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"Malleus?”
He was older now. Fine wrinkles appeared around his eyes and mouth. His hair, while still that midnight black, now has strands of silver amongst them.
He had aged. You had never expected to see him this way, honestly. The last time you had seen him, he and Silver were leaving for a meeting in a foreign country. He was ethereal then with his kingly attire, and his smile then conveyed youth.
The Malleus before you still has that unearthly quality, but…he seemed different. It was hard to describe.
“I’ve been waiting for you, beloved.”
He takes your hand and kisses it before cradling it close to his face. Unbidden, tears come to your eyes.
You hold his face with both hands. The smile he gives you then is what causes your tears to flow.
“I’ve missed you.”
“I..I just saw you. You left for a meeting…”
Malleus wipes your eyes as you try to hold in a sob. He explains to you about a magical phenomenon that brought you to the future.
Something that only happens once in a millennium, and you? The amazing you who always gets yourself into these troubles was right in the perfect spot when it occurred.
“But…my Malleus-”
“Worried out of his mind right now,” Malleus chuckles.
You shake your head.
No.
No, you didn’t want him to worry.
You promised you’d hold down the palace until he came back. You promised every-
You’re engulfed in warmth before you could panic more, a hand soothing over your head, “Shh, beloved. It’s okay. It’ll be fine.”
Your arms wrapped around him. Something about hugging this Malleus felt like home, yet it also felt fragile all the same. It felt as if any moment he would crumble, not unlike a statue that withstood centuries that would soon succumb to the fissures it obtained through time.
“I made a promise.”
“And you’ve kept it,” He winks at you, “with a bit of a twist.”
The action has you smiling. Malleus Draconia? In his unearthly aura, winking? How can you not?
He smooths a thumb over your lips, “I missed seeing your smile.”
“How long has it been?”
“Far too long, my dear.”
Lifetimes.
Centuries.
The answer not spoken lingers in the air.
Malleus takes your hands, “Come, let me show you the garden.”
The garden before you is in full bloom.
You recognized this area.
You and your Malleus planned this garden together.
From choosing the seeds, the locations, and even kneeling with dirt covering you both as you both planted each one.
It was hard work, but it bloomed beautifully when spring arrived that year.
To see it so well loved and taken care of thousands of years later, it brings an aching warmth to you.
“For you, beloved,” Malleus hands you a delicate flower.
It’s one not known to humans, only known among the fae, and even then, it was rare.
It’s a flower with a blend of blue and gold.
It glows almost iridescent at the tips.
You had told Malleus that you wanted to see this flower when you discovered it in a book.
But even the power of a king and of a Draconia wouldn’t be enough to find one in full bloom.
Besides its rarity, it was finicky; it had to be taken care of meticulously and in certain environments.
Lastly, it took centuries for it to grow.
Tears streamed down your face before gentle claws wiped them away, "Be at peace, my heart. It was a goal of mine to have made this wish of yours true."
He cups his hands around yours, "By this point, your Malleus would have already planted this little one. This flower will become a beacon—a hope that we will meet each other again."
He kisses you on the forehead, "So don't cry, my love, for your smile is what I did this all for."
What else can you do then? But to give him that very smile?
You cup his cheek, smiling tenderly as he leans into your warmth, "Thank you."
As if the universe had sensed the completion of a sacred vow, magic swirls in the air before a portal opens.
He leans down and kisses you once more, this time on the cheek, "Go, little one, it is time to return to yours."
You had to return, but you weren't one not to return affection.
You pulled him to a kiss.
His arms wrapped around you.
Soft, tender, a fire burning between you two, even centuries later.
You two separate before you start pressing kisses all around his face.
You can feel him shake in laughter.
He holds your chin, "Would that I be allowed to keep you with me, but I won't deny your Malleus your presence."
One last kiss on the lips.
"Now go, Dearest."
You nod, looking him one more time, committing his visage to memory. You knew even on your deathbed; you wouldn't forget this memory.
"I love you."
"I love you too. Until we meet again in the stars, beloved."
With one last squeeze of his hand, you walk into the portal with your precious flower.
When the light clears from your eyes, you see your family waiting for you.
Sebek and Silver, in their knight regalia, tensed and ready to strike, but shocked when they saw you.
Lilia is right next to them, surprised but calm.
Then there was Malleus, your husband in the middle, who looked the same as you last saw him before his meeting.
Very few would recognize the tense shoulder or the anxious turn of his lip, but you knew.
"Dearest?"
It was his voice that broke you out of your reverie.
His voice, which moved your heart.
You ran to him, breaking down once you felt his arms embrace you.
The flower held close between you.
The symbolism of centuries' worth of love.
No.
It Spoke Of:
Eternal love.
The moon and the sun will collide.
The stars will fall.
But this truth will always be:
"I love you."