LAS Challenge 1 Voting

[robinmarian]

LAS Challenge One Voting

VOTING RULES:

Please READ carefully before voting, thank you.

- Participants are encouraged to vote, however you may NOT vote for your own submission or ask others to vote for yours.

- Please read each entry to vote.

- Vote for your three favourite pieces, and please be sure to include feedback for each one. Please bear in mind the following point allocation while voting:
- a first place vote gets 3 pts;
- a second place vote gets 2 pts;
- a third place vote gets 1 pt.

- That said, with a view to being able to give each participant some feedback, reviews of individual stories are very much encouraged. If you liked the story, or noticed room for improvement, please let the author know!

- Use the form in the textbox below to vote. In "general comments", include any feedback for the stories you didn't vote for by indicating the number, followed by your review.

- Voting should be based around quality only: Was the prompt met? Did the author follow the Challenge-Specific Guidelines? How is the spelling, grammar and punctuation? Did the piece hold your attention?

*Guidelines from thefuturequeen's LAS Competition.

VOTING FORM

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The prompt was: "Fireworks." The theme was "New Year".

Voting closes Wednesday, January 12, 2011 @ 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time (World Clock)

#1. Halcyon (PG-13, 777 words)

A million pinpoints twinkled in the obsidian sky, cloaked here and there by clouds that were sifting a light powder over Camelot. The air was cold enough to turn the sprinkle into ice flecks, which mirrored the sparkle of the stars as they drifted gently downward over the smooth stones of the castle courtyard.

Standing on the balcony outside their chambers, Gwen wrapped the quilt she held a little tighter around her shoulders and took in the sight, simultaneously awed and soothed by the peaceful tableau. She knew she should go back inside, pull the doors tightly shut, and climb into bed again; and a part of her wished to do exactly that, especially when she thought of how toasty Arthur was when he slept. To be snug and warm and cozy, instead of watching her breath crystallize as it floated away from her, was certainly appealing.

And yet, the night was just so-- well, she hesitated to even think of it as magical, all things considered; still, it was difficult to come up with a better word.

"Guinevere, what are you doing?" Arthur's voice, husky from sleep as it came from the doorway behind her, interrupted her musings. "It's freezing out here," he noted, rubbing his arms against the chill as he joined her.

"It's just so beautiful," she replied, holding out an arm to offer him half of the quilt. Instead of accepting in that way, he took the entire blanket and slung it around himself. Then, holding the ends of it in his hands, he stepped up and wrapped his arms around her, enveloping them both in the down-filled fabric.

Being that he was taller, the edges of the quilt came down around her cheeks, and as Gwen rested her head back against Arthur's chest and slipped her fingers over his forearms, she appreciated how his heat surrounded her this way.

"It is beautiful," he agreed, his breath an added warmth against her cheek. "But, what brought you out here, in the first place?"

With a sigh, she said, "I wanted to greet the new year. The last year has been so complicated, and I know that the next will likely be no better, but I wanted to see it while it was still..." The cold must be doing in her mind, for she could not think of a way to explain this, any more than she could have described the scene before them.

"Uncomplicated?" he supplied.

She nodded. "Precisely. Untroubled."

He paused before his mouth moved closer to her ear, and was his voice was little more than an exhalation when he suggested, "Untouched?"

Her breath hitching at his sudden, obvious interest, Gwen turned her head to see him. Arthur had only moved his own back a fraction, and their lips were a mere hairsbreadth apart when she gave a small nod. "Yes," she whispered.

When he closed the slight distance, Gwen felt the peace of the night settle within her, even as their kiss kindled into flame the internal embers which glowed whenever he was around. The combination resulted in an all-encompassing, pure happiness, the likes of which she was certain she had never experienced before. She wondered how long it would last, but rather than question it, decided simply to enjoy it.

When Arthur pulled back, he nuzzled her nose with his own, such a loving gesture that it reinforced her perfect mood. "Now that we have greeted the new year, let's go inside before we freeze."

"Very well," she agreed. However, before he could move, she turned so that she could slide her arms around his waist. Brushing the tip of her nose against his own, mimicking what he had done, she murmured, "I love you."

He smiled. "I love you, too." Then, giving her a light squeeze, he said, "The snow's picking up; we really should get inside." And, without ending the embrace, he stepped backwards, leading her into their chambers.

Gwen laughed as she tried not to trip over his feet, bringing Arthur to chuckle, as well. The ice crystals truly were falling harder now, their easy flutter accelerating, turning their moonlit glitter into countless flashes. From the corner of her eye, it looked like streams of light streaking down against the dark sky.

After the sparks between Gwen and Arthur had combusted and they were falling back down to earth, her happiness gave forth an optimism about what the new year was going to bring. No matter what challenges they faced, she knew they would meet them head-on. Camelot would thrive, shining brightly against the dark threats it faced.
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#2. The Lion and the Dragon (G, 651 words)

They made their way out to the old stone balcony, overlooking one of the many pagodas in the ancient city. The small figures on the ground moved about in concert as they were bathed in a warm sea of lantern lights that dangled in the wind while rivers of red silk fabrics snaked all around them.

In the center of the square outside of their small hotel, the lion and the dragon were nearing the end of their dancing fight. The entire city felt as if there were no quiet corner, in keeping with tradition this time of year, so as to ward off the evil spirits as the Chinese New Year approached.

Ushering in the next year in London was exciting and beautiful, but it was nothing like this. A month ago, Arthur and Gwen stood out on the rooftop terrace of their apartment surrounded by their closest friends, toasting with champagne and watching the fireworks over the Thames in the distance and the happy faces of couples kissing next to them, as the rhythmic striking of the famous clock rang out all twelve chimes that told the city the previous year was officially over.

At the time it seemed perfectly romantic to her. They were together and although they were not alone, it was enough. That night when Arthur casually asked her if she could spend New Year’s Eve anywhere else with him, she answered: somewhere in Asia, as a bit of a joke, never expecting to be in Shanghai four weeks later, watching as the people here celebrated the coming of their new year.

The loud firecrackers were alive all around them, buzzing in their ears like swarms of angry bees. The black blanket of sky above them burst into all shades of reds, yellows and oranges that stretched far and wide like a webbing of sparks before fading and being replaced by another, equally beautiful, bright net.

Arthur cradled her in his arms, pulling her small back into his broad chest and whispered into her ear, “The first person you kiss in the New Year will determine your fortune for the rest of your life.”

He said the same thing a month ago in London and she had to correct him then too. She laughed this time and replied, “I think you mean the first person you kiss in the New Year will determine your fortune for the rest of the year, my love.”

“Are you sure?” He asked leaning in so that she could hear his words over the celebration.
She turned her head to look at his face and he reared back to see hers. She nodded her response with a confidently raised brow and a tiny, knowing grin pulling at the corners of her lips.

He kissed her and said, “Well, I think I shall have to make certain that you are the only person I kiss for the rest of my life.”

He took her left hand and softly turned her around to face him, fully. Bringing himself down to one knee as he stuck his hand into the pocket of his pajama bottoms and presented her with a diamond ring before beginning to speak again.

In truth, she could hardly hear a word that he was saying above the noise of the people below them - or the heavy pounding of her heart in her ears - and her eyes were welled up with tears that it was even a little difficult to see him now. None of that mattered though, because she knew the moment his mouth would stop moving she would say yes and then kiss him, as if it were the first time she’d ever kissed him; and she would tell him that she loved him and that she would cherish this new year and every one they would spend together from now on as if it may be their last.
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#3. Safe In Your Arms (PG, 533 words)

With a ruckus of activity going down in the courtyard, Arthur shut his window to drown out the drunkenness and debauchery below him. If his father were alive to see, Arthur shuddered to think of what his father would say. As the new year dawns, he is presiding over a kingdom taken over by ruffians on such a night.

In the space of his thoughts, a hand brushes against his arm. A gentle glide entwining itself around his waist, hugging him, he looks down to see Gwen snuggling up to him as they gaze out the window together.

“You’re still up, Guinevere,” Arthur whispered. He kissed the top of her head and smoothed her dark curls with his hand. Gwen responded by tightening the hold she had on him. With a laugh, Arthur said, “I couldn’t bear to see you down there with Merlin and my knights running amok.”

“You remember the first year you allowed this festival to happen,” Gwen whispered, looking up at Arthur with self assured brown eyes.

Arthur smiled and hugged her closer as well. “How could I forget, it was the most terrifying night of my life.”

Gwen returned Arthur’s smile. Reaching up, Gwen laid her hand gently along the side of his face, rubbing her thumb on his cheek. His beard was starting to come in again. It was scratchy against her fingers. Tilting her head to the side, she stood on her tiptoes, giving him a soft peck.

Lids slightly closed and dazed by Gwen’s touch, Arthur contemplated Gwen’s action through his half closed lids. He smiled seductively, touching his thumb to her lips. Parting his own lips to speak softly, he is interrupted by a smash, shattered glass falling inches from the two of them.

With his arm firmly around Gwen, Arthur pulled her away from the window, lifting her feet off the floor. He deposited her on the bed. Minimal protestation from Gwen, she said, “You don’t have to carry me to bed.”

Not listening to a word, Arthur held up a finger to shush her. Then he went back over to the window, stooped down and picked up the rock. Glaring at it, he made a fist around it. He opened the locked window to see who the culprit was. Unfortunately, he couldn’t see anyone through the crowd of peasants surrounding his courtyard. The loud pop of fireworks would drown out any shout he would try to make down to his people. He threw the rock out the window without fanfare.

Upon turning around, Arthur saw Gwen lounging on their four poster bed in a seductive pose. She made circles on the bed with her finger. “The fireworks are beautiful, aren’t they?” Her smile sweet, Arthur gazed at her for a second, breathless.

“Not as beautiful as you are,” Arthur’s voice replied huskily. Eyes drifting to the hand letting down her hair, his heart pounded when those dark curls fell around her face perfectly. The space between him and their bed lessened in three swift steps, his breathe against her neck causing her to shiver.

“Blessings upon us this year,” Gwen whispered into Arthur’s ear.

It was going to be a good year.
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#4. Late (PG-13,light R, 506 words)

Arthur's not exactly sure what is Peach Mango Bliss or Cotton Summer Breeze or Lavender's Jasmine Delight, just that these are the kinds of things that he always finds in Gwen's shower so he might as well use them since he keeps sleeping over at her place . . . and to be honest - not that he'll tell anyone, that is - they all make him smell quite nice and have really soft skin.

And that he really rather likes lathering up this spongy-thing-a-ma-jiggy with - (he squints, trying to see past his sopping hair and soapy suds streaming down the plastic bottle) - Moonlight Dreams? Something. Anyway, it's good for washing Gwen's back.

And her front.

Especially her front.

But it really isn't the time to get distracted and linger. They've got Leon's rooftop New Year's bash - people to see and friends to hang out with and a lot of alcohol to consume. It's what one does as a “couple,” or so he's been told by various people supposedly in the know. He's never lasted long enough to go to these do's as a part of a dual unit, a fifty percent component to someone else's fifty percent, before. Gwen has been looking forward to it, and oddly enough, he's been looking forward to it, too. Uncharted territory and all that.

Yet it's Gwen who is trailing her sure and unsoaped fingers up and down the damp valleys and ridges of his ribcage, the slick jut of his hipbones and wet rise of his arse - taking the overhead spray of water with her little hands and driving dams and creating creeks over his body. Making maps and memorizing, to a distracting degree, so that he can only lean his forehead against hers, panting, hair sopping and plastered against both their faces.

Arthur just stares at the droplets of water speckled on Gwen's shoulder that magnify the splash of freckles underneath. They are splattered in an oddly symmetrical web pattern, a crystalline explosion gone off against the sky of her skin. With each puff of his breath the drops jiggle, until one sluices downwards - hastily, as if at first in a hurry, then lazily, taking it's good damn time to arc down and over the swell of her breast. The last colorless spark, fading.

“We'll miss the fireworks.” It's a half-hearted murmur of realization, gravely and indistinct, against her cheek. Her skin tastes clean, Moonlight Cotton Bliss or not.

She winds her arms around his neck, presses tighter to nuzzle his nose. Curves plane out, nicely slick, an elemental shift in the geography. Water slides past his throat, diverges and rivers warmly down his chest and pools in the space between them. With his eyes closed, it almost sounds as if it's raining, a waterfall forged in their embrace.

“Mmm,” she replies, against his mouth, breath musingly lilting, “will we now?” And as he tastes her impish grin with his own, he knows she is, as always, truthful.
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#5. With every mistake, we must surely be learning (PG-13, 520 words)

The flickering television screen in the darkened room presented a pretty picture - fireworks exploded over the London skyline as the entire world began to ring in the new year. Twenty-eleven was about to begin, and people everywhere waited for the moment when they could peck each other's cheeks and clink together glasses of sparkling spirits.

Arthur and Gwen Pendragon, though, were paying very little attention to the animated celebrations being broadcast live across the country. For their very first new year's eve as a married couple, the pair had decided to forgo the party thrown by the Camelot Knights, the playful nickname given to their group of friends, and had stayed in, instead. Lying on the thick carpeted floor, side-by-side, they were enthralled in each other; Arthur's arms were wrapped around Gwen's waist, and her fingers twisted in the tousled mop of his fair hair. Their lips moved together as one, tongues probing and exploring, and Arthur moaned quietly as Gwen bit down on his lower lip.

As the silent countdown ended and the grandfather clock in the hallway outside the living room chimed midnight, the couple broke apart, all flushed cheeks and bruised lips.

Gwen giggled as Arthur pushed himself up so that he was sitting straight, before hoisting her onto his lap. He brushed her hair back behind her ears as she smiled at him, the light from the flickering candles scattered around the room, as well as the explosions of colour from the television, reflecting in her eyes. It was a new year, full of promise and hope, and the fireworks symbolised the end of an era and the beginning of a new one; a phoenix rising from the ashes.

On the table behind them, two mobile phones buzzed with incoming calls and text messages, and Arthur grabbed hold of Gwen's wrist as she reached out to answer them.

"Leave them," he said huskily, his fingertips gently tracing across her cheeks down to the hollow at the base of her throat. "It'll just be Morgana and Merlin, wishing us happy new year. Though they should really have more important things on their minds, since they just got married."

Gwen quirked an eyebrow but didn't respond. Instead, she cupped Arthur's face with her hands and drew his mouth to hers once more. She kissed his mouth very gently this time, savouring the sweet taste of champagne that lingered on his lips, the smell of sweet sweat and musk on his skin. In turn, Arthur ran his tongue along Gwen's bottom lip and grinned as she shivered in his arms.

"Happy New Year, Arthur Pendragon," Gwen said quietly, her eyes dark in the low light. She traced a fingertip down the bridge of his nose and sat up a little straighter in his lap. "May we share many more new years together."

Arthur grinned and tightened his arms around Gwen. "Happy New Year, Guinevere Pendragon, and may I never look any handsomer, or you more beautiful."

"Oh, help, I've married a charmer!" Gwen laughed, as she dipped her head down to catch Arthur's lips between hers once more.
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#6. His Equal (PG-13, 603 words)

The first explosion, even amidst many bells’ ringing tolls and the people’s boisterous cheers, was deafening. Arthur frowned, and then gaped, eyes fixed on the sudden burst of light which rent his night sky. Merry gold, followed by extravagant red, lively green, and a trace of stunning blue before the sparks suddenly vanished from the moonless canvas. A second explosion marked the birth of another-more magnificent, more magical than the last.

The crowd’s cheering grew and Arthur could not resist the temptation of a smile. To share his people’s joy, he knew from his father’s example, was a rare privilege that a king often dismiss without a second thought-but he was no such king.

“Even you now must admit that Merlin’s idea of celebration isn’t half bad.”

Arthur’s smile widened at his wife’s comment. She stood at his side, one hand resting the stone parapet, eyes riveted by the brilliant sparks painting the sky.

“He does have his uses, that Merlin,” he admitted.

Guinevere laughed. “To say the least. I don’t think anyone has ever seen anything like this. It’s a wondrous thing to behold.”

It was, he thought, and yet the work of magic it remained, and such was an unfailing reminder of his father; a father driven to madness and death by the curse of a witch, the daughter Uther Pendragon loved more than anyone. The mere thought of it turned Arthur’s blood into ice.

“Arthur?” Guinevere’s hand reached for his, a sudden, blessed warmth in the numbing cold. He offered her another smile but it was distant, wearied; dark footprints those memories left in his mind were fresh still, despite the months spanning between then and now.

“If only magic could be as beautiful and harmless every time,” he murmured plaintively.

Her features softened to understanding. Very few people knew that he came from the arms of magic as much his mother’s womb-and even after one year of knowing, Arthur would only approach that knowledge in private. Now he stood bared, open, as vulnerable as a child before this woman he had vowed to love and respect for the rest of his life, while magic waged a war inside him.

“It might be better in some ways,” Guinevere replied and her voice was not all softness he had come to expect from his gentle wife. “Forgive me, but I don’t wish for that world.”

Arthur stared at her in surprise, meeting her calm, solemn gaze that always cut deep into his very soul. “Even if it would mean that our fathers-”

He paused, the rest of his words stemmed by a finger on his lips. “There is no use speaking of things you cannot change, Arthur,” she spoke again, still with the same undertone of steel, softened only by the old sadness which suddenly bloomed in her eyes. “Especially now that the things you can change are already keeping your hands full.”

For a long moment, he could not speak. Guinevere returned his stare in silence, colours rippling across her skin as another fanfare of fireworks blazed in the sky, and he suddenly knew why he had challenged his father and the rest of the world for the sake of her hand in marriage. This woman was his choice, his victory, the measure of his destiny.

And that was when he leaned in to kiss her.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Arthur whispered against her lips, watching the sparks mirrored in her dark eyes. Guinevere laughed and the sound warmed him like no fire or ale ever had.

His wife, his Queen of Hearts, she was his equal.
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#7. Sparkling New Year (PG-13, 617 words)

“Arthur, where are we going?” Guinevere asked trying to hold back a yawn.

“It’s a surprise,” He said looking back at her with a grin on his face.

It was only a few moments ago he had woken her up from their chambers, without giving her a chance to change into some proper clothes, and threw her robe at her to cover her in her night clothes. He only wore a loose white shirt and dark pants and led them bare footed up the winding staircase.

“Honestly Arthur it’s late, I wish to get some sleep,” Guinevere grumbled as they kept going up the stairs.

“We are almost there.”

A few seconds later they reached a wooden door and Arthur pushed it open and a cold wind blew around them.

“Where are we?” Guinevere asked.

“We are on top of the tallest tower in the castle. Not many people come up here, except some guards. But I asked them to leave this place for us.”

He lead her towards the railing and they looked down at the glittering candle light in the windows of the town. Guinevere admired how many stars there were above, sparkling in the clear night.

“Now, wait patiently a few more minutes and my surprise will be revealed,” He said sensing her confusion.

A loud ringing rang out around the castle and the lands and Guinevere turned to look out at the town.

“It’s a New Year and our first New Year together married,” Arthur whispered in her ear as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

She heard cheers from the people in the town, happy to be alive for another year and suddenly there were bright colors shooting up into the sky and exploding with loud bangs. Guinevere cowered into Arthur afraid of an attack but he just chuckled.

“I asked Merlin to create something special for us and for the people to celebrate a new year and he created ‘colorful stars’ as he called them,” He said as more exploded into the sky.

Guinevere relaxed in his arms and smiled and awed at the beauty of these colorful stars.

“This is beautiful Arthur, thank you.”

Guinevere turned to Arthur and kissed him softly on the lips. But as she started to pull away he pulled her back to kiss her deeply and passionately on the lips. With the colorful sparks in the sky behind them Guinevere felt the familiar and always exciting sparks in her stomach that spread throughout her as he kissed her. He pulled her hips flush against his and she felt that familiar warmth grow hotter in her body. She wrapped her arms around his neck to hold him close and let herself totally sink into his kiss.

“Why don’t we go back down to our room and create some sparks of our own?” Guinevere suggested once Arthur pulled away and he smiled as he leaned his forehead against hers.

“I think that’s a wonderful plan to ring in our new year,” He said as he nuzzled his nose against her forehead.

He took her hand and led her back down the winding staircase and to their room. He barred the door close and lifted his wife into his arms and carried her back to their bed.

He laid her down and slowly and meticulously took her and made love to her sweetly. Causing, as Guinevere had suggested, sparks of their own as the colorful sparks lit up the sky outside their windows.

As they lay together in each other’s arms tired and happy as ever, they saw the last few sparks shine outside and dreamed of a bright and beautiful new year ahead.
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#8. Seeing In (PG, 944 words)

“I hate the way you’re fussing.”

“Someone has to do it.”

“So let me.”

“I don’t think so.”

“And why not?”

For a split second, Arthur hesitated. Answer with the truth, and the mood would be spoiled. Answer with a lie, and Gwen would see right through it.

“Because I have plans.” His response fell somewhere in between, risky from both angles but not as dangerous as each on its own. He stretched the rest of the way, removing two wine glasses from the cupboard. A wedding gift from Morgana before they’d all become estranged. They rarely used them. Gwen had always claimed they were too beautiful to be taken from their shelf. They both tacitly understood she didn’t necessarily refer to the expensive crystal.

A small smile curved Gwen’s mouth. “I do enjoy your plans.”

He couldn’t watch her for fear of losing even more time to distraction. It was tempting, though. She was tempting. She sat in front of the large window overlooking the Thames, framed between the candlelight he’d set for their evening and the distant glow of the celebrations. Millions of people would be watching the fireworks, either live or on the telly, and so he’d turned the settee toward the window in a semblance of doing the same. When the midnight hour struck, however, his eyes would not be on the explosions in the sky, but on the woman who’d chosen him to share her life with. It was the single best gift he’d ever received. Every new year they were lucky enough to have together only cemented that.

He poured the wine, taking care to fill Gwen’s glass only halfway, and carried it over, setting his down first so he could touch her shoulder without spilling. Her head tilted up, toward him, her smile as radiant as the light filtering through the window.

“Another year,” she said.

“Another year.” He pressed her glass into her hand, patient while she took it and cradled it between her palms. “Are you hungry?”

She shook her head. “What time is it?”

“Eleven-fifty.”

“Where did today go?”

He had a better question. Where had the year gone? Because it had flown by, too swift to catch, too zealous to savor. He yearned to have it back, to make them a year younger rather than another year older, because then he’d have that extra time to have with Gwen, regardless of what fate might have in store for them in the future.

Retrieving his glass, he sat behind her, curling his free arm over her shoulder and across her front to pull her gently back against his chest. She came willingly, slipping with deceptive ease into the spot only she could fill, and sighed when he skimmed his lips along her temple.

“You shouldn’t have fussed with the wine,” she murmured. “This is all I need.”

“But we’ve toasted the new year in with a bottle of Merlot for fifty years.”

“Don’t you think that means it’s time for a change?”

Her playful tone prompted him to tighten his embrace, snuggling her even closer into his arms. He buried his nose in her hair, breathing her in, keeping her there as long as he could manage. The color of her curls might have faded with time, but its dark hues had never been what entranced him. That honor rested on the way loose tendrils would fall against her cheek, or dance in the wind when she would whip her head around in excitement.

“Are you saying you’re bored?” he teased. “Right, then. I guess it’s time for that divorce.”

She laughed and twisted around to kiss the underside of his jaw. “Like someone else would have a blanket hog like you.”

“I need something to protect myself from your cold feet.”

“Did you ever consider perhaps they were cold because you steal all the blankets?”

It was a familiar dance, begun when he’d been courting Gwen. She was the first woman he had ever known to be honest with him about his less than positive habits, and he’d fallen in love with her a little bit on that third date when they’d curled up together on the picnic blanket to nap after lunch. He’d woken up with the blanket wrapped tightly around his midsection and Gwen propped up on her elbow, smiling down at him. He’d never asked another woman out after that. She was the one.

Fifty-two years later, she was still the one.

Distant popping distracted her from their cuddling embrace. She turned toward the sound emanating from the other side of the window.

“Is it midnight? Did we miss it?”

Arthur peered around her. The fireworks ignited the sky in reds and yellows. “Only just.”

“Tell me what it looks like.”

“Magnificent.”

But he was no longer looking at the display in the distance. His gaze was on her, and the hopeful expectation in her unseeing eyes. She’d fought the blindness as long as she could, as hard as she’d fought other battles in their lives together, but the one enemy neither one of them could best was time. This was her first New Year’s without her sight, the first she’d ring in without witnessing the fireworks.

It wouldn’t be her last, though. And Arthur would be her eyes whenever she wanted them.

Ignoring their wine, he bent his head and kissed her gently. Her lips parted in a soft exhalation, and her free hand curled around his nape, taking him in for long seconds.

“Happy New Year’s,” he murmured when they parted.

She smiled. “How could it not be?”

With her in his arms, how could it not, indeed?
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ENTRIES 9-17 HERE

Skips exercised: fly_to_dawn

* Thank you SO MUCH to those who submitted their entry for the first challenge. Unfortunately we have 5 who didn't submit their stories so they are disqualified from the competition.

* I am so sorry if I messed up any of your fonts ie. italic fonts. I tried my best to keep your fonts. :D

* I also apologize if I didn't get to reply/respond to those who pmed me with some of their concerns/questions. I am on holiday at the moment and have limited access to internet. But I am glad you guys sorted it out.

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