Stumbled Into (Taken)

"No, that's not how they court each other... most of the time." He laughed lightly that it was what she'd noticed about the people in town. It sure seemed to paint a wonderful picture of humans. "I mean, some women and men enjoy doing that. Others..." he looked over at her watching her excited appearance, "like to just spend time with the person that they like. Go for walks, or horseback riding, dancing, eating, or even sitting in a garden or park. Sometimes they like kissing to show their affection towards one another." Looking across the room it occurred to them just how many of those that they had done together. It seemed his mind would not let him escape this subject.

Her next question caused him to look down at the ground a little disappointed once more at the darker side of humanity she had witness, "I am a blessing to him only in that I can increase his family name and carry the business into the future." Sighing Darian just kept staring at his hands, "My father is a very driven man he's always gotten what he's wanted and he wants me to become the same. I enjoy the work and I'm good at it but it's never good enough, I'm just not as driven as he is. It sets him on edge because he thinks that I'm slacking off all the hard work he's put into the business."
 
Ella nodded, accepting his answers. "What about your social standings? How do they work? Do you have a caste system?" She asked, still very eager after hearing all of the information. She just wanted to know more. She wondered why Darian seemed so interested in his hands and looked over his shoulder to see if there was anything too interesting. They weren't as calloused as some of the hands she had seen. She tilted her head, staring at the hand, trying to figure out what was so special.
 
Darian shook his head as if that might shake his father's oppressive influence from his mind. It didn't really help but it was worth a shot... Ella seemed to want to know more and more though which would help to take his mind off his father. "Well yes, there is a caste system I suppose." Turning to face her he caught her staring over his shoulder. Giving her a somewhat confused look he just decided to continue. "There is an upper class, aristocracy which are people born into affluent families. Such as the Pierce family. They have money and influence over the cities in which they live. Or the areas which they live." Turning his body so that one leg was folded on the bed and the other hung off.

"Then there are those that are like my family, the upper class, ones with money but haven't made a name for themselves yet. We don't really have a lot of political power..." He stopped for a moment, "There is also a middle class which have enough money to live comfortably, with a job, and usually a family. They might even own some land but not a lot. And then there is the lower class, those without a lot of money or land who are making enough to get by. However you can move up or down in this system based on how you act or how much you work."

"How about the fae? I assume there is a caste system there?" Then Darian thought of another question to ask, "Also what is courting like for your people?"
 
"Well... the fae is a bit different. At the top is the king of each fae faction. Then the queen is next in line, princes and princesses coming after that. Then it goes to the knights, where within that you can move up or down, but you can't be called a prince or princess. You must always be a knight. Then it's a lot like your system with the levels. At the very bottom is slaves." Ella explained. She blushed when he asked how they courted. "Well... The fae give each other a special kind of flower that shows they are interested. Afterwards the boy asks the girl's father for permission to court her. Then they... court." She shrugged.
 
"I see..." he said as he brought his hand up to his chin. It seemed that the Fae were more like humans than he'd thought. It wasn't so long ago that the world was ruled by such kings as that. They were losing power quickly to the aristocracy however. "A knight hmmm? You might find this strange but I've always found it appealing, the idea of becoming a knight." He told her truthfully. "We used to have knights, they wore metal armor, carried swords, and rode on horseback."

He listened carefully to the way that the fae courted one another, a special flower? She didn't seem to know a whole lot. Then he remembered what she'd said when he'd asked her how she felt about a human and a fae being together. "What kind of flower is it, that they give to one another?"
 
"It's a rare flower called the Amorus." Ella explained. "It's a magic flower that takes the color of your loved one's favorite color. The fae like to call it the pink flower because most girls like pink." She played with her dress a bit. "I don't though. I think pink is a weird color." She looked down at his hands. "Why do human fortune tellers look at your palm? I saw a few on the way to the house."
 
Amorus... Darian had never heard of such a flower, but the way that she described the flower it sounded very strange and magical to him. She said it was rare and that they called it a pink flower. "Pink is not your favorite? I can see that... but then what is your favorite color?" He asked her. It seemed like forever that they had been sitting on the bed with one another. Yet, to Darian the time passed too quickly. She asked a question about fortune tellers which seemed to spark an idea for Darian. Perhaps the old fortune tellers might know where to get an Amorus flower?

Stopping himself, what was he doing? He'd barely met this girl and now he was looking to court her? Trying to impress her? 'Yes, that's exactly what you're trying to do...' a little voice in his mind popped up. You've never met a girl quite like her before... "I'm not sure honestly, they say that they can tell your future by reading the lines on your palm. That they will tell them things about you. If you want we can go visit one tomorrow." He told her with a smile.
 
"I'd love to, to see how they compare to the fortune tellers of the fae. My master visited them often." Ella said. She blushed a bit at his question before answering. "Green. Green is my favorite color. She looked at the clock and nearly jumped out of her skin. "Look at the time... You should go to bed. It's late." She got off the bed and opened the door for him. "I hope you have a restful sleep." She said like she would to her master. She wanted him to stay and sleep next to her but she didn't want to impose. Besides, it was improper unless he asked to court her.
 
"Oh, I guess it is..." there was a measure of disappointment in Darian's voice as she announced it was time for him to sleep. It was getting late for the two of them, Darian's body was very tired from lack of proper sleep over the last few days. And yet, he didn't really want to leave. Or did he? This was all a bit confusing for him. Walking to the door she wished him a restful night. "Goodnight Ella, I'll see you in the morning." With a smile he made his way into his own room and closed the door. Pulling his coat and shoes off he set them neatly in his closet, the rest he kept on, he was far too tired. Walking over to his bed he lay down thinking about Ella. "Why am I so attracted to you, Ella?" He asked the ceiling, just above a whisper so that she wouldn't be able to hear him through the wall. It wasn't long however before he lost himself to sleep. He would be sleeping in the next morning, they didn't need him at the bank too early...
 
Ella was already up at sunrise, outside and playing with the plants. She was weeding, watering, and cutting off dead branches. She had quite the green thumb as she took care of the plants. Birds sang as Ella walked through the garden, happy. She hummed as she worked. The sun reflected off her hair, making it look like beautiful waves. She seemed at peace, like she belonged exactly where she was.
 
It had been a rather interesting night for Darian, his dreams had been almost nonexistent which was a first for him. Waking up in the morning he felt rested but felt like he hadn't slept hardly at all. As if he'd simply laid down only to get back up again several hours later. Shaking his head and then lifting his hands up to his face he checked to make sure that everything was alright. Once he'd determined that some strange event had not happened he ventured out of bed and to his closet. Putting on a fresh shirt and trousers he then pulled his watch out to check the time. He laughed as he realized his body was still on it's previous time, it had woken up with enough time to make it to the bank before it opened. Shaking his head he made his way out of his bedroom door and down the stairs to the kitchen.

Looking around for Ella he assumed that she just wasn't up yet. Then he heard something out in the garden, "Ella?" He asked though not loud enough to penetrate the walls. Walking to the door of the garden he opened it slowly. The light shimmered in the morning glory of the sunrise. The garden smelled far more crisp this morning then it had I several years. There in the center of the garden the light seemed to bathe a goddess-like figure whose hair and skin were precious metal and ivory. Darian could only stand in silence, his mouth slightly agape, as he watched her dance and tend to the garden.
 
Ella looked over at Darian before smiling. She waved before walking up to Darian. "Good morning. Have you had breakfast yet?" She asked, used to asking the other slaves that. She tilted her head, eyes brighter than when she had first met him. The faerie looked happy, though her wings were now hidden from the naked eye. She smiled at the human, feeling her heart start to beat a little faster.

Unbeknownst to them, a small faerie was watching them. He used magic to record the interaction, smiling as he did. "I've found you, princess." He whispered, his black eyes sparkling.
 
Luckily Ella found him staring at her because he wasn't sure he'd be able to begin moving if she hadn't. It was like her giving him permission to break the silence and the tranquility. She asked if he'd had any breakfast, shaking his head, "I figured I would grab an apple before I went to work," Walking over to the apple tree he plucked one of the fresh fruits. "Then I saw you out here and I couldn't help... I'm sorry, I shouldn't stare like that." He laughed nervously, not sure how she'd take that. "It's just I've not seen you quite so happy before."

There was a strange feeling in Darian's heart that seemed to suggest that they were being watched, Darian just chalked it up as his stomach wanting food and his brain needing to be at work. "I have to go to work, I'll be back in the early afternoon after I settle the debts from the robbery, it shouldn't be too bad..."
 
"I'm sure everything will be fine." Ella said. "It always turns out fine for the master." She walked toward the tree and took an apple for herself. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw a faerie fly away. It must have been her imagination though. Even the royal fae don't come near human settlements unless invited. She kicked the ground, not wearing any shoes.
 
Smiling as he watched her he wondered if she wanted or needed shoes? It would be something that they could shop for later that afternoon when they went to the market for clothes. "Well, I need to be going... I'll see you later this afternoon." There was a moment, just a slight moment in time where Darian thought about leaning in and kissing her goodbye. The thought shocked him for a moment, it was what a couple might do... and that moment just seemed so incomplete without it. However he knew that it wasn't proper and he turned around and began to walk to work. He turned around to wave at her and give her a smile.

The day at the bank was brutal, the sellers which had entrusted their land and provinces to him were not happy. However Darian made sure that they received their money. It helped the situation but there was talk of him needing to make sure to take a group of guards with him next time. They blamed his inexperience and age for the mishap. It all weighed heavily on Darian and was visible as he made his way home from that day. Walking through the front door he looked around for Ella. "Ella?" His voice raised so that it echoed through the house as he began his search.
 
Ella was in her 'room' not sure what to do around the house. She heard Darian's voice and quickly ran to meet him. "Darian!" She said, smiling. "Welcome home. How was your work?" She felt the instinct start to wash over her to go and get some water to was his feet. She had to do that for her master a lot as the fae rarely wore shoes. They didn't need them most of the time since the earth was soft. The towns and stone were hard on her feet though. She didn't like the feeling of stone underneath her soles.
 
Darian had to admit, returning home to someone was refreshing. And they way that she said his name with such excitement was surprising and he found the weight that was on his shoulders immediately lighten. Just her mere presence was able to change his attitude. Laughing lightly he began to wonder if she had some other magical power to make him feel better that she hadn't told him about. "Not great," he told her truthfully. "But I was kind of expecting that, they were upset about what happened. I think I smoothed things over with most of them but..." he started and then shook his head. "It's not that important. We have an afternoon in the market to enjoy don't we?"
 
Ella smiled and nodded. "Do you want me to get a bag ready for you?" She asked. She needed to be useful somehow. So far she had only helped the garden. She hadn't done any other work and was getting antsy. The workers at the house refused to let her help since they just worked and stayed out of the house owner's way. She needed something to burn off extra energy than just walking around the garden.
 
"A bag?" He asked, not really sure what he would need a bag for and then he remembered that they were buying clothes. It might be wise to have a bag to carry them in. But perhaps she meant something to carry their lunch in? They could get something at the market... "I suppose a bag wouldn't be a bad idea." She seemed excited to go, excited to do something. He then realized that she probably hadn't done much that day. Laughing lightly he knew that there was only so much that one could do in the garden. Even with her unique skill.

Once she had the bag ready he opened the door for her and allowed her to pass through. They began their trek down the streets towards the center of town. Darian chose a specific path which would take them past one of the town mystics which would give Ella a palm reading. While Darian was skeptical of the mystic's abilities she was old, wise, and if anyone would know where he might find an Amorus flower. "You said you wanted to see a palm reader? She's the best in town, Martha is her name."
 
Ella smiled. "I can't wait to meet her. What are we looking for first?" Ella asked, staying close to Darian. The town was so lively. It nearly scared her how many humans there were. She felt her wings flutter, invisible to the world. Everything was so different, so loud. Music played in the streets, and children ran around. It all seemed magical.
 
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