SAY YES [ARIC]

[MELIORA ROSETTA ALASTAR]

The flowers were in full bloom this year. Such a sight to behold, in her eyes anyways it was. This was the only time she actually ventured down from the trees. Many wanted to have a beautiful bouquet for the ones they loved or just to have in their homes. Either way, she had to oblige and find her ingredients. Previously she had gathered flowers that were available in the trees, but early on she had found that the best flowers were down towards the ground.

Her basked currently was half full with several bundles of flowers, the other half reserved for the flowers she was going to collect. She found one of the lifts that wasn’t used quite as much, hidden away from the village. Stepping onto the lift, Meliora lowered herself down to the floor of the earth. Once the lift fell below the tree line the world opened up to her. The thick tree trunks littered the floor, but so did the vision of beautiful, colorful flowers. It was a sight that made Meliora smile. The lift came to a stop, locking it in place so it wouldn’t go anywhere.

Meliora ventured out on the ground, unable to contain her excitement for gathering flowers. Quickly she made her way over to a small cluster of bright violet flowers. Leaning in she took a small whiff, the scent exquisite. Removing the garden shears she cut the flowers, clustering them together and placing them in her basket. Her eyes looked around again, spotting some flowers of pink pastel not too far off. Again picking up her basket she headed to the small cluster, snipping them and placing them in her basket. Her eyes spotted on she had missed, but rather than put it with the others, she snipped it and placed it in her chocolate hair.

She continued to move along the floor of the earth, gathering flowers of pale yellows, purples, blues, and reds. It was such a relaxing moment for her to get away from the rest of the village. The shop was closed today, allowing Meliora time to gather flowers in order to fulfill the requests the customers had made during the week. It didn’t take her long before her basket was full, colorful with flowers for bouquets. A smile formed across her face, taking a seat at the base of a tree, enjoying the silence around her. Tilting her head back she could see small pieces of the village through the tree line.

At this point she almost didn’t want to go back up to the village. Many were still in an uproar about the death of their king. She remembered when it happened. It was like losing a family member. Although Meliora never knew her mother, when the king died she knew it was how her father felt. She remember Aric when it happened. He was so angry at the humans, his mother seeming to have fallen to pieces. Meliora knew however if it he hadn’t been there for his mother, the kingdom might have been in worse shape. Still, she wondered about him and how he was coping with the loss after these years.

Actually she thought about Aric a lot. Her father once worked for the king, so she used to be with Aric at times. In all honesty the boy drove her crazy. Even since she was little she had a huge crush on him. But, he was a prince. Her prince. There was no way he would ever want to be with her. She was just a girl from the village whose father used to work for his father. But after the king died, she gave him space, allowing him time to grieve if needed. Her father needed time to grieve as well, so she spent time down here, gathering flowers as a distraction. It was the only thing that seemed to keep her happy.

TAG: ARIC
WORDS: 655
NOTES: LET'S PLAY!
LYRICS: YES - COLDPLAY

[ARIC RESUR VALIN]

The city in the trees seemed quiet wherever he walked. The Narro people would give him smiles and he would grin back and they would hold a conversation with one another but he knew that they were still keeping their voices low and keeping their distance for the sake of the royal family. It was as any would do for each other in this community. The Narro did not put each other on terribly high or low pedestals. When one was in need the other would help and the wealth was always spread out. It kept everyone at peace with one another and on good terms. The prince appreciated their thoughtfulness but it was on this day that he wished they would interfere with his life more than others. It was the anniversary of the death of his father. It was the reason he had crept out from he and his mother’s guarded home and out onto the bridges to visit with others. His mother was distraught and it was draining him. She waved him out as she held back familiar tears and gazed off their balcony. The prince had left after kissing her cheek and giving her a soft farewell, reassuring her that he would be back to check in on her (which she hastily encouraged otherwise).

Now his hands ran along the ropes as he teased death by leaning over them. If there was one thing that most of his kind was it was acrobatic. They’re long limbs could easily reach while their slim bodies were easily to lift. It was why he had always been so confident in himself when doing silly little stunts in the trees as a child. All of the others did it so it was easy for him to as well. And being the young prince he had been given plenty of opportunities to be a daredevil and have the guidance of the greatest and most unique of the Narro or even those outside of his race. He truly was a lucky being to have such opportunities but he wouldn’t deny them of his people either. It was mostly his father who had managed to get him such amazing opportunities… he had been a wonderful, diplomatic man and Aric had been privileged enough to go on travels with him to learn many things. It made him miss his father terribly… be he supposed that this was not the day to be thinking of his father. Remembering was a painful thing to do.

The prince closed his eyes a moment, looking a mix between irritation and sadness. But as his eyes opened back up the look dissipated and a soft, easy smile was on his lips again as he started to stroll back down the bridges. He watched over the edges, only looking away when someone called out to him and waved so that he may wave back. The village grew quieter the further he went from the main area in the town and it seemed to grow darker as well, as though the trees thickened. His eyes looked up, searching for the sky. But he couldn’t seem to find it, making him frown. It just had to be one of those sad days, didn’t it? The days that pulled at your heart and made you feel horribly miserable. But you couldn’t feel miserable when you had to encourage your people. Perhaps it was in his best interest to get away from the village for a while.

In no time, Aric had found a lift and used it. It was a slow going process for the preoccupied Narro though. When he had finally made it to the bottom of it, he pulled the rope and sent it back up to the top so it wouldn’t look like someone had used it lately. He would rather not be followed on this day. His heart was dropping with every step that he took through the forest, which may have been careless but he wasn’t too terribly worried about getting attacked by anything this close to the village. He knew the secret escapes and hideaways that were hidden here. He wasn’t concerned with anything other than the ache in his heart.

When Aric raised his eyes his heart jumped and he let out a quick gasp. His left hand darted for the dagger his belt and he always unsheathed it out of his shock. But his mind slowed and he was just as quick to regain his composure upon realizing who it was that he had stumble upon. A forced grin pressed onto his lips again as he tried to play off both his shock and his feeling as he gazed down at her. “Meliora,” he breathed with relief. “What in Elejen’s name are you doing down-“ he caught sight of the basket. “Oh. I understand now,” he said with another sweeping grin, standing tall. “Explains when I didn’t see you… or anyone at the shop going by.”

TAGS: MELIORA
WORDS: 831
OUTFIT: CLICK THIS PLEASE.

[MELIORA ROSETTA ALASTAR]

Meliora was lost in her mind, thinking about things she knew would never be answered. Desperately in her mind she wished she knew what her mother was like, how she looked, what her voice sounded like. So many things she didn’t get to experience with her mother. Her mind drifted to Aric. Well surely he must have seen her before? He may have been young, but surely he might have had some knowledge. No, today was not the day to pry him for questions. She hadn’t even seen him today. Again she wondered what he was doing or how he was coping with the loss of his father.

She plucked a flower from the earth. It was fresh smelling, a pale yellow. A sigh left her lips, twirling it in her hands for a moment. Again her mind wandered to Aric, and like a child she began to pluck the petals off. In her mind she recited: He loves me, he loves me not. Petal after petal fell to the dirt floor, the words alternating in her mind. She stopped about half way, shaking her head. She was such a fool. There was no way a boy like Aric would have feelings for her. Sure he might have seen Meliora as a friend, but she wanted more than that. To have a relationship with someone beyond the boundaries of friendship. To experience love first hand. Again she shook her head. This was a foolish dream, one that she should give up before it destroyed her. But something inside of her wasn’t ready to let go.

The flower was set next to her, eyes closing again as she enjoyed the silence around her. It was only for a few moments she was able to rest before her ears heard something closing in on her. When she looked up however, she wasn’t sure who was more shocked at this point. Her or Aric. The instant her eyes set on him she blushed, feeling the heat on her cheeks intensify as he spoke her name. She swooned when he said her name. Everything about him seemed to drive Meliora crazy when she was near him. She still found it hard to believe that they were around each other as children. She couldn’t avoid talking to him. He knew well who she was.

For a moment she had to regain her composure, unable to stop staring at his features. His lips were like two perfect pillows, making her mouth water to have just one kiss. Just one... But she stopped at his eyes. Normally, they were so full of kindness, the way she knew Aric to be. And although he had a smile across his face and his stance said otherwise, Meliora could look at his eyes and see the sadness there. She knew well why there was sadness, but she wasn’t about to ask about his feelings. In her mind she had created an image of rushing to him and throwing her arms around him, reassuring that everything was going to be okay in time and that she would be there for him, no matter what. But, like her dream of a relationship she knew that was never going to happen.

When she came back from her trance she struggled for words. “Oh... uh... Hello, Aric.” She told him softly, still unsure of what to say. She looked to her basket when he did, blushing for a moment. “Oh... yes. The shop has been, uh, quite busy these past few days.” Slowly Meliora stood, the half plucked flower in her hand. Quickly she noticed the flower and tossed it aside, blushing at the thought of her childish action. Later when she was alone she would finish it. For a moment her eyes cast down to the ground before looking up at Aric. “What are you doing down here, Aric?”

TAG: ARIC
WORDS: 646
NOTES: SHE WANTS TO HELP HIM COPE
LYRICS: YES - COLDPLAY

[ARIC RESUR VALIN]

The prince was still taking a few moments to regain himself and it seemed that Meliora was doing the same. Though he paid little attention to any awkwardness caused by her considering he had kind of grown used to the red spreading over her cheeks and her loss for words. By now he had simply placed it together with her shy personality. After many years of knowing Meliora he had long decided that she acted in this manner around just about anyone. And who knew how much it could change when he wasn’t around her? She must have known him better than most other people (as they had been friends since childhood). When she was around others she must have just gone completely shy and quiet! At least when he was around she could get out a few words and make conversation with him. Though, he would have to admit, that he was usually the one who did a lot of the talking. He supposed he came to her with many of his frustrations and inner quarrels. He didn’t really mean to, it just sort of happened since she was always so quiet. It was like she was just asking him to spill his heart out to her without her even saying anything to him. That, of course, was really just crazy to think. No being would ever want to hear so much about him in one sitting anyways. Not even Aric was that interested in himself. Heck, even his mother would grow tired of his talking every now and then and suddenly alert him that she was feeling like she needed some time to be alone. It was easy for him to get his composure back together just as easy as it was for him to slip up and start talking about everything that was happening in his world. It was something he was vigorously working on though.

Aric let his head tilt to the side as he tried to think of a quick answer to her question. His mouth slipped open ajar as his eyes floated off in another direction, as though suddenly distracted by something drifting by. But his attention quickly snapped back over to her and he gave a grin. “Just getting some exercise.” He felt his smile fade a bit, looking now a bit curious about what he had just said. But then he simply nodded at her and let his lips curve upward once again. “Yeah, just needed to have solid ground underneath my feet for a little while.” He probably wasn’t the best liar there was but he was sure he wasn’t the worst. Even if someone caught onto his lie they would still have to figure out what he was lying about and why he would have to lie about it. That was all way to much work though, wasn’t it? Eh, he was over thinking this a little bit. Meliora would probably care less about him telling fibs though, which was just fine with him. He’d rather not share.

Now that he had pushed the questions away from himself, Aric strolled over in her direction and leaned his shoulder up against the tree that she was sitting at. He stayed standing and looked around the quiet forest floor. For a moment, he basked in the silence and simply gave a fond smile to the life that was sprouting up all around them constantly. He would pick living out here over those strange cities that the human built up any day. At least here he didn’t have stone walls to confine him. He was actually rather… free.

“Isn’t it a lovely place here?” he questioned, almost to himself rather than Meliora. He leaned his head against the tree, a few strands of his dark hair stuck to the bark. But he didn’t care. He, and probably most of his kind, had a soft spot for nature. Why else would they literally live with it? “I really don’t understand how anyone could live so far away from this or want to cut it all down. Do you suppose one day they’ll stop with that? Try another way of living?” Then he snorted and rolled his eyes. His arms crossed over his chest. “It’s probably just in their nature, hm?”

TAGS: MELIORA
WORDS: 716
OUTFIT: CLICK THIS PLEASE.

[MELIORA ROSETTA ALASTAR]

Oh, the prince was such a bad liar. Meliora chewed the inside of her bottom lip, the blush still across her cheeks. After years spending time with Aric, she had come to know him better than he could probably realize. His eyes betrayed him constantly. Those orbs of green that she had come to love deeply. As green as the grass and leaves of the forest they lived in. He was truly part of the Narro people. And although he was wanting to make conversation, Meliora knew she was going to be choking on words to converse with him. But, even if she wasn’t speaking, her mind was still busy with other things. She had learned over years of spending time with him that although she struggled to speak words to him, she could tell how he was feeling by his actions. Yes, in the times she wasn’t speaking to Aric she was watching his every move. Even though he was trying to put on a facade that everything was all right, Meliora knew better. She was sure Aric did as well, but her mind knew that he didn’t want to be pried about such things.

Meliora knew that exercise was the last thing on his mind. Everyone knew good and well what today was, and for Aric to be around that, it must have been smothering him to death. She couldn’t blame him for wanting to get away from all that. At least here the air was breathable, free from the lingering sorrow that she knew was waiting for both of them back in the trees. Now as she thought about it, she didn’t want to go back up. She wanted to stay down here, with Aric. For a moment her chocolate eyes glanced down at her basket. Sure, a few people had come in wanting a bouquet for their home, but she knew where most were going. They would end up at the memorial for Aric’s father, their king that had been slain by the humans. Oh those humans were probably the only thing in the world that infuriated her. Why did they kill their king? What did he do to be delivered to Desino down below? It didn’t make sense. It wasn’t fair really.

She could hear his feet shuffling, glancing up from her basket to see him walking towards her. Again she blushed furiously, feeling her head spin as she swooned. Meliora swallowed hard, mentally reminding herself that she needed to breathe, otherwise she would faint from the lack of oxygen. When she stopped by her, she could smell him. Why did Elejen have to create such a beautiful thing to drive her mad?! It was unbearable, but she was thankful for the time she spent with him. She wondered what her mother would think of her spending time with prince Aric. Oh her mother would have been absolutely tickled about it! She had also thought on several occasions that her mother would probably have been able to help her with this little crush she had been experience most of her life, to express her true feelings to Aric, to deal with the ridicule from the others in the village. Oh she wished her mother were still alive.

At that instant she decided that she was going to do something for Aric, when they returned to the village. Of course it was going to be her secret, but she hoped that maybe it was going to give him enough of a hint about how she really felt for him. Tucking away the idea, she smiled mentally, praying that it would work. For now though, she had to keep her mind focused on the words spilling from his lips. Taking a moment she looked around the floor of the earth, discretely nodding in agreement with the prince. Reaching up she brushed back a strand of chocolate hair, feeling her fingers brush the silky pink flower in her hair. Again she chewed on her lip, hesitant to answer. “I think... People are fear what they don’t know.” She mentioned softly. “I’m not sure if they’ll ever stop. I hope they do one day, but again, change is hard for some.” In her mind she sounded so foolish, but what did the prince think when she spoke?

TAG: ARIC
WORDS: 718
NOTES: HE DRIVES HER WILD
LYRICS: YES - COLDPLAY

[ARIC RESUR VALIN]

Aric felt himself sinking closer to the safety of the tree trunk. As he spoke of the humans it made him feel a deep, putrid rage but at the same time he felt the heavy chains of sadness taming that anger and pulling him down toward the path his mother had seemed to take. He wanted to neither paths on the surface but he knew that something inside of him wanted to be angry at the whole world and burn those humans into nothing until he felt it weighed out for the death of his father. The only thing keeping him back aside from his cursed good heartedness was knowing that his father would have done no such thing. His father had been old and seen many problems occur. Violence was never the answer for him and Aric knew that he would not want violence to take place in his name. So Aric would not start any kind of war in the name of the king. The only battle he would fight was keeping his head on straight while he tried to figure out how his father had become so humble and calm… he needed that too so that he could be strong on the surface at least. He needed to be for an entire race. Unfortunately he was strong all the way through like his father was. His heart was plagued with pain and anger. It made him feel so tainted and not right for the thrown. He wanted nothing more than to be the perfect king… prince… but he felt like that would all slip away from him no matter how hard he tried.

He heard Meliora speaking but didn’t really understand any of it. It sounded like distant speaking, almost like he was in another part of the forest completely and could just happen to hear someone having a conversation somewhere else. His mind and his heart was elsewhere, making debates on his worthiness for the thrown. It all made him want to simply run away from it all. And even though he had brought up the topic of humans… he didn’t feel like hearing about them anymore. So without much thought or care he let his mind venture elsewhere in a very quick amount of time.

Just as she had finished speaking and the silence brought him back to the real world, Aric tightened his grip on the bark of the tree and swung down in one quick motion, suddenly squatting in front of Meliora with a completely out of place but one hundred percent smile on his face. He dropped his hand from the tree, setting them both on either side of him now as he balanced on the balls of his feet, leaning in toward Meliora. “I have a confession,” he announced to her. Then he placed a hand on her knee. “My dearest, Meliora…. I missed every word that you just said to me,” he gave her a mock frown that quickly turned upside down. “But!” He paused. “I promise, cross my heart and honest as my father, that I will listen to it all later if you feel any ill will toward me because of it. It’s just… my mind wanders to other things. Better things really!” Not really. “I was thinking… uh… ummm what was I thinking? Ah, yes! I was thinking that perhaps we could go back up into the city to brighten everyone’s day up a bit with these lovely flowers you’ve got! We can make…. You know those things girls do with the crowns of flowers, yes?” He looked confused now as he spun his finger around the top of his head awkwardly. In the end though he just smiled and tilted his head at her, guessing that she got the picture. “What do you say?”

It hadn’t dawned on him until after all of that talking that it may have taken a great deal of effort collecting all of those flowers. It also hadn’t crossed his mind until after that she had already told him that the store had been busy… thus meaning that flowers were needed. Really, really needed and he was just taking them all away for free. All of her hard work would be tossed out the window and given away just like that. And knowing Meliora… she would do it. She usually didn’t really stick up for herself and just sort of went along with the craziness. He was completely unsure of how she tolerated him now.

He smiled at her again. “I also promise that I will then take you to the best possible spot there is to gather the most beautiful flowers. I will even pick every single one for you. And I assure you, I know of many beautiful flowers.”

TAGS: MELIORA
WORDS: 800
OUTFIT: CLICK THIS PLEASE.

[MELIORA ROSETTA ALASTAR]

Meliora watched him intently with her dark eyes. She could tell that he wasn’t listening, but today she would let it go. She knew what was really on his mind, and even if he didn’t want to talk about it, she was okay with that. Several times she wondered what was on his mind. Of course she knew the main ones: thinking about his father, the hate he shared with her and the Narro people for humans, if he was worthy to take his father’s place. Things that were the usual for the prince. Oh if they communicated through body language, Meliora knew his would have been dramatic with tragedy. Desperately she wanted to mend his broken heart, to make him truly happy again, but would her love be enough to make him the happy person he once was?

Quickly she was distracted, jumping as Aric swung down in front of her. She blushed furiously, feeling the heat spread across her entire frame. As he leaned in, Meliora was sure that he was about to kiss her. Panic gripped her... Why was she afraid? Confession? Her mind swirled as she reminded herself to breath. As much as she wanted this to happen something inside her was also unsure of what he was about to do. His hand was soft against her knee, causing the blush to deepen on her cheeks. At this point she was red more than pink, her breath shaky as she watched him intently. She loved the way he said her name, so gently the sound came from his lips. Yet, as he spoke again she felt her worry lessen, only to be replaced by disappointment. She bit her bottom lip, trying to hide it from the prince. Her eyes lifted again to meet his, plus a goofy grin across his face. At this she could stop the soft laugh from escaping. He seemed to be babbling on, but Meliora knew that he wanted a distraction from today. At this point, Meliora would do anything to make Aric happy.

Again she giggled as he mentioned making flower crowns. Even at his age, he could still be such a child. Her eyes dropped to the ground, pretending like she was really trying to make a decision about being with him. It was an easy choice really, but sometimes Meliora did want to tug at him a little bit. Yet, before she could even make a decision, words were spilling from the prince’s lips again. Again, the thought of spending quality alone time with him greatly appealed to her. So why was it she was having such a hard time going along with his idea? She had been wanting this for so long, but the fact that she could be so close also terrified her. She wished her mother were here to give her guidance, to help her with this infatuation of hers. She had only been wanting to share her love with someone else, not having ever experienced giving it to someone and getting it in return.

Meliora lifted her gaze to him, a soft smile across her face. “I... Would really like that, very much Aric.” Again she blushed, nervously brushing away strands of hair as a distraction. Good grief he drove her crazy! Although, her idea earlier was still in her mind. She promised to Elejen that if there was anything she would do, it was to send Aric a bouquet with all of her love put into it.

TAG: ARIC
WORDS: 583
NOTES: STOP TEASING HER
LYRICS: YES - COLDPLAY

[ARIC RESUR VALIN]

When Meliora agreed to do it Aric acted as though she had just managed to make his heart burst with happiness and rainbows and everything grand that went along with it. His expression, though dramatic, was partially expressing his true excitement. But he couldn’t help but make most of his ideas seem like they were the most important thing to him in the world. So as soon as she had finally agreed with him after her shy laughter and fits of red cheeks, Aric’s face lit up with a wide toothy grin. He placed his hands on his knees and leaned in even closer to her than he had before until he touched noses with her. He rubbed the tip of his nose against hers with playful affection, letting his eyes close like a curious little boy. “Ah, you won’t regret it, flower girl!” he told her excitedly as he removed his face from her personal space. In an instant he had leapt back up to his feet and took a heroic stance before her, hands on hips and chin tilted toward the city that was settled in the tree branches up above them.

“Well then, let us go save this day and make it grand! I think our people could use some festivities and joy on this day.”

It was what his father would have wanted, he was sure of that. His father would not want them to dwell on their grievances and be saddened by his loss forever. Well, yes, they could be sad but it was more important for them to be glad that they had such great guidance and leadership from him. To pay their respects they should do it beautiful and with much joy! That way they could celebrate his life with smiles on their faces and flowers in their hair. This city had shed all too many tears these past years and Aric suddenly found himself very determined to bring it back to its former joyous glory. And perhaps the joy would remove his own pain and sadness and help him to move on from the tragedy as well. He could only hope that his antics would manage to do just that. Maybe, just maybe, it would help his mother smile again too. He could bestow upon her the most beautiful of the flower crowns that he could put together! He would do it all just to see his mother have joy and hope in her eyes again.

After looking up at the city as nobly as he could, Aric returned his wild green stare back down upon the florist. He kept on his playfully bright smile and took a few steps for her, reaching his hand out to help her to her feet if she wished to even touch him after all his bipolar, crazy behavior. He hoped by now she was used to it as his bursts of excitement often did get the better of him. But this was much more than just excitement. It was hope for a solution to all of his self pity and pain that he felt weighing him down every day. He could easily make it sound like it was to benefit the people when really… it may have been mostly for himself.

“Shall we wreak havoc with dandelions and wild flowers?”

TAGS: MELIORA
WORDS: 555
OUTFIT: CLICK THIS PLEASE.

[MELIORA ROSETTA ALASTAR]

Meliora watched Aric’s face as it lit up with joy. His expression made her giggle, chewing on her lip to stifle the laugh, but it proved futile. Again she held her breath as he leaned in even closer than before. When their noses touched her body flushed with heat, cheeks burning red again. So close... so close she had been to those perfect pillow lips that she longed to kiss, but they didn’t meet her own. However it didn’t stop the smile coming across her lips, closing her eyes as he rubbed his nose with her. He could be such a child. Maybe that’s what she admired so much about Aric. Even in the darkest of time he could still find light and something to make him happy. She watched him pull back, again giggling at his silly stance.

Her head nodded in agreement with him. It was traits like this that would make him a great king. Countless times she knew that Aric was questioning his fate of taking the place of his father. Of course that old path his father left behind was long and quite large to travel, but Meliora had every faith in Aric that he would success and do well. So, why couldn’t he see it? Well, if he couldn’t see it for himself then maybe she would have to show him herself, but how? Again she thought about her bouquet idea, but in order to get everything she felt for him across she would have to write a long letter to him. Oh goodness, the thought of her writing love letters to Aric made her blush. Meliora wasn’t sure if she was capable of such a thing, but maybe with her friends help she would be able to get across the message to wanted Aric to know.

Her spine rippled with chills as his green eyes met her again. Such a vibrant color they were, and they shimmered now with excitement, making Meliora melt on the inside. At this point she had grown used to his mood swings. It was quite strange at first, and she was unsure of how to handle it or what to do. Yet overtime, she learned not to fight it or figure him out for that matter. Rather, she just went along with whatever he was thinking or feeling at the moment. Like now for instance. Meliora knew that inside was mourning about his father’s death, but now he was here wanting to cheer not only himself up but everyone else in the village. Yes, it was who Aric was, but Meliora didn’t mind. She had come to like his mood swings actually.

As he extended her hand, for a moment she hesitated, still smiling. But she extended her hand to him, slipping it into his. For a moment it felt like something had sent a shockwave through her body. Slowly she pulled herself to her feet before reaching down to grab her basket, slipping it across her arm. “Well, I don’t know if you would call it havoc...” she spoke softly, trailing off, “But I get the general idea.” Again she gave him a soft smile, still feeling the blush on her cheeks. She looked off in the distance remembering that she had left a lift lowered for her to get back up. “Um, there’s a lift I used that’s still down here. We could use it to go back up, if you want.”

TAG: ARIC
WORDS: 576
NOTES: STOP TEASING HER
LYRICS: YES - COLDPLAY

[ARIC RESUR VALIN]

A more confident, calm grin was spread over his lips as Meliora accepted his hand. As she got herself up and collected her things, the prince took a step back from her and turned his eyes back up toward the city above them. He had to admit that he felt little sick about the idea of going back up there and trying to get everyone in mood for festivities rather than somber faces and sadness. It didn’t seem like it would be so simple but, then again, he was a prince. He could make them feel however he wanted them to feel! Okay, maybe that was a little bit cocky and full of himself and his abilities.

Aric’s brows arched upward and he threw his arms over his chest, crossing them there as he turned away from the girl. His eyes skipped around the scenery until they located the lift that she had been talking about. He couldn’t help but give it a curious sort of look since he realized that he had never really noticed it there before. It was probably because he usually wasn’t sneaking around and taking any back ways anywhere. His life wasn’t exactly private anyways, though he supposed compared to creatures on the outside of the forest he was. His father had always told him about other kingdoms he had visited noting that many seemed to have very different levels of society. The royalty were usually pampered by the poor and power hungry. The prince found that strange… he had been raised to treat everyone as an equal. But, like he had been told many times in the past, there were many who used the power that they gained for selfish gain and even acted against others with cruelty and prejudice because they had the power to do so. How sad would it be to live in a world filled with that?

Once the pair had made it to the lift, Aric made it his responsibility to raise it up back to the top. Every now and then there would be guards at the lift to do things like that but he supposed not too many of them came to the ones that were less used and less known of. The only point in standing at one all day would be to be sure that nothing that they didn’t want to come up would come up. Aric was pretty confident that the only things who would know how to get on these things would be the Narro people though. They had created these lifts and the city in the trees. It was their technology that had done this.

When they reached the top of the lift and the raised city walks he practically jumped over onto them and turned back around to face the florist with the wide grin. Then he motioned over his shoulder moving his lips softly, “I’m sure there are some young boys and girls in the town square who’d like to help us out, hmm?” He then turned back around in an instant and was walking in a rather quick pace toward the center of Zanef where festivities were always taking place.

TAGS: MELIORA
WORDS: 531
OUTFIT: CLICK THIS PLEASE.

[MELIORA ROSETTA ALASTAR]

The boy was adorable in her mind, but she could still see some of the sadness lingering in those vibrant green eyes of his. She wanted to see those eyes sparkle with happiness, to be alive and not dead. Like she knew he could be, again this day was hard for him to get over, along with her and everyone else in the village. Meliora would do anything to make him happy again. She missed seeing his face light up out of pure enjoyment of the things around him, rather than counting down the days of the year until this dreadful anniversary came along. But, she could relate. Every year when her birthday came, her father tried to make it a day of wonder and enjoyment, but Meliora knew better. It was also the day she lost her mother.

The though alone seemed to take the spark out of her own chocolate eyes, but all she needed was to glance at Aric to feel her heart swell. He seemed to be the only thing that made her happy. As they walked to the lift, Meliora kept stealing glancing at him, biting the inside of her bottom lip to hide the smile across her face. She watched him work the lift while she rummaged in her basket. She held numerous flowers, carefully tying them together to form a perfect circle. Gently she placed the crown on her head before working on a second one. This time however, she picked on her favorites and the best for Aric. Again taking great care, she tied the flowers together until she had another perfect ring. She was about to place the crown on his head when she glanced up to see that he was already off the lift.

Quickly she did her best to keep up with him, jumping off the lift with a light spring. She almost bumped into him as he quickly turned around to face her. Again she blushed deeply, the closeness to him making her flush with heat. Quickly she nodded her head in agreement with him, lifting her arms again to place the crown on his head to have him take off again. She did her best to keep up with him, finding it hard. However, she picked up the pace to a jog to cut him off for a moment.

For a moment Meliora huffed. “I know you want to get there and make people happy,” she said softly, taking a pause, “But it’ll only be more appealing if you have one as well.” This time while she had him stopped she lifted to place the flower crown on his head. Taking a step back, she examined him, a soft smile coming to her lips. “That’s better.” This time she stepped aside for him to continue forward. “Okay, now we can continue.” This time she hoped that she would be able to walk with him, her hands returning to the basket to continue with making more crowns, knowing that any children who came along would want one or want to pass one out to the others. Meliora was going to help out ARic and make sure that everyone was going to be in a good mood at some point today.

TAG: ARIC
WORDS: 542
NOTES: SHE'LL DO ANYTHING FOR HIM
LYRICS: YES - COLDPLAY

[ARIC RESUR VALIN]

His mind was busy pulling him forward, taking him away from past events and looking over toward the future. It didn’t really occur to him that he was leaving his flower companion behind him. She would surely keep up with him though; she must have been used to his jumping around and even disappearing from time to time. When she sprung up in front of him and stopped it startled him enough to stop him dead in his tracks and he almost took a few steps back. Aric perked his eyebrows up at her while she spoke to him and tilted his chin down to look at her. He switched his eyes upward as she placed the crown of flowers onto his head. He, of course, couldn’t really see them on his head and when he tried his eyebrows merely raised up and his hairline moved slightly (though that was hardly visible under his wild brunette bangs). Instead of looking baffled the entire time, Aric quickly removed the strange look from his face and returned his eyes back down to the shy florist. A grin slowly came across his lips all over again and he nodded in agreement with her words.

“Suppose you’re right. Thank you.”

He patted her on the side of the face lightly, in a friendly sort of way and then she was off again and he jumped right ahead with her. It was quick when he decided that she wasn’t going quickly enough for him. With a mischievous smile creeping up on his lips, Aric sprung forward, taking a hold of her elbow and pulling her along with him. As they whipped through the crowd in the city’s square he could already see curious eyes falling onto them and smaller children laughing as they darted by with flower crows. Finally he brought the two of them to a stop, his hand still on her elbow.

The prince stood up tall and grinning to anyone who cared to stop and look at them. For those whose attention had yet to find him, Aric decided he would gain it with more than just presence in appearance. “Excuse me, if I can have your attention!” he called over the crowd lifting his flower crown from his head, showing it to everyone. As the heads turned he smiled wider and released Meliora’s elbow. Instead he took her by the waist and pulled her next to him. “Today, in honor of my father and your king, I would like to call on a celebration for us to remember his life and the accomplishments that he had made.” He got a few applause then and some grinning faces. That was really all that he needed for any kind of encouragement. Although, he didn’t have much more to say after that so he just laughed and shrugged. “So take the day off and let’s celebrate!”

Now the crowd that had gathered seemed really excited. Most probably because they got to take the day off and dance around in the square. And almost on cue a few ran toward their homes to get their instruments while others hurried forward to get a hold of their own flowers. Some were pulling out payment and holding it out toward Meliora now. Aric bit the side of his lip and glanced down at her. He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and pulled at her ear. “Good luck then,” he told her. “Looks like you may be making a profit after all.”

Aric had rushed away after that, leaving the Narro who were interested in flowered crowns waited patiently around her. Aric was now busying himself with the Narro bringing out their instruments, pointing them to certain points and making sure others cleared the way for them. Then he left them to that, encouraging them by waving his hands. Then it was getting the people to dance. Getting the little girls to run up to him and want to take turns was no trouble at all (it was the little boys who weren’t really interested at first). But he learned if you paired them with a pretty older lady then they would be fine.

After finishing a dance with young girl, Aric swiftly spun away from the crowd and ducked around until he reached the edge of the square to get his breath. He supposed this had worked just as he imagined. It was pulling his mind away from things quite well and all.

TAGS: MELIORA
WORDS: 749
OUTFIT: CLICK THIS PLEASE.

[MELIORA ROSETTA ALASTAR]

Meliora continued on her way, feeling a rush of air beside her as Aric seemed to move back beside her. The blush remained on her face. Her eyes were cast down, biting her bottom lip as she walked with him. Although it didn’t seem to be enough for Aric. She was taken by surprise as he gripped her elbow and began to drag her along through the village. She did her best to keep up with him, his feet usually moving faster than hers, the height difference sometimes made it challenging. Yet she managed to keep up with him, occasionally stumbling along. Her eyes noticed some of the towns people giving them stares, a few of the other Narro women who spotted her with the prince gave her glares. This made her blush out of embarrassment, but it was one thing she could be proud of over them.

Finally they came to a stop, her hair a mess now and slightly out of breath. She blushed heavily as Aric started to get the square’s attention, feeling so many eyes on her. It was embarrassing really, but she was stuck beside Aric. When he released her elbow, Meliora wasn’t sure what he was about to do. Yet as he gripped her waist she felt a wave of heat flush her entire body. And if that wasn’t enough he pulled her close to him. She could feel the warmth of his body against hers, her hand and arm twitching with desire to wrap around him as well. However she wasn’t sure what kind of message that would send to him, so she kept her arms down despite the itch to be closer to him.

As he continued on with his speech, even Meliora felt her heart race with excitement. Her dark eyes watched as many of the towns people took off to retrieve instruments to play. And suddenly Meliora was surrounded by small Narro children wanting a flower crown of their own or wanting help in making a crown. They were all talking at once, fighting for her attention. It was overwhelming really, looking up at Aric just in time to see those green eyes of his looking at her. She swallowed hard, blushing. The kiss seemed to electrify her whole body, sending a shockwave through it. Her eyes closed as he moved to speak in her ear, but every word he said she didn’t hear. All she could think about was the fact that she wanted those lips just slightly lower, to press against hers in what she hoped would be a kiss of love and passion. Again though, she knew that in her mind it was only a fairytale.

Meliora felt him leave, his hand slipping from her waist. It was like releasing her from a trance. For a moment she watched him leave before turning her attention to the children before her. Carefully she collected each payment, her hands working to make beautiful flower crowns for anyone who wanted one. They giggled and thanked her before quickly running off to frolic with the others in their merriment. Eventually, she ran out of flowers but many came prepared for her so it made the job easier. Her basket was empty of flowers but full of payments. Rather than stick around she slipped away from the crowds to head to the shop.

Even at the shop she could hear the merriment. Everyone in the whole village seemed to be enjoying the day off. Meliora deposited the payments in a safe place, knowing that they would be left alone until the next business day. When she left the shop she remained on the edge of the square. Her eyes scanned the crowd, searching for Aric. A moment ago she knew he was there, but now it seemed like he was nowhere to be found. She hoped that he wasn’t going to forget about him taking her to this place to pick flowers. She wanted to know just what this place was and where it was located. She could use a new place to gather flowers.

TAG: ARIC
WORDS: 683
NOTES: SUCH A WONDERFUL TIME
LYRICS: YES - COLDPLAY

[ARIC RESUR VALIN]

A grin twisted onto Aric’s face as flowers begin to appear on the heads of others and some dancing began when the sound of music started thanks to a group who had decided to rush together. It was amazing what they could all do in just a split second, as though their lives were so flexible and simple that they could just drop what they were doing to celebrate with him. He was sure that some had gone off to mind their own business and carry on but a good bunch were here having fun in the square hanging over the forest floor. They were completely fine with taking a moment out of their lives to put on smiles and make crafts and music. He felt spoiled for having all of this so easily and so quickly. It was truly a wonder how all of this couldn’t take away all the grief that he felt from his father’s passing. It was all so much… and it still couldn’t mend together that void that he felt inside of him… the emptiness that he saw in his mother’s eyes. He had no way of fixing that with a snap of his fingers.

Aric dropped his head for a moment, keeping a forced grin on his face even to convince himself that everything was going to be alright. That was always a bit difficult to do. He took a few deep and slow breaths, clearing his mind of all memories that were sad of his father or all of the times that he had disappointed him in the past. All of those things would have to disappear in the back of his mind (he wished that they would forever so that the pain would disappear). He felt guilt mostly for wanting to erase his memories and wishing he could have been a better son.

The prince raised his eyes again from the ground as someone brushed passed him and gave him a friendly grin. He smiled back as they disappeared into the crowd to find someone to dance around with. That was all that his wide ears could catch now; the sound of others dancing and the merry sounds of the music. His father would have loved to have been here and been a part of the festivities. He would have loved the grinning faces and all of the music. He would have thought a banquet suitable in this situation too.

As Aric gazed around at his fellow Narro he found himself staring over toward Meliora. She seemed a bit lost and this made him grin, but he made no move to go and help her. Instead he simply sat out where he was and continued to watch her. She had been with him through a lot, though she always took more of a passenger seat in his life than someone who was constantly making a huge impact. She usually went unnoticed by him when his mind was filled with… whatever it was filled with. It made him feel bad since later he actually did think about it and hadn’t the time to explain to her that he liked her constant presence. It was comforting to have something that was always there and practically unchanging. Though, she had changed a little since they were young. She was older (not much taller) and had filled out like the other little girls he’d grown up with. She was beautiful. Not really a simple beauty either, but she never really did anything to make herself stand out. Had she worn some of the gowns that his mother wore and others then she could have been completely stunning. But this was Meliora. Her simple beauty was what warmed his heart.

Finally Aric pushed up away from the fence he leaned again. He weaved painlessly through the crowd and came up from behind her, snatching her by her waist and pushing her back into the crowd with him. “You’re dancing with me,” he informed her simply.

TAGS: MELIORA
WORDS: 668
OUTFIT: CLICK THIS PLEASE.

[MELIORA ROSETTA ALASTAR]

Meliora stayed back from the festivities, watching from afar. Her eyes stayed on the children, watching them run around and play, marveled by the flower crowns on their heads. They giggled and frolicked, occasionally stopping to dance with someone. It was a sight Meliora hadn’t seen in years, not at least since the death of Aric’s father. No one had been this happy in quite some time. Inside, Meliora was actually quite happy. Not for what was going on, but for what Aric did for the people. Oh yes, she knew that he was worried about replacing his father and filling those shoes, but she had every confidence in Aric. And if ever was in trouble or needed guidance, she would be there for him. She had always been there for him.

She wished she could express her feelings towards Aric. In her mind she thought maybe then she would feel so awkward around him, but there was a fear inside her of what he might think. Of course she knew that he saw all Narro on the same level as him, but the idea of confessing her love to him terrified her beyond belief. But she so wanted to tell him, to express everything she thought about him. Maybe then he would be able to see that he really was a good son when his father was around and that he could be a great king one day. If anyone could boost his confidence, Meliora knew it was him. Yet, half the time she wondered what he thought about her. For once she just wanted to know what he thought about her, to pry his mind.

Meliora shook her head. Again her mind wandering to such foolish thoughts. Her eyes returned to watching the activities before her. She searched again for Aric who seemed to have disappeared. Her gaze moved to her basket again, hoping that he didn’t forget about the promise he made to her. Again her mind wandered, wondering where he would take her exactly and just what sort of flowers awaited her. She couldn’t wait to watch Aric pick every single one for her. She wanted to see that childish grin on his face, to have him tease her despite what she knew it would do to her, but she liked having him that close to her.

Speaking of close, he again to her waist for a second time. This time she didn’t realize that it was Aric until she looked at him. A rosy blush painted her cheeks, her stomach flipping as Aric’s lanky arms wrapped around her. “Wait! What? Dance?” Meliora looked back to see that Aric was already escorting her to the middle of the festivities. She squirmed in his grip. “Oh, Aric you don’t wanna dance with me.” Then again, he didn’t say that he was dancing with her. He stated that she was dancing with him. She couldn’t tell him that she didn’t want to dance with him, because she very much did, but not with all these other people watching her. She could already feel a few people staring, mostly girls her age as the prince escorted her in the middle of the crowd.

TAG: ARIC
WORDS: 534
NOTES: AW SO CUTE!
LYRICS: YES - COLDPLAY