Fire Nectar 2 by Faleena Hopkins

of your weaker feminine strength! You must know by now – I always win.” He looked to the growing audience of neighbors and villagers for support and encouragement. He received both cheer and chuckle in return. It was known. He always won, yes, but in duels against men. Some in the crowd were curious if his….er…charm…could win the mind and heart of a lady such as Matilda of Flanders.
    Matilda looked round, embarrassed by the scene, and begged, “William, unhand my horse this instant, I implore you!”
    “Not until you promise to be mine!” he announced to all. “This animal will not move forth until I have your word.” William’s large height and strength were impressive as he pet the horse with one hand and staid it with the next. Matilda could see she was trapped. Her horse enjoyed being stroked and had no intention of fighting her incorrigible suitor. She, however, did not bend to his will so easily.
    “You shall not have it!” She replied, smiling despite herself, when the villagers cheered uproariously. Looking ‘round them, long dark braids swinging, she added for emphasis, “You cannot make me marry you, William! You cannot make me! So there!” Oohs and ahhs burst forth from the people around them. All were in awe of the lady’s courage!
    Not liking in the least the reaction this announcement received, he decided he’d had enough of these games. He reached up and with one yank of her braids, pulled her off her horse, feet over head. Flying willy nilly, she squealed, catching her voice as he caught her. Saving her face from an introduction with the hard dry earth, he cradled her in his arms. She gasped and stared at him in shock and disbelief as he brought her face close to his hulking smiling countenance.
    All at once, the world around them disappeared. She gazed into his eyes, quieted. He too, felt the seclusion their closeness seemed to grant. He felt that together they had something infinitely more special than mere mortals should. When he looked upon Matilda’s face, on this and every day, he felt as though his heart would burst, so large it grew. She owned him and his soul… and he hoped, felt and believed that he owned her and hers. But what if he was wrong, he wondered, searching her face, so close to his. What if he was destined to accept her disdain, and not her love? How could he live without her?
    His Achilles-heel brought immortal doubt to his mind and softness to his eyes and voice.
    He must know the truth. He whispered to his love so that only she could hear, “Is it because I’m a bastard, my dearest? Is this why you refuse me? Tell me. I’ll not bother you again, if it is so.”
    Never before this moment, had she seen it. But there it was. She could see a child’s pain hiding in the grown man who held her, and she realized the truth. This beast, so strong and powerful, inwardly believed himself to be unworthy of love and true happiness. The sins of the father and mother, the constant mocking endured as a child, had caused him to question - at the very depths of his soul – whether God had put him here on purpose. With the mask torn off, she could see his honesty, his truth, and she knew…
    He was the other half of her.
    Matilda reached up and she touched his cheeks, felt his skin blend with hers as she whispered, “My love…My William. I see you now. Hear me when I tell you, to be your wife will make me happier than I have ever dreamed of being. I give you my word, my dearest. I am yours.”
    She had found him, she thought. She had found her true love. There was indeed a God and he was good and just. William smiled upon her and lifted her high in the air. When he set her down to stand before him, he took her beautiful head in his hands and kissed her full on the lips, sealing their vow and their love, forever.
    Only when the crowd went wild, did reality jar them out of their dream. William started at the noise, at the people, as his brain came alive to them. He laughed