During the age of adventure, many die on their paths.

Some live, but under worse conditions.

Some live, but under kind conditions.

Yet some live in wonder and whimsy, some live knowing that they've retired for good cause. That while many have fallen, they have not. These were the thoughts that Gertrude, a blacksmith dwarf, had thought of. The clanging of her hammer onto red hot blade, forming it into a thin yet beautiful shape. She adventured well, she fought well, she even ate well. She, much like the party she used to work with, have thousands of stories to tell. Yet this forty-six year old dwarf had long left, and she intended to live it with the one she loved. The hammer made sparks tickled her beard, giving her more focus.

This blade was not for dwarven hands, nor human. This was a blade made for a gnome. She had to remind herself of this. Once satisfied, she took the red hot iron wire, and formed wonderful and somehow colorful vines on the damascus iron as it still burned red. Now all that was left, was to finish attaching the guard. Wires in the shape of leaves, flowing as if the gnome woman she loved crafted it with magic... No! Gertrude thought, this needed as much focus as she could. She loved Melody, very dearly. Very, very dearly, why else would she be crafting a wedding blade?

The handle was next, *thwack, thwack, thwack* and it was on. It too looked like leaves, or rather petals as the final piece... Gertrude had hoped the jeweler didn't lie about it's shape... there it was. A very beautiful ruby, in the shape of the head of a rose in bloom. It wasn't Melody's favorite flower, but in the top five. It'd be hard to handle a blade with a sunflower as the pommel...

"Melody, Glad t' see ya!" Gertrude sung, surprising the small gnome. Her smile was infectious, despite being covered by an iron filling covered beard. But her cheeks that could be seen, were doused in a warm red. As if catching it, the gnomish woman smiled back with cheeks redder than ever. "Oh, Gerty," She beamed, "So good to see ya!" Her smile couldn't hold back a small giggle. "Hmm... what's that ya got there, Gerty?" she couldn't help but ask. The object was wrapped in a beautiful white cloth, adorned with charms. The dwarfish woman bellowed a laugh. "Oh, that's a wee bit of a secret, ye'll see it later." She whispered.

Hand in hand, they walked towards the pub they wished to share dinner at. It was Gertrude's favorite, rude bar staff, actual dwarves cooking dwarfish food, tasty gnomish beer that Melody treated her too, and of course. A beautiful gnome across her, enjoying the jalapeno dragon tail steak. Gertrude's meal, a mighty elk burger and stone cooked rice, wasn't enough to satisfy her. But it wasn't a meal she wished to enjoy.

Slightly drunk, but not enough to forget the night, they stumbled towards the outer fields by the town. It was a full moon, the wind was gentle, blowing only the wind and the charms on the present. The night was cool, like a cold drink at a campfire. Letting go of Melody's hand for just a bit to see her wander a bit.

"Say... Gerty..." Melody whistled, "It's a bit of a romantic thing right? T'night?" She didn't turn around to know her lover simply nodded, she wasn't much of a talker anyway. But now was her chance! She placed the blade quietly onto the ground, and unwrapped it silently. Her lovely girlfriend was talking about how beautiful a night like this was, but realized something. "So," She giggled, "We first met here, yeah? That's why we went here?"

Now, it was hook line and sinker! "Ough!" Gertrude feigned, dropping onto her known bad knee. Melody turned sharply, but was caught silent as she stared at the image she saw.

This was the dwarven rite of marriage. A blade made beautiful in what the other loved. An anxious breath could only come out. "Would ye?" The dwarf could only manage.

The gnome's eyes began to water, filling with tears of immense and unmaintainable joy. "YEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!" She exploded, hopping into her fiance's arms, toppling the both of them.

They couldn't help but laugh as they tossed into the earth.

Five Years Later

In a small home, a beautiful cottage really, the smell of sweet crepes coated the air. On a stool, despite the house being made for her as she was too short still, Melody hummed. Soft yet heavy patters drummed into the kitchen. "Mornin' Gerty." the Gnome sung, greeting her beautiful wife. The dwarf could only managed a grumble, revealing the sad truth. She was not a morning person, something that Melody knew for well longer than five years of marriage. The stove was finally turned off, the crepes done. Apple jelly placed into two, and strawberries and cream placed into one. Somehow, despite never growing up with either apples or jelly, Gertrude loved them. She couldn't even muster a grumble of love and affection, too busy eating the wonderful crepes as the jelly drips into her untamed mess of a beard. Melody couldn't even take one bite in, she was too enamored with the mess in front of her.

"See something you like?" The dwarf joked, a smile breaking through the messy ginger hair. In response, she merely twirled her brown curls with her finger. "Oh... just a beautiful woman..." The gnome sung. Gertrude looked around, before pointing at herself. A kind joke they do practically every morning, as the nod from Melody causes a cute giggle. Then, she looked up and saw a little bandage on her wife's arm. "What happened, love?" The Dwarf asked.
"Oh, just tripped 'n fell off the stool earlier." She groaned.
"Bad cut?"
"Not too bad, thankful it wasn't any deeper than skin."
"Knife?"
"Yeah, the jagg'd one." She pointed at it in the sink. In those seconds of silent, Gertrude slammed (gently) her hand on the table. "Making you sum new ones." She stated. Melody attempted to object, but watched her wife walk away. She returned with a brush, hair ties, and wiping away the crumbs and jelly off her beard. "S'rry, can ye do the flowers like last time?" She stammered.

When it comes to making knives, it's the first thing any blacksmith is taught. The jagged knife, the bane that hurt her wife, sharpened too many times. Now, this wasn't a normal knife. It was a cooking one. One made to cut bread, meats, veggies, and fruit. A knife used for over five years, and yet unable to stay usable. Both of them knew how to sharpen a blade easily... so how did this one get so warped and jagged?

Well, time to make some new ones, from the iron of this... wait this isn't iron. Oh, that explains it all. Stones... it was that fake metal! Oh what was it called again... oh well, Gertrude tossed it away. Oh Magisteel, steel made from magic. Steel you can only sharpen with special magic stones, sold by scam artists who think magically recreating paintings and blades is "art".

"Stupid Warlock Bros..." She muttered. She pulled out some of her copper, iron, and wood. Her plans were as simple, copper for peeling knives, steel for cutting knives, and the wood for handles and a knife holder. She would work all day, she thought. So she got to sketching, she wanted them special. Flowers embedded to the metal, perhaps even little words in common tongue to separate the knives in the handle.

Meanwhile, Melody was heading into the town. Waving towards her fellow neighbors as she headed towards the magi-tram. She knew her wife was focused on creating the knives, so she decided to have some plans. It was their anniversary, she had hoped to spend the fifth one in the field like they had always. This time however, she decided... if they got married through the dwarven way, she might as well propose in the gnomish way. The tram finally stopped, and she headed into the Herbology magics store. She wished to be in, and out to avoid Megan. "Oh look," Said a familiar, annoying Elf, "Why isn't it a lesbian gnome!" The fake smile she put on to appease the foolish Elf filled in. "Megan!" She hissed. The worst came first atleast, she didn't need Megan to act in a specific way, or say anything special to remind her why she hated her so much.

"Oh I'm so sorry, I thought I told you it was a mimic!" The Ditzy elf once said, before going on a full on tangent about something she tuned out.
"Oh, that sword was fully cursed! That's why I sold it!" She was told when asking about where the gnome blade of arachnid destruction, a blade so rare and so necessary in the cave they found it in, had gone.

She had already tuned her out, she was tired of her tangents that gone on for an hour. She had no clue how her first party let her stay, in fact she had no clue how she got hired at this store! She was even on the clock! Yet, a familiar face had appeared... a human face. Old yet still somewhat youthful. "Johnathon?" The gnome asked. The middle-aged human turned, a smile appearing on his wise face. "Melody! Long time no see!" He laughed, Megan shrunk away silently. "Oh, it's been so long! You still look a bit young" She laughed, causing the human to bellow even louder.

After a bit of reminiscing, remembering the years of Johnathon's guidance in the party that let Melody and Gertrude meet in the first place. Johnathon had to ask "So, what are you doing here, little lion?" She couldn't answer right away, being called 'little lion' again after all this time made her feel young again. "Ah!" She gasped, "Right, I'm here because I want to propose to Gertrude in the Gnomish way." Her face blushing as embarrassment painted her emotions. The old walking tank of a man laughed, "So you're looking to grow those flowers am I right?" His joy infectious.

The pair of old friends began looking for supplies, and the right book for instructions for the marriage ritual...

The iron, copper, and wood finally formed what was needed. A rose hid in the large cutting knife, a sunflower in full bloom in the blade of a butcher's knife, mossy-green painted onto a bread knife's handle, and lilacs dancing in the peeling knife's glint. All the knives fit perfectly within the floral block of wood.

One final touch. "Dwarven Made, Gnomish Handled." A little in joke, as Gertrude couldn't cook well. Besides, she used hammers and morning-stars more than any blade. These words carved into the knife holder. Her tired, exhausted breath told her it was late.

She had wondered where Melody had been all day, not seen at lunch time and now not seen at dinner. Walking away from the shed where she did her smithing, she noticed that her favorite flowers bloomed on the side of the path to the house.

Protea flowers. These flowers were special to Gertrude, as she once learned that they represented change in some cultures. Change that Gertrude had seen in both metal and in herself. There was magic in the air.

No.

There was love in the air. Speaking of which, she realized that she forgot the knives! She went back into the shed to grab the set, but... missing... She didn't have to wait long to know where, as her favorite meal was being cooked.

Roasted elk in garlic, with sweet gravy and baked apples doused in cinnamon.

Oh. Oh my.

She realized that this romantic way of magic, of floral and of cook, was a reminder. Five years.

Five long, special years. She waltzed in, seeing her wife carefully holding the knives as she cooked. Without a word, Melody turned and sat on one knee. She then got up, almost as if she forgot something and dragged Gertrude outside. Repeating getting on one knee, and whispered an incantation. The flowers beside the duo flew into the air, and spun around them. The dwarf too enamored to speak, as she was told "Happy anniversary," Sung from the gnome's mouth. The flowers turned into seeds, and planted into the ground.

"Wh.... what was that?" Gertrude asked.

"The gnomish way of proposing. Figured I pay you back after five years~" She giggled.

The duo laughed as they walked back in, admiring the work they both did.

And yet, the knife holder's writing seemed to glow in a beautiful color.

Dwarven Made, Gnomish Handled.