Children of the Wildings Bonus Scene: Collen’s Homecoming
In the dusk, Collen followed the road north from Prairie Wells towards the ranches north of town, feeling the weariness of every league of the thousands he’d traveled these last few months. From Prairie Wells to the Gap, then south to the Dragonbone Mountains – on dragonback; who would have ever thought of such a thing? – then by river to Bone River Bend with the captured outlaws. He had waited there with Garis, Torrin, and Akkim, guarding the criminals, until lawmen – including a couple of mages – fetched by Blake had come from a larger town in the Long Valley to take custody of them. Back up the river to Dragon Canyon, then on dragonback to the Gap, where he’d left his horse Trouble, then finally home by train. These last few leagues from Prairie Wells’ rail depot seemed as long as any other leg of the journey.
He had always wanted to go on an adventure like the ones in his parents’ stories, or like the ones Blake had as a professional bounty hunter. Or, hells, even Garis and Kessie, going off to live with the A’ayimat. Instead, it seemed like he was destined to always be stuck at home, except for going on the cattle drive sometimes.
Well, now he’d had an adventure. He’d fought dragons and outlaws and A’ayimat. He’d flown on a dragon and traveled deep into the mysterious Dragonbone Mountains.
He could have died. Others could have died if not for him protecting them with his magic. Men he’d been fighting against had died – he might even have killed some of them. Those stark, simple facts overshadowed all the excitement and adventure. One day, he supposed, he would get everything sorted in his mind, he would put the fights and the danger and the death where they belonged and be able to look at the wonders and excitement of his adventure without the shadows over them. But for now, he was tired in mind and body and spirit, and gladder to be home than he had ever thought he would be, before he left home.
He felt older, and things that used to seem so important didn’t matter so much now, while other things had suddenly become the most important things in the world to him.
He would be glad to get home, but first he had somewhere more important to go – one of those things that seemed so vital now. He bypassed the turnoff to his parents’ ranch – they probably weren’t home yet, their horses had been stabled at Bone River Bend and so they’d be traveling by land all the way from there instead of flying by dragon – and continued on east to the Norden ranch.
Mr. Kinniper, who was Mr. Norden’s foreman, and a couple of the other hands raised their hands in greeting as Collen rode through the yard towards the foreman’s house. “She’s in the barn,” Mr. Kinniper said simply. He didn’t need to say anything more than that.
Collen rode to the barn, dismounted, and leaned against the frame of the broad doorway. Inside, her back to him, Bet was doing the evening milking. He just stood there, taking in the slender, graceful shape of her back, the gleam of lantern light on her black hair. She had turned eighteen while he was gone; he wished he could have been here for her birthday.
Another girl, one of Mr. Norden’s granddaughters, was also in the barn helping with the milking. She glanced over and saw Collen first, and smiled and waved. “Hey, Bet, someone’s here.”
Bet turned around. Her face lit up when she spotted Collen. “You’re back!”
“Just now,” he said. “Can we walk around a little when you’re done?”
“You go on, Bet. I’ll finish up,” the other girl said.
“Thanks!” Bet stood up from her stool and walked quickly over to Collen. He wanted to pull her into his arms right then, but not in front of someone else. Instead, he set a hand under her elbow and guided her out of the barn into the darkening yard.
Out beyond the barn and other outbuildings, out of sight and hearing of the people finishing up evening chores in the yard, he finally wrapped his arms around her. Bet’s arms went around him tightly and she rested her head against his chest. It felt good. He didn’t even feel like he needed to kiss her; he would, but not quite yet. Right now he was just enjoying the peace and having her close to him.
“I’m glad to be home,” he said.
She pulled back just far enough to look up at him. “I’m glad you’re home. I’ve heard a little bit about it; it sounds exciting, but dangerous too.”
“It was,” Collen said. “I’ll tell you the whole story sometime. It was pretty unbelievable. But it also made me think about some things.”
Her dark eyebrows quirked, concern crossing her fair-skinned face. “What about?”
“Nothing bad,” he said right away. Maybe she was thinking he was going to break things off with her. “It made me think… It wasn’t a war, not like in the histories or even the Chardonikan War, which was pretty small compared to others. But it was as close as I hope I’ll ever get to a war. I’m glad I’m home, and I had my adventure, and now I just want to live my life in peace, on the ranch.” He took a big breath, his heart pounding. “With you.”
Her concern turned to puzzlement. “With me? You mean –”
“Marry me, Bet. As soon as you can. The sooner, the better. If, well, if you want to, that is.”
Her face lit up with a brilliant smile. “Of course I want to! Yes, I’ll marry you. I’ll talk to my parents and see how soon we can get a wedding put together.”
“I should talk to them, too. I should have asked your father first for permission, but I couldn’t wait.”
“I don’t need his permission, I’m of age, but you can talk to him anyway and ask for his blessing. I’m sure he won’t say no.”
“And it doesn’t have to be anything fancy –”
“I want fancy. But I promise it won’t take too long. Oh, Collen, I’m so happy!”
She beamed up at him, and now he kissed her. She held him, returning the kiss.
This, Collen thought as the kiss went on, was what coming home should feel like. And for the rest of his life, whenever he did have to go away, even just out on the range, this was what he wanted to come home to.
* * *
In the dusk, Collen followed the road north from Prairie Wells towards the ranches north of town, feeling the weariness of every league of the thousands he’d traveled these last few months. From Prairie Wells to the Gap, then south to the Dragonbone Mountains – on dragonback; who would have ever thought of such a thing? – then by river to Bone River Bend with the captured outlaws. He had waited there with Garis, Torrin, and Akkim, guarding the criminals, until lawmen – including a couple of mages – fetched by Blake had come from a larger town in the Long Valley to take custody of them. Back up the river to Dragon Canyon, then on dragonback to the Gap, where he’d left his horse Trouble, then finally home by train. These last few leagues from Prairie Wells’ rail depot seemed as long as any other leg of the journey.
He had always wanted to go on an adventure like the ones in his parents’ stories, or like the ones Blake had as a professional bounty hunter. Or, hells, even Garis and Kessie, going off to live with the A’ayimat. Instead, it seemed like he was destined to always be stuck at home, except for going on the cattle drive sometimes.
Well, now he’d had an adventure. He’d fought dragons and outlaws and A’ayimat. He’d flown on a dragon and traveled deep into the mysterious Dragonbone Mountains.
He could have died. Others could have died if not for him protecting them with his magic. Men he’d been fighting against had died – he might even have killed some of them. Those stark, simple facts overshadowed all the excitement and adventure. One day, he supposed, he would get everything sorted in his mind, he would put the fights and the danger and the death where they belonged and be able to look at the wonders and excitement of his adventure without the shadows over them. But for now, he was tired in mind and body and spirit, and gladder to be home than he had ever thought he would be, before he left home.
He felt older, and things that used to seem so important didn’t matter so much now, while other things had suddenly become the most important things in the world to him.
He would be glad to get home, but first he had somewhere more important to go – one of those things that seemed so vital now. He bypassed the turnoff to his parents’ ranch – they probably weren’t home yet, their horses had been stabled at Bone River Bend and so they’d be traveling by land all the way from there instead of flying by dragon – and continued on east to the Norden ranch.
Mr. Kinniper, who was Mr. Norden’s foreman, and a couple of the other hands raised their hands in greeting as Collen rode through the yard towards the foreman’s house. “She’s in the barn,” Mr. Kinniper said simply. He didn’t need to say anything more than that.
Collen rode to the barn, dismounted, and leaned against the frame of the broad doorway. Inside, her back to him, Bet was doing the evening milking. He just stood there, taking in the slender, graceful shape of her back, the gleam of lantern light on her black hair. She had turned eighteen while he was gone; he wished he could have been here for her birthday.
Another girl, one of Mr. Norden’s granddaughters, was also in the barn helping with the milking. She glanced over and saw Collen first, and smiled and waved. “Hey, Bet, someone’s here.”
Bet turned around. Her face lit up when she spotted Collen. “You’re back!”
“Just now,” he said. “Can we walk around a little when you’re done?”
“You go on, Bet. I’ll finish up,” the other girl said.
“Thanks!” Bet stood up from her stool and walked quickly over to Collen. He wanted to pull her into his arms right then, but not in front of someone else. Instead, he set a hand under her elbow and guided her out of the barn into the darkening yard.
Out beyond the barn and other outbuildings, out of sight and hearing of the people finishing up evening chores in the yard, he finally wrapped his arms around her. Bet’s arms went around him tightly and she rested her head against his chest. It felt good. He didn’t even feel like he needed to kiss her; he would, but not quite yet. Right now he was just enjoying the peace and having her close to him.
“I’m glad to be home,” he said.
She pulled back just far enough to look up at him. “I’m glad you’re home. I’ve heard a little bit about it; it sounds exciting, but dangerous too.”
“It was,” Collen said. “I’ll tell you the whole story sometime. It was pretty unbelievable. But it also made me think about some things.”
Her dark eyebrows quirked, concern crossing her fair-skinned face. “What about?”
“Nothing bad,” he said right away. Maybe she was thinking he was going to break things off with her. “It made me think… It wasn’t a war, not like in the histories or even the Chardonikan War, which was pretty small compared to others. But it was as close as I hope I’ll ever get to a war. I’m glad I’m home, and I had my adventure, and now I just want to live my life in peace, on the ranch.” He took a big breath, his heart pounding. “With you.”
Her concern turned to puzzlement. “With me? You mean –”
“Marry me, Bet. As soon as you can. The sooner, the better. If, well, if you want to, that is.”
Her face lit up with a brilliant smile. “Of course I want to! Yes, I’ll marry you. I’ll talk to my parents and see how soon we can get a wedding put together.”
“I should talk to them, too. I should have asked your father first for permission, but I couldn’t wait.”
“I don’t need his permission, I’m of age, but you can talk to him anyway and ask for his blessing. I’m sure he won’t say no.”
“And it doesn’t have to be anything fancy –”
“I want fancy. But I promise it won’t take too long. Oh, Collen, I’m so happy!”
She beamed up at him, and now he kissed her. She held him, returning the kiss.
This, Collen thought as the kiss went on, was what coming home should feel like. And for the rest of his life, whenever he did have to go away, even just out on the range, this was what he wanted to come home to.
* * *
