The busy season was behind, temperature had reached comfortable levels once again, and the itch to spend time enjoying nature was biting. For Domcallion and Amaranth, little hikes and picnics along the wooded creek behind the Bloodmyre property had always been their 'thing,' even long before they were a couple.

The property was actually right next to the back-end of what had once been a summer camp, but was now simply a nice nature park with many trails and campsites. It was maintained by the people that made permanent residence in the RV-park that was part of the campsite property, and had over the past few years it had seen massive renovations that had revitalized it. The area was mountainous, with the RV area overlooking Destiny City. Many of the park's deeper and lesser used trails were close enough to the Bloodmyer property that with just a short walk - and maybe a little climb - you could reach them. Over time Domcallion had made his own trail that linked up with the camp's. The trail was marked private, and as far as he knew, that privacy had always been respected.

Which was good! Because he had found a lovely little spot for his own private camp along a wide stretch of the creek. It was a clearing nestled in a crescent of cliffside, overshadowed by trees A perfect spot to set up a large tent and have a fire. The portion of the creek that ran in front of it was slow-moving and deep. A nice little swimming spot, if one didn't mind the pebbled beach and larger moss-slick stones. From across the creek was another clearing, a gentle meadow. Sometimes deer would be eating in the early morning or late evening. Sometimes a fox would be playing.

Technically the land was neither his nor that of the camp's. It rested in the liminal space between the two. As far as he was concerned, it was Amaranth and his little piece of private paradise - and the place that currently found the two playing like children, laughing together with branches of wood in hand, 'sword fighting.'

"Augh! I've been slain~!" Domcallion proclaimed dramatically in his hoarse crackle of a voice as he clutched the end of Amaranth's branch between his elbow and side, stepping back, then kneeling, then sitting back and pulling her along with him.

Amaranth laughed as she was pulled down from the force of her husband's fake fall, finding herself landing in gentle arms.
"Oh no! Perhaps my kiss shall resurrect thee?" She replied with joyous teasing before planting her lips on his.

"It seems your faerie magic has saved me~" Domcallion said with a smile as they rested their foreheads against one another's.

To be so openly silly and affectionate with one another was a magic they shared in abundance, and with time the idea of sharing that magic with a child of their own had grown from a possible idea, to a desire. From the nagging of (grand)parents, to a shared goal. And while Amaranth was still quite young, the turning of the year was the harbinger of Domcallion's 40th year. Even his grandparents had been younger than he was now when they had to take over parenthood of himself and his brothers. His parents had been very young parents, as had his grandparents, so of course when they took them in it was easy for people to mistake Dom and his brother's as their children, rather than grandchildren.... The thought that age could take him when his own child's adult life was just beginning was sad.

It was a thought that had crossed both of their minds at some point or another. Maybe not necessarily in the context of parenthood, but in the context of life and death parting them in general.... All the other could hope for was that in the next life, they were born closer in time, and found one another sooner, so that the strings of fate could weave them a much bigger tapestry than their lives, past and present, had allowed them.

Today was not a day for sad thoughts, however! When Marks had heard that the two were going to have a little weekend getaway in the 'back yard' so to speak, he had teased them mercilessly about using the magic of Beltane, a pagan holiday celebrating the the start of summer and the peak of spring fertility, to go behave like feral beasts in the woods.

"Alsof we een reden nodig hebben," (As if we need a reason) had been Dom's reply in the brothers' native tongue with a cheeky grin.

Amaranth, of course, had been happy to indulge Marks and asked further about the holiday, to which he excitedly imparted everything he knew. Apparently it also falling on a full moon, was especially auspicious. Amaranth was most tickled with the Faerie aspect, and although largely non-religious, she did fancy the idea of leaving the fae a gift of honeybread and butter - perhaps with the 'thinning of the veil between the realms of man and fae' they would bless them during their filthy revelry? It was a silly thought that made her giggle.

"Let's put our 'swords' in the fire pit," Domcallion suggested as he nuzzled the bridge of his nose along Amaranth's neck, "We got distracted while setting up camp."

They really had gotten distracted, hadn't they? While gathering wood for the bonfire they would light later that evening, the had started their little sword fight, leaving a half-setup campsite.

"Hmmmm, that would probably would be best~" Amaranth said playfully, getting up with some reluctance to leave the comfortable embrace of her loving husband.

Helping him up from the ground, the branches they'd been fighting with were tossed on the pile. Dom finished securing the large tent - something that was way less 'camping tent' and more like a large heavy-canvas celebration tent. Amaranth set up their things inside. It was a fine line they tread between camping and 'glamping.' The inside of the tent once she was done, would be quite primal-ly luxurious, with padding where they would lay, and layers of blankets, pillows, lamps and battery-powered fairy-lights that would cast just enough light, and in a corner their cooler of food and beverage was hidden so as to not ruin the 'aesthetic,' that she had worked hard to achieve.

Yes, Amaranth could put in just as much effort in to setting a mood as Dom could! Even though...it usually was him doing that sort of thing.... It was just that....he was always so quick and good at spoiling her! She had to return the favor sometimes too! He was so easy to please, one would have thought that would have made him even easier to spoil. Alas, one would have thought wrong, So over time she had come to the conclusion that allowing him to spoil her was spoiling him, as he so clearly enjoyed it. And who was she to argue with that? It didn't stop her from making the effort though.

And the effort didn't go unappreciated. As Amaranth stretched to reach up and place one of the strings of fairy lights, Dom was entering the tent. Wordlessly he lifted her and the string was hung with ease.

"You like it?" Amaranth asked, still held in strong arms.

Although Dom was lithe, he was strong - lifting quite literal dead weight almost every day - and Amaranth was also, obviously, quite small and tiny, So holding her like this was almost effortless.

"You've done a lovely job," Domcallion complimented. It was almost a shame that they were going to make such a mess of it later. Almost.

In their own little world where nothing else existed but them and nature, war and duty seemed so far away, but these were the moments worth fighting for. Neither would ever claim that they fought for the good of all. They fought for themselves, for each other, for their family. They were no lofty self-sacrificing heroes. But even if their reasons were 'selfish,' it was better than nothing. It didn't matter why anyone on their side was fighting, just that they were. And maybe one day this peace could be less rare, and shared. For now though? They'd take what they could get, and perhaps appreciate it all the more for knowing how fleeting it could be.

They made the most of the day. They made the most of the night. And when the sun rose and outshone the light of the warm cinders of their bonfire, they greeted it knowing they were blessed to have this moment in time.

[1443 words]