He moaned softly as he began kissing me back, his arms tightening around my waist once again. I guess that was the first kiss that we shared as an engaged couple. A soft giggle escaped from me when our lips parted.
Reiner gave me a confused look that demanded for an explanation for my reaction. I offered him a sweet smile after my laughter had stopped.
“Sorry, I was just thinking that that was our first kiss as an engaged couple. You’re my fiance now, right?” I asked before laughing a little.
“You cry and then you laugh, I’m seriously confused right now…but I guess you’re right. I’m sorry that we won’t have a very long engagement, though,” he replied regretfully.
I wasn’t sure what he meant by that as I cocked my head to the side and gave him a confused look. Reiner didn’t seem like he was going to offer up any kind of explanation and I was burning to know if his words meant anything specific or special. It wasn’t like I minded how long our engagement period was before our wedding or anything like that. It was simply already more than good enough that he wanted to marry me.
“Come with me for a bit,” he said softly as he took my hand in his.
“Ok…” I murmured as I started following him.
It didn’t take long for me to figure out that our destination was surprisingly very close to where we were. Reiner turned around from the cliff where most part of the sun had already dipped below the horizon, and it was slowly getting a little dark. Slowly, he led me towards the cave that I was busy admiring just before.
Are we going in there? Why?
“Umm…are we going in there?” I asked, unable to keep my voice from shaking.
“Are you scared?” Reiner asked, immediately sensing my fear.
“A little…” I admitted shyly.
The last of the sun rays dyed the scenery a golden orange and I knew that it would be getting dark soon. Reiner’s hand tightened comfortingly over mine before he turned to smile at me encouragingly. His presence truly does make me feel like everything would be just fine. He’ll take care of me. I knew that without a doubt.
“I’ll be ok…” I said softly.
“The entrance is a little narrow, but the cave is quite big inside,” Reiner explained as he continued leading me inside the cave.
He supported my arms to make sure that I didn’t fall over on the uneven and slightly slippery rocks that lined the floor of the cave.
“Have you been in here before?” I asked curiously.
“I have,” he replied as he semi-carried me over a large rock.
I couldn’t guess the reason why he wanted to take me into the cave, but I had a feeling that I was about to find out very soon. Luckily, the cave wasn’t very deep, and Reiner was right. After passing through the slightly narrow entrance, the cave widened into a very large area. There wasn’t much light but the flashlight from our phone was more than enough for us to see around.
“What is this place?” I whispered in awe as I looked around the large cave.
At first, I had thought that this was just a cave left in the wild nature to its own devices, but I was proven to be very wrong. There were many man-made things in the cave that showed signs that it was in use before and then deserted. There were paintings that looked old and tribal on the walls depicting what must have been scenes from the tribe’s daily lives such as hunting, dancing, celebrations, and harvesting. The paint had faded here and there from age. There were sculptures of animals in an art style that I had never seen before. At the very end of the cave was a large structure resembling an altar that was heavily decorated with patterns matching the art style of the sculptures.
“It’s an ancient religious site of sorts use for special ceremonies by the tribe that used to inhabit the island. Well, that’s what we were all told. I have never met these people before and neither did my father. By the time he moved to settle here, the tribe was probably already gone,” Reiner explained.
I turned around to see him working to light up a fire and realized that there were many candles in the cave.
“Based on the legends and the stories, this place is still used sometimes for special ceremonies,” Reiner continued to explain.
“Such as?” I asked curiously.
“Weddings,” he replied casually after successfully light up a fire.
My body froze in place at the mention of that word. This place was used for weddings? Is that the norm on this island?
Judging by how isolated and slightly deserted the cave was, I doubt that it had been in use recently. Although the space inside was larger than I expected, I doubt it could fit more than thirty or so people so large celebrations and ceremonies involving many guests were out of the question here.
That isn’t the main point!
“Umm…are we…?” I began asking before trailing off.
Reiner ignored me as he busily lighted a bunch of candles and began placing them on the candle holders stationed at various points around the cave. By the time that he was done, the entire cave was lit up in warm candlelight. Now that I could see better, the cave did look breathtakingly beautiful in a very mysterious and spiritual way.
“There’s no scientific proof of it beyond some drawings and stories told about this place. My father took a real interest to learning about the ways of the people who used to inhabit the island when he took over,” Reiner said as he approached me and took my hands into his.
My heart skipped a beat and began beating faster and harder automatically in response to his touch and how intensely he was gazing down at my face. His blue eyes captivated me, and I couldn’t look away. My throat felt dry, and I began feeling nervous and anxious.
–To be continued…