The blue-lit stepping stones lead through whispering reeds into a moonlit basin enclosed by white roots and silver water. Orunath watches from the fading path as Penelope arrives at Alexios’s side.
A small shrine stands beside the well, its open stone alcove prepared with river-silver tools, empty settings, and a shallow dish for a pearl. The basin glows beneath the roots.
Beneath the clear surface, a pearl rises from the springbed and rests upon a crescent-marked stone. Silver ripples spread outward without disturbing the shrine.
Penelope
The moonwell has answered before we even asked. If its keeper is willing, this could become something chosen and carried with us.
Orunath
The pearl is offered, not taken. The moonwell’s keeper will judge the craft, the promise, and whether the ring serves freedom rather than possession.
At the far side of the basin, pale light gathers beside the shrine, shaping the outline of a narrow doorway in the white roots. The pearl waits beneath the water.
Penelope
We should speak plainly when the keeper comes. No hidden claim, no borrowed vow, and no choice made for either of us.
Obtain a river-silver promise ring