*Twenty-one years earlier*
Amelia walked to the edge of her town nervously, holding a plate of hand pies and other foods she'd slaved over all morning at the inn where she worked. A scouting party of Klain soldiers had stopped to help her town's men rebuild a bridge that had washed out in a storm.
It was a job that really could be handled by the civilians, but the soldiers insisted that part of their orders were to maintain peace and prosperity in the region. The bridge certainly helped the merchants come and go, and so Captain Ashmayne had told his men to aid in its reconstruction. They had been working on it for three days now and were almost done. Amelia had visited each day.
Her boss and friend, the innkeeper, had graciously allowed her to cook and bring food to the soldiers who were generously donating their time and efforts to this project which would benefit the town... and the innkeeper for that matter. When the bridge was fixed, travel would become easier and there would be more customers to stay and eat at the inn.
Amelia was all too happy to have the dashing captain and his subordinates around. It brought some excitement to the town. She glanced down at her dress, her best dress, really, and brushed out a wrinkle. She'd paid special attention to her hairstyle this morning and had settled on a braid twisted into an elegant knot, with some wispy curls to frame her face. She hoped it was as flattering as she thought.
She approached Captain Ashmayne, who was overseeing the work. She'd admired him since she was young. She wasn't sure he'd noticed her in the town before he went to do his year of military service. Apparently he had loved it so much that he had continued with it as a career, leaving the town far behind in his past.
His broad shoulders stretched tightly under his uniform shirt as he put down the boards he was carrying, setting them in a place the other men could easily retrieve and use them.
"Good Morning, Captain," She greeted softly with a shy smile.
"Good Morning, Amelia, to what do I owe the pleasure?" He turned toward her and beamed a charming smile.
Amelia melted a little at the sight. He had to be the handsomest man she'd ever seen. His dark hair shined in the morning sun, and his eyes seemed to hold the world in them. Gathering her wits back together, Amelia held the plate forward.
"You all deserve some home cooked food for all your hard work, so I made a few things." Her smile was a little timid but sincere. He seemed to enjoy her cooking, so she had worked hard to make something extra tasty as this might be their last day working. Would they quickly move on when it was finished?
"What a sweet and wonderful thought! You've always been such a good cook. I should test it, of course, to make sure it's to the men's taste," He winked at her and took a hand pie from the top of the stack. As he sunk his teeth into it, his eyes widened and he gave a slight groan. Savoring the bite, he slowly chewed and swallowed.
"I'm afraid that the men won't like this one bit," He said somberly. "I'll just have to eat it all myself."
Amelia giggled at his teasing, pleased that he obviously loved her cooking enough to joke about eating an enormous amount of it.
"Hey, Cap! Don't make jokes when we're doing hard work over here!" One of the soldiers called, causing Ashmayne to laugh. Amelia knew the man was the second in command, but she couldn't keep the ranks straight. Was he a lieutenant? Something like that, she was sure. His name was Hart, if she remembered correctly, or at least that's usually what Captain Ashmayne addressed him as. She planned to try and remember next time someone addressed him by his rank.
"I suppose it could be time for a break," The Captain tapped his chin thoughtfully. "As long as you can work all the harder with some good food in you."
"You know we can!" Hart called back. "I bet we can finish today if you don't hog all the treats!"
Amelia smiled at the easy camaraderie Ashmayne shared with his men. Though they respected him and followed him without question, occasionally the formalities were lowered to allow this kind of back and forth. She enjoyed watching the banter. It helped that Ashmayne was very young to have risen to his rank. The other captains she'd seen always seemed older and crustier, and therefore less personable.
The soldiers put down their tools and came to collect their share of Amelia's bountiful cooking. She laid the plate on the stump of a tree for easy access and backed away so that the men wouldn't feel self conscious surrounding her for it. Many of them were quite sweaty and probably knew it.
There was a round of polite thanks, but it was the silence that shortly took over that told her that the food was greatly enjoyed. Men and children, she noticed, often went very quiet when food was truly delicious.
"Let's let the men savor the fine food, shall we? I think I would be much refreshed by a walk along your lovely stream." Ashmayne offered his arm to Amelia and, blushing, she took it.
"The woods are lovely this time of year," Amelia filled the silence as they departed together, "It doesn't get too hot near the water, and I think it's quite nice." Of course, she hadn't traveled much to find out if other places were better, but she wasn't exactly going to admit that in conversation with the well-traveled captain.
"Lovely, yes," Agreed Ashmayne, though he was looking at Amelia, not the woods.
She blushed, and he smiled. She truly enjoyed spending time with him. He had regaled her over the past days with tales of his adventures and travels, and his dream of one day settling down, maybe as a farmer in a quiet village somewhere.
Though she had little in the way of her own tales, she had gathered many interesting facts and tidbits from travelers who had stayed at the inn. She kept up with the locations in his stories passingly well and asked relevant questions. In all, she was proud to hold up her end of the conversation.
Ashmayne had been delighted with her knowledge, complimenting how much she'd learned and matured since he last knew her years earlier. Though he suspected she hadn't traveled much herself in the intervening time, she was obviously bright and kind. He reveled in their time together and found their conversations left him wanting to spend more of his day in the company of the pretty Amelia.
His company should leave when the work was done, either today or the next day, but maybe, if he took a chance...
"Amelia, might I ask an impertinent question?" He seemed concerned for the first time since she'd met him.
"Of course, Captain Ashmayne," She replied, smiling at him. What could he be worried about? She knew he wouldn't do or say anything improper.
"Please, if you would... call me Ash?" He asked softly. "We've known each other for many years and it seems silly to revert to formality now."
She stopped and turned to look at him, "I'm happy to, Ash... was that your only question?" What a silly thing for him to have been concerned over.
"No, well, I mean, we'll have to leave by tomorrow, as you may have guessed," His usual charming smile faltered when she frowned. He seemed flustered, which was quite the change for him. He blinked hard and looked into her eyes, seeming to have gathered himself. "Before we leave, I have to ask you, are you spoken for?"
"Pardon?" One of her hands flew to her cheek to cover the blush that seemed to be burning right through her skin.
"I'd like to speak to your father about courting you, if you'll allow it. You're lovely and fascinating and I want to know you better every time I speak to you. If it's agreeable to him, I would like to write you letters when I cannot be here." He inhaled suddenly as if it had taken all his breath to make those statements.
"My father... is not available. I make my own decisions." Her father was still the town drunk, but she didn't want to admit that. Perhaps Ash had mercifully forgotten her shameful family tree. She lived at the inn where she worked and rarely saw the man who had all-too-briefly raised her.
"In that case, would you, Amelia, allow me the extreme honor," He took both her hands in his and looked her in the eyes, "of pursuing your hand?"
Amelia's eyes sparkled. "Yes," was all she could answer.
He kept her hands in his, as if unsure what to do next. He knew that kissing her would be exceedingly presumptuous, but wanted to express his happiness and affection in some way. Beaming a smile at her, he tucked one of her hands back into his arm and continued their walk.
Ahead of them, a small meadow opened in the forest, and wildflowers abounded. He took a moment and swept together a small bouquet for Amelia, presenting it to her with a flourish. She giggled and took it, inhaling deeply of the scent.
As she raised her eyes from the blooms, she gasped. A few feet behind Ash's shoulder, a black doorway had opened in the sunny meadow.