Bran, the Blessed
I sat in a smoky bar drinking a sweet red wine waiting on the rain to stop. New York City lights twinkled in the night. Three others filled the bar that night. A man and woman sat in a corner smiling and talking. He would say something funny once in a while to make the woman laugh loudly. It was a most annoying cackle. I sat at the bar watching the reflection of the moving cars and rain in a massive mirror mounted behind the bartender. At the other end of the bar was an old man drinking bourbon.
My week ran together in a fog. I would wake at 7:00 am. Ready myself as usual and leave for work. On the 33rd floor of the Kroger building, I would sit in my lonely office and place order after order from all my usual vendors and sorted quotes from all the vendors competing for my business. I worked for Mr. Earl Kroger himself. I was the purchasing agent exclusively for La Beauté, a high end boutique on the Upper East Side.
As I sat in the bar, I wondered where my life was headed. I had no family left and if I still had friends left, they all lived back in Ohio. I had no friends in New York. I would wake, work, repeat. I was at the point where I was honestly considering moving back to Ohio. Back to my home town, just to have someone to talk to. It was just a consideration. I didn’t give it much more thought after remembering the man that still lived there. The one that broke my heart entirely. Screw Dale Lewis. He can go straight to hell. And take that perfect blond bitch with him.
The door to the bar opened toward the street. I heard the rain still falling and the cars driving through it. I didn’t look up as the stranger sat next to me. I could smell him. He smelled amazing, like wood and hyacinth mixed together, complementing one another. There were probably 12 more seats vacant at the bar and this guy chooses to sit right next to me. He asked the bartender for a beer and grabbed a coaster to ready its arrival.
His voice was deep and melodic, simultaneously. As Ben, the bartender, set his beer down and walked away, I chanced a look in the stranger’s direction. I was taken aback by the dark eyes watching me. He smiled a very sexy, crooked smile and I couldn’t look away from this beautiful man. I wondered why he was staring at me. Me? Suddenly I let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding.
“Hello Iris.” He said in his beautiful voice.
I cocked my head to the side. I was scared now. Who was this man? This remarkably handsome man. I tried remembering if I had met him before. He was not a vendor. I would have definitely remembered this gorgeous man. I narrowed my eyes at him and turned a little more in my seat as an act of bravery.
“I have been waiting a very long time to meet you, Iris.” He said after taking a sip of his beer.
“I’m afraid you must have me mistaken for someone else.” I replied. I was scared and intrigued at the same time. Part of me told me to run. Get up and leave this smoky bar. The other part willed me to flirt. To smile back at him and engage him in conversation.
I couldn’t explain the feelings that were washing over me. Warmth and affection spread throughout me like magic. My body was warm and I reveled in the scent of this man sitting next to me. I closed my eyes for a second. In that very brief moment, I was hit with a feeling of belonging. Pure, unadulterated loved filled my heart in that fleeting moment. My eyes fluttered open and he knew what I felt. And I knew he felt it too.
“Hello Iris. My name is Bran, the Blessed. I have been waiting a very long time to meet you.” He said again.
I recalled Bran the Blessed from my Celtic Myth studies. He was the son of Llyr, a supernatural being from Tuatha de Danaan. His mortal mother was Iweriadd, grand-daughter of King Llud of ancient Britain. When Bran died he went to live in Tuatha de Danaan with the gods, but was able to visit Earth from the otherworld with the use of spiritual powers.
“I know this is real. I can feel it. But, I don’t understand it.” I said as I looked into his beautiful dark eyes.
He ran a hand through his raven dark hair and took a deep breath. “I have not visited your world in over 400 years. The last time I visited was because I was summoned by a king. He offered me a betrothal from his lineage as payment for his debt.” He explained looking into my green eyes. “You were the chosen one Iris."
At that point, I didn’t much care. I had so suddenly been hit with the consuming feeling of love for the man. I knew he was there for me then and I wanted to belong to him. I wanted to follow Bran to the end of the world.
“Come with me Iris. Come with me, back to Tuatha de Danaan. You will never want for anything. I want to be your companion forever. We will live among the gods.” He pleaded.
That was the moment I knew, without a doubt, I was ready to go. As strange as it all sounds, I had no doubt that I would live forever with this gloriously handsome man and that he would love me till the end of time.
“Yes” was my simple answer.
That was my last night in this mortal world. I left with Bran to live forever with my love in Tuatha de Danaan for eternity.
