The King and the Sorceress

She sat in the edge of the chair and watched his boots land in the earth and turn up clouds of dust as he walked.

The elegant line of his nose stood out even more from the rest of his adventurous appearance and the air of general tiredness from the adventure.

She savored the perspective of massaging his back and arms in the soft ritual way humans tend to fires, or gardens - rekindling his strength and breathing life and blessings into his vital tissues.

When he had left, several days before, she felt as if a great King was leaving the land. Everyone growing a bit more careful, and a bit more loving towards the kingdom, as if to compensate for the absence of their liege.

Even though there wasn’t a kingdom, she felt his immense presence leave the house, and moved around in the old little shack like a ghost.

“Remember yourself woman” she had whispered through tears. “What is this lonely dame SHIT?”.

But it wasn’t lonely dame shit. It was getting used to love. In a few hours she’d be making potions and sweeping the garden, content with her own company. But just for now, observing the sleepy figure of his dog shaking gently from the beating of his own heart, she remembered having loved weak men.

They never went anywhere, but they also…never went anywhere.

And she always grew bored, or been hurt, because men who never went anywhere didn’t want her to go, either.

Just for a moment she had let herself miss the shape of his face, the freckles, his elvish ears, and the deep tone of his voice.

Then life had passed at different rhythms, the laundry had been swept by the wind, the spell jar on the kitchen window had glittered in the sun, the lamp on the small table had stayed crooked and looked outside the window sniggering at all those passer-by’s that liked things to be perfect all the time.

She had slept on his side of the bed and made bread, and went out with the dog looking for wild places, to have their own little adventure in the meantime.

She had stopped to consider if she had been tamed, and remember the lines from the fox in The Little Prince, when asked what “taming” means, he said: “It is an act too often neglected. (...) it means to establish ties”.

She remembered that the fox hadn’t been opposed to the Little Prince leaving. He only said that he would cry, but forever admire the colour of the wheat, now, as it was the same colour at the Prince’s hair.

Love offers freedom. Love. Offers. Freedom. There’s pain in one’s life regardless, but love makes it all worth it. True love. Clear love. She was just about to overthink it all, but…

Now that he was approaching, she found her mind pleasantly free of worries. He was going to come in, she would welcome him and be her usual Sorceress self, pretending that she was the one who ruled the kingdom anyway, and he would let her. And he would accept her care as part of his riches.

They both grew from each other’s love independently, like cooperating plants from different species, and it was always a surprise how things would turn out.

For now, she thought, let me enjoy this peace.

He stopped, turned towards her and said: “Hey beautiful”.

Her heart fancied itself a small, fluffy, brightly colored bird and seemed to fly high in the sky.

The dog heard him too, and ran towards him yelping and jumping, interrupting their touch after only a second.

As he knelt to hug the dog, she just grinned and smiled.

“There will be time”, she thought. “There will be more than enough time”.