The sun shone brightly through the break in the trees, setting the little stream asparkle. The bushes were thick and dense, as if to embrace the fresh sweet air and moist brown earth and lush green grass, shrinking time to a single moment of carefree beauty. All was still, but for the gentle trickling of the stream and the distant call of a solitary robin.

And there, before the river, stood she.

Her hair was yellow, like all of the Danai, but so much more than that. It was a river of gold, of light, of lustrous diamonds, flowing smooth and unruffled past an elegant neck and a straight back, to he very floor of the forest. Her pale face was set with two glowing sapphires, with all the radiance of a summer sky, and the simple grace of her emerald dress made her a very queen of the woods.

Struck to silence, he could not help but stare and wonder. She was so beautiful, a queen among men, despite her lowly birth. What could he offer her, the son of a mere farmer, a simple soldier, and part-time stable master? He could never bring her the riches and finery she deserved, so why would she ever choose him, with so much competition?

Then she spied him, and with a cry of joy and gratefulness, she rushed through the clearing and leapt into his waiting arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Oh Seth,” she murmured, “I have missed you so.”

His heart filled with devotion, as he clasped her in his arms and kissed her with all the passion of his heart. “Maeve, my love. It has been too long.” Then he bent his lips to hers, and the world outside faded away, until all that remained were he and the beautiful, magical girl in his arms.

Hours later, they lay on the grassy meadow, with no thought for stains on their clothes or the cares of the outside world. There were only him, and her, and the fresh grass, bright sun, and cool water. But she had always been able to see through him, and he did not doubt she would see the tension evident in every muscle in his body.

Finally, brow furrowed in worry, she gently whispered, “What’s on your mind, Seth?”

Sighing, he took a deep breath, then hesitated, unsure of how to break it to her. No matter how he phrased the news, it could not help but hurt. How could it not? And he couldn’t bear to upset her. If only…

But she had to know; he loved her too much to lie. Slowly, he began to speak, as he distractedly stroked her golden hair. “You know that I saw my brother today, don’t you,” he stated more than asked, and she nodded in response. How could anyone not know when Kellarak, warleader of the Danai and future High King was in their humble village?

“Is he going off to war, Seth?” she asked, running her fingers through his ragged hair. “I know that he’s been training the army for some time, and the barbarians draw nearer every hour. He wanted to say farewell to you and your parents, right? I know you’ll miss him, but he’s a skilled warrior, he’s bound to survive and come back to you.” She smiled warmly, and touched his arm as she added, “I’m glad you’re staying here, Seth.”

Ashamed, he turned his face away, and tears welled up in her eyes. “You’re not going, right?” she pleaded, though her face showed she already new the answer. “Tell me you’re not going, Seth! You promised you’d always stay with me, you promised! You wouldn’t leave me here, would you?”

His eyes grew wet, and he wrapped his arms around her small form, holding her tightly against his chest. “I know, Maeve, my love. I know. I don’t want to leave you either. You know that I’d love nothing more than to stay here forever with you…”

“Then why don’t you?!” she exclaimed, pushing his arms away so she could stare angrily into his eyes. “What has Kel ever done for you? You’ve always been the one helping him, when he was little and alone and you were all he had. But now that he’s so powerful, has he even given your parents any help at all? All he cares about is his stupid war and his stupid duty and his stupid responsibilities. He doesn’t care about you, and you aren’t a warrior like he is. You won’t survive this mission. Do you love him so much more than you love me, that you’ll sacrifice yourself for no reason, just because he says so?”

Angrily, she turned away, but he grabbed her arm and forced her to face him. “No, May,” he responded firmly but sadly, and there was no anger in his voice. How could he yell at his love, so soon before parting? “No,” he continued, ”How could you even think that of me? Do you not know? You are the sun, the moon, the stars. You are the Dryad of the woods, the siren, my own beautiful goddess. You are the angel who guards my dreams, the bright fire to light up my life, the music that adds colour to a dark and lonely world. You are the air I breathe; you are everything I could ever want, everything that could ever matter. Without you, I am nothing. And I know that I am not worthy of even a fragment of the love you have given me, I know that you deserve so much more, but I cannot let you go. Because I love you with every iota of my being, and a life without you would be worse than the very depths of hell. Don’t you see? I love you, I love you so very much…”

He trailed off at the sight of tears down her alabaster cheeks, and gently kissed them away, before gathering her into his arms once more. Softly kissing her pale neck, he murmured, “I love you so much, Maeve.”

Quietly, she responded, “I believe you, Seth. I love you too, more than you can ever know. But if you love me like you say, how can you abandon me? You promised, Seth…”

He sighed sadly. “I know, Maeve, and I wish I could stay. But when Kel’s mother was dying on childbed, and my own mother unable to care for them, there was only me. And I promised her, I promised, as she gave her last breath, that I would look after her son. And even though he doesn’t need me, and maybe doesn’t even want his clumsy older brother anymore, I have to keep that promise. I have to, love!”

He bowed his head, waiting for her judgement, and she smiled sadly. “I understand, love. Your honour is so much greater than most men… but that is one of the reasons I love you. If you could break that vow, you would not be yourself.”

He smiled in pure joy, as he tentatively asked, “So you’ll let me go?”

“Let you go?” she laughed. “I’m coming with you, silly!”

His heart sunk, and in abject horror he exclaimed, “No, May, you can’t!”

She frowned in response, her eyes narrowing as they glowed almost silver in anger. “I can’t go, you say?” she asked, the pure venom in her tone causing him to wince. “Who are you to tell me where I can and can’t go? You’re my fiancé, not my keeper, and I am not some damsel to be protected, Seth! Am I not your equal with sword and spear, your superior at the bow? Did not my father and brothers die to these invaders? Do I not have the right to fight for the land and people I love? What, do you think I’m inferior or something? How dare you?”

Anxious to correct his mistake, he hastily uttered, “No, not inferior, never that. And I know you’re better than me at fighting - who could know better than I? But Maeve, I can’t lose you! Don’t you see, without you, I’m nothing! How could I live, if you died fighting by my side, if I lived my life knowing you were gone because of me? How could you make me suffer that?”

Her eyes glared ever more ferociously, and she almost spat as she retorted, “How could… you… you selfish bastard! ‘How could you live if I died’ – Well, what about ME? How do you think I would feel, being left behind with the elders and the babes and the weaklings, as you went off to battle alone. What if you died, and I could never look upon your face again, and I always wondered if I could have protected you? How do you think I’d feel, having to live my life without you? How could you do that to me? I love you, I want to fight with you, for all the people who have died, for all that I believe in, for our future life together, for us. You will not make me stay.”

Sadness was leaden in his heart as he slowly shrunk to the ground. Brokenly, he uttered, “Then, there is no convincing you otherwise?”

Firmly, certainly, she replied, “No, there is not. With or without your help, I will be part of that army.”

“And you will not ease my heart, just this much, so that I can know you will survive?”

“I will not. We will fight together, and maybe we will die together, but I will not let you die alone. I will not let you leave me.”

He sighed. “My heart will be a very rock in my chest, knowing you are in danger.”

Gently, she put her arms around him, her warm scent of churning butter and baking bread and home surrounding him, and he relaxed in the comfort of her embrace. “Or maybe, as we fight at each others backs, we will lend each other strength, so that together we can achieve what we could not do alone. My bow will sing in your defence, my love, and maybe we will both live to see a new tomorrow. Together.”

“And if we die? If one of us is left alone, Maeve?”

“Then we die in a good cause, and we die together. I would rather spend one more hour with you, in the heat of battle and pain and death, than a thousand years alone but safe.”

Struck dumb by the loyalty and love she had offered him, he merely smiled at her, and pulled her down for another kiss, in their own private sanctuary. He did not know if they would live or die, but it no longer mattered.

Together, they could face anything.