Chapter 17

At long last Gift Day is only two days away and both of them are working on their gifts for the other in secrecy. It brings warm feelings of love and family to both of their hearts. With smiles on their faces they labor with their hands and hearts just to make the other one happy.

Braylard and the other minotaurs stayed for another week, but have since returned home with the thanks and gratitude of many. Braylard has offered to return in February and go with them to The Gathering at the City of Divinity, for you see Braylard is a Knight of Andromeda also. The offer was graciously accepted.

Even the beautiful, powerful and kind Cathy has returned to her family with the promise that she will meet up with them at The Gathering in the City of Divinity. Dakota is becoming the powerful witch she is destined to be.

Now it is just Dakota and Sorbo with their many fairy friends. Every day they retreat to their own corner and work on gifts for the other. Every night they cuddle in their favorite chair in front of the fire and talk about anything and everything that comes to Dakota’s beautiful eight-year-old heart and mind. The honesty and openness between them is beautiful and neither of them has ever felt so close to someone. With their hearts loved and protected they are now strong enough to talk about anything. That time is coming.

The night before Gift Day, Sorbo goes into the master bedroom, the room that once belonged to his parents. He walks in with reverence and the fairies ask him if he needs anything. He shakes his head no and walks over to a storage chest at the foot of the massive bed and kneels before it. With head bowed he closes his eyes and memories of another life flash through his mind. He smiles fondly and then with a big sigh he opens up his eyes and lifts the lid of the chest. The first thing he sees is a royal banner of royal blue with a silver lion on it. He also sees a gold banner with a hammer on it, but he was never told what it means. He takes the folded blue banner gently in his hands and lifts it out of the chest and lays it on the floor to his right.

There it is! The last gift he ever gave someone. It is a cantano sword with the tanto style blade. It is lightweight, very strong, and very, very sharp. He takes it out of the chest with shaking hands and stares at it for a long time. Then with a sigh he sets it down on his left. He continues to go through the chest moving old family heirlooms out of the way until he finds what he is looking for at the very bottom of the chest. He wrestles the ancient knightly sword out and as he holds it he remembers its heft. It is the Sword of Might and it protects its wielder from dark magic. While holding it he slowly pulls the sword out of its scabbard. The sound brings back many memories of honored family and battle. Sorbo has taken this sword into battle more than once. In fact, he was wielding it when he first met Braylard. He turns it this way and that looking at it and getting the feel of its balance once and again. He does not feel sad, melancholy or anything other than like a Knight of Andromeda. Sorbo was in his early twenties when he last wore this sword, now he is forty-three. He wraps the swords in the banner of his royal family lines, puts everything else back in the chest and leaves the room. On his way out of the room he sees dozens of fairies looking at him so he puts his finger to his lips so they will know not to give away one of his presents.

As he is walking towards his room Dakota comes walking out of hers and asks, “What’s that?”

“It is a present for you, young lady.”

“It is? What is it?”

“You’ll see tomorrow.”

Dakota scrunches up her cute little nose and sticks her tongue out at him. “Well, I have my own surprises, too.”

“Well, good.” says Sorbo, bending down and giving her a kiss on her lips.

She giggles and says, “I can’t wait until tomorrow.”

“Me, too, but remember we’re giving one of our presents to the fairies tonight.”

“I remember. You about ready?”

“Let me put these under my bed.”

As he is doing that from behind him Dakota says, “Don’t worry I promise I won’t look.”

Sorbo turns around still kneeling and takes Dakota in his arms and says, “I know! I trust you and your word more than anything on this world.”

Dakota is beaming. “Even more than Andromeda herself!”

“Yep.” He says, in all honesty. “You ready?”

“Yep.” They quickly took on each others speaking ways.

Dakota and Sorbo go into the kitchen and kick all the fairies out. Tonight the fairies are the honored guests and they will be served as they have so unselfishly given of themselves to watch over the White Sorceress and her knight. The meal is as big and tasteful as an eight-year-old sweetheart and warrior can make it. But it is of no matter because the pure hearts of the fairies act as if they have been giving and shown the greatest of honors.

Later that night as they are sitting in front of the fireplace Dakota has long fallen asleep in Sorbo’s lap. With the fading embers Sorbo gets up and gently puts Dakota in the chair for a second and throws on a couple more logs.

Then he picks up Dakota all snugly wrapped in her blanket and she stirs. “Is it Gift Day yet?”

With a smile Sorbo answers, “Not yet, in the morning.” He carries her into his room and soon sweet sleep overtakes them.

From the dreams of other worlds and but a heart beat morning comes. “Sorbo, wake up it is Gift Day!”

“I’m up, I’m up! Okay, okay, I’m getting up.”

She starts pulling on his arm until he makes it seem like she has pulled him right out of bed as he falls on the floor with great drama. “I’m sorry, Sorbo. Are you okay?”

Sorbo growls and then grabs her and pulls her into his lap and while he is attacking her with little kisses all over her face, cheek and ears he is also tickling her tummy. She squeals and laughs as she tries to squirm out of his strong hands.

After a second he stops and stands her up. In all seriousness he says, “Well, this is our first Gift Day together. You ready!”

She nods her head as her beautiful blue eyes well up with tears. They walk into the living room where they had put a little pine tree next to their favorite chair and fireplace. It is in a bucket and they hope they can return it to the woods when done.

“You, first.” says Dakota, as she hands him something wrapped in a cloth.

“Me first? Well, thank you, sweetheart.” Dakota is just as happy to give a present as to get one. Sorbo pulls it out and it is his royal blue long sleeve pullover royal guard shirt. “You are giving me my shirt back?” he asks, a little confused.

“Nope!” she says with a big smile. Then she opens up her blanket to show him that she is wearing her blue shirt that he gave her. “I was wearing this last night, remember?”

“Well, you get in and out of your clothes so fast it is hard to keep track.”

Dakota giggles. “I asked the fairies to make you another one. That way in a couple of months when we go to The Gathering, you can go in royal fashion.”

“Ah, thank you, babygirl.” he says, giving her a big hug. All the fairies around have big smiles on their faces. “Your turn.” Dakota starts jumping up and down. He hands her a cloth that is a little bigger than his hand.

She unwraps it and it is a unicorn carved out of wood. “Oh, Sorbo, it is beautiful! I love it, thank you.” Then she gives Sorbo a big kiss.

“You want to put it up on the mantle above the fireplace?”

“Yeah! So, Sorbo, do you think it is time we give the fairies their other presents?”

“I think so.” Dakota and Sorbo look at the fairies with sly smiles.

The fairies are looking on with joyful expectation as they are on the mantle, on the floor near the fire, on the chairs, and everywhere they can feel the warmth of the fire and experience the warmth of this moment. Sorbo gets up and goes back into his bedroom. Not only does he bring out that box, but also he brings out a long slim package for Dakota.

“What’s that?”

“Fairies first.”

“Oh yeah!” she says, with a divine smile on her pale and pretty face.

Sorbo sets the box down and removes the lid with great flamboyance and all of a sudden the whole living room is engulfed in the smell of flowers. The fairies that can’t see go airborne. One by one Sorbo pulls out a pot of flowers and hands them to Dakota and she sets them on the floor so the fairies can go to them. For a month now every time Sorbo and Dakota went for a little adventure out into the mountains they brought back with them any wild flowers they found growing this high up and this late into the season. Sorbo is sure that once Dakota started caring for them the flowers sprang to life from her love and magic. The fairies are in heaven. They are inhaling their essence and touching them because their connection to nature is second-to-none. Sorbo and Dakota, by the looks on the faces of the fairies, feel they have succeeded in showing the little fairies their worth. As they look on at the joy of the fairies, Dakota climbs into Sorbo’s lap and with a smile on her face she leans back into her knight.