Clayton’s eyes widened. “Oh! I almost forgot!” He exclaimed. “There was another reason I came to find you.” He told them and dug into his Bottomless Bag for something. A moment later he withdrew a small wooden box. “Your rings were completed.”
Isaac took the offered box and handed it to Lenna to open. Lenna slowly opened the lid to reveal a paired set of onyx and diamond rings. The entirety of the bands were made of the two crystals and layered with golden enchantment runes. The four rings were nestled in individual slots carved into the interior of the box. The reason for them being kept well away from each other was because Isaac had wanted them to fuse together on their wedding day. Each of the onyx rings carried with them the enchantment that would cause them to glow when the wearer of the other ring was in pain. Unfortunately it did not care how much pain the other person was in just that they were in pain. Each of the diamond ones carried with them the soul shielding effect of the Protection from Divination enchantment.
“They look just like how I imagined they would.” Isaac said.
Lenna nodded. “They are beautiful. The gold looks very dark against the diamond and the opposite against the onyx. It makes the enchantment runes standout quite beautifully.” She complimented them. “Put mine on me.” She told him and held out her left hand.
Isaac smiled warmly at her and withdrew the diamond ring that fit her. “I’ll need to take the silver one off in order to put the diamond one on.” He explained.
“I can’t wear them all at the same time?” She questioned.
Isaac chuckled. “You can, but the silver one will need to go on your other hand.” He explained.
Lenna handed the box back to Clayton so both of her hands were free. She quickly moved the silver promise ring that Isaac had buried in a chocolate cake those many weeks ago. She put it on her ring finger on her right hand and then handed him her left one. “I’m ready.” She told him.
Isaac smiled warmly at her and took her hand in his. He gently slipped the crystal band over her knuckles and into place. There was a small divot and a small bump on opposing ends of the exterior edge of the ring. That was where the onyx ring would slot into place and they would become one inseparable ring of onyx, diamond, and gold. “Thank you for agreeing to marry me.” Isaac told her.
“Thank you for asking me.” Lenna replied with the most radiant smile Isaac had seen from her up until that point. “I love you, Isaac Wexler.”
“I love you too, Lenna V’Nova.” Isaac replied with so much love in his heart that he felt like it was about to burst. Just then, the sound of breaking glass brought the world around them back into focus.
Isaac and Lenna both jerked slightly and honed in on the origin point of the sound. A middle-aged man with disheveled hair and a slight flush to his face stood dumbstruck a dozen feet from them. Their entire conversation had taken place just outside of the Celestial Dawn as that was where Clayton had caught them. The drunken man had just let the bottle slip out of his hand while he watched the romantic spectacle.
Across the street a woman stage-whispered to her partner: “If even the scary black magic man can be romantic to his lover then why can’t you?!” Her words made Lenna blush as she too had forgotten about the world around them as soon as the rings had come into view.
Clayton cleared his throat. “Well, now that your moment has been sufficiently ruined, congratulations, again, but I really must be going.” He apologized and handed the box back to Lenna. Lenna took the box from him without even realizing it and then looked at Isaac with wide eyes. Clayton nodded to them both and took his leave immediately afterwards.
“Someone is bound to see you as more than just a beautiful killing machine at some point.” Isaac told her. “I know how you are about public displays of affection but I’m pretty sure that the entire city will know about this by tomorrow.”
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“It is also going to get exaggerated all the while.” Lenna groaned. “Why couldn’t we have had this conversation inside?”
“Because then this lovely turn of events wouldn’t have happened.” Isaac replied with a grin.
“You’re killing me.” Lenna exaggerated. “I feel as though I could die of embarrassment in any heartbeat.”
Isaac laughed. “Let’s go inside and get you a drink. Then no one would be able to tell if it was the alcohol or the embarrassment that has you red in the face.” He teased her. Lenna narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m sorry.” He replied. “But this is quite fun. And you, my darling beautiful ancient warrior, are rarely this adorable, so I am making the most of it.” Lenna kicked him in the shin.
—
Sometime before Sera, Izen, and their entourage returned, a certain graying ginger haired woman came knocking. Isaac and Lenna were relaxing in their room, reading some of the pile of books they often borrowed from the Guild library, when the knock had come. Lenna, who was closer to the door, got up and opened it to reveal Jessica Silverstrand standing in the doorway with a huge grin. “They are finished.” She told them proudly. Her gray eyes were practically glowing and her silver and auburn stranded hair was a slight mess from the rush that she had been in to meet the duo.
“Jessica?” Isaac said from over his book. “It’s been a while. What’s finished?” He questioned and then got a good look at her face.
“The drider silk clothes.” Lenna stated. “The treatments are finished?”
“Yes.” Jessica replied. “I did not want to bring them out of the shop without someone capable of guarding them but I absolutely had to tell you as soon as they were finished. It is a shame that Sera is in the capital right now. Oh I cannot wait to show her!”
Isaac chuckled at the older-middle aged woman’s excitement. “Do you want us to go see them tonight or can we wait until the morning?” Isaac asked her. “I am excited to see them too but, well, how do I put it nicely?”
“You need sleep.” Lenna told the younger woman. “There are bags under your eyes that one night’s rest will not get rid of.”
“Oh!” Jessica exclaimed and clapped her face. “I see.” She said with a yawn. It was as if any exhaustion had been put off until she had the time to notice it and Isaac and Lenna had just pointed it out. “Yes. Tomorrow.” She agreed.
“Stay in one of Celeste’s spare rooms tonight and when you get up in the morning we will go to the shop to see them.” Isaac told her. “It won’t do to have the best dressmaker in Safeharbor pass out from exhaustion on the street.”
Jessica nodded. “Okay, yes, I will do that.” She told them and turned to leave.
“Rest well, Jessica.” Lenna told the dressmaker.
“Goodnight.” Isaac added.
“Goodnight.” Jessica parroted. Little did the dressmaker know but she would not be up in time for breakfast the next day.
—
Inside what amounted to an armored and warded warehouse stuffed behind the Silverstrand Seamstress there were spools of drider silk and a bag of clippings and threads that were too short to use properly. There were mannequins with padding strapped and clipped onto them to make them the same size as the person that was going to wear whatever had been on them. There were barrels of an expensive treatment that would make the naturally extremely flammable drider silk completely fire retardant. The shop was eerily silent as the Silverstrands, that had been working in it up until the night before, were now all resting or enjoying the freedom that came from a finished project.
“This place feels like an old ruin that was frozen in time.” Isaac commented as Jessica tapped on an iron slate just inside the door that caused all of the magical lanterns to turn on. Some of them were the yellow of firelight, some of them were the sharp white of glowing stones, and even more of them were the soft white of the summer sun. The reason for the myriad of lights was so that the colors of their projects could be inspected in every manner of lighting that they would be observed in.
“They worked hard on these. Drider silk has such low friction and is so fine yet slightly stretchy that it is awful to work with.” Jessica explained.
“You looked like you worked quite hard yourself.” Lenna commented.
“I was not working with the silk at all. The reason for my exhaustion was that I was doing everything else while the girls worked with it.” Jessica explained. She led them over to a mannequin dressed in a petticoat and corset. The undergarments were made of fine silver silk that looked shiny but was not reflective. On a chair next to it was a folded pair of under armor for Lenna. “All I can say is both of you had better not have lost or gained any weight.” Jessica told Lenna. “They were made to your measurements but unlike most clothing, modifications cannot be done properly if at all. It is what it is.”
Lenna nodded. “I understand.” She replied and hesitantly set her hand on her new clothes. “It’s soft.” She whispered.
“Of course, it is silk.” Jessica told her. “Well, try it on.” Lenna looked at her wide eyed. “Oh not here, you know where the fitting room is.” She replied and waved her along. Once Lenna was on her way, Jessica turned to Isaac. “This gift, for my friend, thank you.” She told him. “I know that it was me and mine that did all the work but this is still a priceless artifact that you are giving her.”
Isaac nodded. “I know.” Isaac replied. “Sera is our greatest benefactor and patron, not to mention an amazing friend. I couldn’t let anything happen to her. If anything happens to me, I need to know that someone with real power will be looking out for Lenna. There were too many reasons for me to ensure her safety to not give her something like this. My hope is that it is worn but never needed, for both of them.”