The day she began school on the Southern Magix Plateau, the royal elf met a young male named, Terrin. They quickly became friends, helping each other learn beyond class assignments, and supporting one another during exams week. As with any female elf who is only five years old, Ryven thought he was gross, but the royal kept him close; the citizen could not see anyone beyond her and had been smitten from the beginning.
When the school year ended each summer, Terrin’s parents were always busy since they both worked for the queen and king of Anivir, and Luna allowed the boy to stay at the citadel on Afertin. During those dreadfully sweltering ninety days in which there was no school, the royal and citizen elves could often be found spending their time at the Swimming Hole in Arnchill Bay. At night, the children spent their time in the library on the first floor, and she understood why her mother liked sitting in the window; the aging sill allowed for a small breeze to develop when sitting on the bench, and it made the evenings tolerable inside the stone castle walls.
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As the years passed, Terrin began to see Ryven in a different light, and his love for her continuously grew. The young male elf asked for permission to take her to the senior prom, his suit matched her dress, and he bought a corsage to don her dainty wrist. The day after when she finally awoke, the royal elf sought out her sister, there were plans in motion, and she needed some advice.
When she found the princess, Ryven sat beside her sister at the kitchen table. The young female was feeling a little nervous, but knowing Ecko would be objectionable, she began, “I know that you’re curious to find out what’s going on between Terrin and I, so I thought I’d let you in on everything. Since it took every ounce of bravery I could muster to come to talk with you, please let me say whatever I need to, and then, your advice will be warranted. Is that alright?”
“Sure, little sis, I’m just ecstatic that you came to me in the first place, so say what’s on your mind, and I’ll be patient until you’re done,” the princess said.
“Alright, here it goes. Terrin and I have feelings for each other, romantic feelings, and we’ve been talking of plans for the future. Now, I’m aware of the fact that what I want to do with my life is important, and I want you to know that I’m going to acquire a degree in psychology. Don’t worry about money, he’s going to join the military, and after he’s taken care of himself, he’s going to send whatever is left, home to me. I know we have family inheritances of financial means to take care of us both, but I don’t want to use that money unless there’s an emergency. I’m done, for now. I mean, I know you’ll have questions, and I’ll answer them,” she explained.
“Do you plan to get married?” Ecko asked.
“Yes, we’re getting married before he leaves, and that’s next week,” Ryven said.
“So, what you’re telling me is that you’re going to be married next week, and that you’re going to stay, where?” The princess inquired.
“His parents have a little cottage they’re giving us for a wedding present, and they’re going to allow us to save money in order to begin our lives together once he comes home,” the young one told her sister.
“Alright, it sounds to me like you’ve got everything figured out, however, you must know that before I give you my blessings, Terrin has no other choice, but to come and talk to me. It’s a respect thing, I mean, he is asking a lot of my sister, and I need him to ask for your hand in marriage. I think that’s only fair,” she said.
“Neither of us expected anything different, and he’s waiting on the porch to talk to you whenever we’re done,” the nervous young elf responded.
“Sister, you have nothing to fear,” Ecko said.
“Does Terrin have to fear you?” Ryven asked.
“No, there’s no reason for that, like I said, ‘he has to ask out of respect’”, the princess said.
Out on the porch, the citizen stood out of respect for the females, and he removed the straw hat from his head. When they’d stepped into the yard, he took his sweetheart by the hand, and turned towards the princess with these words, “Miss Ecko, I first want you to know that my intentions towards your sister are pure, I’d never harm her, even if my life depended on it. In fact, I’d insist that she sacrifice my life to save her own, if the occasion ever arose where a decision like that ever had to be made. I love Ryven with all of my heart, and I’d like to ask for your permission to take her hand in marriage.”
“Are you aware of everything and everyone who’s in her life?” The princess asked.
“Yes, I know about it all, including, the personal demon that she will eventually acquire. I’m fine with everything and everyone in her life,” he responded.
“Ryven, if this is what you want, I’m not going to stand in your way. Terrin, you have my blessings, and you may take her hand in marriage,” Ecko said.
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One week later, the young elves were married by Justice of the Peace, Maggiline Sutherland, and they exchanged vows. Before the small occasion began, the royal elf looked up to see that the planetary king was entering the courthouse, and the tears began to flow down her cheeks. Kouper had not intended to make the bride-to-be cry, but when he saw her face, he had to find something to make her stop.
The king told his daughter, “I’m sorry to have made you cry, my beautiful, darling daughter, tell me what I can do to help you dry your eyes, and I’ll do it.”
“Father, these are tears of happiness, I’m not crying because I’m sad, I promise,” the royal one said.
“To be honest, I don’t understand why you’re so surprised to see me. I mean, I am your father, and this is one of the biggest days of your life. You should’ve known I’d be here, today,” Kouper said.
“I had only been expecting Ecko and her immediate family, and I am damn proud to have you here for me, today. You are going to give me away, aren’t you?” Ryven asked her father.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way, and I know you wouldn’t either,” the king said.
“You couldn’t be more right, even if you were wrong, so you’ll be here for the father-daughter dance?” She inquired.
“I wouldn’t miss it for all the stars in the sky,” he responded.
“I’m so glad you’re here, father, this day couldn’t get any better,” she told her father.
The royal elf finished getting dressed, her three-foot-long hair was fashioned in a French-braid that flowed down her left side, and her soon-to-be mother-in-law pulled the veil down over Ryven’s face just before the ceremony. Stepping into the courtroom gallery with Kouper by her side, the future queen of Anivir smiled when she caught a glimpse of Terrin, and his beaming grin confirmed what she’d already known; he was the one for her, and their life would be full of happiness. The king’s face became wet with tears when his daughter took her fiancee’s hand, and she wiped away a tear from his eye as it began to fall.
“Father, you’re crying,” she said.
“I’m the one who’s supposed to be crying because I’m handing you over to the elf you’ll be spending the rest of your life with, but the bride-to-be is required to be smiling just as you are”, Kouper replied.
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Since Terrin had to leave in order to enlist in the military the next day, the newlyweds made an early end to their wedding day, and they were both awake before the sun came up the following morning. Ryven assisted her husband with packing his luggage, she would be traveling with him all the way up to the point that he was to board a dragonflight to the nearest Infantry Recruitment Facility, and she wanted his departure to occur with few worries. The royal one made sure they had a meal that would hold the hunger off for several hours by preparing them both a hearty breakfast consisting of eggs and ham and toast and fresh fruit, and the meal was pulled together with a cup of hot coffee.
An hour before they were expected to leave, his mother, Erendriel went to their cottage to keep an eye on the place while the newlyweds were not there, and she took her dog, Maxwell; even though they did not live in a bad neighborhood, neither of the elves were willing to take any chances because there was a prison within one hundred miles of their home.
Upon arriving at the Afertin International Airport, their Ordinary Dragon was placed in a public stall, his luggage was taken inside by an elven concierge, and an employee of the airline told them how to get to the “Ticket Counter” in order for the citizen to pick up the one he’d purchased previously. Retrieving his pass to fly was uneventful, but as they waited for the flight to board, there was an announcement over the intercom that told the passengers of a four-hour delay for dragonflight, Sixteen seventy-six.
“Well, we can either sit here for the next four hours, or we can go home for three of them,” Ryven offered.
“Let me get in contact with my recruiter and see what he thinks I should do. I’ll let you know” Terrin said.
After speaking with Commanding Officer, Fielding, it was determined that the best option would be to sit at the airport and wait for the flight to arrive. Having anticipated delays and other things that would cause them to sit there for several hours, the royal elf placed a deck of cards in her purse, and they played until the time another announcement was made that the dragon taking him to Akisel had made it.
The royal elf had been feeling proud of herself for allowing her husband to board the flight without crying, but as she started to leave the airport, tears began to flow. She sent a telepathic message to Verillion, their Ordinary Dragon, and told him to fly to Lower West Musson. The citizen elf, Nevaeh had been planning for Ryven to stop by that day, and there was an overnight bag beside the rocking chair on her porch; she’d prepared the bag ahead of time in anticipation of her royal friend needing a shoulder to lean on for support while the citizen was away, and she was sitting outside when the dragon landed in her yard.
After dismounting from the saddle of her creature, the royal one said, “I hope that’s been packed in hopes that I’d come by and ask you to come stay with me for awhile, because I really need your support.”
“I know I’m not married or even in a relationship, but I know what it’s like to lose someone you’ve gotten used to being in your life. When my parents moved on to the afterlife, I had the most difficult time adjusting to them being gone, and I really wish we had known each other back then because I could’ve used the company,” the royal one’s friend said.
“I’m sorry that we didn’t know one another back then, however, we have known each other for over seventy-five years, and I need my best friend right now. So, if you’re ready to leave, I’ll gather your things for you,” she replied.
“You already know, I was born ready,” Nevaeh said.
“Yes, I know this. What all are you taking with you?” The royal elf inquired.
“I’m only taking that bag,” the citizen said.
“Would you like to have dinner at my place, or would you rather go to a restaurant to eat?” She asked her friend.
“Let’s have dinner at a restaurant tonight, my treat, and we’ll trade recipes for the rest of the time I’m at your place. I also want us to make, and carry out, plans to go to the casino. I’ve been feeling lucky, which is something you know doesn’t happen often for me, and I have to burn through some dough, little sister,” the citizen responded.
“Sounds like a plan to me,” the royal one said.
That night, the two friends dined at the steakhouse close to East Zeerk, a place called “Umberto’s”, Nevaeh would not hear of sparing any expense, and they stayed out until the early morning. Keeping the royal elf distracted from the fact that the elf she’d married not twenty-four hours earlier had left that morning for the military, and the citizen made it her mission in life to take her friend’s mind off her husband. Though she knew there would be times when it was impossible her plan to work, determination was a trait that ran through her family like water from a leaky spout, and she would not give up on the task at hand.
During the week, the female elves made telepathic connections with the new member of the military, and he returned the courtesy whenever his commanding officer would allow the platoon to communicate with their loved ones back home. On the weekends, the friends could oftentimes find themselves in front of a backgammon game or black-jack table or roulette wheel at the casino, and they both came out winners almost every time; the funds they used were furnished by Nevaeh, whom never expected anything in return for her generosity except that, Ryven have a good time. On Saturday, when they were not gambling the citizen’s life savings, they spent their time volunteering their services at homeless shelters and animal rescue centers and the children’s hospital. On Sunday morning, they worshiped at their church, and that night, they performed household chores in preparation for the upcoming week.
After the first month, the royal one had begun to grow weary of the casino, and wanted to do something different; Ryven promised her sister that she would get a degree in psychology, and she was ready to scout the local community college in order to find out what she needed to begin classes. Unsure of how to tell her friend what her plans were, the royal one decided to make breakfast for the citizen, and used that meal as an opportunity to start the discussion. When she’d placed her plate on the table, she asked, “Would you like a cup of coffee to go with your meal?”
“I prefer a nice cup of cold milk while I’m eating the first meal of the day, the food tends to keep me full for a sufficient amount of time, and that way, I can take a late lunch,” the citizen replied.
“That sounds like the most clever thing I’ve ever heard, I hadn’t ever thought about doing things in that way, but it does make sense. Which brings me to the reason why I chose to eat here, this morning instead of grabbing something on our way out,” the royal one said.
“I wasn’t aware of your having ulterior motives for preparing food here, but since you’ve admitted that there are other reasons for it, please, explain,” Nevaeh said.
“To be honest, I’ve been feeling bored with going to the casino every day, and I’d like to see what all I have to do to start taking classes so that I can get a degree,” Ryven told her friend.
“If that’s what you want to do, we’ll look into it,” the citizen elf said.
“You do know that, no matter how much money you inherited, there’s no harm in you spending some of those funds on furthering your education, right?” She asked.
“Yes, I’m perfectly aware of that fact, but I’ve never really felt the need to fulfill my heart’s desire,” her friend said.
“Do you even have any idea what your heart’s desire is?” The royal one challenged.
“No, I haven’t, knowing that I wouldn’t ever have to worry about financial means, I never thought about what my heart might want out of this life,” Neveah replied.
“That doesn’t make any sense to me, at all, you have to be halfway out of your mind for not pursuing a degree. I mean, think about what you would do if one day, you woke up, and all of that money was gone? It doesn’t matter how the money found its way out of your bank account, what’s important is to answer with the mind-set that you are broke; there’s absolutely no way to get the money back, and you don’t have another well-to-do relative who’s put you in their will. Now, I want you to add to the fact that not only do you not have money, but you also do not have a degree. You can always wait tables at “Umberto’s”, but we both know how you feel about coming in contact with food that has been in some one else’s mouth,” Ryven argued.
“You have a valid point, but what would I study for? I don’t know what I’d be interested in doing should the day ever come that my bank account is cleaned out,” the citizen said.
“You don’t have to be sarcastic, I’m only trying to help,” the royal one replied.
The two friends decided to have Verillion take them to the College of Psychiatry on Afertin, and they both chose the same classes; the citizen elf would eventually make the decision on what kind of degree she would acquire, and taking some of the same courses as her friend, would give Nevaeh enough time to search within herself to figure out what she wanted to study in the pursuit of a license in a specific field of mental health care. The royal elf had always wanted to become an “Addictions Recovery Counselor”, but chose to strive for one in clinical psychiatry; since she’d never been addicted to anything more than caffeine, Ryven felt that a degree under that specialty of psychology was senseless, and chose to pursue something in the “What My Mind Knows Is a Better Choice” area of the mental science.
© P. L. Watson-Atwell