In the silence that filled the granary, Heike rested her head on the nook of his shoulder. And with the rhythm of his heart as her only measure of time, she ordered her memory to ensnare his every touch and kiss, catch each and every strand of taste and sound, to knit them together in a long-lasting veil of joy; one sturdy enough to last a lifetime.

“Are you hungry?” were her first words, whispered quietly into his ear.

He answered with a nod. She crawled to the edge of the blanket in search of the bread and cheese while he searched under the heap of their clothes for the lost bottle.

They were famished, and so they ate with relish, breaking pieces from the loaf with their hands and taking bites from the cheese, washing it all down with gulp after gulp of ale. An...

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