Old Barn, New Beginnings

The wind sings as it flows through the cracks and holes in the roof. The walls seem to sway slightly with the gusts, but not enough to make me worry. This old barn will hold up, it always has.

It’s where Novak and I have been secretly meeting up for the past eight months. We come from different elven colonies; two that will never see eye to eye.

We didn’t know that when we met, though. We got along fantastically. We met here every week, on the same day at the same time. Even after we found out where the other was from.

Now, I sit waiting for his arrival. The bale of hay beneath me offers something more comfortable to sit on than the cold, earth.

I lean forward to peek through a hole in the roof. The moon is almost at its peak, meaning Novak is late. He’s never late. He also never forgets. Something must have happened.

I lean back onto the haybale, resuming my previous position. Pieces of hay poke at my skin whenever I move, a discomfort I’d like to avoid from this point on. My dress isn’t thick enough to protect me from the small, needle-like strands.

As I’m about to lie down on the hay, the barn doors burst open. Novak stands there, bloody and bruised. I sit up quickly, my eyes widening as I look at him.

“What happened?” I rush over to him.

He places his hands on either side of my face, staring into my eyes. “We should run away together.”

“That doesn’t answer what happened to you, Novak. Who did this? Why?” I ignore what he says, eyeing up all the cuts on his face.

He says nothing for a moment, just holds my face while smiling at me. I reach up and delicately touch his cheek. He cringes when I get near the injuries, meaning they’re very fresh.

Novak presses his forehead against mine, whispering, “the other Romorians found out I’ve been coming to see you.”

I pull away in shock, my mouth open but no words coming out. I make eye contact, Novak’s sea-green eyes offering me a feeling of comfort. It doesn’t last long though; the secrecy of our meetings is gone, putting targets on both of our backs.

“Do they know me by name?” My voice shakes as I ask. Knowledge of my exact identity would basically put me in a coffin right now.

Novak shakes his head, moving his hands down to hold mine. “No, just that I’ve been running off to see a Faronian girl.”

I sigh in relief, knowing my identity is still secret. That’s when it hits me—Novak either told someone about us, or someone has followed us. There’s no way anyone would have found out otherwise.

“How did they find out?” I ask nervously.

“You remember that girl that wanted to marry me a few months ago?” Novak begins. “She didn’t like my constant rejections. She’s been stalking me, followed me here one night, then told everyone.”

I almost laugh at the situation. A jealous girl followed and saw us. I never thought she would resort to such things after the number of rejections as she received, but I was clearly wrong.

“Will you run away with me?” Novak’s tone is more urgent this time.

I nod my head, smiling for the first time tonight. “Yes. I would follow you to the ends of the earth.”

Novak smiles at me, pulling me into a tight hug. We hold each other, neither of us speaking. The only sounds are the creak of this old barn and loose hay sliding across the floor.

“I would kiss you, but I’m afraid that might hurt just a tad,” Novak jokes, breaking the silence.

I laugh and pull back to look at his face again. The cuts range from deep to surface level, all of them bleeding. He has a large cut below his right eyebrow, but his eye itself looks unharmed.

“So where will we go? And when?” I ask impatiently. These are plans we need to make, and soon, since we are no longer secret.

“I’ve got this planned out.” Novak sounds happy now. “We will go to Caelora, the town that accepts beings of all races. We can leave right now.”

I laugh, smiling at him. “You’ve had this planned for a while, huh?”

“I was going to ask you to go with me soon, this is just a bit earlier than I was planning.” Novak’s cheeks gain color. “I have supplies hidden behind the hay.”

I raise a brow at him and walk back to where I was sitting. I lean over the bales, and in the corner, I see two leather packs. I grab them, opening one to see its contents.

It has a full water canteen, matches, a thin blanket, and elvish bread. A smart choice of food, as its properties allow it to stay fresh for months. I glance into the other pack to see more of the same.

“Rosalind,” Novak calls to me, so I turn my attention to him.

I gasp as I look at him, seeing him on one knee. I cover my mouth, and he pulls out a small, blue velvet box.

He opens it to reveal a ring, saying, “Will you marry me?”

Tears well in my eyes and I nod my head. “Of course I will.”

I rush over to him, tackling him to the ground in a hug. He grunts but squeezes me tight. I sit up, realizing I’ve likely put pressure on his wounds.

“I’m sorry, I forgot,” I say, wiping my tears away.

Novak smiles at me. “It’s alright, my love. Here, put it on.”

He slides the ring onto my finger. It has delicate sapphire stones in the center, small diamonds along the sides. I didn’t expect this at all; I would have married him even without a ring.

“Let’s go start our life together.” I stand, helping Novak up as well.

I grab the packs, putting one across my body, and handing him the other. He puts it on the same way. Novak extends his hand to me, which I gladly take.

“Time to say goodbye to our barn. Our safe place,” Novak whispers, squeezing my hand.

I take it all in, memorizing every little detail. Sadness washes over me knowing I’ll never come back. We’ve made so many memories here, it felt like our first home.

I push away the sadness, thinking only of the future. My future with Novak. He starts to walk, leading me out.

Looking over my shoulder, I get my last look at the barn. While its exterior is worn with age, it stands strong. It was our home, the place where our love grew. And we will never forget it.

I hope that our love will be as strong and long-lasting as the place it began.