Gembound Celebration

Sion didn’t know, at first, why he stopped by the gem seller. He believed that something had caught his eye, so he looked for it on the display mat on the ground. But there was nothing which caught his eye more than something else, it was all raw, uncut gems that were meant for the Gembound celebration. 

“Looking for something in particular, my dear?” said the older lady seller, who was comfortably seated on a small, foldable chair. 

“No, nothing in particular,” said Sion. 

There was no one he wanted to offer those gems to, he tried to convince himself. No one important enough in his life that he was going to spend a good chunk of his savings on a rock. Or was there…? 

He had been travelling with Sho for several months now, and sometimes with Ewen. But it was mostly Sho, and they had spent a lot of time on the road together, sweet, gentle Sho, which would sometimes reach out to touch him while he spoke and made Sion shiver… 

No wonder his mind went to him as he observed the rocks on display. Until he realised that this wasn’t a normal way to think about it. In fact, he shouldn’t be thinking of anyone at all while he was looking at those stones, as this would represent a large chunk of his savings. And for what? A gem… to offer to Sho as a sign of his affection? 

He wasn’t in love with Sho! 

“Have a good day,” he told the seller. 

“You too, my dear,” she said. “See you later.” 

He scoffed when he was far enough so that she wouldn’t hear him. He wouldn’t be coming back, he thought. He didn’t have a use for those silly, silly stones. He didn’t want to buy any. And he certainly didn’t want to buy any for Sho! 

He looked around the busy marketplace for his companions. They had decided to stop in this city for the end of the month, just in time to enjoy the spoils of the market, with Ewen - who had taken care of his baron duties back at him and that had declared that he was going to remain with them for a while. Sion suspected that there was a reason for that: a few months back, when they had only just met, Ewen had made it very clear that he was in love with Sho and that he intended to confess during a special occasion. Well, what more special way to confess than to offer a gem polished by faelidh, a sign of one’s undying devotion to another person? 

One of the reasons Sion couldn’t be in love with Sho was that he knew that Ewen was, and Ewen had been there first. And he suspected that Sho returned those feelings, at least in part, from having observed the sheer joy blossoming on Sho’s face every time he spotted the blue woolyne perched atop his mount. And they would make for a wonderful couple! They were both forgers with a passion for what they did, and childhood friends, and they were both beautiful and complementary to each other. And Sion had no intention of getting in the way of that! 

And, additionally, Sion had always been unhappy in love… 

He best not think of this silly idea anymore, Sion thought. He was feeling an odd pinch in his chest when he did, and it was sort of painful. Better focus on other things… 

That is when, thankfully, he spotted Ewen. The tall, slender woolyne always stood out in a crowd, with his blue, purple and white fur, his long blue hair, his striking and elongated face and his confident allure. Additionally, his horn seemed to mark him for a greater destiny, but Sion had learned, since their first meeting, that Ewen strongly disliked when people stared at it as if he was some trick animal. Sion stared at him sometimes, when Ewen wasn’t looking, but not because of his horn or his shiny eyes… he was very, very handsome, the sort of beauty which hypnotised and excited the imagination. 

Ewen spotted Sion in turn and trotted over. He wore high waist black pants and his shirt was both open and tucked in his belt, as he never seemed to be cold. The perks of being a fire forger, Sion guessed. 

“Ah, the one I was looking for,” said Ewen, pleased with himself. “You’re going to come with me and you’re going to help me choose.”

“Choose what?” asked Sion. 

“You’ll see. Quickly, because Sho is busy knitting new socks for Sneeze and Snort at the inn. We must act while he’s distracted or he might suspect a thing.” 

Ewen grabbed Sion’s arm and dragged him over to the very same seller Sion had left previously. And the latter felt a stone sink down in his stomach when he realised that he was going to help Ewen choose a stone to offer to Sho… as a confession. 

Maybe… maybe he was a little in love after all.