Nothing Could Stop Him
Months passed without anything significant changing. The soldiers were given their winter uniforms but business carried on as usual aside from that unless there was a snow storm. Winters in the capital were far less kind than those in Cloverfield, which was further south.
Rukelion was able to save up for that ring and sent it home with that month's money. He eagerly awaited Daisy's next letter to see her reaction to it. He wished he could have seen it in person!
As winter progressed, he missed her more than usual. They spent so much more time purposely playing around then since they had more time on their hands. Cold weather made him think of her since the capital of Katalya stayed roughly the same temperature year round.
Was she keeping warm without the benefit of his fire magic? At least he had taught her how to kindle a fire properly and keep it stoked so she wouldn't freeze if he came home late after the day he accidentally gave himself away.
Was she bored without him there or had that little orphan she took in finally decided to play some games with her? She mentioned in her letters that his only interest was books so in the evenings he read while she did her own thing but that might have changed.
As much as Rukelion didn't want Daisy to suffer, he didn't want to be replaced even more. She hadn't gotten close to the other two new farmhands, seeing as she didn't talk about them often.
He wouldn't necessarily say she was close to Ira either. They happened to be sharing a living space, much like the two of them had been while he still had his guard up.
When he got his next letter, he realized he had nothing to worry about. It was rather like a journal since she wrote daily. Several of her entries mentioned her missing playing cards since she tried to teach Ira once and he immediately lost interest since he was terrible at it and went back to his books.
Eventually he reached the last entry. It was the one he had been looking forward to the most because it would be the one where she talked about receiving the ring. He read on with bated breath.
'Dear Leo,
'Thank you so much for the ring! It's absolutely beautiful and I can't stop staring at it. I have to take it off to do the heavier farm work so it doesn't get ruined but aside from that it never leaves my finger.
'I can't believe you managed to find one covered in flowers! The shops in the capital must have a lot more than the village does, huh? It must be beautiful there. I wish I could come visit but I can't spare the funds since I'd have to pay for travel expenses and for someone to take care of the animals for me.
'I wish you were here too. I made that gingerbread loaf you like today and had an extra slice in your honor. I would have sent you some except it would have gone completely stale by the time it reached you.
'I hate to ask…but do you have any idea how long you'll be gone? I don't want to pressure you or anything. I know you have a lot to do in order to accomplish your goals but I miss you. Things aren't the same around here without you at all.
'Even having you visit for a while would be better than nothing but I don't know if you're allowed to take leave in the royal army. If not for that it would probably be easier for you to come here than for me to leave all the animals and such behind.
'Maybe I'm just being selfish. I've been missing you a lot lately. I hope you're doing well. At least keeping warm shouldn't be an issue for you even if the capital is colder than here. Stay safe, Leo!
'Love, Daisy'
Rukelion couldn't contain his grin as he read it. She had loved the ring but that was far from the best part. She missed him to the point of actually asking him to come back!
He didn't think it was selfish because he was too happy about her missing him that much. That had to mean she was at least a little bit in love with him by now, didn't it? He knew he needed to work harder to win her over completely since it would be more difficult to do from a distance but progress was progress no matter how small.
Should he invite her to come to the capital on his dime? He could send his entire month's pay this time now that he didn't have to save for the ring anymore. The extra coin should be able to cover paying someone to come over and tend the animals in her place plus travel expenses to get there. He could potentially give her his next month's pay in person to help her get back home.
A highly tempting idea. Rukelion wouldn't be able to take any real time off so he would only be able to see her during free hours and on his one day a week off. Different squadrons were off on different days so headquarters was never left empty.
Even so, seeing her at all would be better than nothing. He was going to do it. Even if they didn't have a ton of time to spend together, he would still be able to see her for a little while every day and she could enjoy exploring the capital. That would have to sustain him through the next several months (or even years) of drudgery if no wars happened like he hoped.
He scribbled a note on the end of his existing letters immediately and enclosed all of his pay in the envelope. He needed to get this sent off as soon as possible so he could see her in the next month and a half.
Waiting to hear back was horrible. His letter wouldn't reach her for about two weeks and then he had to wait another two to receive hers.
His squadron members recognized something was up with him because they frequently caught him sighing but were too afraid to ask. The day he finally received word, he skipped to the last entry first and planned to read the others after. He needed to know if she was coming or not!
'Dear Leo,
'That's a great idea! I'll arrange everything. Ira already agreed to stay behind and "supervise" the farm work (it took quite some convincing on my part since he wanted to come with me but I couldn't afford travel for two) to make sure nothing happens in my absence.
'I've never been anywhere else in Mirea so this is super exciting! Obviously I'm more excited to see you but it will still be a fun trip. I'm heading out in the next day or two as soon as I make the necessary preparations so be expecting me!
'You'll have to tell me more about what life in the capital is like in person and show me your favorite places to go. I'm really looking forward to hearing about it. I've wondered a lot about what you've been up to since you've been gone and probably miss a lot of details from letters alone. See you soon!
'Love, Daisy'
Rukelion was so excited he punched the air and couldn't stop himself from yelling "yes!" He immediately regretted losing control because the handful of others in the room looked at him strangely. That wasn't enough to stop him from grinning like a madman though.
"…what's going on, May?" Payne asked with a raised eyebrow.
"My fiancée is coming to visit. She should be here any day now if she left not long after sending this."
That piqued everyone's interest. He got a variety of questions from everyone milling around the barracks rather than braving the cold.
"The fabled fiancée?"
"She's actually coming just to see you?"
"I thought she was a farmer! How'd she manage to get away that long?"
"Isn't Cloverfield really far from here?!"
"She's coming because she missed me, obviously," Rukelion replied a bit smugly. "I offered to pay for it so there wasn't anything stopping her. She mentioned wanting to visit in her last letter so I made it happen."
"…wouldn't that mean giving up all your pay for about three months?" Mellon asked in disbelief after doing some mental math.
"Your point?"
No one could argue with that. They didn't have sweethearts. By this point in time, Veese had managed to woo a different girl than the one he was originally pursuing and Ferguson was seeing a bakery girl but neither of them were here right now.
Most of his squadron flirted around on their days off but hadn't managed to make anything stick. Boon seemed to be faring better than the others in his attempts to find himself a girl though. They did see each other every time he was free so it was only a matter of time.
Rukelion didn't pay them any mind. They didn't understand love. He would have done anything to see Daisy while he was stuck here. Since it was within his power to make it happen, nothing could stop him.