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visions can be a blessing and a curse, depending on what happens in them. some are lovely, times upcoming of blessings and good fortune, where loved ones are happy and goods aplenty. others are callings of doom, of cold winters and loved ones ill.
upon a sickeningly dooming vision, eli sat upon the roof of his home. he was quiet, not even humming as he usually did when sitting on the roof. brooke rose, as trustworthy an owl as ever, nuzzled her face into his cheek to try to get him to cheer up. her efforts were in vain, however, as the seer began to silently cry.
he was afraid. his visions had been nothing but prophecies of harsh times and scarce food for months now, and with less people asking for his guidance, they seemed to slowly be coming true. he worried for his fiancée, gertrude, whom he loved dearly. he didn’t want to see her suffer because of him, her smile brought him warm in the cold autumn nights and for that smile to disappear at his own fault . . . he could not bear it.
“ eli? eli, dear, are you alright? “
snapping out of his thoughts of concern, the man turned his unseeing eyes towards the voice. he could not perceive her, but the person approaching was none other than gertrude herself. brooke had left her place on eli’s shoulder to pester the woman into following her to the roof, where eli sat in tears. he hadn't even noticed brooke's departure.
resting his hood back on his shoulders, the seer nodded and forced a smile. “ of course i am, love! what brings you to the rooftop? you never come up here, “ he was, of course, deflecting the conversation away from himself.
“ brooke does, “ she responded, seating herself next to him. she looked out to the view from the roof of their cottage. “ she seemed distressed, and tugged at my sleeves until i followed her. this is where she led, and now i worry for you. i’ll ask again . . . dearest, are you alright? “
“ . . . no,” eli confesses, lowing his gaze to his hands. with brooke back on his shoulder, he can see the outline of his hands through the blindfold that covers his eyes. “ i’m worried, gertrude. i have gotten less commissions in the last week than ever before, and winter hasn’t even set in yet. my visions have told me nothing but bad news in regards to life for us, and i fear you will be upset with me or leave me for not being able to keep us afloat for the winter. not to mention i have brooke to feed as well as us, and we can barely feed ourselves as is- “
“ elijah clark. “ he was cut off by gertrude putting her hands on his face, a concerned look in her eyes. “ i love you, and will not be leaving you because of money or you losing customers. if you need help with bringing income to the home, i can take up embroidery or sewing. please don’t blame yourself for everything happening to us, and brooke is no burden, she is as much a part of our family as you are. “
she gave a comforting smile, kissing her fiancé’s forehead gently. “ you are absolutely adored, eli, and not everything is your fault. “
“ but what if winter sets in harder than previous years? there may be days i cannot go to the nearby village for business, or days when no one there wants to see me. there may be days i need to travel further, and those days may cost more money if i need to pay someone for something. not to mention- “
once again, gertrude silenced him, this time with a soft kiss to his lips. “ please, my dove, you do not need to worry about these things now. worry about these things when they happen, love, for they won’t happen for a long time to come. for now, savor things as they are. look at the view from up here, have you ever noticed it? “
the fields below them were freshly plowed and ready for the winter, and the leaves of the trees were nearly golden in the moonlight. the stars shown brightly above the couple, mapping out memories and places the two could merely dream of. the scenery was beautiful, and eli had failed to realize it.
the seer carefully wrapped an arm around gertrude, pulling her closer to lean against him. she happily did so, resting her head on his shoulder. “ you’re right, “ he said, gazing out towards the earth. “ worrying is for tomorrow, today is lovely as it is. “
after a moment of comforting silence, gertrude spoke, looking up at her partner from her spot beside him. “ if something upsets you or you feel distressed about the future again, please let me know. this is my only request, dear. i don’t want you to feel as though you are dealing with everything on your own. “
“ . . . alright, “ eli agreed, kissing the top of her head softly. “ i promise, i will not keep these things to myself again. “
“ i love you,” she hummed, curling closer to the man she loved more than anything else. “ even if the world were ending, i would choose to spend my days with you. you mean everything to me, eli clark, and i wouldn’t have it any other way. “
smiling, eli let out a quiet chuckle. “ i love you too, dearest. and i promise to share every day with you, the gods be willing. “ he kissed the top of her head again, savoring their time together. he didn’t know what their coming days would truly look like, as decisions can change the path of the future, but he knew one thing as fact. he wanted to spend all of those days with her, no matter what.