The day was pleasantly cool, the bitter weather associated with winter in the alpine region not quite settled in, but as the sun slid beneath the horizon it got chillier. The two women bundled up and shared a thick blanket as they sat in front of the warm fire, sipping at hot chocolate and telling each other stories. The warm reminiscing and drinks set them into a cozy haze – neither eager to dispel it.

Erzsébet enjoyed herself listening to one of Emma’s more ridiculous stories about her brother when they were children. The other woman was tucked under her arm, so close she could smell the chocolate on the other woman’s breath. Not that that was unusual, Emma usually smelled like a bakery.

Her breath: like the chocolate she would always secretly snack on that was supposed to be for their friends when they were coming over. Her hair: the scent of waffles Emma always made on Saturday mornings as a treat. Her hands: like the tulips she would always help her brother pick during the summer when they were their most beautiful. Bright and vibrant, always filling up every inch of their apartment.

Every time Erzsébet came home to Emma’s smile and they swapped stories about their days – even after the worst of the worst days – Erzsébet’s heart would melt and she would always relax into the hugs Emma would give her everyday without fail. And on the days that Emma’s smile seemed a little strained and laughter over yet another ridiculous order her boss gave her that day was a little too forced, Erzsébet would always make her a mug of hot chocolate – real hot chocolate as Emma would put, not the kind from a packet, but the kind made from scratch. The extra minutes to make it meant the world to her.  

It was because of those times that Erzsébet never wanted this to end.

If you asked her a couple hundred years ago when she still ran wild, with twigs in her hair from wrestling that annoying Prussian and a fire in her heart, if a life of - relatively - quiet, domestic life filled with love and laughter would make her happy, she probably would have laughed in your face.

That wasn’t to say that their lives were completely quiet. Football games in the backyard with Emma and Erzsébet’s friends and family were the definition of cut-throat, and debates over whose country has the best sweets usually ends in flour fights that take forever to clean up and leaves them with way more pastries than either of them could ever hope to consume.

But it was all that – the good, the bad, and the ridiculous, was what lead Erzsébet to the brightly lit glass counter looking over rows and rows of gold rings laden with precious gemstones. Because while eternity stretched out forever for people like Erzsébet and Emma – their nationhood conditional, but their legacy and thus their lives extended indefinitely – it seemed less scary when you had someone by your side.

It was that forever that Erzsébet wanted and it came in the form of a delicate band chosen after an hour of hemming and hawing, a simultaneously pushy and patient store clerk, and an amount of money that wouldn’t make Emma too angry that Erzsébet was spending on her (she would claim her brother’s frugality didn’t rub off on her but she would be wrong).

And so, there they sat on that late autumn evening, cuddled up close, steaming mugs in their hands, and the weight of the small box hidden in Erzsébet’s pocket seemed much heavier than the mere ounces it weighed.

Thoughts and scenarios raced through her head. She tried to pay attention to what Emma was saying but was too wrapped up in outcomes, worrying about what Emma would say. She’d mention it before, wanting to one day get married but Erzsébet was never sure if it was a hypothetical or a not-so-subtle hint. Eight years together was probably a really long time to wait for normal people, but they weren’t normal people, were they?

Emma seemed to notice Erzsébet’s internal struggle.

“Hey, lieve, is something wrong?” Emma asked, her face scrunching up in concern.

Erzsébet let out the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding and smiled softly down at Emma. She kissed the other woman gently. Her lips as sweet as ever.

“No, everything is perfect,” Erzsébet breathed again her lips. “I just-“

Erzsébet took a deep breath and set down her mug on the ground beside her and withdrew her arm from around Emma, then shifted on the log to face Emma. The other woman shifted as well and Erzsébet took in her fire warmed pink cheeks and her shining eyes.

“I just wanted ask, are you happy?” Erzsébet paused. “Like, really happy?”

Emma furrowed her brow, taking a second to consider what Erzsébet said.

“Yes,” she finally answered firmly, nodding her head a little bit with her affirmative. “Lizzy I don’t know what this is about but –“

It dawned on Erzsébet what that might’ve sounded like so she quickly dug out the small box in her pocket. When Emma’s eyes landed on it, she paused mid-sentence and her eyes went wide.

“Emma. I just wanted to say that I love you. More than anything in the world. And we’ve been through so much together, and I want to spend all of the coming years together. Forever,” Erzsébet stumbled through the words, trying to get out what she was trying to say. Her hands shaking from either nerves or the cold she wasn’t sure, as she opened the box to reveal the shiny engagement ring she picked out weeks earlier.

She was interrupted though by Emma’s twinkling laughter. Erzsébet paused, stunned, not sure what that meant. It was her turn to be confused as Emma also started digging through her pockets.

Erzsébet let her mouth fall open in shock as Emma withdrew a small box, nearly identical to the one Erzsébet held in her hand.

Erzsébet and Emma finally looked each other in the eye and descended into disbelieving giggles. The two just smiling so wide their faces hurt and eyes bright with unshed happy tears.

“Emma-” Erzsébet started.

“Erzsébet –“ Emma said simultaneously.

“Will you marry me?” They said together. Hands and bodies still shaking with excited laughter. Erzsébet felt so euphoric she would’ve sworn she was floating. They kissed and held each other against the cold, interrupted only by errant giggles and sweet nothings.

Later that night, after the fire died down into embers and they tore away from each other long enough to make it into the warm cabin, they sat together snuggled under more blankets. The two posted to social media about their engagement and were quickly met with an influx of congratulations and more than a few “FINALLY”s and eager demands to see the rings.