Chapter Twenty-Seven: Byron

“Morwenna!” Byron jumped to his feet and strode toward the bar. “I need the tavern door opened now!”

“And what do you expect me to do about it?” Morwenna asked.

“There must be a way,” Byron said, his voice less demanding.

“I don’t know if you have been following the competition closely, but if you had, you will have noticed that the tavern only allows noncompetitors inside after the trial has ended.” Morwenna locked eyes with him, her gaze calculating.

“So, if I forfeit the trial, then Amelia and Jerome will win by default, and the tavern door will open,” Byron murmured.

“And all my lovely paying customers will flood in and buy my beautiful bread beer.” Morwenna clasped her hands together with a beatific smile on her face.

“You’re saying that to open the door, I need to forfeit the trial?” Byron asked.

“Perhaps.” Morwenna shrugged. “I do not make up the rules.”

“What about the Regulars? They got in here.” Byron pointed at Harry and Burt.

“I don’t make up the rules,” Morwenna repeated, a little less innocently.

“And most of the time there have not been any rules,” Harry said. “From what Stan has told us,” he quickly added when he saw Morwenna’s eyes narrow at him.

So that is our choice? Byron’s dragon asked.

Forfeit the competition and lose any chance of Cassie gaining the life-changing sagely knowledge she desires. Or wait here for an eternity for our mate. Who may or may not ever want to see us again,Byron said.

He turned and walked back toward the door, his head down as he pondered what he should do. As he reached the door, he placed his hand on it.

Whoomph!The door flew open and nearly knocked him off his feet.

“Byron! You truly are a gentleman,” Cassie told him with a smile as she stepped inside the tavern, a paper bag in her hand. “How did you even know I was coming? Did you sense me and rush to open the door for me?”

“Quick, Nancy, now’s our chance.” Stan grabbed hold of Nancy’s hand and dragged her through the tavern door before it had a chance to shut them out again.

“Cassie?” Byron let go of the door and followed her as she headed for the table he had set out for them with the help of the Regulars.

“Roses.” She stepped closer to the table and reached out to touch the delicate petals.

“I-I wanted to make this evening special. For you,” Byron stammered. “But I wasn’t sure whether to get a single rose or a bouquet or if you wanted any…”

“They are beautiful, Byron,” she murmured as she leaned forward and inhaled their scent. “And they are what I have always wanted.”

You got it right! his dragon said, sounding impressed.

“And you are right, they need to be carefully tended to, a little like love,” she said as she picked up the bouquet of roses, the water from their stems dripping on the tavern floor. “But unlike our love, they only bloom for a short time before they wilt away.”

Byron risked a small smile. “Our love will never wilt. It will light up the night sky, just like the stars. It won’t be bound by time. It’ll endure beyond seasons, beyond lifetimes.”

“Songs will be written about our love.” Cassie’s eyes misted with tears as she held the bouquet, her fingers brushing delicately over the petals. “Not necessarily good ones…but songs all the same.”

Byron chuckled and closed the distance between them, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her close.

Do not crush the roses! his dragon roared.

Got it covered, Byron said as he carefully closed his hand around them and moved them to the side, before he dipped his head and kissed Cassie’s lips. A kiss that sealed their fate. At last.

“Now, shall we all sit down for our most romantic dinner? Not that I’m trying to rush you, but I’m so close to having my tavern back.” Morwenna scraped a chair across the flagstone floor. “Sit. Sit.”

“I…” Byron glanced at Stan and Nancy, who were watching them, and then at Cassie.

What are we supposed to do?Byron asked.

“You…?” She arched a questioning eyebrow at him.

“I said that Stan could wine and dine Nancy since he upset her at the last trial,” Byron blurted out.

There’s that honesty shining through again, his dragon said sarcastically.

“You gave up the date you’d spent so long setting up so that Stan could apologize to Nancy?” Cassie asked.

“I did,” he admitted. “But it wasn’t all me, it was very much a team effort.” He nodded to Stan.

“Why, Byron, I think that is one of the most romantic things I have ever heard,” Cassie said with a smile.

“You do?” Byron asked, unsure if this was a joke or if Cassie was quietly seething at him.

“Besides, we don’t need it anyway,” Cassie told him.

“Morwenna!” Amelia leaped up with a hand raised. “If Cassie and Byron give up their table to Stan and Nancy, does that mean they forfeit the competition?”

“Why, Amelia,” Cassie began as she glanced at the romantic date Amelia and Jerome had set up, with its glistening candles and perfectly arranged flowers, delicate China, and meticulously folded napkins. Not to mention the soft melody of violins emanating from their table that had no earthly source. “Are you afraid that you might not win the competition if we sat down to our romantic date?”

“No.” Amelia sidled up to Jerome and slipped her hand into his. “It’s obvious we are the most romantic couple. After all, we are the only couple present who has not had a lover’s tiff.”

“Ah,” Stan said. “But love is about passion. And sometimes passion sparks conflict. And isn’t it those little tiffs that make you feel as if you’re truly alive and in love?”

Nancy looked at Stan, then nodded. “Stan’s right. It’s the making up that counts.”

Amelia huffed, her face turning a delicate shade of pink. “Well, I assure you that our passion doesn’t require theatrics.”

“And our love does not require life-changing sagely knowledge,” Cassie said. “You can have it.”

“It doesn’t?” Byron asked.

“No.” She set the roses down on the table and threaded her hands around his neck. “Our lives have already been changed. And the knowledge we have both gained is that we already have exactly what we need.”

“We do,” Byron said and cracked a wide smile.

“So, Stan, Nancy, enjoy your romantic meal. Amelia, Jerome, congratulations on your victory, I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

Ouch!Byron’s dragon said.

“And Byron.” She held up the bag she had been carrying. “This is for you.”

“You bought me a gift?” Byron asked.

“I did.” She handed him the bag. “Shall we sit at the bar?”

“We shall,” Byron said as he accepted the bag from his mate.

“So, just to confirm!” Amelia’s voice carried across the tavern. “You have forfeited the competition?”

“Wait!” Stan rushed forward. “Before you answer, are you sure? I don’t want you doing this for me and Nancy. We can go and dine somewhere else.”

“No, Stan. You and Nancy enjoy your evening. Byron and I will be just fine.” Cassie smiled up at him and his heart fluttered in his chest like a thousand dragon wings taking flight.

“Did I ever tell you how much I love you?” Byron asked as he set the bag down on the bar.

“You told me you loved me, but not how much,” Cassie said as she climbed onto a stool.

“I love you to the moon and back,” Byron finished, his voice soft and sincere. “I could tell you precisely just how many miles that is.”

Original, his dragon said dryly.

“And I love you as deep as the ocean and as high as the sky,” Cassie replied, her eyes reflecting the flicker of the candlelight as Burt slid a candle along the bar toward them. “Now, open your gift before it gets cold.”

Byron raised a questioning eyebrow, and he reached out to grasp her hand, feeling the electric warmth of her touch. Then he dropped a kiss on the back of her hand before he opened the bag with a sense of anticipation. “My favorite sandwich!”

The smell of the meatball sandwich from Bella Incantesimo was unmistakable.

“I cast a spell to hide the aroma,” Cassie explained. “To make it more of a surprise.”

“Thank you,” Byron said as Harry slid a plate toward him.

“And there’s more,” Cassie said.

Byron looked inside the bag. There were two pieces of sweet potato brownies. “My favorite food.”

“For my favorite person,” Cassie said, resting her head on his shoulder as Burt slid the vase of roses along the bar.

“I should have gotten you sushi,” Byron whispered as she placed his hand on hers. “I spent so much time trying to think of the most romantic meal when I should have just ordered your favorite.”

“Coming right up,” Harry said as he finished seating Stan and Nancy and rushed to the back room behind the bar. “Flint, prepare two servings of smoked salmon and one raw portion wrapped in rice and seaweed.”

“Amateurs,” Morwenna muttered. “No one’s ever prepared for these things anymore.” She gave a short, short whistle and a throng of imps descended onto the bar.

Morwenna opened a drawer and pulled out a wide metal bowl, filled with rice, along with a stand on which she placed the bowl, and lit a candle beneath it. Then she opened another drawer, which looked an awful lot like a filing cabinet, and after flicking through for a moment, she pulled out sheets of seaweed, which the imps began to cover with the rice.

“Someone ordered smoked salmon and…raw salmon?” Flint stepped out from the back room, laden with plates.

“That’s for table number two.” Harry relieved him of the two servings of smoked salmon and headed for Stan and Nancy, while the imps got to work cutting the raw fish and cucumber stick up and swiftly assembling rolls of maki, even going so far as to dust seasoning over in flybys and dripping soy sauce that seemed to be stored on the overhead rack along with the spirits.

Byron looked at Morwenna with a mix of awe and gratitude. “Thank you.”

“No, thank you,” Morwenna said. “Since we can now announce the winner of the couple’s competition. Amelia and Jerome, congratulations! Please make your way to the host table where you will receive your grand prize.”

Morwenna’s announcement caught Amelia off guard, as she was spooning oysters into her mouth. She grabbed a napkin and dabbed at her mouth, but Jerome was already out of his seat and heading for the host table, which slid across the floor into the center of the room at Morwenna’s command.

“What a gentleman,” Cassie murmured as an imp slid a pair of chopsticks into her hand and helped herself to the magical sushi. “Oh, this is good. Try some?”

“Sure.” Byron opened his mouth as she picked up a piece of sushi and carefully placed it in his mouth. “It is good.”

“Really?” she asked.

“I prefer my sandwich,” he admitted and took a large bite. “But the sushi is really good.”

“Take a hike!” Jerome’s voice boomed across the tavern. “I went through all this to be told to take a hike?”

Cassie nearly choked on her sushi and Byron patted her on the back as she coughed, tears streaming down her face. “That is so funny.”

“Are you making this up?” Jerome demanded of Morwenna.

“The witch behind the bar shall not be held responsible for a disappointing competitor’s experience. Said competitor should have tempered their expectations,” Morwenna retorted with a serene smile, her eyes glimmering with amusement. “That was definitely in the small print. Next!”

Jerome glared at Morwenna, but when he opened his mouth to retort, she held up her finger and shook her head, silencing him.

“Okay. Life-changing wisdom. I can’t wait to have a revelation. An epiphany even!” Amelia rolled her shoulders as she approached the host table. “Don’t delay when we say…two for one taco Tuesday?” Her brow wrinkled as she reread it. “Two for one taco Tuesday. I don’t understand.”

Ting!

Morwenna produced her tiny cymbal. “The way of the tavern is shrouded in mystery,” Morwenna said, her voice taking on her Zen master tone.

But to Byron, there was one thing that was not a mystery anymore. His brand of romance might be…well, off-brand. However, it had not stopped him from finding the love of his life.

And now he might just have a chance to save his family’s fortune and their ancestral home. Thanks to a tavern.