The Mercenary

An Anniversary

Colin put his arm around his wife's waist. It was a strong grip, whispering "mine", making Ella curl her toes in delight. Ella took in a deep breath and relished the moment. Usually he was busy playing his video game. 'He was playing way too much, way too long while life had more joy to offer' , Ella thought. She learned to intrude less and be self-reliant.

She loved him and still felt her stomach flutter when he kissed her. She still needed him.  Soon they will celebrate 10 years of life together. They agreed on major points as money, politics, religion and kids. The time he spent on his video game, the meaning of the word "clean" and oh well, the ever-present issue of the toilet seat, Ella considered minor disagreements

The coming celebration filled her with joy and she thought of the many ways she could tell him how much she loved him. Most importantly, she would ask him to marry her again and to renew their vows.

Colin looked at Ella and brought her close, resting his forehead on hers.
'This is for you' he whispered.

They both liked history, fantasy, and loved to read. Ella looked at the book: Elizabeth Barrett Browning. A golden bookmark hung from the book, enticing her.
'Please let it be 43' she thought.

Ella looked at Colin and whispered softly:
'I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.'

Colin smiled and looked knowingly at the bookmark.
'It will be a beautiful ceremony and I found exactly the right line' Ella thought but she couldn't stop wondering if she would feel the jolt of pledging one's soul for eternity.
'Nonsense!’ She shrugged the thought off, wishing it nonetheless to be true.

***


Ella yawned and stretched her arms. Colin peered at her inquisitively.
'We have been here for 4 hours' she said.
'And we have 3 more quests to go. You'll reach 60 and then we can join the guild.' pushed Colin
Ella frowned at the screen in front of her and stood up determinedly:
'I am out of here, we can do this tomorrow'
'No!', Colin answered. He had an angry look on his face. Ella recoiled with a sigh and accepted: 'OK' with an obvious lack of enthusiasm.
Colin started to head to the next grinding place. 'Follow me!!' he demanded. 'On the ice trails.' he added.
Ella struggled climbing on the ice but fell again into the water.
'It's no use, I can't focus' she admitted.
Colin growled and pushed at the table.
'C'mon, I'll help you, you just need to follow'
Ella made an effort and jumped back on the ice, struggling to follow the frozen path he was leaving after him. She stumbled on the bank, lost her footing and fell back into the water.
Colin was nowhere in sight and she almost yelled: 'Wait for me; I have no idea where we are!'
Colin let another growl and she saw him appearing from behind the hill.
'So there is the path' she said and followed him between the steep banks around her.
Colin was frowning and kept returning after Ella every now and again, at her desperate pleas.
Ella felt the mounting tension and his thinning patience as they gathered item after item. She kept the silence focusing on following Colin in the dark and unknown places, sneaking behind him to search the carcasses and stay away from the monsters way out of her league. Should a monster notice her...
'Colin, help, one is attacking me!' she yelled. She used all the healing spells and all the attack tricks Colin showed her but she was no match for the menacing monster attacking her.
She watched the red lifeline dwindling to almost nothing when the monster fell and the line restored.
'Thank you' she whispered. The monster quickened her heart bit
Colin grumbled: 'Told you to keep close, you never listen, do you?'
Ella kept her silence.
'Do you have everything you need?' he asked after a long silence and two dozen or so of monsters later
Ella nodded and he turned around without a word. Ella could see the dark pouches under his eye and the crow feet around his eyes a bit tighter, more pronounced.
She followed him back to the village and turned the quest in. A small smile of satisfaction appeared on the corner of his mouth and the creases on the edge of his eye eased a bit.
'Two more to go and you level up' Colin noted.
Ella shrugged and followed. 'Thank you for putting up with me' she murmured. 'I don't know how you do this'
Colin looked at her with tired eyes.
'We must finish this.‘ he said, putting an emphasis on ‘must’.
He raised his head and looked in her eyes: ' I enjoy spending time with you, in any way it may be.’
'I love you’ he finally mouthed and sat on his chair, preparing for the next quest.
Ella took a deep breath, prepared to follow him again...