calmly said, lifting her chin. "Now we should get some sleep."

Rowan loosened his grip and let her go back to where Thunder and Lightning were resting by the fire. It felt like their previous conversation had never happened, and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing. He could only hope she would still be there when he woke up in the morning.

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Rowan woke up when little droplets alighted on his skin. The morning was dark and overcast. Black clouds sprawled across the sky, draining colours from the trees, as the air grew heavier and the humidity pressed down, suffocating. The horses were still there but Rain was nowhere to be seen. He frantically got up and looked around, wondering where she could have possibly gone. He had to find her in case she couldn't get back before it rained.

He called out her name and wandered along the riverbank until he found one of her shoes lying near the edge of the water. His face turned ashen. Without a second thought, he dropped his coat and dived headfirst into the black water, just as Rain appeared from the trees, frozen in shock.

"Rowan!" she shouted and sprinted towards the river. "Rowan, oh God! Rowan!"

It wasn't until she jumped into the deep end that she remembered she couldn't swim. The currents pushed her down. The more desperately she moved her limbs, the faster she sank, and as her heart started beating frantically, images of the first time she almost drowned in the same river flashed through her mind in a split second. That was when Rowan grabbed her and towed her back to the surface. She coughed into his chest as he lay her on the grass, mumbling "you're okay, Peach, you're okay" until she regained awareness and finally opened her eyes.

A stillness fell over the forest, and in the silence came a low crackle of thunder. Everything stopped for a moment. A silvery streak split the grey sky in half, and the downpour began. Rowan picked up Rain's shoe and carried her to the nearest tree, and they sat under it to take shelter from the rain. She was still trembling and clinging onto him, so he stayed still until she was calm enough to loosen her grip and look up to meet his gentle gaze.

He tucked a wet strand behind her ear, looking rather concerned. "Why did you jump in when you couldn't swim?"

"I-I forgot."

Her answer made him frown yet he couldn't help but chuckle. "You forgot that you couldn't swim?"

"I don't know..." She bit her bottom lip, her forehead puckered. "I just thought...I just thought you had fallen into the water. I couldn't bear to lose you...so I jumped in."

"Aww, Peach. My sweet Peach." He sighed and kissed her forehead a couple of times as she laughed quietly into her palms.

"Why did you jump in?" she asked.

"I woke up and you were gone, then I saw your shoe by the river and thought you'd drowned," he said, making her laugh as her face relaxed.

"I was cold so I went into the forest to collect some more wood to light a fire. I dropped my shoe and my hands were full, so I left it there for when I got back. You needn't have worried about me. I'm not that stupid little girl anymore."

Confusion overtook Rowan's face as he stopped twirling her hair and pulled back a bit, their eyes meeting. He didn't have to question. She had realised what she'd said. She swallowed hard, pressed her lips together and quickly looked away.

"That was you," he uttered. It wasn't a question. It was him confirming what he already knew. She flinched when he pressed his cold palm against her cheek and turned her face back to him.

"When did you find out?" she finally asked.

"When we were in the cave," he said with a smile. "You asked me if Kenny was my betrothed and went ahead to explain what it meant. And I just...I just knew."

"So why didn't you say anything?"

"I wasn't sure then."

"Still...you should have said something." She pouted while snuggling her nose into his shoulder.

Beaming, he nudged her slightly. "What about you? When did you find out?"

"When Stefan called you Crow."

Rowan scoffed, rolling his eyes.

There was another moment of comfortable silence before she went on, "I'd spent ten years thinking about the boy who saved my life, and wondering what would have happened if I had gone with him that day instead of going back. But now I know."

"Do you regret it?" He lifted an eyebrow.

"Unfortunately, no," she said, and both of them laughed together.

The rain continued, less torrential than before, and the gloomy clouds had cleared enough for the sun to shine through. Drops of water trickled down her back, her wet clothes clinging to her body and her hair dripping, but she had never felt so warm. She sat between his legs, her back against his chest, her head on his shoulder as they shared the same damp coat he had worn before jumping into the river.

"Were you with the Callistos that day in the forest?" he asked.

She gave a timid nod, for a second forgetting who she was supposed to be. "I followed Egon and fell into the river. I got in so much trouble when I got back."

"Were you close to him?"

"Yes." She shrugged. "Sadly, he got worse when he grew up. He was still terrible back then but at least he was just a kid."

Rowan was quiet for a moment so she tilted her head to see his face. He was pouting, and when he heard her snort at his expression, he hugged her a bit tighter. "I can't imagine the two of you being close. So that's why he's so crazy about you."

"He's not crazy about me." She chuckled as he pressed his cheek against hers.

"Stefan said Egon had asked his men to kill me and bring you back alive. He clearly wants you for himself."

That was when it occurred to Rain that Rowan was...jealous. He was jealous of her brother. She burst out laughing at the idea, making him confused but also embarrassed. His cheeks were flushed as he asked, "what's so funny?"

"Nothing." She grinned. "I didn't think of you as the jealous type."

She expected him to joke about it as he normally would, but he was quiet all of a sudden. She freaked out a little, trying to figure out what she'd done wrong, but then he said, "how did you think I felt every time I saw you with Stefan?"

"I didn't have feelings for Stefan."

"But those sisters told me that you did, and the way you acted made me believe that you did." The corners of his mouth turned down as he sucked in a harsh breath. "And I just felt like Stefan would be a better fit for you as he wasn't a liar and a thief and a murderer--"

"Rowan, you're none of those things to me." She cupped his face and leaned closer, her breath fanning his lips. "I'm sorry I made you feel that way. I wasn't afraid of you. I could never."

"Really?" he asked, his voice was breathy and quiet.

"Yes!" She nodded fast and turned around, getting on her knees to fully face him and cup his cheeks. "I feel like...I feel like everything is scary except for you. And this might sound very stupid but-but sometimes it worries me how I could see myself letting you hurt me badly and not being able to hate you for it."

She held his gaze, her breaths busting in and out. Rowan's face twisted as if he could feel everything she was feeling at that moment.

"I swear I won't ever hurt you again," he told her.

"You swear on your life?" she asked after a quiet moment and his smile grew wider, his fingers touching her cheek.

"I swear on my life."