Once Upon a Time...

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Linnor had seen Aurea in the back, near the guards, and he had mixed feelings about going to see her, but the decision was made for him when she turned, her brothers in tow. As he walked towards the other tribeleaders, the elves he would pass would touch his hands or give him words of thanks, as if praying that he would be their savior now that he had become the tribeleader. The burn was red and angry on his flesh, and it hurt almost as bad as his leg, but he was proud of it. I feel like my father, he thought to himself, the idea sending pride rushing through him. Nodding his head towards the Tralk woman and the Ya'jahj man, he asked, "Why are you here?"

"I just wanted to see the young new tribeleader," said the Tralk woman, bowing her head. "Congratulations, Nightvine. I am sure that you have sent the Lord Regent reeling. He must want to kill you so much by now..." She chuckled softly to herself, while the Ya'jahj tribeleader said nothing, only nodding his agreement.

"Have you come to a decision?" the Tralk woman asked, tilting her head to the side and distorting the tattoos on her neck and shoulder. "You know that we need you to make a decision before the full moon. We attack either way, but we will lose the fight without your tribe's backing us. And the Lord Regent will kill all three of us, even if you had nothing to do with it. Understand?"

Linnor nodded, sighing softly. "I suppose I have no choice then...Just...don't let any innocents die in the fight. There are some city elves here who genuinely mean well. I don't want to see them hurt because of us, okay?"

The Tralk woman laughed shortly. "Oh, Nightvine. All city elves are going to do everything in their power to keep us here, don't you understand. Anyone who stands in our way will be killed..." She gave him a prim little smile before leaving, the Ya'jahj trailing after her like a lost puppy. Frowning at the scene, Linnor turned before announcing to the Hin'tio, "The Hin'tio have agreed to the alliance proposed by the Tralk and Ya'jahj. All former wars and disagreements with them are abolished, and once we are free from the city elves we are forever the Hin'tio once more." At this, the tribe let out a cheer, and he smiled for them, before his uncle pulled him aside to begin telling him what being the tribeleader entailed. This lasted long into the late afternoon, and the sun was going down by the time Linnor emerged from his uncle's tent.
 
Aurea remained in her home for the rest of the day, unable to get away as she had to continue watching Talik and Naltan while her father and mother were out. Once they returned, she was quick to leave, eager to get away from her father's questions and her mother's glances. She didn't want to tell them what Linnor had done, as her father would have kept her inside for the rest of her life. She didn't want to hear about how city elves were better than wild elves and how she wasn't supposed to spend time with such uncultured people.

Aurea walked along the street, doing her best to make herself less noticeable for the people walking near her. The last thing she wanted was someone to recognize her and question her direction. She wasn't ashamed of Linnor's friendship, but she didn't want someone to discover it and call her out on it.

She found herself standing against the wall, wondering how to approach him. Did he even want to see her? He had walked away rather fast the other night. She began to build up doubts, and any step she took, she took two steps back. She just had to know why he'd done it, and would he do it again given the chance.
 
Linnor was about to find Aurea, tell her...What? That he was sorry, that he didn't mean to do it? Of course, that was a lie. He had liked the feeling of her lips, and wanted to kiss her again and again...Forcing those thoughts back, he stopped in his tracks as soon as he saw Aurea by a wall near the entrance to the Hin'tio District, ducking behind one of the ramshackle homes. I need a shirt, he thought, looking down at his bare chest. The burn would almost certainly draw question.

Making his way back to his uncle's tent, he pulled on a shirt of his, though anything too tight irritated the burn. Trying on every shirt he owned, and even a couple of his uncle's, he found that when he moved, a wave of pain washed over him, and he had to take them off. Frowning, he eventually decided that he had no choice, and returned to the entrance of the district, a feeling of uneasiness filling him. What if she rejected him? What if she didn't want to be around him anymore? Frowning at the thoughts, he forced himself to keep walking towards her once he saw her, forcing a smile to come to his face.
 
Aurea, at some point, had started to pace. Should she have even been there? She could have easily turned around and gone back home, but her feet stayed in the small area where she was. She finally compelled herself to stop moving and lean against the wall. When she looked up, Linnor was making his way toward her. The smile came easy for her, graced the soft lips, the very same ones on Linnor's mind. He'd come to find her, and she'd done the same. Would they both have come all this way just to say they didn't want to see each other? She didn't know.

Once Linnor was in front of her, she had options. She could talk, or she could show what was on her mind. After a second of internal debate, she decided to show him. Aurea reached up, her hand sliding around his neck to bring his head down. She brought hers up and together, the motions had their lips meeting in the middle. The kiss didn't last very long, and Aurea released Linnor's neck, but unlike him, she didn't run. She only followed it up with a quiet, "Hello." The greeting was probably not as... interesting as what she did, but she wasn't ashamed of it.
 
Meryck had been startled when Aurea's first action was to move her arms around his neck and then pull him into a kiss. Immediately, his breath was taken away, and he did his best to shake himself of his trance and return her kiss. All too quickly, she had pulled away, and he was left in a state of dumbfoundedness. When she spoke softly, he shook himself free of it, a smile returning to his lips. Instead of answering her greeting, he let his hands travel around her waist, pulling her to him.

Placing his lips on hers this time, he let them linger there, emotions bubbling up inside of him, emotions that he hadn't known he had. When he reluctantly pulled away, he still held on to her, and didn't turn away like he had the day before. "I..." he started, stumbling over his words and forgetting most of his Common Tongue knowledge. "I...thank you," he finally got out, just barely coherent.
 
Aurea didn't protest his touch, and she returned the kiss gently. It was almost as if she didn't want to scare him away, though it would have happened when she'd first initiated. She smiled as he pulled away, tilting her head as he struggled for words. He was thanking her, and she didn't know why.

She reached up, moving her arms around his neck in a light hug. "Why are you thanking me?" she asked, voice quiet near his ear. She allowed her fingers to run through the base of his hair, his dark locks soft on her hands.
 
"I was...afraid..." he replied slowly, worried about her response to his last word. "I thought that you didn't want to speak to me ever again...because of what I did yesterday." He pulled away, looking at his shoes, a frown on his face. After a couple seconds, he decided that he couldn't stand not holding her anymore, and pulled her close to him once more, a light smile appearing in replacement of the frown.

Sighing softly, he rested his forehead on her shoulder, showing how defeated he felt. "I didn't think that you cared about me like I did for you, and I didn't want you to push me away..." he said softly, head still bowed to her shoulder. "So...thank you, Aurea, for all you've done."
 
Aurea stared to shake her head, but his removal from her was almost sudden and she stood there, watching him. There was no reason to be afraid, but he hadn't stayed around long enough to find out. His head came to rest on her shoulder after he pulled her back, and Aurea's hand moved up to his head. She began to softly stroke his hair down, like she was trying to calm him.

"You left so fast yesterday... You don't have to be afraid. I do care about you, Linnor. I wouldn't have come to find you today if I didn't." Her other hand came up to lift his head up so she could look him in the eye. "I never wanted to push you away." She pressed her lips to his forehead and gave him a smile.
 
Linnor returned her smile, though he wished beyond anything that he didn't have to worry about the city guards just passing by them. That made him stiffen in fear, worried that they would take him away because of the ceremony earlier that day or make some comment about him and Aurea. Thankfully, it was dark, and they didn't see him as a wild elf.

"I..." he said again, raising his head to look into her eyes. "It's not safe for me to go out during the daytime, not outside the Hin'tio District, but it's okay to meet at times like this," he told her, letting a smile come to his lips. "I can do my best to meet you out here every night..."
 
Aurea felt him tense, but she didn't turn to look at the guards. Giving them away would be bad for them both, and it would mean Linnor would be put away indefinitely. The guards already hated the wild elves; she didn't want to give them any more reasons. She looked at him when he moved his head completely, and while she was sad she couldn't see him during the day, the night was their time to spend together.

She kissed his smiling lips, one hand cupping against his cheek. "I'll try to come out here every night then. My father hasn't said anything about coming out here alone, but I don't think he'll approve. It might be later into the night that I'll be able to come out here."
 
Linnor smiled before nodding. "I will wait for as long as it takes, Aurea. All night if I have to." Nodding, as if to affirm his statement, he gave her hand a squeeze before raising it to his lips and kissing her hand gently. After letting her hand go, he leaned in and kissed her lips, holding it for a couple seconds before pulling away. "I will see you tomorrow, lovely," he said softly, a gentle smile gracing his face.

Listening to her response, he nodded before turning away, walking back to his uncle's tent. Once there, he lied down on his bed, though he was too excited by the idea of meeting up with Aurea tomorrow.
 
Aurea was glad he hadn't turned away like last night. She was enjoying his kisses, and by the way he kept going back to her, he was within the same mindset. The smiles came easier for the both of them, and his soft words had her blushing in the dark. "I'll be here... I promise."

She waited until he was gone from her sight before she turned away, feeling much happier than when she'd arrived. She made sure to stay quiet when she entered her home, sliding her boots off and padding up the stairs quickly. She changed her clothes and slipped under her covers. Her sleep was short, but she was truly happy for the first time in a while, and she still woke up feeling better.

And then it all came crashing down. "Aurea? I need you to pick some things up today. We're going to the d'Karte household tonight. Your father has some business to discuss with Birald, and Calanon has requested you be there." Aurea's light brown eyes narrowed at the idea. "But...." She started to tell her mother that she had somewhere to be, but she had to stop herself.

"But what?"

"...Nothing."

"Aurealis, you do not keep things from your mother. Now, what is it?"

"I just... Calanon has been bothering me. He's pushy and always wants to be around."

"Did it ever occur to you that he enjoys being around you?"

Aurea turned her head at the thought. She didn't want Calanon to like her in any way. Rinath sighed and gave her a piece of parchment with items listed. "Take Talik with you. I need to cut Naltan's hair." Once Aurea had changed, she and Talik left her home, the small boy riding on her back. She found herself purposely walking near the entrance to the Hin'tio District as she crossed along the streets, moving back and forth between the shops. It was more walking, and Talik complained several times, but she had to see if Linnor was out.
 
Throughout the next day, Linnor assumed his duties as tribeleader. Thankfully, the others didn't come calling, and he was able to solve the problems of everyday life that the Hin'tio tribe went through. Several times that day, he would find one of his tribe just beyond the Hin'tio District, beaten up and lying on the ground. It saddened him to see this, but each time he would pick them up onto their feet and help them back towards their home or to Icetalon, whichever one they needed more. All in all, he had a rather busy day, and had only a few minutes in between disasters to sit down.

It wasn't until later in the day that he caught sight of Aurea. Walking to the entrance to the Hin'tio District, knowing it wasn't safe to leave for any reason, even for her. Raising a hand, he waved in her direction, a slight smile coming to his face.
 
"Aury, someone's waving to you," Talik said. He was Aurea's look out as she was walking, as she was doing her best to keep track of what she'd already gotten. She'd gotten almost everything, and even had enough spare coins to get a pastry for Talik. Said pastry had been shoved in his mouth when he spoke, and her head turned to look at him.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," she scolded, though her voice was gentle. "Now, chew and then tell me what you said."

"Someone's waving to you," he repeated matter-of-factly. He pointed before he bit more off of the pastry. Aurea looked up to see Linnor, and an immediate smile touched her lips. She raised her hand to wave back at him, glad that they'd seen each other, even if it was for a fleeting moment. "Who is that, Aury?" Talik asked, taking her advice and swallowing his bite before he spoke."

"That's my friend."

"Aren't you gonna say hi?" Well, she could have, but there were a few guards patrolling around, waiting for a wild elf to emerge for any reason. She waited until they were farther around the wall before she moved through, all the way up to the entrance, making sure she didn't step inside. She was close enough to Linnor to speak to him, and that was enough for her.

"I'm sorry if you're busy. Talik just thought I should say hello. Talik, this is my friend, Linnor." The small elf suddenly got very shy, hiding his face in Aurea's wavy hair.
 
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Linnor grinned at the two as they approached, glad that he could spend some time with Aurea. As she introduced her younger brother, he nodded before saying, "It's nice to meet you," with an air of friendliness. Turning to Aurea, he asked, "Do you think you'll be able to come tonight? I should be able to, but I'm not sure..." In truth, he knew that the other tribeleaders wanted to attack the city elves in two days' time, and he wanted to get as much time with Aurea as possible, because he knew that the fighting would be awful. People would die, and he would probably be tried as a murderer.

Sighing softly as he thought about that, he forced it from his mind, instead focusing on Aurea, his grey eyes shining with happiness.
 
Aurea didn't want to get his hopes up, or hers, but she nodded anyway. "I should be able to...." She didn't want to tell him where she was going, but there wasn't any way around it. "I'm only out right now because my mother wanted me to get some things... My father has to speak to Calanon's father, and Calanon wants me there. I don't know why." Her mind went back to her mother's words about Calanon wanting to be around her, and with Linnor standing in front of her, she didn't want to think of it.

"I promised I would be there, and I'll do my best," she affirmed, giving him a smile. "But, I have to go now... Talik and I have to get back and give this to my mother." There was a fleeting temptation to kiss him, but with so many others around, they would have been discovered in a heart beat. "I'll see you tonight." She didn't want to think that she wouldn't, and it was a happier thought if she hoped to see him. Giving him another smile, she turned and left, weaving back into the crowd of people.

"Aury, why are you seeing your friend at night?"

"Because I can. Now, you are not to tell Mother about this, alright?" Talik nodded into her hair, and they made their way back to her home.
 
Linnor waved as Aurea left, glad that she would try to meet him that night. When he had made sure that she had left okay, he went to the spiritfire. As tribeleader, he was expected every afternoon to kneel by it and make a prayer to the gods. It was to tell them that their people were still alive, and that the fire wasn't left to burn out by itself. Though he couldn't kneel properly without hurting his leg, he stood most of the time, preforming the proper rites before closing his eyes, steepling his hands, and mumbling a prayer for the gods.

Normally, he would pray that his people would be fine, that there wouldn't be a gigantic battle between them and the city elves, but that day he prayed that Aurea would be able to see him that night. He prayed for her safety, that she wouldn't get hurt or anything if fighting did happen, and as a wind blew over him, he hoped that it was the gods giving him an answer. "Thank you," he murmured, before standing up again, other problems making themselves apparent.
 
"Mother, why must I wear this awful thing?"

"You have to look nice for Calanon, don't you?"

Aurea rolled her eyes at that statement, and she tried in vain again to pull the neckline of her dress up. It dove into a v-shape, and for her, it was dangerous and she didn't like. Calanon didn't need any more reason to touch her. On top of that, the dress only had two thin straps to hold it up, outside of the tight lacing in the back. The color was a deep green, almost black, with a set of diamonds sewn into the point of the v-shape cut, which drew attention more than it needed. She had to wear her ruby necklace and both sets of her gold hoop earrings. Rinath even put a small amount of red paint on her lips to make them darker, and Aurea hated every second of it.

Aurea grumbled the entire way there, being forced to wear a shawl and uncomfortable shoes with a slight heel to give her height. The dinner they had with Calanon's family was awkwardly quiet. However, once the talk began of what to do with the new Lord Regent and the wild elves, Aurea couldn't take it anymore.

"Mother, I don't feel well. I wish to go home."

"Calanon can walk you home."

"No... I don't need him to." Rinath eyed her, but she nodded all the same. Calanon started to follow her and stopped when she shook her head. Aurea waited until she was far enough away before she took off the shoes and padded barefoot down the hardly lit street. She moved as fast as the dress would allow her to, finding that if she wasted time changing, she might miss Linnor. It was later than she might have liked, and maybe walking around in such nice attire wasn't a good idea, but Linnor was on her mind.

She finally made it to their meeting place, not immediately seeing him. Even though she didn't want to, she stood out as the moonlight shined off the jewelry and made them sparkle. It bothered her, but she only tightened her grip on the shoes and the shawl around her shoulders.
 
Linnor spent the rest of the day bored, running from one miniature disaster to the next, excited for when he could see Aurea later. His excitement made the day pass by slowly, but eventually the sun went down and the activity in the Hin'tio District diminished. Walking to the entrance to it, he leaned against the wall of an alleyway as he waited for Aurea.

It took a while before she came, and he was already half asleep, but when he saw her, he couldn't help but gape. Standing there, shocked for a moment, it took him a second to walk over to her, forcing his mouth closed. "You look beautiful," he said, glad that someone had lit the torches along the road so he could see her in the light. Kissing his hello, he said, "I'm glad you could come, Aurea."
 
While Calanon's attempt to compliment her had goon poorly on his part, Linnor's words made her face turn pink with a blush. He followed it up with a kiss, and though it had only been one night since he'd last done so, she found she'd sorely missed the action. She smiled as he spoke again, moving and setting her shoes on the ground.

"I almost wasn't able to... My mother was going to have Calanon walk me home, and I had to lie just so I could get here." Her arms slid around his neck in a hug, fingers curling into his hair. She hated that she couldn't meet him anywhere except at night and around his home. She pulled back, looking over his face before she kissed him again. It was only when she moved away that she saw the faint red mark on his lips from the paint on hers. She giggled, one finger trailing over his mouth. "I stained your lips," she said, giving him a smile.
 
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