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Dohalim had been behaving strangely lately. He left the inn early in the morning and didn't come back until late in the evening. Kisara thought that something was bothering him, but every time she asked him about it, he brushed her off. This hurt her more and more, because he had to know that he could talk to her about anything.
Two years had passed since the reunion. Sometimes it seemed like it was yesterday and sometimes she longed for the evening of Nottio and Cagari's wedding. On that evening there was just the two of them and no obligations. And now they had more than enough of those.
Dohalim and Kisara visited all the realms and carried out various Tasks. While Dohalim concentrated on improving relations between the two races, Kisara was busy training guards who could intervene in conflicts. Depending on the realm, there were more or fewer of them.
In Menancia, as was to be expected, the coexistence of the Dahnans and Renans was the most peaceful. Thanks to her and Dohalim's work, this was a utopia that they wanted for all of Dahna. Kisara was very proud of what she and Dohalim had achieved. Despite their hard work, each of them was happy to be able to hold the other in his or her arms again in the evening.
They ate together and told each other about their day. The two of them was there to help and advise each other.
Kisara could not hide her great happiness, because it was obvious to everyone that she and Dohalim had formed a deep bond. She loved him like no one before and certainly no one after. Sometimes she caught herself thinking about her last conversation with Alphen before the battle with the Great Spirit. One day she would own a house with a fishing pond and this would surely be the home for her and Dohalim that she had always dreamed of. But that day was still far away, because her task was far from complete.
But she could not dwell on her thoughts of the future for long, because Kisara also had a full schedule and now had to start her day's work quickly. After a strenuous stay in Mahag Saar, the orderly life in Menancia would do her good again. Every time she and Dohalim returned to this realm, it almost felt like coming home.
The guards in Viscint were now excellently trained and Lagill, as her deputy, had the troops well under control, so there was not much for Kisara to do today. After she had done the paperwork, she decided to go to the market and buy ingredients for a feast. Dohalim would not get away so easily this evening.
She missed his presence sorely, which she now realized all the more. After returning to the inn, she wanted to get straight to work when she found a note in their shared room.
“Meet me at Talka Pond Path.”
A little surprised, Kisara put on fresh clothes and set off. Then she realized that she had forgotten something important. After all, she couldn't miss the opportunity to land a big fish, but there was no sign of her fishing rod.
As it was now getting dark, she went without it. As it was not far from Viscint to her destination, she got there in just a few minutes. Since the reunion of the worlds, no more Zeugle were walking around this path, which made it the perfect retreat for Kisara. She could go fishing in peace without having to worry about being attacked. And fishing was much easier without armor.
Sometimes Dohalim accompanied her and the two enjoyed carefree hours. However, fishing was out of the question then, but mostly the two knew how to spend their time. As Kisara followed the path, she could see Dohalim from afar. He seemed even more solemn this evening than usual. The peaceful atmosphere underlined this impression.
He must have heard her, because he walked quickly towards her and pressed his lips to hers without saying a word. This kiss was so passionate that Kisara completely forgot to worry about her missing fishing rod. At that moment, only Dohalim counted and nothing else matters.
After a few moments, he pulled away from her and gave her his most wonderful smile.
“I see you got my message.”
“This came… surprising.” Kisara gave him a puzzled look.
“Please excuse me. You must be wondering why I asked you to come here?” In fact, Kisara wanted to know nothing more than the reason for their meeting. She nodded and Dohalim grabbed her hand and started moving. Kisara immediately followed him. The evening atmosphere had always been special here.
The two of them shared many beautiful and exciting memories of this place. Kisara liked to remember how they had sneaked out here almost every day in the early days of their relationship to enjoy hours of intimacy. Later she had gone fishing and Dohalim had accompanied her. However, the fire of the early days had never completely gone out and, although it burned less often, it was all the brighter. This gave her the idea of what Dohalim might be planning to do with her.
“May I know the reason for our trip?” Kisara was almost bursting with curiosity. But Dohalim didn't let it show.
“Just a little bit further and you'll see for yourself.” The anticipation on his face was obvious, so Kisara decided to be a little more patient, even though it was difficult. They were almost at the pond when she noticed a change.
A neatly laid path made of stones led from the pond up to a house that she had never seen before. When Dohalim noticed her discovery, he also stopped and smiled at her with a mischief.
“What kind of place is this, Do? I'm pretty sure that this house wasn't here last time.”
“Your powers of observation are serving you well. Your conclusion is absolutely correct.” Her astonished expression must have spoken volumes, because Dohalim now asked a little more seriously:
“Would you like to go inside?” He held out his hand to her and the two of them set off. The closer they came, the more Kisara could examine the house. It seemed very new, but the architectural style was very familiar to her. All the houses in Viscint were built in the same way, but this one had a veranda with a small seating area that invited you to sit down and enjoy the wonderful view of the fishing pond.
The veranda was shaded by a small roof supported by stone pillars, which made it easy to cope with even the hottest days in Menancia. The typical white mosaic stones were of course also a must as flooring. Dohalim had meanwhile walked quickly ahead and held the front door open for her. Since Kisara was so busy examining the house, she went in without saying a word. The sight inside had also left her speechless. On the left was a fully equipped stone kitchen. It was decorated in light tones and flooded with light from a large window that revealed a beautiful garden. Unfortunately, Kisara couldn't see much more because it was late.
The rest of the house was also decorated in light tones and had the typical mosaic floor tiles that could be found throughout Viscint and characterized the cityscape. To the right of the spacious entrance area was a large table with enough space for six people. Kisara was overwhelmed by the interior of the house, as she had always wanted one like this.
She could hear Dohalim slowly approaching. He stopped behind, put his arms around her and whispered in her ear:
"How do you like our future sanctuary?" Kisara turned around abruptly and almost gave him a black eye, but he managed to dodge.
"Assuming you finally want to move out of the inn?" His smug manner had not escaped her. Kisara had now recovered herself and answered.
"So you've been doing this in secret for the last month."
"You surely understand why I did it?" I wanted the surprise to be perfect." Kisara couldn't help but hug him tightly. He had done all this for her and her future. She pulled him close and kissed him. However, she was desperate to know what else he had planned and pulled away from him again.
“This interruption was most welcome, but you shouldn’t distract me any further, otherwise I’ll completely forget why we’re here.” Dohalim had a wistful tone when he whispered this sentence in her ear.
“Now all our tasks are fulfilled, or almost. I noticed when we returned to Menancia this time that my desire to finally settle down was growing ever stronger.” Kisara looked into his beautiful brown eyes again. For a moment, nothing else seemed to exist for her except Dohalim. As he put his hand on her face, he seemed to feel the same way.
“I think you feel the same way. I knew from a reliable source that you dreamed of a house just like this.” Now Kisara pricked up her ears.
“So Alphen did tell you about our conversation after all. I asked him to keep quiet.”
“It’s not his fault. I couldn’t sleep that night and I heard this part of your conversation.” Dohalim shrugged apologetically. Kisara couldn't stay mad at him for long, because contrary to her fears, this house was her long-cherished dream. And the fishing pond was right outside the door and hadn't been changed by Dohalim. A wave of gratitude flowed through Kisara, because she would never have believed him to be able to keep his overflowing imagination in check for her and create something so simple but wonderful.
"So you were eavesdropping." Kisara was just teasing him and wasn't really angry with him.
"I guess from your point of view, you could call it that." His smug manner made it clear that her attempt to tease him could be called successful. But Kisara finally wanted to know more and was almost bursting with curiosity.
"So there must be an important reason why you brought me here?" If she didn't know better, Kisara would have thought Dohalim had suddenly flinched nervously. That was not like him at all, as he could lure anyone out of their shell with his silver tongue.
“Well, I guess that’s a fair question.” Dohalim took a step back and put on his most solemn expression.
“Kisara. The last two years have been the best for me. Since you’ve been by my side, I can master any challenge.” He put both hands in her face and continued:
“Normally I would recite a poem now, but I know that you prefer not to hear the important things as such.”
Kisara had an idea where the journey was going and suddenly she felt strange. on the one hand she felt hot and cold at the same time and more carefree than she had in a long time.
“I love you more than I can express and I can no longer imagine a life without you by my side.” Dohalim paused briefly. Every word he had said was true.
“You are the most extraordinary, remarkable and beautiful woman I have ever met. And now you would make me the happiest man if you would do me the honor of becoming my wife!” Tears of joy ran down Kisara’s cheeks as she was completely overwhelmed by her emotions. But she didn’t want to keep Dohalim in suspense for long and replied:
“Of course I want, Do!” Dohalim pulled her to him, overjoyed, and kissed her. Their lips met and in that moment they both felt what it was like to have experienced the greatest happiness.
“I have been thinking about our future lives so much recently that I have realized that I too am now ready to settle down.” She laid her head on his chest and could hear his heart beating wildly.
“This house is everything I have ever dreamed of! Although I am a little offended that you didn’t include me.”
“I didn’t want to burden you with anything else. Sometimes I had the feeling that I couldn't achieve anything without you. I can understand your feelings, but this time I wanted to do something all by myself. I hope you can forgive me?" Kisara was impressed by how much Dohalim had changed and how much he had grown. At the beginning of their journey he had dumped everything on her and now he wanted to do it on his own. She was proud of her future husband.
"I can understand your motives. Once again you have surprised me. How could I be angry with you for that?" He took her hand and brought it to his lips in response. Kisara was sure that she had seen a tear run down his face. She wanted to ask him another question.
"All that remains is to clarify where the two large doors in front of us lead?" Kisara could not help but give him a mischievous smile. Dohalim gave her an answer just as mischievously.
"Well, of course these will lead us to our future bedroom."