Intercrossd hearts through time and space [[For Raychu and Time, R18]]

[Time_Keeper]

 

 

Name: Meldarion

 

Age: Appears to be about 25. In actuality, is about 300 years old

 

Gender: Male

 

Height:5'9

 

Position: Seke

 

Weapon of choice: A pair of twin, long dagger-looking knives coated with snake venom over the sharpness of their blade.

 

Personality: Meldarion, or Mel as he is more commonly called, is the favorite of his faction of elves. Though he has a quick tongue and a not so patient temper, Meldarion is a wise creature. Overall, he is kind and trustworthy, always preferring to see the other side of the coin before making a decision. Meldarion, when given the option, leads by example and he does not favor making fools of those around him....though it does seem amusing from time to time. He is quick witted and won't hold back a healthy dose of sarcasm if the situation calls for it, nevertheless, he has a pure heart and a will that longs to help those in dire situations.

 

Short Bio: Meldarion lost both his parents to the war wagging between the two factions of elves, a war that had been wagging for several long centuries as it was. Though he is not undeniably bitter about it, do to the fact that he was much to young to remember his parents when they were killed, Meldarion does not favor the other faction of elves. He sees them as lowlife scum who would try anything in their power to beat down his own faction. After being told that he would have to marry one of the enemy's elves in order to try and bring a halt to the bloodshed, it was little surprise that the blonde elf was far from pleased. Nevertheless, he wishes for the best of his people and won't mind putting his life in the hands of another if it means saving what remains of his faction.

 

Likes: Large or small bodies of water, animals of all shapes and sizes, music either from nature or from what he can create, peace; even though it seems to be nothing but a distant dream, children; for he sees a little of himself in them.

 

Dislikes: Destruction and chaos, death and bloodshed, disorder and corruption, being unable to save those he truly loves, being the indirect cause of pain in others, lies and deceit, being helpless to resolve a dire situation.

 

Extras: Meldarion has a strange almost tribal tattoo expanding the length of the left side of his body; from foot to just below his jawline. No one knows what the meaning of that tattoo is or why it's there, but Meldarion doesn't pay it much mind. He sees it as an extension of who he is for the tattoo seems to grow icy cold whenever danger is around and comfortingly warm when someone he can relay on draws near to him.

 

 

To say Meldarion was not pleased would have been a massive understatement. Just under the visage of calm his face portrayed, there was a swirling mass of anger and frustration. He couldn't quite phantom why he of all the other elves had to be the one to marry an enemy. Yes, he could understand that he was the most passive in his faction when it came to the war. He could also understand that he didn't hold a deep rooted hatred toward the enemy group, like his own faction did....However, that didn't make it fair to have him be the one chosen for marriage to someone he had never met nor had any inclinations of meeting. Meldarion had been quick to voice his opinion to the elder council in his country...yet they had not budged in their decision. Meldarion was the best candidate they had for this tentative approach to end the war and there was no way around that decision.

 

So here he was, leaned against the bark of a large oak tree while he waited for the arrival of a portion of the enemy group and their own chosen candidate. With his silver colored eyes closed, effectively blocking out the world around him, the long haired elf prayed for patience and calm. Every notion in him rebelled at being forced to be in his situation but his hands were tied and he had to keep in mind that he was doing this for his people.

 

"Come now, Mel. Turn that frown upside down...It could be worse you know, you could have been forced to marry an ancient relic of the enemy side. At least the boy is about your age" his companion on this journey and his oldest friend, Arwen, spoke in soothing tones from where he sat against the same tree Meldarion was leaning on. From his position on the ground at his best friend's feet, Arwen could literally feel the waves of annoyance coming out of the blonde and though it was kind of amusing, he also wanted to at least try and calm the other elf.

 

"The boy is younger than I, which means he's probably nothing more than a spoiled little brat that I'll have to deal with in the future....I curse the day I was born into this fate, honestly, I doubt anyone would want to be tied to a responsibility such as this one" Meldarion responded quickly enough, his usually soft layered voice was deeply touched with his distemper at the situation at hand.

 

"Do stop being so dramatic, Mel. We don't know a thing about him aside from this age....Just because he's younger than you doesn't mean he's going to necessarily be a brat. And if he is, you could always beat him into the ground or something if he rouses your temper. Just because you're married to him doesn't mean you must play nice all the time. I'm sure the elders would understand, for the most part" Arwen chuckled, rolling his sky blue eyes up at the tiny portion of livid silver eyes he could just make out from under his friend's barely parted lashes.

 

"I suppose you're right, Arwen....Nevertheless, I can't help but feel annoyed. This is the last thing I would have expected to be thrown my way. The elders decisions have been confusing me as of late and I'm not sure how to feel about the degree of what I have been pushed into" Meldarion exhaled a heavy breath. He really didn't know what emotion to settle one. Confusion, irritation, frustration, or simply anger. Being blindsided in such a fashion was not appealing for him, or for anyone else he'd imagine. Nonetheless, at this point, there was nothing he could do about it.

 

"We'll just have to see how this plays out, Mel. We have no other option available to us. Rest assured, if this ends up rolling downhill faster than we ever imagined, I will confront the elder council in your favor. I should have enough leverage to pull you out of this marriage should I feel concerned over your safety or your sanity" Arwen replied easily enough though his tone had a heavier touch of something serious behind it. As the current eldest son of his country's King, Arwen could very well fight the elders choice if Meldarion's safety came into question during this marriage. The last thing he would allow to happen, was that his friend were to die while no one did anything about it. Honestly, Arwen hoped the marriage would work out for the best, but no one could be sure.

 

Nodding quietly at his best friend's words, Meldarion slowly lifted his gaze to look around the forested woodland in which they awaited the arrival of the other faction. As it had been arranged per their respective council of elders, the two meant to be married would meet in neutral grounds to begin with. After that, the decision of who would go where would be chosen by the elders. The elders of Meldarion's faction were currently grouped into a tight circle just a few feet away from where he stood besides his sitting friend. Their murmuring was loud enough for his sensitive ears to hear but not make out what was being said. Overall, though, he assumed they were going over plan after plan in case this meeting ended up in another bloodshed.

 

Closing his eyes again, Meldarion tugged the hood of his dark outfit over his ash colored hair with a resounding sigh. At the moment, there was nothing any of them could do but wait and see what happened when the enemy group finally graced them with their presence.

[Raychu]

 

 

Name: Taegen Phraan

Nickname(s): Tae

Age: Looks like he's in his twenties; 289.

Position: Seke

Species: Elf

Height: 5ft 11in

Weight: 143 lbs

Birthday: October 13th

Sexuality: Bisexual

 

Hair Color: Grayish purple

Eye Color: Light blue

Extra: Has butterfly tattoos from his right shoulder blade, down to his right hip bone. His clothes usually more flashy and showy, confident wear.

 

Personality: Tae is calm yet a confident fellow, completely sure of his actions all the time. He usually doesn't think before he acts, creating a mess of situations. He thinks highly of himself, becoming a perfectionist to every detail that he can mend to his problem. He can easily be agitated and snaps quickly if his buttons are pushed enough. He isn't the type to hold grudges, only using them to his advantage to manipulate a situation if he had no other way out of it. He may have been bratty and confident, but he was never selfish, always thinking about others and their situation. He's immature and hard to handle when he got into one of his fits of anger, frustration, or sadness. He acts like a small child half the time, needing attention and comfort 24/7.

Likes: Flowers, trees, silence, interaction, consistency, perfection, noticed details, attention and flattery, nature gifts.

Dislikes: Bugs that buzz, loud banging noises, blood, interruptions to a calm moment, being told what to do, other people's opinions, aggressive people.

 

Bio: Taegen was always an only child, never having anyone's affection showered on anything but him. Soon it was turned to something else, a never ending war that caused the death of his grandmother and many innocent civilians. He never felt a need to hold this as a grudge. Instead he used it more as a weapon to use again the other faction of elves they were at war with. He hated the thought of marriage and being tied down to someone he detested for the sins he committed, even if they never touched the knife that was pressed to his grandmother's throat. Those soldiers were trained to kill without mercy, he hated that. Marrying was something he didn't want to do, but he would if it worked out for his own country.

 

 

The marriage idea was completely absurd to the elven boy. It was laughable he happened to be the one chosen for this hand in hand peace treaty. He, out of all the other available nobles who were free to be sent into an arranged marriage, he was chosen, the one who was against it the most. It really was funny he happened to be the unlucky fool getting stuck in something that may not even work out. He tries to voice his opinion as best as he could before he threw the same old grudge that they killed his grandmother, they should choose someone who was willing, to say the least, it did not work. It was the oldest trick in the book he had, it was bound to be seen through at some point, it just happened to be at one of the worst times. It was apparent Taegen had absolutely no choice, he was chosen, end of story. No matter how much he hated this, it still came to the result that if it was good for his faction, it was fine. He hated seeing the blood spilled of both the enemy and his own, if this ended it, he would try his best to make it work, given his bad temperament.

 

Taegen trudged behind the elders on the faction, kicking any stick or rock that came into sight. It was obvious the elf was pouting, making it very clear by the dissatisfaction on his face. The forest was big, a couple kicks here and there wasn't going to destroy it. He needed to release his anger before he got here, needing to put on the mature front when facing the other faction. If he seemed at all like he was unhappy, that could do no good for him. It would most likely make the situation much worse than before. Someone once said before, if you keep pretending to be happy, sooner or later it'll come to be that way. Keep a negative outlook and he may meet the grave soon enough, he'd rather not. Maybe the person he was marrying wasn't as bad as he kept imagining him to be, maybe he was a decent guy. Though he didn't know anything besides his gender and his age. Oh the age, he dreaded he was younger than his soon to be wedded.

 

"It won't be that bad Tae. Adjustments need time, when you finally realize that, you'll understand it's not as bad as you perceive it to be. It could always be worse, you could be marrying the man who killed your grandmother," Osmil spoke in his always neutral tone. He was trying to cheer up Taegen, the aura of irritation affecting everyone's mood. No one was the happiest with the situation, but it was calling for desperate measures, that just happened to be forcing someone's hand in marriage with the other faction. Osmil pushed the small framed glasses on his face, pulling the hood to his cloak down. If anything could be worse, it would be that the other faction was mocking them by making Taegen marry an animal. It would be a site to see, though it would quickly lead to bloodshed as well. He was sure the other faction wasn't that stupid.

 

"Adjusting? To my marriage? I didn't know you had humor," he retorted, grumbling swears under his breath. Taegen respected Osmil, he was the son of one of the elders, a dependable person. The brunette had demanded if Taegen was going to be chosen for marriage, he would observe to see if it would turn out in their favor. No matter how angry he got, the young elf was glad to have Osmil there instead of an unknown elf. This was something the other probably knew without having to verify, still, this couldn't get any worse. It was just marriage to him, no matter who it was. He hated all of those elves, not one specific, though that could change with this new situation. He could grow to hate being marriage partner specifically. Though the noble wouldn't dare meow his head on such a negative outlook, he needed to remain positive. Positive and happy.

 

"Please let this go smoothly. We don't need your temper ruining our chances of finally maintaining peace. You just as much as I do, that continuing bloodshed between the two factions will lead to both of them dying out. We don't want that, neither do you. That means we must give this a fair go before we say whether or not it's work it. This requires your full effort, even if you dread doing this, put in your all and we'll see how this will turn out. If I see it's not fit for you or our faction, we'll immediately end the treaty. War is not our favorite answer, neither is an unfair peace." Osmil was a knowledgable elf, learning many things from his father. He would protect Taegen as best as he could, knowing this may not turn out the way they hoped it would. All they needed was for the two married elves to start the attempts at murdering one another, though Taegen would possibly be the first to die. He wouldn't lift a weapon even if his life depended on it. He was the kind of guy to talk his way or manipulate everyone to get out.

 

The elf sighed at Osmil's words, knowing they were nothing but the truth. If he gave in willingly, allowing to give this a real attempt, it may not turn out and he'll be taken out of an unneeded marriage. That made him want to work hard, a hope in the back of his mind saying that his partner will be a horrible elf and that nothing will work out. This was a small chance of it actually being this way. He knew that the other faction may have wanted to end the bloodshed just as much, sending someone who was decent and easy to deal with. He wouldn't let this bring his hopes down, he still wanted to find any way he could to get out of the situation.

 

The elves continued to walk through the woodlands, reaching the neutral grounds where they arranged to meet. The elders stepped out from the hidden view of the trees, walking halfway towards the other faction of sleeves before stopping. Only two do the elders had come to make their presence as discuss the where the elves would go, he others staying behind to watch over their faction. Taegen stepped out, clicking his tongue with a 'tch', that unhappiness rising again. He flinched when the other jabbed him in the side with his elbow, urging to him to go meet his soon to be husband. It was something the younger elf didn't want to do, standing his ground behind the elders as they discussed the arrangements before walking off in the direction of the other faction elders. Taegen was displeased, his protection now in the area he didn't want to enter.

 

"We don't have all day for this fit you have decided to throw. Move now before I make you move. If it comes down to it, you'll be embarrassed to be seen by the forcing of someone else's hand," Osmil snapped, motioning for the other to move once more. Taegen only took a few steps forward at a time, until he was a feet steps away form the tree. He looked everywhere around him, avoiding his eyes catching sight of this stranger who was meant to be his marriage partner. He finally dropped his eyes to the ground, digging his feet at the grass and dirt nervously. He heard a dissatisfied with from the direction of his friend as he pushed up his glasses once more. The younger elf was making it much harder than it needed to be. He just couldn't help it, this was something he didn't want to deal with, against the idea. It was hard to just put any kind of effort into it.

 

"Forgive him, he's not the best when it comes to proper greetings. I'm Osmil, this is Taegen. He was the selected elf for the marriage. I do hope you two can get along," Osmil spoke softly, looking straight at Meldarion as he nodded his head for his greeting. He didn't need to be told who was the selected elf on their side, it was obvious from the aura of irritation coming from him, the same as Taegen. Though he stayed right by the side of his friend, refusing to take any more steps closer to the others. It was amazing he got the younger elf to go up this far, he wouldn't push it, knowing a fit would arise. He pushed up his glasses again, his eyes wandering to the elders as they discussed the business. He'd prefer if Taegen were to come back, though he was fine with him going over to the other faction as well. It might be a good learning experience for him in the end. Either was fine, he would follow wherever they were meant to go.

 

Taegen crossed his arms, keeping a neutral look on his face as he looked up at the other two after awhile of avoiding it. He gave a small nod as he studied Meldarion's features, not looking away once as he was doing so. He felt like he'd seen this face before, he just couldn't place where. That's crazy, it's only been a few minutes and he was already losing his sanity. This was going to be hell, something he never thought he'd face while still living and breathing. His eyes dropped back to the ground, studying some of the flowers that had grown. There were bright red drummon phlox growing throughout the field, calming him down as he watched them away in the light breeze. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he watched them. This is how he could remain happy. He was jealous, flowers must have had an easier life than the one he was meant to take on. Truly unfair, if only he was born as one. He wouldn't be forced into a marriage of peace, not love.

[Time_Keeper]

Lifting his eyes when the sounds of movement reached his ears, Meldarion frowned slightly at the slight cooling sensation running along his tattoo. It would seem that their enemies had promptly arrived....though he supposed he couldn't very well continue to think of them as his enemies. One of them he would soon be married to, so he had to change his perceptive of thought if only just a small degree. Watching his group of elders make their way over to close the distance with the opposing pair of elders, Meldarion crossed his arms a bit tighter against his chest while his eyes swiftly turned to look at the two remaining elves that were clearly not elders. From his seat beside Meldarion's legs, Arwen's blue eyes lost of bit of their playfulness while he too observed the arrival of the other faction. Moving smoothly, with fluid like grace, his best friend casually brought himself to his feet when two elves approached them.

 

Listening to the elf named Osmil talk, Meldarion turned his attention towards the obviously reluctant one of the pair. The boy seemed familiar in an odd sort of way. Almost as if Meldarion had run into him during some point in his life....yet that thought was quite a ridiculous one to have. They were enemies, why would he have run into the young elf and forget all about their encounter until now. The mere thought had no logic to it at all.

 

"Yes, I do so hope we are able to keep from driving eachother insane....My name is Meldarion, and this is Arwen" Meldarion introduced them quietly, eyes looking thoughtfully at the man meant to be married to him. Taegen was a bit taller than he was but it mattered not. What mattered was that the man appeared to want nothing to do with any of this, just like Meldarion himself wanted no part of it. At least there was a mutual understanding there, however, if this little plan was to work between their factions, at the very least they had to put an equal amount of effort in it. Even if at the moment, this whole situation seemed quite ridiculous.

 

"It's a pleasure to meet both of you and I know I speak for my people when I say that I pray to the skies that this union is beneficial to both of us" Arwen spoke up smoothly, as was natural for him. As the heir to their peoples leadership, Arwen knew how to hold diplomacies with the best of them. He had a silver tongue to him and knew how to use it. Though he might not share the sentiment of the elders in electing Meldarion, something the entirety of their people had protested upon as the one amongst them to bear this weight, he knew that it was best to keep his opinion to himself.

 

Turning to glance at Arwen as his best friend leaned a little sideways into him, Meldarion found a small smile turning his lips up when Arwen added "See Mel? Told you that whoever was chosen wouldn't be so bad. He seems like a decent kid so far.....no horrific ancient relic or boar by any means".

 

Rolling his eyes at Arwen's playful comment, Meldarion responded with a quick "No I suppose he is not....I guess I should be counting my lucky stars for that brief favor".

 

The banter between the two was easy and openly friendly, anyone could see that. The pair held a deep love, affection, and respect for one another. They were brothers in everything but blood and even in this situation, Meldarion thanked everything holy for being able to have Arwen with him. Just having the long haired brunette at his side made this procession a bit more tolerable than it would have been otherwise.

 

Hearing moving from the direction of the elders, both Meldarion and Arwen turned their gazes over to see the eldest amongst their own council, coming over to their side.

 

"Meldarion, child, we have arrived at a proposition that we would prefer you to bare your opinion about. The other faction's elders would prefer to have their elf remain amongst them. We are aware that it would not be overly favorable for you to have to go with them, however, the choice is yours. Should you decide to resist the notion of accepting this proposition, we will not allow it to come to pass" the elder spoke in quiet, pacifying tones as the elf in question narrowed his eyes and tilted his head to one side.

 

Given the option, he'd rather slit his own throat than to agree to go to enemy lands.....however, he did not wish for conflict nor arguments to occur. Above all, Meldarion valued peace and tranquility....so if he had to agree to this for the sake of his elders, then he would do so.

 

"I have no quarrels over that proposition....You may give them my consent and finish whatever else you have to discuss" the elf spoke in his own soft tone of voice, a frown tugging down his features again but his will to keep this land bloodshed free, remained strong as ever. He would do whatever he had to to save his faction....no matter the cost to himself.

 

"In that case, you may also tell them that I will be going with Meldarion...and I will not take care of any objections that might arise" Arwen spoke up quite suddenly, making both his friend and the elder look at him in surprise.

 

"Arwen, your father will protest against such foolishness" the elder protested without much delay.

 

"As I said, I care not. You should all know the routine by now. Where Meldarion goes, I will follow and where I go, Meldarion will not be far behind. That isn't going to change....not even now" Arwen replied cheerfully as Meldarion raised a brow at him but couldn't help the soft chuckle that escaped his lips.

 

"Stubborn imbecile" the ash haired elf murmured affectionately under his breath as Arwen grinned and watched the elder shuffle off again with an exasperated sigh.

 

"I hope this doesn't both your faction much. But I'd prefer to be where I can keep a watch over Mel should he ever need my presence" Arwen spoke again once the four had been left in peace, his eyes now resting on the two elves of the other faction.

[Raychu]

Taegen's ears picked up on their small conversation, listening to the name of his partner. He couldn't help when he listened in, his curiosity had been piqued, wanting to know the name at the very least. He couldn't walk around saying you or marriage partner all the time, it would do him some good just to know the name. He didn't look at the other two, even when the other lightly smacked his back to be respectful. He was being respectful enough by no insulting them with anything he could think of. He was chosen because he was assumed to be the friendliest with the enemy faction, that was a wrong assumption on the part of the elders. The only one who attempted to go against it was Osmil's father, who was unheard by the happiness of their chosen elf. An elf who would cause much more problems than they first anticipated.

 

"It would be quite unfortunate if that were to happen. However, I believe with full cooperation on both our factions parts, we will manage to keep peace in the union," Osmil's voice soft, but the jab at Teagen was cold and sharp. The younger elf felt the eyes drop on him when his friend talked about cooperation, an insult to how against this he was. A glare was given to his friend, who clearly had no interest in the angry monster he could possibly become. As long as that anger wasn't directed towards the enemy faction, there was no worry for him. Osmil was an intense guy, blunt and uncaring to the feelings that he may have caused by his harsh words that he chose. He learned this from his father, the younger elf growing up with the insults and underlined mocking words his friend would speak.

 

Taegen scowled at the exchange between the enemies in front of them. He already hated being around them both, finding a uneasy feeling growing in his stomach. He was never the nervous type, so this meant something was wrong, something was off. Was this danger they were diving headfirst into? Surely everyone wanted peace, no betray would occur, or he wished. You could never promise the actions of all the people in the separate factions. Deep-seated anger had no limits or boundaries, many of the elves in his faction detested the enemy faction so much, they would kill any citizen on the spot. Where had all this anger and hatred start? There was no way it could have just happened on a whim, and there was never a real answer for why the war had started in the first place. How did they even come to marriage as a solution?

 

The exchange between the elder and his partner was quite amusing, surprised the other had decided to go along willingly. He found it amusing until he realized this meant the enemy would be entering his land, not only just him, his friend as well. This made that uneasy feeling grow, that worry betrayal was at hand. Why did he have to be chosen for such a cruel trick? This feeling meant there was a shift in the world, something was going happen, not good, not bad. It was a neutral being thrown around the sides of right and wrong, good and bad. This wasn't a feeling he had often, starting to become frantic this it came about so suddenly just made his anxiety rise. He needed to do his best to stay cautious of the enemies entering their territory, yet remain as friendly and neutral as he possibly could. Attacking first would be a rash decision, waiting was the best option he had.

 

"No, that is certainly alright. We welcome you both with as much peace and kindness as we can offer. Though, my father and I will promise your safety among the citizens within our faction, I can't promise them to treat you as fairly as we will. It's hard to put the past and grudges behind us, something you surely know already. Let me say this. If you or Meldarion pose not just a threat to our faction, but to Taegen; I'll speak on my father's behalf, we'll throw you out of our faction immediately. I don't want to just protect a faction, I want to protect my friend within it. This is something you must also know without me saying it. I can't stand idlely by and watch the faltering of the treaty, be warned of that," Osmil said softly, a friendly smile forming on his face. That was nothing but a smile out of respect, putting on a fake friendly demeanor to make sure they understood he meant no harm with his words, he solely was speaking the truth.

 

Taegen had a smug smirk forming on his face as he looked at the elf that stood beside him. This showed Osmil was only there for him, not the faction, but for his protection from the enemy. Was he even allowed to call them that now? They weren't going to be enemies once the marriage was finalized. Then they would be allies in a union meant to be upheld by the papers of marriage declaring they both will surrender. That was great for everyone, not having to worry about the war and the bloodshed it caused. The blood being spilt on the grounds, the blood like his grandmother's. Seeing those two elves and thinking about his grandmother's death, his expression turned sour, that smug look no longer there. He needed to push that aside, ignore the past and the mess they created around them. This marriage was to fix that exact mess, though it would take time to heal all wounds.

 

"Then you'll be staying with me in my home. I have enough rooms to spare for the time being. It's nice to meet you, I think. I wonder if that's even the right thing to say the used to be enemies," Taegen said softly, his eyes falling on the flowers once more. Osmil had a look of approval that the younger elf had actually spoke, even if it wasn't a conversation keeper. He didn't say anything rude either, exactly what his friend wanted to do. Remain friendly and neutral, then all will go well on their side. They just needed to watch the other side play out their own game to see if they can come out together on the top. However, that was going to take awhile to judge. By the time that may come to be, he would be long gone, turned into the dust flowing in the wind.

 

Taegen sat down on the plush grass, watching the flower intently as it swayed. The red color was vibrant, causing them to be seen from against the green grass. Many of them were growing in the field in bunches, all of them almost making shapes with the way they were growing. He heard Osmil sigh and push up his glasses once more, unhappy that respectful attitude had dropped once Taegen had saw sight of the flowers. He knew the other didint respect him choosing to watch flowers all day than talk to his supposed to be husband. Then again, it was foreseen as well. Everyone knew how against the marriage the younger elf had been, this was no surprise he had decided to focus all of his attention on a group of flowers.

 

"Do you like flowers?" Taegen asked the question out do the blue, looking up at Meldarion. He assumed he should try and ask something of the other now that he already knew the name. The elders were still talking in their hushed ways, it would most likely take them awhile to finish up. He had time to spare, needing someone to talk to or something to do. He was tired, and he would try to sleep if he didn't have the eyes of his friend watching him every second, studying to see if his behavior was the proper one. Since the other faction of elves were there, he might as well try to talk to his marriage partner. Even if he wished with all his might, they couldn't ignore each other forever.

[Time_Keeper]

"Yes, without cooperation between all parties involved, peace is nothing but a distant dream" Arwen mussed softly, catching the jab at Taegen but choosing not to react to it. It would take a blind man, though he wasn't even sure about that, to miss how reluctant the younger elf was to be here. Flickering his gaze over to Meldarion, Arwen had to fight back a smirk as he saw that his friend had closed his eyes once more and was leaning a bit further against the tree. Arwin was sure that Meldarion was paying close attention to the conversation at hand, however he was also dismissing having to openly interact with anyone at any given moment at the time. It really wasn't all that surprising.

 

Ever since Meldarion had been a child, after his parents had been killed and he had been taken in by Arwen's parents, the long haired elf had developed a way of blocking out the world around him when he found no interest in it. By crossing his arms over his chest and shutting his eyes, Meldarion tended to pay the bare minimum of attention to what was going on at the present moment and rather sank into his own thoughts of whatever was going on in his mind. That habit of his had not changed since childhood and Arwen had come to see it as quite amusing when performed on someone other than himself. It was definitely a step above throwing a fit due to the natural state of his irritation on being forced to marry. Meldarion preferred to keep his anger to himself when he knew the situation couldn't be helped. Besides, he had already wagged enough of it before the elders when he had been first told of what was required for him to do. There was no point wasting more energy showing of his displeasure now.

 

Slowly opening his eyes when Osmil spoke of what would happen if any negative action came from either Meldarion or Arwen, Meldarion flickered his gaze over to his best friend only to find a smile, similar to the one Osmil had, touching his features. Arwen's normally cheerful and kind blue eyes were lacking their light, instead they held a quiet warning in them as he parted his lips to speak on their behalf.

 

"We understand your words and they are quite dully noted within us. Primarily, I would like to thank you and your father for whatever protection you might offer Mel and myself while we are on your lands. However, should one of your faction try to lay threatening hands on either one of us....we are not responsible for our actions. Meldarion, I can say with full honesty, hates violence and would rather resolve things peacefully than with bloodshed. I, on the other hand, will not take threats to either of us lightly....nor will my father or our council. I would recommend that you remind your faction just what is at stake with this union. If they truly wish to see the end of all the loss of life and pain, then they will do well to watch what they say or do around us. Our patience is strong, but not infinite, Osmil. If my faction is putting their trust in yours by allowing Mel and myself to walk into your lands without proper guard, don't make us regret that choice. The reaction that will arise from that will fall solely on your faction's shoulders" Arwen said calmly, tone never raising from the even notes it usually carried. He wasn't truly warning Osmil that something might happen, he was more or less informing him of what would happen should any harm come to them while they were on enemy territory.

 

Holding back a smirk of his own, Meldarion closed his eyes once more and tucked his head a bit further back into his hood. He knew Arwen was protective of him, as he knew that their faction would make quick work of whoever was foolish enough to lay hands on the two most beloved elves in their country. It was always comforting to know that though the situation was meek, they were not alone on this journey. His people had always protected and cared for him, taught him all he needed to know and bore the patience of his endless trials and failures as he had grown. Now that he was an adult with such a task handed to him, that would not fade. If anything, Arwen, his father and their faction would grow even more cautious of everything that happened around Meldarion. They were not willing to loose either Meldarion or Arwen and should anything happen to either of them, Meldarion didn't doubt that there would be hell to pay. A hell unlike anything that had been witnessed so far.

 

"I wouldn't know how to answer that. I suppose, it is nice to meet the person you are meant to marry but animosity with said person is hard to forget. In short, I'm guess I can say I'm glad to meet you as a fellow elf, all differences aside for that short fact...I'm sure we'll learn a lot from one another during our time together. However, if you ever grow weary of our presence in your home, Arwen and I are perfectly comfortable staying in the woodland outside your faction. We make no demands for lodgings" Meldarion replied quite easily enough though his eyes remained closed and his stance didn't shift from where he appeared to be at ease underneath the shade of the large tree.

 

He knew that he probably could have said something nicer or more conversation starting than that, but he didn't know what to say, to be honest. This situation was as confusing as the disconcerting mild warmth running through his tattoo was. He wasn't used to having that feeling when being around someone he considered an enemy. Usually his tattoo would be frigid by this point, but for some odd reason, that was not the case and it was truly throwing the elf for a loop.

 

Parting his eyelids when words directed to him reached his ears, Meldarion gazed thoughtfully down at his marriage partner for a moment before raising his shoulders and letting them drop again in a graceful movement. "I don't dislike them. They are beautiful to observe and their movements when the wind blows can be quite enchanting. They smells are also comforting and their existence is peaceful....however, I must admit that I prefer the presence of animals than that of flowers. Their freedom to roam and do as they please is something that I envy and the majestic appearance of some of them causes me to admire them like nothing else" he answered softly, lifting his gaze to watch a pair of robins fly through the air above them. Their beautiful feathers shining vibrantly in the sunlight overhead.

 

"What is it about flowers that seem to have you so entranced?" Meldarion asked after a heartbeat of silence as Arwen made himself comfortable at the base of the tree again, returning to the sitting position he had had before.

[Raychu]

"Of course, I already know this. You don't need to worry. I simply stated they would not offer the kindness I am willing to offer, I never said they would show any sort of hostility toward. My people will remain neutral to this negotiation we have made. If something like a threat were to occur from one of my people, personally come to me before you decide to call another war on us; I will personally handle it myself. I wish to make this just as much as my father does, if that means personally laying down the rules to my own people by force, that is the measures I will take. I'm not certain whether or not a threat will be ensued by my people, they are not brutes who resort to violence and aggression. It'll be fine, I will take the promise for my entire faction. If that is to fail you, then my head will go with the promise that had been made," Osmil's tone turning a bit colder than before. He was having a hard time remaining calm like he demanded from Teagen. Being told how to act with his faction irked him, however, the smile did not fade. He would not let his irritation get the better of him like Taegen did often.

 

Taegen flinched at he words spoken by his friend, the irritation dripping from his words. He usually was the calm one, The younger elf was the loud and obnoxious. It felt the roles were reversed today, instead he was the quiet, while Osmil was the loud one, taking on heavy burdens all by himself. This was something his father would not appreciate, knowing he loved his son dearly. If Osmil's life were to be lost due to a promise that was made, he would surely demand the blood of the two who had entered the enemy faction, or an all out war would start once more. He was scared for his friend taking this all by himself, it was only to make a point however. He had enough trust in his faction to allow his life on the lien for their mistakes. The words spoken were true, they wouldn't resort to brute force or aggression unless something called for it. Instead, they would show nothing to the men, not wanting to alarm them in any way they possibly could.

 

Taegen couldn't stand the tense and distressed feeling that flowed through the air. This marriage only seemed to be making everything much harder to handle, everyone feeling the pressure of making this work for the peace between the two factions. He knew they were once allies, then something happened to cut the best relationship they had. This was a mystery that no one truly solved. Some would say it was betrayal, others said it was for the power and money. He believed none of these were true, there was something more, something he just couldn't figure out. It was a mess that created he war, a mistake that was made. What was this mistake? Why was he feeling so uneasy about seeing Meldarion? This was only making him worry more, pushing all of the thoughts out of his head.

 

"It is fine. I'll provide you with a place to stay and eat, it's the most I can offer you. If you were to stay outside of our faction, it would be pointless for this arranged marriage to even be set up. This is meant for us to learn of each other's factions and grow used to the presence of one another. However, if you do feel the need to leave, don't hesitate. I will not make you stay if you do not wish," he said in a cold tone. Unlike Osmil he who tried to be friendly, Taegen didn't put on a fake tone of softness. He wouldn't try to pretend to be friendly, remaining neutral was the only thing he truly knew how to do. As long as he wasn't being extremely rude with Meldarion or Arwen, it was alright for him. He wouldn't dare to show any unneeded aggression to his marriage partner and the other elf with him. He wouldn't show any friendliness either, especially when it was unreal and easy to see through. He wouldn't dare to try show a fake personality that did not exist. They would either accept him or they wouldn't.

 

Hearing Meldarion speak of the flowers, it soothed him to hear the words. He had noticed the beauties of the flowers, though they were the most obvious to see, he still noticed. Animals weren't his favorite parts of nature. He didn't like them as much as his precious flowers, though he did appreciate the beauty they could bring the environment. Hearing how the other saw the freedom that the animals had, he could not relate to seeing such a thing. The animals he saw were never free, wandering in packs, controlled by the leader. Like the factions, they had their territories, their fights, it was a nonstop battle for them, just like the elves. He didn't like the animals in nature, preferring the still growing plants that surrounded and created the beautiful scenery. He admired what nature coukd bring to his eyes, loving every bit of it.

 

Being around the nature was keeping Teagen calm, this is how he wasn't letting his attitude get the best of him when he spoke. All he needed was to accidentally insult his marriage partner or his friend and cause issues before they even went a day together. How were they supposed to interact once they headed back into his faction? Did they need to make conversation? Was he supposed to give the two elves a tour of their land? How was he supposed to show that they wanted this union to happen and work out? The younger elf had no idea, all this pressure to make sure he and his marriage partner worked out to keep the peace between them. He knew he needed to put in all the effort he could to make it work on his side, what did they exactly call for? How was he supposed to work to the two coming into his territory? He had no clue. This already seemed like it was going to be a disaster in the waiting if he didn't figure it out soon.

 

The younger elf bit his tongue when Meldarion asked his question, finding his own way to start a conversation between the two. He wanted to make a snide comment that he didn't have to look at them that way, though he knew it was too rude to say. He was going to have to get over this anger he felt, I soigné it wasn't a true anger, but a reciprocation of the feelings around him. Everyone hated in his faction hated the opposing side, so he felt as if he needs to as well. His feelings weren't held by much. Then though his grandmother was killed, he only hated that specific elf. He wouldn't cast his anger on every other elf in the faction due to one mistake. Taegen knew this yet he still refused to accept it, wanting to fit in with the other elves. However, this could finally change, if he just gave it a fair chance.

 

The marriage could finally get rid of the feeling he was having, dreading this hate that he created through the lies and deceit he had come up with to match the other elves near him. Though, he still hated the idea of marriage. He was being tied down without a choice, unable to choose who he wanted to marry and fall in love with. Instead, he was being forced into a marriage for the benefit of everyone around him, it just wasn't fair. He didn't want to marry Meldarion, not just because he was from the enemy faction, but because he didn't have the chance to choose. A grudge was being held against Meldarion because he was being forced to accept this marriage, even if it wasn't his marriage partners fault. He was still the one marrying Teagen, therefore, he was still the one who would have to take the blame.

 

"Because they are vibrant and beautiful, expressing their beauties through their colors and shapes. Though, that's only their outside beauties. Unlike animals, flowers don't need to fight for food or territory through bloodshed. Instead, their roots grow and one plant won't make it. There is no cruelty to the way they fight for the land. There always is another of that flower somewhere else, it grew into a larger population in a new place. They don't need to fight with force. I'm envious they can just grow in peace, fulfill the role they were given. They grow, create offspring, then it starts again. It's such a simple life for them to live. Don't you think?" Osmil had sat down beside Taegen, staring intently at the flower to see this inside and outside beauty his friend saw. There was nothing he could see. Taegen was special when it came to the flowers, who with true affection to them no matter what they were. His blue eyes wandered to Meldarion curiously, wanting to hear the answer. Now that they were talking, he dared to make it last.

[Time_Keeper]

"I'm glad you understand and I have the upmost faith that everything will move as smoothly as should be. It would be quite a pity if any drastic measures were to be forced into play" Arwen replied, his own tone frigid and matching that as Osmil's. He didn't share Meldarion's neutral state of mind when to came to the other faction. He didn't trust them in the least and his hard earned lessons when it came to dealing with the other faction made him all the more wary about being around them for long periods of time. So if he had to push Osmil far enough to make a promise as had just been made, he had no quarrels about it. To ensure Meldarions's safety and by default, his own safety, he would go to any means. This unity was not a joke and he wouldn't be playing games with what was at stake at the moment.

 

"Arwen.....that's quite enough, I'm sure there is no more need for such talk" Meldarion's quiet voice broke through the icy air surrounding his best friend. His tone was pacifying and calm as he turned his silver eyes over to the man who seemed to be willing to take things to such a degree just to make his feelings and those of their faction, known to the other pair.

 

"I am merely letting him know what will be tolerated and what will not, Mel. It is necessary" Arwen protested, though his tone was noticeable less volatile as it had been moments ago when talking to Osmil.

 

"And I'm sure he understands, however, there is no point on making promises such as the one Osmil just did" Meldarion responded, slowly flickering his gaze to Osmil. There was nothing accusing in his eyes for they held little more than calm and a mild amount of irritation. He was slowly pushing himself to get used to the thought of having to live amongst the enemy and though he didn't like it, he didn't want to cause a scene about it either. Meldarion valued tranquility, as stated before, and he would go through great means in order to hold the peace. Even if he had to put his own person thoughts behind the welfare of those he cared for. He would always put his people before himself. "Osmil, I will not ask you to take back your promise for it was solely yours to give. However, I will do my best to avoid anything of such dour degrees coming to pass. It would not be of benefit to anyone involved and it would bring about the opposite effect everyone wants to happen. I can not promise you with full honesty that everything will go perfectly well, however, I will say that Arwen and I will try not to stir up the murky waters between our factions. We are doing this for the future of the generations after us and whatever animosity we may have with one another, it would be best if we try to push it down for the time being. Whether this marriage works or not....".

 

By the end of his words, Meldarion's eyes had turned to appease Arwen again as his friend frowned and released a heavy sigh. He knew what Meldarion meant, he knew which angle his friend was coming from, but it was hard to give up the dislike he had for the other faction. They hadn't taken anyone of his family away from him, but they had hurt Meldarion in a way he wasn't willing to forgive so easily. They had taken his best friend's parents away from him and left Mel orphan when he should have had the love and protection of those who had brought him to this life. The other faction had hurt his own parents by taking Mel parent's, the best friends of Arwen's parents, away from them. The other faction had caused pain amongst the children and the older elven among them....In Arwen's mind, things like those simply couldn't be forgiven without a second thought, Especially not when he would have to take on the leadership of his faction should anything happen to his parents in the future.

 

But for Meldarion, he would try.

 

For his part, Meldarion might have been quite neutral about the whole war with the other faction....however, he wasn't blind. He saw the pain the other faction brought about on his own and it shook his mindset from time to time. Yet for some reason, he still didn't believe that this war was the answer to it. He didn't believe that the constant bloodshed would be the only route they could take. With every enemy he was forced to defend himself from, he felt a bone deep frustration and helplessness of which he could not fully explain. And though he wasn't pleased on being forced into this position, he wondered if it truly was for the best. If the answer they were all seeking was somehow in this union, even if those participating were quite reluctant to put their past hatred and animosity away.

 

"I am pleased to have your acceptance in being allowed to leave should we feel the need to. I was quite worried you might pitch a fit if I decided to no longer stay in your presence" Meldarion's reply was quick and sharp tongued before he could stop himself. He hadn't really thought to answer the way he did, but the tone the other was using was beginning to ruffle his inner forced calm and he wouldn't take being spoken to in such tones without any reaction. Meldarion was far from being a pushover, yes he preferred peace over war, but he wasn't one to hold his tongue when annoyed and this other elf was slowly starting to push his buttons with his less than pleasing attitude about the situation they were being forced into. It proved all the more that Meldarion was probably effectively going to married a spoiled little brat. Oh the joy.

 

Hearing Taegen's response about flowers, Meldarion casually swept his gaze over the beauty of the flowers that were around their chosen area to meet. He could admit that Taegen had a point about the flowers, but he didn't concede the point in animals. Yes, his animals fought and yes they lived in their territories, but it was all beneficial to the crucial balance of the world around. It was a cycle, just like that of the flowers though albeit different. An over abundance of animals would throw off the order of the world around them. So some died through old age, or battles, and in their places, new ones were born to see the world with different eyes. It was hard to explain to someone who did not want to understand, but Meldarion took no offense to that. Or at least, he tried not to.

 

"I suppose you're right....yet everything has it's own way of life. Your flowers have their balance in nature to maintain, thus, their existence is a peaceful one. Animals have a different role to uphold. No two things at the same nor could their way of living be the same. While animals fight to survive, they are not forced to. They are not chained to a constant need to cause bloodshed. They are free to come and go as they please. To create families and build a strong life for their precious offspring in the good times. They travel far and wide to find homes that are exactly what they want. They communicate in their own ways and many have been known to hold a peaceful existence, just like your flowers. One can not classify a whole entire species because of the actions of the few. Though a few animals are less pleasing than others, they are all fulfilling the task entitled to them when brought upon this earth. They answer to what they believe in and nothing will ever shake their will to live and flourish in this world" Meldarion replied, turning his eyes up again as a large shadow fell over them.

 

Soaring high above them, overcasting the sun was the dark shape of a bird who circled quite lazily in the sky. Following the bird with his eyes, Meldarion casually pushed himself away from the tree and stepped out from under it's shading branches, ever mindful of the flowers around him. Calmly, the ash haired elf released a piercing yet in a way, mellow whistle that lifted high into the skies above them. The answering screech that echoed back had a smile playing on the elf's lips as he uncrossed an arm and stretched it out in front of him as a sort of offering. The dark shape of the bird above them gave one last circle before it effortlessly began a breathtakingly beautiful decent from above. It took nothing but a few seconds for the shape to reveal itself to be quite a large red-tailed hawk who slowed it's decent enough just to be able to find purchase on Meldarion's offered limb. It's long talons didn't so much as cut through the fabric of the elf's sleeve as the hawk balanced himself easily on the limb while Meldarion brought his arm a bit closer to himself.

 

"Ah, there he is....I was wondering where he had gotten off to" Arwen's cheerful tone quickly filled the air as he ambled over to Meldarion's side to give the hawk a gentle stroke over his feathered head. Something that had the bird ruffling it's feathers happily.

 

"Amur is as free as the wind itself. He does not belong to me and I do not belong to him, yet we share an unbreakable friendship forged through trust and love. He is the definition of freedom, and I would be hard pressed not to envy the way he is able to live his life" Meldarion spoke softly as the hawk turned those sharp eyes on the other two elves and cocked his head sharply to one side, almost as if observing something of extreme interest.

[Raychu]

"Of course. As our faction will try their best to remain as peaceful as possible. With that being said, I know they won't cause trouble for you. As I said before, instead of resorting back to war if one of my people does do something to upset you, come to me personally. That's all I'm asking of you," Osmil responded in a much nicer tone to Meldarion than he had Arwen. That elf just seemed to have rubbed him the wrong way with the way he spoke of his faction doing something. If Taegen had been sent to their faction instead, he wouldn't treat them as if they were already criminals in the making. He was being fair by even being generous about letting the enemy into his faction. Arwen didn't seem to understand how much this entire marriage meant to Osmil. He was putting his friend on the line because he wanted this to work, he was desperate to see a peaceful alliance form. He was doing his damnedest to coach Taegen on how to properly act, and for it to go to waste, death was the only certifiable option then. He didn't need the other elf pushing his buttons like that.

 

"Oz. Don't be reckless and make promises like that. Your father would be forever scarred if you were to die because of a mistake of our people," Taegen's voice hushed, full of worry. He wouldn't be able to bear it himself if he is friend died because of the ignorance of their faction. Osmil only made the promise on the spur of the moment rush, desperately trying to show his faction would do nothing of the sort to anger the outside faction elves. This didn't calm him though, he still feared for his friend's life, the only person he had to follow behind all the time. The only doc who truly followed him without a complaint.

 

"Do not worry. I'm sure out faction will have enough discipline to understand how important this marriage is. I don't think I will die because of this. I'm sure an outrage would happen if one of our elves did something to cause my death. Though, a war among our own people isn't the greatest thing we can do either." Osmil was calmer about his own life being put in harms way than Taegen, frantic for the other to take it back. However, his friend wouldn't, he stuck by his world always, this meant now as well.

 

"Pardon me? Are you insinuating I would cause a ruckus if you decided to leave? On what grounds do you have any right to say anything- Ow!" Taegen had a threatening glare on his face towards Meldarion, snapping at the other from the quick comeback he had made. However, before he had a chance to finish, his cheek was being pulled by Osmil, giving his own threatening glare to the younger elf. He scowled as he looked away from his marriage partner, not happy his friend put him in his place instead of standing up for him. He did nothing to deserve a sharp repainted such as the one his partner gave. He was being as neutral Ashe could be, that just happened to mean he didn't have the kindest voice. At least he wasn't insulting Meldarion, however, that was not the same for the other. This meant there was going to be internal conflicts for him to be kind to the other, or show his nothing but disdain.

 

"Forgive him, Meldarion. He is quick to speak before he thinks over his choice of words. I'll make sure he doesn't do it again. I'd hate for him to cause anymore trouble back home, now that we have two guests joining us," Osmil's voice showing sorry that the elves would get upset over the outburst of his friend. He would've stood up for him is this was a completely different situation, however, this was not. They were supposed to keep the peace, something Taegen was doing so well at until Meldarion had made an unneeded remark about his friend throwing a fit. It was quite rude, even Osmil didn't appreciate it, that didn't give the other any right to snap back at the other, itching to cause a fight when they were supposed to be peacefully talking. He pushed his glasses up, his lips becoming a thin line as his eyes showed nothing but worry and anger. He didn't care if they saw his irritation, a comment like that would irk anyone, this included his good friend, who he had decided to quiet down.

 

"He doesn't deserve an apology! I'm not the one who insulted him! Osmil, that's not fair. He's the one who acted immaturely, not me for once! I'm just defending myself." However, he quickly quieted when the other gavifn him a warning look, looking down at the ground. It was true, Meldarion was the one who acted out of line, not him. He was being so good, remaining calm, he wouldn't however let someone speak to him in that manner and get away with it, it just wasn't right. He shot another glare at Meldarion, before pushing his focus only on the flowers. If the other was going to be rude to him, then Taegen had no reason to continue this pointless interaction. Once Taegen was angered, he would act like a small child, pinning the blame on others, starting the silent treatment, he had no limits to how far he could take his behaviors when he was upset. This is why many elves pushed him away, not caring to deal with his atrocious attitude.

 

"You can see your animals your way, and I'll view the flowers in mine," Taegen's response quick, not daring to say anymore. He had many things he wanted to say though, the other speaking a world that could be between them. Taegen had personally done nothing writing to Meldarion, there was still the tense atmosphere between them, only for the reason they were from separate factions. Each faction judged the other by the problems of only a few. Osmil hated the other faction because of a war that had broken out, a war no one really knew the truth behind. Each elf from their own faction hated the other from the cause of just one elf's action. This represented that they were holding grudges against the innocent of each faction. This was no different for him, he could still recognize it and the way to fix it. Not high would change if he tried, his voice wanting to be unheard by other than lied around him, quieting the loud voice he tried to give. They could learn many things if they could only just listen to him.

 

When Taegen looked back at his partner, he saw the bird. He immediately was entranced by the large eyes that stared at him. He didn't personally like animals, that didn't mean he didn't appreciate the beauty they held of their own. However, he had never seen animals as peaceful. He could try to see it from the view Meldarion had described, it didn't mean his view on them would change. Flowers were the part of nature he loved, nothing could change that. The animals were an added surrounding he never cared to look at. With all the types of flowers and the names he had to learn, there was no time to even blink an eye at the animals around him. The younger elf saw the flowers to be just as free when they grew, expressing their beauty through simple movement in the wind. His eyes finally tore from the hawk's, looking back at the flower, gently running his forefinger on a petal.

 

Taegen's eyes focused on the elder, only to see Osmil's father beckoning him over with a simple gesture of the hand. The younger elf tensed when his friend got up, readying to walk over there. The younger elf tugged on his pants, giving him a worried look, knowing that it meant he didn't want to be left alone with both of the elves at once. "It'll only take a little while. Don't do anything reckless when I'm over there. Remain calm, be the mature elf I know you can be," Osmil's voice soothing. He patted the head softly, before going to the group of elders his father was in. It was odd for a younger elf to be called into the elder's meeting, worried there was a terrible reason for him to be called over.

 

"Osmil, wait, don't leave me alone," the younger elf mumbling as his friend walked away to the group. He looked cautiously behind him at the other faction of elves, putting on a gentle smile. It wasn't as forced as one would expect it to be, appearing from the fear he was feeling. He smiled his fears away, it just happened to be two other faction elves standing behind him this time. His eyes caught on the hawk's once more and he relaxed a bit. They were in a neutral area, nothing would happen. Osmil would return in no time. He was just needed for a bit, the question was why. It was weird seeing his friend huddled in the circle of the older elves, yet it looked so natural for him to be there. His facial expression showing they weren't talking about anything good. That fear returning once more.

 

The grim look on Osmil's face when he returned, made Teagen dread the time he had to waste before the other spoke. He looked at all three elves, no smile, no frown, just a straight face. "They have informed me to tell you, the plans of the marriage have changed. Instead of keeping it a private marriage, they feel it would be best to hold a ceremony to fully bring the factions together. There will be no complaints, this was decided by both of he factions together," he said in a calm, quiet tone. He didn't enjoy speaking for the elder's, though he knew he was the only one who would be able to calm the aftermath effect of Taegen causing a ruckus for it. Hopefully it wouldn't happen at the very moment. Even he didn't fully agree with this ceremony, however, his words meant nothing to the older elves who had made up their minds.

 

Taegen sighed loudly, closing his eyes, trying to drown out the world around him. A ceremony would be held, that was just fantastic. All he needed was his father trying to stop the marriage with an objection if he decided to go. That man was against the younger elf being apart of this plan for marriage, he would not stand for a public ceremony and let it go over easily. Taegen would be just as mad as his dad would be, not wanting to broadcast their marriage to the entire two factions. He wouldn't say anything, it was obvious the decision was finalized, instead, he would just complain about it to Osmil any chance he was given. He wouldn't dare try to voice his opinion to the elders, he could do it to one of the elders son, that was just as comforting.

[Time_Keeper]

"I will keep that in mind and I will do my upmost best to come to you should I feel personally insulted or spoken down to by your faction's members. However, I also ask that Arwen and myself be allowed to return to our faction without hesitation if we find our surroundings to be too trying to bare. The marriage will not be canceled but should we need time to distance ourselves from your faction and the mindsets your people might have I would prefer that it not be made an issue. To be able to be around familiar faces will calm us both the needed degree and should you not trust us, you may send whoever you wish to guard our movements should a time like that come to pass" Meldarion spoke calmly enough, inclining his head briefly in a small sign of respect towards the other elf. Perhaps his pride rebelled against the action, but he didn't mind. There would be a time when he could calm his inner discord down, for now he'd prefer to keep the atmosphere peaceful the most he could.

 

Watching the exchange between the two other elves, Meldarion blinked thoughtfully at the care he saw between them. It resembled the affection he had for Arwen. Meldarion would happily give his own life if it meant that his best friend would live. He didn't think highly of himself in the terms of rankings among the eleven. Yes, his parents might have been quite important elves and he might have been highly loved by his faction, but as a sole elf, he was not that important.....at least not in his mind. He was no elder's son nor was he related to any royals aside from being essentially adopted by Arwen's family. Meldarion had no problem offering his own life time and time again in place of his friend, even if he knew no one in his faction liked the thought. Not when Arwen himself. He assumed by just the brief glimpse he got of Osmil and Taegen, that their relationship was similar to his as well.

 

Huffing silent under his breath, Meldarion tuned out Taegen's reaction to his words as easily as was natural for him. His gaze swept away from the fuming elf and his friend in order to focus on the group of elders in the distance. Beside him, Arwen's lips twitched with an effort to hold back his laughter at the snap Meldarion had thrown out. He had known that it would have been only a matter of time before Meldarion's thin patience gave out under the cold tone of his marriage partner. Mel usually held off a bit longer should he find the person not overly insulting. But as it was, even Arwen found Taegen's tone less than pleasing. It was almost like having someone talk down to them from his self proclaimed pedestal. Honestly, it made the brunette's skin crawl with displeasure and if Meldarion hadn't spoken when he had, Arwen might have put in his own two cents. For now though, he knew he should try to calm things down a bit....even if he did not care for the other two elves.

 

"I assume I should apologize for Meldarion as well. He's not overly snappish if there is no need for it. However, I'm sure you can understand that the situation is far from pleasing for any of us and tensions are a bit high. I will do my best to assure you that Meldarion keeps his temper under control" Arwen intercede cooly. Hearing the answering scoff under his breath from the ash blonde elf, Arwen had to hold in an exasperated sigh of his own. Usually it was Meldarion keeping him in line, though his friend's temper was legendary when provocked. Now though, it seemed Arwen would have to try and play peacemaker between them all. It wasn't something he was overly good at when Meldarion was in the mix of everything but he would give it his best shot.

 

Shrugging lightly at Taegen's response to what he said about animals, Meldarion wasn't overly bothered by it. Every person saw things as they wanted to see things, there was no lying about that. Meldarion had grown up loving animals and finding comfort in them. He found it easy to communicate and understand them in ways others around him couldn't, but he didn't hold any misgivings against them. In terms of their opposing faction, Meldarion held resentments in ways he had yet to outgrow. He saw the pain of his people around him and he responded to it with equal intensity. He longed to keep his faction safe but he didn't want the war. No one knew why it started or how to fix the hurt and anger running through every individual elf in both factions. All Meldarion knew and wished for was for all the pain and suffering to come to an end, once and for all. For peace to reign as he knew was more than possible should differences be put aside. Something that honestly seemed like a distant dream.

 

Turning his gaze off of Amur when his hawk clicked his beak lightly for a second, Meldarion found his gaze lowering to Taegen once more. Interest rose in him as how intent the other elf was staring at the hawk. It was intriguing to say the least when the man had just claimed he didn't care for animals the way Meldarion did. He assumed that it could have been amusing as well but he couldn't bring himself to feel any positive emotions at the moment. It couldn't be helped though, and with that thought, he turned his eyes away again to watch Amur affectionately as he lifted a hand to stroke against his hawk's feathers.

 

Flickering his gaze over when Osmil was called away, Meldarion exchanged a glance with Arwen who simply shrugged and returned to lightly preening the hawk's feathers. If Osmil had been called over then that meant something was going on. Whether it was pleasing or not was yet to be seen but something had Meldarion thinking that perhaps it's wouldn't be as favorable as he would have preferred. Even so, there was little they could do until the other elf came back so for the moment Meldarion entertained himself in attending to Amur as his hawk calmly relaxed where he had perched. Heck, it even seemed that having Amur around was more than efficient in calming Taegen down a bit now that Osmil had been called away.

 

Feeling himself stiffen when Osmil came back and delivered his announcement, Meldarion's expression grew dark as he looked over to Arwen. If Meldarion seemed angered, Arwen was the sheer definition of livid. His friend's eyes sparked with inner flames and his posture had straightened in a snap to resemble almost a soldier like stance. Whatever emotion might have been playing on his face had been wiped clear and in its place was a cold mask of icy fury beneath it. It was obvious that Arwen did not agree with what had been decided and he would probably have words with their elders but Meldarion did not want to have a scene caused now. It would be far to stressful, more so than the day way already proving to be.

 

"Has a date for the ceremony come to pass?" Meldarion asked softly, barely even blinking when Amur hoped his way up to his shoulder. It took less than a moment for Meldarion to drop his arm and push his hand into his cloak. Producing a small pouch, Meldarion pulled out a handful of berries and offered them to Amur, who happily began to pick them out of his hand.

 

"You're alright with this?" Arwen asked, clearly surprised.

 

"No, but there is little else we can do at the moment. Creating a scene would be immature of us. There will be a time and place for everything" the elf replied in tones as calm as he could.

[Raychu]

"We ask that you make yourself as comfortable as you can through the marriage. If that means you wish to stay out of our faction, there are no complaints. We do not intend to hold you in our faction against your will. However, we will not do something as trivial as assign a guard to monitor your movements. Though we may be wary of your actions, you're coming into our faction to build a trust. I dare not to go against something so important by assigning someone to guard us from you. If anything, the guard would be protecting you. I am putting my trust in you by allowing you into our faction with nothing but complete faith that you will do no harm. I believe that I can trust you enough to be in our faction without needed to be watched constantly. If I do feel you become dangerous, I would talk to you first before I took drastic measures such as putting you under the watchful eyes of a guard. I wouldn't dare shake the still waters of this marriage by going into a frantic state. To put it simply, I trust you," Osmil said with a much more soothed tone. Now that they were listening to him, he would let the sweet honesty drip out. None of these words were a lie, he was trusting his faction to these two elves, believing they wouldn't dare do something that absurd.

 

"It's insulting you doubt our trust. If we didn't trust you, we wouldn't be allowing for you to even come near our faction. Just because marriage is involved, doesn't mean we have to be so kind and offer you inot the faction. The elders seem to trust one another's factions enough to even allow for the entrance of their enemies. Trust is something that isn't easily built, however, we are only taking the responsibility of creating this trust into our own hands. We wish to be able to believe you are sensible enough to not lay the wrong hand down when you enter our faction. It would be the same for you if I were to have gone into your faction, which may happen at a point in time," Taegen spoke softly, ridding of the cold tone he was using, seeming to onto make matters worse if he used the neutral tone. Osmil nodded his head, agreeing to the words that had been spoken by the younger elf. Only on certain days did he actually act this nature and wise for the young age he was compared to many of the elves.

 

Taegen had stuck up his nose when the other apologized for his friend's rude attitude, not finding it at all pleasing. Osmil said nothing more about it, obviously upset at the lash out himself. Of course the tension was high, that's why he was being so cold and distant, that gave no right for Meldarion to just snap at him. These elves seemed to find excuses or just be plainly threatening, especially Arwen with Osmil. Those two seemed to be like fire and trees. It just continued to burn until nothing was left. They seemed like the pair that wounding never get along. Osmil the kind of elf who talked his way through life with the knowledge of a book. Arwen didn't seem to do that though, creating a real personality for himself instead of just speaking front the words printed down in a book. The sparks flew between the hem instantly, a natural rivalry growing. It was natural, wanting to protect each of their own factions, wanting the ability to speak highly of them to bring the other faction down.

 

Everyone had grown deeper into the anger form the announcement made by his friend. It couldn't have been something good, instead, it was nothing but a bother. The elder's had only called over the boy to be their spokesperson so they didn't have to deal with the his situation. How foolish of the men, sending a young boy to do their dirty work. It was common for this to be the case, Osmil thrown around like a pawn with no complaint, allowing himself to be used and used, doing as he was told obediently. For once, even he looked grim from having to be used like this. Not only was he informing Taegen, has was forced to inform the enemy faction of elves that stood before them. He as given the job to be the neutral spokesperson between both faction, relaying the information he had been given as calmly as he could.

 

"There is no set date. They would prefer to see a month go by before they set a date. The month is their way of a trial to test whether or not this marriage to build an alliance will work. This means they need to see you two working together, not just side by side. I'm sorry, I know that is asking a lot of you, even I don't fully agree with this decision. My father is right, we'll get nowhere with the factions intertwining if you and Taegen are just there together. You have to be able to work with each other, to be able to talk calmly with no attitude changes or snide remarks. They want to see a true alliance fall between the two of you before they decide whether or not the treaty is worth it," he said, his voice growing colder. He hated relaying this information, he knew it would only cause the tension between the two destined to marry each other grow higher.

 

"That is how they are going to work this? How unfortunate. My father will be displeased, he won't be very kind to the elder's once we return. A public ceremony, he might as well send everyone who decided this to the grave," Taegej laughed softly, his eyes showing no hint of happiness. Osmil have him a sympathetic look, knowing the younger elf wanted to scrape by without that much interaction, it changed though. It was as if he was seen through by the elders, preparing to make sure that didn't happen. The elf pushed up his glasses, taking a deep breath in, letting it out through his nose. Osmil wanted to see nothing of Taegen's father anywhere near the two elves. He would try to kill both of them if he knew who they were. The man still held a burning grudge for his grandmother being killed by the filthy hands of the enemy faction.

 

"I'm truly sorry for this happening. I know this will only make the marriage much harder, the elders are adamant on this decision for the first time since the idea of marriage was brought out. They want to see a correlation between you two, no, they want to see a possible bond form and grow. Then it will show it can happen among everyone in both factions if they were to be put together," he said as he tried to sound calmer, only to make his voice raise a pitch. His head dropped apologetically, scared to see the he look on everyone's face. He would've stood up for keeping it private, if his father wasn't there.

 

"Don't take it so hard Oz, it wasn't your decision. I can even understand where they're coming from. Usually I'm the one making a racket and complaining about this, not now though. Not this time. I'll hold back the words I wish to say, I'll do my extra best to make sure that this doesn't turn out to be a mistake. However, if it means building a bond, I'm not sure it'll work out. I don't build bonds with many elves that often, in my faction or not. I'm new to this," he said quietly. The words were directed at everyone around him after giving him friend reassuring words. He wounding be punished for actions he didn't know how to control, or worries he couldn't quite get rid of.

[Time_Keeper]

"You will have to understand, it will take some time to trust you without an afterthought. Though we agreed to this marriage and everything that comes with it, it is still difficult for us to leave the protection of our faction and our people behind. The elders are ages older than ourselves. They have the knowledge we still lack. They know things that we are yet to learn, that is why they can trust your faction so easily. Arwen and I were raised in a different manner and we have seen many things to make us weary of your people. I do not wish to doubt your trust but at the same time I can not overlook what has happened between us throughout the years. I can give you my word that I will try to trust you, Arwen and I will not do anything to bring about anything unnecessary. However, you will have to learn to be patient, as we would be if there is ever a time you truly must travel into our own faction" Meldarion spoke quietly, trying not to fuel an argument but being honest all the more. He wouldn't lie and say that he would openly trust the other faction so quickly despite them allowing Arwen and himself into their lands....but he would at least try, it was the most he could do with how things were now.

 

Flickering his gaze over to his friend, Meldarion sighed internally at the way Arwen was watching the other two elves cooly. His friend might have been a great person to have beside him, but he couldn't deny that Arwen was not the best a being forgiving when his buttons were pushed. His friend sought the protection of those he loved and he would stop at nothing to make his people proud. Meldarion, though he shared his mindset, went about it a different way. Where Arwen was the fire that burnt fierce and high, Meldarion was the water that cooled the flames should there be need. Arwen wanted an end to the war, yes, but his way of going about things often put people off. It was something his father was valiantly trying to tame in his son. Arwen had the potential to be wise, but his lack of tolerance on certain aspects hindered him in various ways. It would take some time for his friend to learn the proper way of conducting things, but Meldarion had faith. As long as he remained by Arwen's side, he knew everything would be fine. Even now.

 

Listening to the two elves interact, Meldarion's expression grew a bit more solemn. Though Arwen's family would defend him and cause an out roar in his behalf due to the elders decision, he knew he wouldn't have his own actual parents to raise their own voices and try their own way of keeping him safe. He might not have remembered them well, but there were times like these where he truly longed to have parents to call his own....or family to call his own for the matter. He felt isolated and it hurt in ways he always kept hidden behind his easy smile and calm tones when he wasn't being provoked. Throughout this whole ordeal though, he felt detached from the world around him for the first time in a long time. Yet he knew that he wasn't alone. Something he was quickly reminded of by the gentle nudge Arwen gave his side and the loving small smile his friend flashed him when Meldarion raised his eyes to look at him.

 

"Your parents will be quite displeased about this" Meldarion murmured softly, keeping himself mildly entertained as he continued to feed the hawk on his shoulder.

 

"You bet, father will be sure to try and cut some heads clear off....Let's hope though that he'll be able to see through his rage long enough to control the monster mother will become" Arwen chuckled, earning himself a tiny laugh from Meldarion himself who shook his head in exasperation at the mere thought.

 

Taking a deep breath, Meldarion turned his calm gaze over to Osmil and offered the other elf a small smile. "You shouldn't apologize, you had no choice but to deliver this message to us and you had no say in the matter regardless. What the elders have decided is of no fault of yours. I don't blame you.....it is beyond our control, that is all" he said gently, trying to ease the other elf's obvious discomfort. He might not have known the man well or truly known him enough to like him, but the soft side of his sharp nature did not like to see others in such states around him. Former enemy or not, even he couldn't deny that the elders choice was not Osmil's fault and he wouldn't simply allow the man to feel the burden of it. His words might not be appreciated by the two other elves, but that did not mean he would allow himself to be silenced because of it.

 

"In regards to what has been decided......I will try my best to abide by this trial placed upon us. Should I ever step out of line or act in a way that is displeasing to either of you, then I ask you to inform me when it happens. As I stated before, I was raised in a different way than either of you, so what might have been normal in my faction is more than likely not normal in yours. I don't know in what aspect will I be able to work alongside Taegen while we remain in your faction, but I will try to provide a positive example for those that observe us" Meldarion spoke to both of them, voice never changing from his naturally calm notes. He might not have been eager about what had been dumped on them on top of everything else, but he knew that no matter how much he snapped and glared, nothing would be changed. The time to act upon his impulses had come and gone, he had to keep in mind that he was doing this for his faction and his friend above all else.

 

Turning his eyes on Taegen, Meldarion pensively flipped around the man's words in his mind before exhaling softly. "Taegen, this will be a learning experience for both of us. I will not force a bond if you do not wish it, whether you think negatively about me or not, it does not matter. What does matter is that I will try and gain your acceptance of my presence in a way that is what is required of us. Whether this marriage works or whether it doesn't, the last thing I want is to great a greater animosity between us and our people. So though I am willing to try, I will need your help to teach me just what is acceptable by your means and what is not. Even if this does not work, our people will at least have the knowledge that we tried with the best of our capabilities" he replied.

 

Things wouldn't be easy and the situation would probably grow even more stressful than it was already was, but he wasn't willing to give up before he had so much as begun. He would learn what he could while he was away from home and in the end, if a bond did form, then that would be what was meant to happen. If it didn't, then there would be nothing else they could do for it. At best, the war would end when their factions took note of the effort both of them made...even if it could be fruitless in the end.

[Raychu]

"You can't rely on that forever, those words will do none to get you out of trouble. I was raised differently, that animosity of the faction, you were once our enemies, the years of war and bloodshed have made us weary of your actions. That's nothing but an excuse that was made to give reason to doubt the trust of one another. Have I personally committed an act of cruelty against either of you? Not at all. Just as you have not done to me. Osmil may be more cautious of letting you enter our territory, however, I am not. I don't believe all elves in your faction deserve hate or disdain from mine. The war is only speaking for us and the hate we display, your faction as well. I trust you wholeheartedly, I don't believe you'll do much harm unless provoked, it would be just as the same if I were to go into your faction. The only difference is the trust. I trusting with my life by letting you both live under my roof, I don't think you would do the same from the way you are displaying the lack of trust for us. The war is not going to speak for my feelings for you personally, your actions may dictate that instead. I wish for you to do the same," Taegen snapped. He held nothing back. This lack of trust between both of the factions was nothing but unbelievably ridiculous. He already gave him trust to Meldarion and Arwen, he wanted nothing back, except for a more of understanding of his own personal feelings.

 

"Taegen! There is no need for you to speak to them like that! Watch your tongue!" Osmil was looking between both of them, the emotions of fury and worry clashing, as if his own mind was at war. The brunette hated to admit that his younger friend was right, which he was, that didn't mean he would give them any amount of trust. He didn't like the other acting so naïve and giving them complete power over his trust. He was feeding into the palm of their hands by doing that, he worried for the vulnerability of his friend. This marriage would do no good for him. Taegen was wise, he had potential to become an elder if trained in time, though he was still a reckless fool. He hated this marriage, yet he was so understanding. Every good trait kept getting pushed out by the bad. Of course he worried for his friend, he never kept himself straight enough to stand balanced.

 

"There is no need to retaliate Oz. I'm only sharing my feelings, which we will be doing quite often, I assure you. It's better if I open up now then try to bottle myself up, it'll do no good for the marriage." That was the best excuse he could find to condone his behavior, even though it was wrong to speak to them in such a rude tone. Marriage was hard to conquer if no words were said, though he meant no harm by using such an aggressive tone, they might not understand that. Taegen was the kind of elf who held nothing back, quick to change his emotions and opinions, he was a complex person to understand. This was no problem, he just had to clear up he meant no harm. His tone didn't match the actual meaning of he words he spoke, his irritation naturally came out. He was just slightly upset by the excuse of the years of war causing them to judge the actions of the other, they were speaking for all of the elves even though select few would truly do harm on purpose.

 

A light smile came on Osmil's face as the other comforted him. He was only upset because he had to relay a message that could possibly anger the other two. He wasn't scared they would kill him or do anything irrational, he just worried this could make trying to make Taegen act willingly much harder, causing problems for Meldarion and the marriage. No matter how wise his younger friend spoke, he still was against the marriage from heel to toe. Nothing would stop this hatred he had for being forced into an agreement that chose his partner. He knew this would only make matters worse with his friend if now they expected a forming of a bond to happen. Taegen would make that harder for everyone just to spite the decision itself, not the makers. This was how the war would end, though a new one may start won't the younger elf and his pitiful attitude.

 

"Yes, I guess that is true. I guess I just feel like I should've tried to do something since my father is there," he murmured softly, his eyes flitting around to different parts of the area. He tried to observe it to calm him nerves the rest of the way, grateful Meldarion did seem like a good fit for Taegen. The younger elf may have had an atrocious attitude, he still needed someone as balanced as the other elf to level them both out. It was almost as if fate put them together, putting the personalities that fit into an agreement. He could see that even if they both wouldn't admit it, something would form between them, perhaps even a friendship. They balanced each other out immensely, more than he's ever seen before. A perfect match it was to see them together.

 

"We ask the same. I'm not going to conform our faction to match the way yours was, that doesn't mean I don't wish to know what you found acceptable or not. I want our people to have a better understanding of your faction instead of having you conform to acting properly in ours. The whole reason for this marriage is to prove that each faction can be their own and still get along with each other. I certainly must learn a few new things with both of you coming, though I'm not bothered by in the least. I would love to be more knowledgable about both factions, though that has proved to be quite hard in the past," Omsil spoke in a smooth tone, any anger or irritation he had originally held vanished. This finally meant they could move this whole marriage thing along, something he so desperately wanted to do beforehand. Now that they had an understanding, they knew the places they were meant to be held in, Taegen included.

 

"I see you in nothing of a negative or positive way. I still see you as just my marriage partner, no feelings have been set out yet. I may dislike this situation, it doesn't mean I dislike you as well. Though your tongue can easily change my opinion on you. I have already accepted your presence, I don't lack that kind of understanding, as you seem to think. I just don't enjoy your presence, that is all. I will do my best to get along with you, as well as try to make you feel comfortable with me being around. If there is anything that I am doing wrong, do inform me as well," Taegen said, making his voice sound much calmer than the cold gone be used before. He had a hard time just doing what he did, no one said anything, now he could possibly have a star her come in and tell him the way he is acting isn't right, it's unbearable. People thought it, none said it.

 

Taegen stood up from the ground, wiping his pants clean. He looked at his friend and sighed, a small smile forming on his face. The younger elf walked over to Meldarion, extending out a hand. "I believe this is a good place to start off with. I'm Taegen, I'll be your partner in marriage. I hope we can get along and live a decent life with each other. I'm glad to finally be able to meet you. Oh, and if you please, call me Tae. Taegen is much too formal for me," his said in a sweet tone. If they wanted to make this official, they needed to start somewhere. Extending the hand of friendship seemed to be easier than diving into romance right away. If they could successfully become friends, romance may come in align the way of their path.

[Time_Keeper]

Feeling his free hand slowly curl into a fist at the younger elf's words, Meldarion's gaze grew frigid and whatever calm he had had seemed to vanish in a blink of any eye. Fury like what he had rarely felt, slammed against his control and it took everything in him to swallow the words he longed to spit out. Arwen's father would be proud to see Meldarion controlling his sharp tongue at a situation such as this one, but that thought didn't cool down the livid elf. By the subtle twitch of his jaw and the way his gray eyes seemed to burn holes through Taegen, it was obvious that he was far from amused at the tone and the words that had been thrown at them. Though the boy's words rang true, he had no need to speak in the tone that he had. If there was thing that got under Meldarion's skin more than anything, it was the way people often spoke....especially when directed towards him. The elf could tolerate a lot, but his not so patient patience was not something that enjoyed having his buttons pushed like this young elf seemed to be doing.

 

"I would watch your tongue as your friend asked if I were you, Elfling" Arwen hissed softly, clearly not at all pleased with what had been said to them in a way that was rather insulting and rude. He wasn't like Meldarion and he wouldn't simply stand back and swallow whatever he was feeling. He would act, even if it wasn't the right time, because he would not allow anyone to treat them as if they were foolish, stupid elven people.

 

"Arwen......let it be" Meldarion cut off what he knew his friend was about to unleash on the irritating younger elf. Praying for patience in a way he had never done before, Meldarion quietly closed his eyes to do his best and cool his temper before parting his lips to speak as well. "You are right, those words are mere excuses that have been used entirely too much over the years. I was not expecting you to realize that as sharply as you did. I'll admit that I didn't think highly of you, nor did I think to trust you due to what was taught of me. However, if you are willing to offer your full trust....then it is only fair that I do the same. This war has tainted to much inside of us, and it is time to change that. As such, I will be open to you as you seem to be more than willing to be with me. I do not trust other elven through words spoken alone. Whether you belong to my faction or whether you do not, I am a weary creature by nature....Nevertheless, through your actions in these next few days, I will try to learn to trust you. All I ask is for you to have patience for things I can not give you as quickly as you might be able to provide to me" he said softly, thanking the heavens that his temper had simmered a bit further below the surface, it would not due to have spoken in icy tones despite his obvious annoyance.

 

"You might also like to ask him to watch his tone with us. We are not fools nor do we deserve to be spoken to as such. If this marriage is to work, I won't stand to be spoken to as if we were nothing more than a speck of dust under your feet" Arwen murmured after a moment, blue eyes missing the usually friendly gleam they had. He didn't mind the words the younger elf had said, like Meldarion, he knew they rang true. The problem was how they were spoken, anyone in their vicinity would have reacted negatively towards them, there was no denying that. Though Taegen might have thought his way of speaking within his faction was fine and dandy, Arwen didn't find amusement in it at all.

 

"Though it is displeasing, I won't ask you to change your tone. Understand, however, that should I feel insulted by the way you speak to me...I will retaliate, no matter the situation. My tolerance is not infinite, I will not make a scene, but I will not hesitate in making my feelings clear" Meldarion exhaled cooly, eyes locked onto the younger elf. If Taegen planned on making his feelings known so bluntly, then Meldarion might as well follow his example. He wouldn't sit back and be pushed around during this marriage....it simply wasn't like him and he wouldn't stand for it. If the two were going to make this work, then they both had to put an equal amount of effort into the task.

 

Listening to what Osmil said about his faction and how he would be eager to learn more about it, Meldarion felt a small smile lift the corners of his lips and exchanged a small glance with Arwen. It seemed that the annoyance his friend had been feeling had melted away as well for he had what resembled a light grin on his face as well. It was nice to hear that the other elf would want to learn more about them. Something like that had not been heard in a long time and to be honest, the two of them had always had a light curiosity of the other faction as well. Hopefully, if things went well, much more than what was imagined, would be learned in due time.

 

"The mistakes of the past are in the past. As you said before, we all want this marriage to work. Arwen and I will gratefully teach you what we can in our time on your lands. We will show you the ways of our people and the customs we hold dear to our hearts. And while we live amongst you, we will take in whatever we are taught with no hesitation. It will be quite interesting to be away from home, and we are eager to experience what we have only ever heard of about your faction from the stories of before the war" Meldarion replied, equally as smoothly. From the elders, there had always been stories as Meldarion and Arwen had grown. How the war had not always reigned and how there had been a time of peace and tranquility. The stories had always seemed more like legends, much to far fetched to believe in the reality that they had been born into....yet Meldarion had always secretly believed them. It was almost like a part of him knew that long ago peace had embraced the land, no matter how unrealistic it seemed. How he knew this, though, he could not even guess. It was just a feeling that would not be silenced.

 

Inclining his head briefly at Taegen's words, Meldarion replied with a soft "I will do my best to hold my tongue if you will do your best to hold your way of directing your opinion to us. Those are flaws we will have to work upon, but with time, I have faith that we won't have to worry over it". He knew he wasn't perfect as he knew that Taegen wasn't either. It would be tough to grow accustomed to the personality of the other male, but he knew he could do it given the time needed.

 

Blinking mildly curious when Taegen approached him, Meldarion saw Arwen tilt his head to one side from the corner of his eye yet he did not take his gaze off the younger male. On his shoulder, Amur seemed to sense a shift in the air around them as well for the hawk stopped munching on the berry in the grip of a taloned claw in order to direct his sharp eyes at Taegen as well. Unsure on how to react at the completely different tone directed at him, Meldarion raised a brow as he lowered his gaze to the extended hand in front of him. He was uncertain but something told him that shaking the hand offered would be the right thing to do, so with a soft sigh, Meldarion lifted the hand of the shoulder Amur was balancing on. For it was not stained with the berries he had been offering his hawk. Placing his hand calmly in the grasp of the other elf's, Meldarion griped Taegen's hand lightly and gave it a small shake.

 

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Taegen.....no, Tae. My name is Meldarion, though I suppose you may call me Mel. It's far less of a mouthful than my full name, besides, hardly anyone calls me Meldarion anyways. I hope that we manage to have a good life together as well. Not only for our people, but for ourselves. I know there is a lot I am more than eager to learn about you" Meldarion responded in turn, letting a gentle smile lift the corners of his lips. It was odd, this feeling he was getting. It was almost as if he had done this before, as if he had shaken the very same hand he was holding now. As if this was not the first time he had Taegen standing in front of him with the same small smile and sweet tone of voice. To be frank, the feeling was a bit unnerving and yet it calmed his inner turmoil. A side of him felt at peace and content, something that quickly spread through him in a way he could not describe.

 

It was Amur who broke whatever feeling Meldarion had been stuck inside. With a mighty flap of his wings and a piercing shriek, the hawk lifted off of Meldarion's shoulder to calmly find a new perch upon Taegen's shoulder. As before, the hawk's talons did not tear through cloth or flesh. They merely gripped the man's shoulder lightly enough to keep Amur's balance as the hawk turned his head to peer at Taegen closely. Tilting its head sharply to one side, the hawk clicked it beak in a way that almost seemed as if the hawk was satisfied with whatever he was seeing, before he began to lightly tug on Taegen's hair.

 

Unable to stop the soft laugh that escaped him when the surprise of Amur's actions faded, Meldarion shook his head at the cough that tried to hide Arwen's snickering. Looking at Taegen with an apologetic gleam in his eyes, Meldarion sighed and said "I suppose this is Amur's way of saying he accepts you near me. If you want him to get off, rock your shoulder a bit, he will understand your discomfort quicker than you can imagine. You may also ask him to get off, he won't be offended. He is smarter than many may think". Honestly, there were times when Meldarion though that Amur had to have been an elf in another life. The hawk was much too intelligent to ignore, it held an inner wisdom Meldarion had seen in only a few animals as he had grown.

[Raychu]

"No, he has a right to be upset. Both of you do. Any retaliation is completely understood, even Taegen understands this severity of his attitude. Though, I do suggest you don't call him elfling, he... is quick to react to that. You are not the only ones who are angered by his attitude. I'm not justifying it, not at all, even I dislike it myself. This is how he naturally is, I've tried to change it many times. Reacting I have found, only makes it worse. If you understand what I mean. Please defend yourself, jaunt don't push him farther, I can't stop him then," Osmil said in the most apologetic tone he could. There was no words he could say to put Taegen in the right after his behavior. He felt nothing but remorse for Taegen's actions, wishing that he had held his tongue at least for this meeting. The first meeting made the impression, they were starting off with a bad one.

 

Taegen was pouting, wanting nothing more than to point out that the older elves were just making excuses unlike the younger one, who was pointing out the flaws of the war instead. Though, he den feel guilty about this tone when the other's got on him, only then did he feel sorrow for it. That was because he was being scolded and they all were in the right, even Osmil. He couldn't help the way he spoke to people. When he was irritated, it was quick to show before he properly thought about how he waaaayyy meant to speak, the proper way to adress everyone. It only seemed to get worse when he tried to speak properly, finding that he seemed to just get so angry when he thought about it. Speaking was not his speciality, it always got him in more trouble than it was a worth. However, he was blunt. He wanted to be heard. It was hard to be heard when you were younger than everyone, he needed to speak out in the negative way to gain a response, wrong or right.

 

"I didn't mean to... upset you. Forgive me, I meant no harm. I know my attitude can be... quite unbearable at times. When I heard those excuses, I just got really angry. I hate hearing nothing but pitiful excuses being spoken, I snapped. I hate being blamed for the war between factions, having no trust because of it. I've seen the death of the factions firsthand, I still don't blame everyone in the faction for that one mistake. It's who killed my grandmother deserves to be hated, not everyone. I find it unfair to blame or be blamed because of this war," he said softly this time, gentle and careful with his word choice. If the other faction of elves could understand he really didn't mean to be so rude, it would make it a lot easier. However, only the blunt of his point got across, not the true meanings of his words.

 

"I understand. I will not ask you to silence yourself towards me. Though, I don't believe I'm the only one who's quick to react," Taegen pointing out the way the other had originally acted. If anyone snapped first, it happened to be Meldarion. The comment he had made was not as bad as the outburst of the younger elf, it still was just as uncalled for. "I will attempt to bite my tongue, it will not be easy I assure you. I am not exactly used to quieting myself. I will not use the way I was raised as an excuse either. My tone was uncalled for, I will admit my wrongs. Once more, I am sorry."

 

A wide smile had formed on Taegen's face when the older elf had gripped his hand. This feeling felt like it had happened long ago, the feeling of the warm hand felt as if he had felt it many times before. The feeling of the fingers, the shape of the hand, it was as if he had remembered this clearly from some time ago. The smile was on his face, he couldn't seem to wipe it away. This moment just made him feel so happy, ignoring the tense moment they had just had, ignoring the cruel marriage that would dictate their lives from now on. Everything felt so normal and at peace, he felt like this man and him shared a simple handshake before, though it felt like it was full of a different feeling, one he didn't dare describe. "Mel," the name rolling off of his tongue so sweetly. Had he heard this name before? It felt so natural to say it, as if he had said it so many times before. He was crazy, this was crazy.

 

This sweet moment was killed by that horrible feathered monster that had shrieked and flew from perching on Meldarion, only to land on thee younger elf. He tensed and panicked, his body feeling paralyzed. There was one reason he disliked animals so much, he was scared of them. They could be dangerous creatures if you fell prey to them. Having Amur land on him, his natural instinct was to freeze up and hope it had left his shoulder at some point. The words Meldarion spoke were foreign to him, understanding nothing of them. He knew they were spoken clearly and should've been easy to understand, he registered none of the words said. There was a bird on his shoulder, tugging his hair, he just didn't know how to react. He wanted nothing more than to get the bird off of his shoulder, there was no way he try and get him off. His body wouldn't move for him, no matter how hard he tried. It didn't do what he kept thinking of, instead he just remained there, his face deadpanned as the bird remained on his shoulder, doing its own thing.

 

"Tae? I... Pardon me, Meldarion, you must remove that bird at once. Taegen... he doesn't do well with interacting with animals. Please, he won't be able to do it himself. As you can see, he just freezes up, no words will get to him while he's in his state of fear," Osmil said quietly, his eyes flickering between Meldarion and Taegen. That bird was doing his younger friend no good, not in this situation. He could look at all the animals they wanted, when they approached him, he just seemed to lock up and protect himself by not moving. It was his own self defense mechanism that worked most of the time. Flowers didn't attack Taegen like animals had done before, he naturally attached to them.

 

"No I'm perfectly fine with this, just fine," Taegen seem to repeat, pressing his lips rightly together. He would not be harmed by bird, nothing bad woukd happen to him. This bird seemed trustworthy, he should be able to handle just this much. "Fine, fine. It's alright." He was repeating the words he had spoken multiple times as a way to reassure himself. Finally the words dawned on him as he rocked his shoulder, the bird flying off of his shoulder. Taegen retreated away from the two elves, returning to crouching beside his beloved flowers. Animals were scary creatures, all of them alike. Flowers would never harm him, they were peaceful.

 

"Forgive me, I don't work well with animals. I prefer it if that bird didn't come near me. Though, I understand you don't control him," Taegen said softly, looking at the man with a small frown on his face. He didn't hate animals, he didn't love them either. He naturally feared them, having been attacked by many stray animals before. He liked to look at them, he didn't like to be near them as much as possible. If he could keep himself away from them at all times, he would do anything that it took. He would sacrifice anything he needed just to keep the animals away. Flowers were all he ever wanted in life, animals could be taken away from existence and he wouldn't flinch. Animals were scary, unpredictable, just like the elves who fought for their place by war.

[Time_Keeper]

Looking between Osmil and Taegen, Meldarion listened to the explanation of the eldest of the pair before he turned his eyes on the youngest in the group. He could understand that perhaps the tone that Taegen had used was not something he had complete control over. He could understand that when anger got ahold of you, you did things or spoke in ways that were not completely acceptable to those around. He could understand all that, but it did not fail to annoy him. Meldarion had a sharp tongue to him and he didn't tolerate rudeness from elves at his surroundings. He might have valued peace, but even he would not turn the blind eye on a situation that needed a reaction towards it. In Taegen's case, as much as he felt wronged by the attitude of the younger male, he couldn't keep himself annoyed for too long. Annoyance was an emotion he didn't favor and for the decency of this marriage, he would try to swallow whatever bothered him for the time being. After all, he didn't want to seem to overbearing to the younger male.

 

"I understand, Taegen. I did not mean for you to apologize so profusely. I was merely making my feelings known, I do not wish for you to feel that you must act any differently around me. Your attitude is trying, but I have grown used to people with much more foul natures. Just as long as we both try to cool our tongues and tones before we speak with one another should we ever become upset with the other, I'm sure this marriage will not suffer in the least" Meldarion spoke after taking in a deep breath, his tone soothing and calm. It was almost as if he was trying to reassure the other man that everything was fine. They might have had a stumble in this first introduction of theirs but Meldarion was willing to turn to blind eye towards it if the other was as well. At least he knew better what he was dealing with when it came to the younger male. It would have been worse if Taegen's attitude or way of putting his way across, had appeared when they had been further into their marriage.

 

"I am sorry to hear of your grandmother's death. Though I know that nothing I can say or do will mend the pain of having her absence felt, I do offer you my heartfelt apologies. No elf should lose the comfort and love of a family member" Meldarion added after a moment, keeping his eyes on Taegen for a second more before slowly shifting his gaze away. He knew full well what it was losing family. Heck, he had none to call his own blood family as it was. He could understand the sorrow that came forth from it, even if he could barely remember his parents anymore. In his heart, he believed that no elf should have to live through such pain. Though he wasn't as open to admitting that his parents were no longer on this earth, with the way he spoke, it was easy enough to know that his words bore the heavy weight of experience behind them. He was not simply saying words just to say them, instead he meant each one.

 

For a moment, when the shortened version of his name rolled off Taegen's tongue, the ash blond elf could do little more than stare at the male. Taegen's voice, the way he had spoken, rocked something inside Meldarion all the more. It was frustrating, truly it was. It was as if he wanted to remember something that was just beyond his reach as if a wall had been constructed between himself and whatever it was. Yet though he could not remember where this feeling was coming from, the feelings themselves were strong enough to make him forget just for a moment every misgivings he had about this whole situation. It was odd, yet dare he say, welcoming in a sort of way as well.

 

Frowning just slightly when he took in Taegen's reaction to having Amur upon his shoulder, Meldarion had half a mind to take the bird off just to wipe that look off of Taegen's face. More so when Osmil spoke with the words he did. However, Taegen managed to complete the task on his own before crouching back down to the flowers below them. Truly, it was surprising to see someone so fearful of animals. For Meldarion, animals were as part of him as his own blood. He had always loved them while he had been growing up. Everywhere he went, more than likely, an animal would find him quickly. Though he could not communicate in their way of speech, he seemed to have a gift in understanding them in his own way and being able to communicate with them as well. It was something his faction adored of him, and it had always served as a plus in keeping them safe of what could have been animal attacks at any given time.

 

"I will do my best to make sure that Amur understands that you prefer him to keep his distance. You are right that I do not control him nor would I ever wish to, but I will make him understand your feelings as clearly as I can" Meldarion spoke quietly even as Amur flapped over to perch on one of his shoulders again. "I apologize for his behavior and for whatever fear he might have bestowed upon you. I'm sure he meant no harm" he apologized after a second while lifting a hand to gently stroke soft fingers down the bird's chest.

 

"In an open respect, though, you might have a difficult time being around Mel. Animals are attracted to him for some reason, anywhere he goes and animal will surely appear. It will probably do you more harm than good" Arwen put in carefully as he leaned back against the bark of their tree, crossing his arms over his chest while studying Taegen calmly.

 

"If I ever distance myself from you, Tae, understand that I'm doing it for your own good. I will not impose the presence of animals on you if you do not care for them so. Just know that I'm not essentially walking away from you, I am merely putting appropriate space between you and something I can not control" Meldarion spoke gently in a sort of response to Arwen's words. He didn't know when or how animals found him all the time wherever he went, but he didn't mind one bit. Taegen was different and even if he didn't say it out loud, he was willing to protect the younger elf from them. If only just a little bit.

 

Deciding to change the subject a bit, Meldarion gestured for Amur to fly to Arwen as he stepped a bit closer to Taegen and knelt down look upon the flowers the elf seemed to love so much. "Why don't you tell me the name of these flowers, hmm? I've always been somewhat curious about the plant life I wander upon but I've never had anyone to truly educate me about them" he stated softly, offering Taegen a gentle smile in an effort to calm the elf a bit more.

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

Looking between Osmil and Taegen, Meldarion listened to the explanation of the eldest of the pair before he turned his eyes on the youngest in the group. He could understand that perhaps the tone that Taegen had used was not something he had complete control over. He could understand that when anger got ahold of you, you did things or spoke in ways that were not completely acceptable to those around. He could understand all that, but it did not fail to annoy him. Meldarion had a sharp tongue to him and he didn't tolerate rudeness from elves at his surroundings. He might have valued peace, but even he would not turn the blind eye on a situation that needed a reaction towards it. In Taegen's case, as much as he felt wronged by the attitude of the younger male, he couldn't keep himself annoyed for too long. Annoyance was an emotion he didn't favor and for the decency of this marriage, he would try to swallow whatever bothered him for the time being. After all, he didn't want to seem to overbearing to the younger male.

 

"I understand, Taegen. I did not mean for you to apologize so profusely. I was merely making my feelings known, I do not wish for you to feel that you must act any differently around me. Your attitude is trying, but I have grown used to people with much more foul natures. Just as long as we both try to cool our tongues and tones before we speak with one another should we ever become upset with the other, I'm sure this marriage will not suffer in the least" Meldarion spoke after taking in a deep breath, his tone soothing and calm. It was almost as if he was trying to reassure the other man that everything was fine. They might have had a stumble in this first introduction of theirs but Meldarion was willing to turn to blind eye towards it if the other was as well. At least he knew better what he was dealing with when it came to the younger male. It would have been worse if Taegen's attitude or way of putting his way across, had appeared when they had been further into their marriage.

 

"I am sorry to hear of your grandmother's death. Though I know that nothing I can say or do will mend the pain of having her absence felt, I do offer you my heartfelt apologies. No elf should lose the comfort and love of a family member" Meldarion added after a moment, keeping his eyes on Taegen for a second more before slowly shifting his gaze away. He knew full well what it was losing family. Heck, he had none to call his own blood family as it was. He could understand the sorrow that came forth from it, even if he could barely remember his parents anymore. In his heart, he believed that no elf should have to live through such pain. Though he wasn't as open to admitting that his parents were no longer on this earth, with the way he spoke, it was easy enough to know that his words bore the heavy weight of experience behind them. He was not simply saying words just to say them, instead he meant each one.

 

For a moment, when the shortened version of his name rolled off Taegen's tongue, the ash blond elf could do little more than stare at the male. Taegen's voice, the way he had spoken, rocked something inside Meldarion all the more. It was frustrating, truly it was. It was as if he wanted to remember something that was just beyond his reach as if a wall had been constructed between himself and whatever it was. Yet though he could not remember where this feeling was coming from, the feelings themselves were strong enough to make him forget just for a moment every misgivings he had about this whole situation. It was odd, yet dare he say, welcoming in a sort of way as well.

 

Frowning just slightly when he took in Taegen's reaction to having Amur upon his shoulder, Meldarion had half a mind to take the bird off just to wipe that look off of Taegen's face. More so when Osmil spoke with the words he did. However, Taegen managed to complete the task on his own before crouching back down to the flowers below them. Truly, it was surprising to see someone so fearful of animals. For Meldarion, animals were as part of him as his own blood. He had always loved them while he had been growing up. Everywhere he went, more than likely, an animal would find him quickly. Though he could not communicate in their way of speech, he seemed to have a gift in understanding them in his own way and being able to communicate with them as well. It was something his faction adored of him, and it had always served as a plus in keeping them safe of what could have been animal attacks at any given time.

 

"I will do my best to make sure that Amur understands that you prefer him to keep his distance. You are right that I do not control him nor would I ever wish to, but I will make him understand your feelings as clearly as I can" Meldarion spoke quietly even as Amur flapped over to perch on one of his shoulders again. "I apologize for his behavior and for whatever fear he might have bestowed upon you. I'm sure he meant no harm" he apologized after a second while lifting a hand to gently stroke soft fingers down the bird's chest.

 

"In an open respect, though, you might have a difficult time being around Mel. Animals are attracted to him for some reason, anywhere he goes and animal will surely appear. It will probably do you more harm than good" Arwen put in carefully as he leaned back against the bark of their tree, crossing his arms over his chest while studying Taegen calmly.

 

"If I ever distance myself from you, Tae, understand that I'm doing it for your own good. I will not impose the presence of animals on you if you do not care for them so. Just know that I'm not essentially walking away from you, I am merely putting appropriate space between you and something I can not control" Meldarion spoke gently in a sort of response to Arwen's words. He didn't know when or how animals found him all the time wherever he went, but he didn't mind one bit. Taegen was different and even if he didn't say it out loud, he was willing to protect the younger elf from them. If only just a little bit.

 

Deciding to change the subject a bit, Meldarion gestured for Amur to fly to Arwen as he stepped a bit closer to Taegen and knelt down look upon the flowers the elf seemed to love so much. "Why don't you tell me the name of these flowers, hmm? I've always been somewhat curious about the plant life I wander upon but I've never had anyone to truly educate me about them" he stated softly, offering Taegen a gentle smile in an effort to calm the elf a bit more.

[Raychu]

"An apology was still needed, whether you wanted one or not," Taegen said so quietly. Now he felt embarrassed he let himself so easily slip. He was trying so hard to keep calm, remain under control, instead, he ended up faltering, showing that attitude most people hated. His words he spoke in his apology rang true, he wasn't just trying to appease all the elves, he meant it. He truly did, it was just hard to seem like he did when he was pouting. He only pouted when he was scolded by someone, this didn't mean he wasn't truly sorry. He knew he was in the wrong. He had acted rudely and out of turn, Meldarion didn't deserve his attitude, even if the words he was saying were nothing but excuses to protect himself. Taegen wasn't asking for them to give him all their trust, he just wanted them to understand those were mere excuses they were trying to hide behind. Yet he saw through them, as if the frabric they had covered themselves with was sheer. Impossible to hide behind, why did they continue to try? Trusting people was hard, it took work. He still wanted to be given a fair chance at showing them not all elves in his faction were bad, he wanted them to see they could be kind with the work of trust.

 

"Don't apologize for her death to me. If anyone wanted to hear that, it would be my father. I miss her, truly I do, I just hate hearing the condolences after so long. She's gone now, she'll never come back. An elf of your faction took her life before her time was up, however, I only blame that one elf comets king her. Your entire faction has no ties to it, except a select few. This is why is why I got so upset. You used an excuse as if my entire faction was evil like the soldiers in our war. They were don't what you're did, they fought to protect. I will not condone them taking it further and killing innocent lives in your faction. However, there is nothing I could've done to stop it either. It was the way it was, the war had already existed by the time I was born," he murmured. This was true, everything he was saying dis lot was able to be spoken out loud without getting frowned upon by other elves. They had to see his way of viewing things now, it was the only way they could open their eyes instead of only looking of the aggressive outlook on the factions.

 

Osmil gave a sympathetic look to his friend, knowing he wasn't pleased he had to speak of his his grandmother's death to get his point across. Taegen was a strong, independent elf who was able to stand on his own two feet without anyone needing to guide him much. He still felt the pain of his grandmother's death even if it was a long time ago. The mention of her name could possibly bring the younger elf to tears, no matter how mnsy times he would deny it. His father on the hand, is the reason his friend is unable to control the anger he held or why he couldn't think before he spoke. His father was the prince example of why it was this way. The man had a much rougher personality than Taegen's mild one. Taegen's fathe shelf nothing back in the heat of the moment. He had taught the younger elf to be the same way, following slowly behind in his footsteps. People rried to break Taegen or following, knowing he could have a much better path to take, however, it was hard for the boy to turn against his only father.

 

Tasgen felt much more embarrassed that the other elves had seen him in such a state. It was only natural for him to react that way, he hadn't had the bets experiences with animals his entire life. The most he could replay do were butterflies. Their vibrant colors blended with the flowers. That was it, any other animal was a complete disturbance to him and his peaceful life. He was scared of all animals the same, now that was obvious when the hawk flew on him. He kept his distance to protect himself. When they approached him, he just froze. He couldn't stop it, they were so scary. Even the smallest of animals were deadly, full of a poisonous bite. Who wouldn't be scared of that? Logic dictates that when elves were shown to be inferior, they tried to act tougher out of fear, he did not. He let that inferiority fill him as the animals approached. Only when it cakes to the beasts animals were did he know his place of the food spectrum.

 

"I understand. I'm glad that you would be willing to do that for my sake. I'm very grateful, thank you," Taegen said softly, dropping his head back to the flowers after giving Meldarion a quick smile. He felt pleased to know the other man would be willing to separate from him if the animals came near. He wouldn't do too well with having daily occurrences of animals coming near. If anything, living in just his garden was easier than trying to work with animals. Plants didn't need what animals needed, instead, animals killed his beloved plants for their own survival. Though this hurt to see the plants he grew die, he understood the circle of life, the natural cycle of plants and animals alike. They had a symbiotic relationship, doing each other well. Only some animals and plants, not all. Many animals were meat carnivires not herbivores. Carnivores were much harder for him to handle.

 

When the other spoke his nickname that was made for him, he could feel a fuzzy feeling. He was uncertain, he felt though as if he heard his name being spoken off of the other's lips many times before. He had, that was his full first name. Now he heard the shortened version and it rang in his ears like an old memory. He didn't quite know how to describe how this feeling was, he didn't know if it was evene true, he still felt it. He was following his gut feeling, this seemed is familiar no matter how he denied it. The fingers, the name, the warmth of the touch. It was a lingering of something left behind in the past. The younger elf could wrap it around his head, he had never met this man before in his entire life. They had onto met today, though he still believed he somehow knew the man somehow. It was impossible and yet it felt so real.

 

Taegen had brightened when Meldarion approached him, asking about the flowers. He loved it when he got a chance to discuss flowers with anyone he could. Flowers were the closet things he had to real friends besides Osmil. They never failed to grow for him as he watched, the always turned out pretty. He gave them their water and affection every day as often as he could. he loved being able to watch them turn from seedlings into doe thing pretty, he love sit when people showed genuine interest in what he was doing. He abated to be able to discuss his flowers with everyone if they allowed. He had told Osmil plenty, that was the only one who listened. The gossiping maidens who grew their own flowers refused to let him join them. He was weird, he didn't fit he role to play a women planting flowers.

 

"Phlox drummondii! There are many in this field, they have the red and the pink. They are the most eye catching flower up here with their vibrant colors. They may be small but they grow in plenty. They are one of my favorites, I have plenty of them in my garden. I found them naturally growing there, I never bothered to remove them. I enjoy them, they are so pretty," he murmured softly, smiling from ear to ear. Since Meldarion showed the slightest interest, he got so excited, wanting to say more and more. Taegen had so much to say in flowers, he loved them. He would never York his tongue about them if he had a choice, that was not the case though. He wasn't able to say much because he was quieted often.

 

Osmil smiled slightly as he pushed his glasses up, observing the two as a pair. They were complete opposites, they both use quick tongues to go at each other with, yet, he could Odin the feeling off that they were the perfect match. Animals and plants went together whether it was for food, shelter, or to camouflage them self. Plants and animals got along together, they made the home of where they stood. It felt his way for the two sitting in front of him observing a simple flower. He had high hopes this marriage would work out in a great way. This may do their factions great justice.

[Time_Keeper]

"I'm sorry that my words upset you the way they did. I had not known just the effect they would have for you. I have seen much suffering in my faction from the moment I could walk and talk and it's always been easier to think that all the suffering brought upon us is due to the entirety of your faction. It's hard to forgive those that hurt what you care for, as you very clearly know. However, I've always known it was an excuse to provide people with when they asked why I dislike your faction. I foolishly blamed the many for the actions of the few. It is not right nor justified, I know that, but sometimes it's hard to be able to tell where the bad seed ends and the good ones begin. I will try to change my judgment of how I think during the time we live amongst you. I know that not all of you are to blame for the deaths in my faction, but I just have to see if for myself to believe it inside my heart" Meldarion answered in a soft tone. He didn't believe the words of others more times than not. He preferred to see both sides of an equation before making a judgment call upon it. When it came to the factions, he knew he was being biased strictly because of the love he held for his faction. It was a flaw he had always found himself annoyed at and though he was somewhat weary of walking into unfamiliar lands, he was eager to see how the other faction lived. Maybe then he'd be able to accept that not all of them were as bad as he had been led to think.

 

Growing up without parents had been a double edged sword for the elf. Losing them had shown him first hand the results of what the war had upon his people. Nevertheless, he had gained a new set of parents in Arwen's own. They had helped him learn all he knew now and though they did not hide their distaste towards their enemy, they hadn't over imposed their believes on either of the boys. Meldarion had developed his anger towards Taegen's faction by the events of the war he had seen. By having to defend himself against enemies when he would spend days wandering around the woodlands in his days of youth. It was hard to think of the other faction as anything more than the enemy, but he would try. If not for himself and his people, then for Taegen, Osmil and the innocents they represented. If he could hold his judgment on other things, he was up for taking the challenge in holding his judgment now.

 

Grinning himself without even thinking about it when he saw the wide smile on the young elf's face, Meldarion lowered his gaze onto the flowers again and lifted a hand to gently trail his fingertips down a flower petal. "They certainly are quite lovely to look at. You're lucky to have them growing close to you, it seems that nature favors you with her flowers. And it is little wonder why, the love you have for them is quite awe inspiring" he remarked, voice coming out with a hint of admiration inside it. "I hate to admit that I would not have the patience it would take to plant and tend to them, in that field, you seem to have the same love for plants that Arwen's mother does. But I do enjoy seeing them whenever I got to visit the woodland wildlife. It gives the land a far more welcoming feeling and I suppose we should be thankful to them" he added a moment later.

 

Looking around a bit more, he spotted another group of flowers a bit further away and nodded towards them while saying "Those are Berliner Kleene, are they not? They look familiar to a grouping of flowers Arwen's mother has in her own garden. Many of the elven in my faction have a deep love for that flower, though between these two, I must admit that I prefer the Phlox drummondii". Catching a small gathering of blue flowers on the opposite side of the ones he had mentioned, Meldarion tilted his head and gestured with a hand towards them while asking "What of those? What are they called?"

 

Watching his friend interact with the other elf, Arwen couldn't hold back the gentle smile that turned up the corners of his lips into their naturally grinning appearance. Having picked up what Meldarion had been doing before by feeding Amur berries, Arwen turned his gaze over to Osmil for a moment. The two of them might have clashing natures and he knew it would take a bit of time to get used to the other elf, but he was willing to make an effort if his friend was. Stepping a bit closer to Osmil, he mussed in a voice leveled so that the conversation could be had only between the two of them. "They're getting along quite nicely, wouldn't you think? It seems that when it comes to flowers, your friend's switch is turned on and he becomes much more agreeable. That's truly good to see. I have a feeling that he will be the ideal match for Mel should the heavens allow this marriage to thrive" he said, keeping his eyes on the two elves talking about the flowers.

 

Although Meldarion would never admit it openly, Arwen knew full well that his friend had suffered a lot throughout the years. The lack of family had taught him to be strong yet kind and wise at the same time. Arwen knew that Meldarion always longed to have something to call truly his. Something that he wouldn't have to worry about fading away and leaving him. He often portrayed his want onto the animals he associated himself with. He found being in their company comforting. It gave him a place to be himself without having to measure up to the expectation of their people. Now that this marriage had been thrown upon them, Arwen hoped that Meldarion would be able to feel that same security in Taegen. They still had quite a long way to go but he had faith that things would go well.

[Raychu]

"Well yes, I suppose it is much easier to just blame the entire faction. However, I don't tolerate it in my own, you will be no different. No faction has suffered more or less than the other. I think the war took a piece of our faction away from all the hate and disdain we have shown over the years. I see our factions as equals through the eyes of suffering. I'm sure your faction has hurt just as much as mine. I will not put mine above our below yours, instead, my faction is truly on the same level as you. You refuse to admit that. Then again, I understand you must support your faction as well. I just wish you to be conscious of this next time you attempt to blame the entire faction for a mistake of only few elves. Where does your position stand as a faction. Who has suffered more? Those should be able to bring you back to equality of pain throughout both lands," Taegen said as the rigid movements of his body eased. He wanted no trust from them if they could not give it. You do not force the wall to break, it must fall on its own, or their will be no path that lead to a good end. They would walk back down the path of bloodshed and hate.

 

Taegen had never felt so happy to hear anyone speak of him in his entire life. They spoke highly of his intelligence and wisdom, the possibilities of him becoming an elder to lean their country. No one looked at his love for the flowers, finally someone had, after such a long time. "Do you really believe that? Patience is needed to tend to the lives of the flowers. It takes time before their beauty starts to shine. The revealed beuty at the end makes it worth all the time and effort I put into them. It makes me feel as if I have brought life to another in the land. Even at times I'm impatient, then I see them begin to sprout and I know, time will move fast if I allow it to. Holding on to the line of time too tightly makes it slow, if you wish to see the days pass quicker, you must let the flow return," he spoke happily, watching the other closely. They were finally talking, not having to worry about the silly problems that had been between them in the beginning.

 

Taegen always loved flowers since he was a small child. His grandmother had given him a mint orchid, the first flower he had to take care of. For his first try, the flower did not survive through the rough conditions of its uneducated caretaker. He didn't give up, he began to take care of more and more flowers until he finally understood their meaning in life. They were pretty, beautiful to the eye, though that was not their reason for life. They weren't meant to keep nature peaceful and clean. The animals were surrounded by multiple plants that kept balance to their lives. This was something he was glad to be able to see. The balance of the flowers finished the circle that balanced nature completely. They seemed useless, however, they were not. Without the flowers of peace, nature would fall into a chaos. The beauty was alluring, it drew the attention. Their affect was calming to the heart and soul. Their purpose could be different each time, however, that was how they kept the peace among everything.

 

"Oh, yes. He's still learning the proper ways to address people. I am grateful he found something he loves so dearly, the flowers calm his aggressive demeanor. I feel the same towards them. They naturally give off such an easy vibe when they are together like that," the voice much quieter than Arwen. Osmil had flinched when Arwen got closer to him, furrowing his eyebrows as he looked over at the other. He didn't dislike Arwen just because he was from the other faction, his threatening attitude made it harder to deal with him as well. The brunette had a hard time interacting with other elves than Taegen, in his faction or not, he still didn't enjoy trying to talk. He had a hard time keeping his composure with them, always cracking and saying something he shouldn't have. If he were to be completely honest, he was intimidated by Arwen, even though he went head on against him about their faction. He still held a bit of fear the other could easily point and death would be given. He never had met anyone who held that much power.

 

"Berliner Kleene? Oh, yes those are! Your faction does? The flower we hold dear is the Lilium Bulbiferum, otherwise known as the orange lily. It happens to be my favorite as well. Lilies are one of the prettiest flowers. They are elegant royals compared to the other flowers that grow," he murmured softly, his eyes landing on the Berliner Kleene. When he was asked what the blue flower was, he titled his head, standing up to go inspect them. Out of habit when talking with Osmil, he grabbed Meldarion's hand, pulling him up to drag him along. After he reaped what he had just done, he dropped the hand and gave a small nod, looking down. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so informal and touch you." He looked so upset just from touching the older elf, dragging his feet as he went over to the blue flowers, looking down at them. They were blue Hyacinths, one of the most common to find. He sighed, rubbing the temples of his forehead. That was not supposed to happen.

 

He got back up, walking back over to Meldarion. "They are Hyacinths, they commonly grow in this area," Taegen said in an almost hushed tone. He still felt bad for just grabbing Meldarion instead of asking, it was wrong of him to just touch the unknown person. They weren't even acquaintances yet and he still had done such a rude thing. He sat back down where he had previously sat before, returning to his previous position of focusing solely among the flower. Interaction was hard when you only ever spoke among with one person and followed them along. Taegen had always grabbed Osmil's hand to drag him around gardens and fields to show him the different kinds. Since this was the only person he did this with, he naturally just grabbed Meldarion to do the same thing. He didn't know if it was actually wrong or right, he just had assumed it was wrong to touch a stranger who didn't exactly like the faction you were from.

 

"That calmed Taegen only lasts for a bit. As you can see, he's already shut Meldarion out once more. This I presume is because he was being overfamiliar with your friend and then felt out of pal d by doing so. He loves his flowers a bit too much to think about what is happening around him. I'm sure a fire could start and he would be more worried about the flowers than himself. Plants can replenish and regrow, his life can't. I worry for that boy," Osmil openly admitted. It was obvious how reckless Taegen really was, he had no reason to hide his worry for the boy. It was as clear as the spring waters how he felt about his friend, he was too overprotective for both of their own good.

[Time_Keeper]

Looking at Taegen silently for several long moments, a small smile finally pierced through Meldarion's stoic appearance and a soft chuckle escaped him. "You are surprisingly wise for someone as young as yourself. Not many would see things the way you do, it is nice to have someone set me in the correct way of thinking. Sometime I lose my path of what is right and wrong, and it's not often that I have someone to.....I suppose, push me back on the right path. I feel like spending days with you and learning from what you have to offer will benefit me greatly. Living inside a single faction for too long as begun to close my mind off to other things, and I am not exactly pleased over it. Perhaps being away from home would be exactly what Arwen and I need at this point in time" Meldarion mussed lightly, interest and pleasant surprise flickering in his usual indifferent eyes when it came to dealing with an unfamiliar individual. It was nice to hear the opinions of another that wasn't exactly like everything he had heard as he had grown. The marriage might not be as thrilling as he would have liked, but maybe just maybe, this whole ordeal was predestined to happen by a greater force.

 

"You speak words of wisdom, Tae, and they all ring very true. However, this way of thinking you have for your plants, is the equivalent of how I think about my animals. Our love for two completely different species might be a bit clashing, but our thoughts are the same. Our hearts and minds are in the right place, yet it seems that we are devoted to two completely different scopes" Meldarion murmured with open amusement. It was truly funny to hear everything he felt about his animals, come out of Taegen's mouth. They had their differences, as he had mentioned, but their hearts were in the right place. How could they not be when two elves were so devoted to two different things others might have thought little of. It was a surprising conclusion to come upon but after spending just a bit of time with Taegen, Meldarion shouldn't have been so caught off guard.

 

It was clear that Taegen's flowers meant the world to him. For Meldarion, his animals meant the world as well. They might not have belonged to him, but he shared a bond with them as little else before. The closest thing he could think of that resembled his bond to the creatures of the lands, was his bond with Arwen and the elf's family. To him, the animals were an extended part of his family that he would never be able to do without. After having found Amur's predecessor as a young fledgling trying to fly with a broken wing at the foot of his parents grave when he had just been an elfling himself, Meldarion's heart had opened to all animals around him. They were as much a part of him as he was of them, and the blonde would never have it any other way around. He just hoped that one day, he could teach Taegen that he didn't have to fear what would not harm him if he showed them respect and acceptance.

 

Glancing over at Osmil after having caught the other elf flinch when he approached, Arwen sighed heavily and racked a hand through his loose waist length brown hair. "You don't have to fear me, you know. Whether you admit to it or not, I know my presence intimidates you, and it shouldn't......Well, I mean, before it should have because we thought of eachother as enemies, but not now. Just because I'm my father's son doesn't mean I'll use whatever power I was born under to do as I please.....Besides, Mel would probably have my head if I so much as tried that anyways.....Look, I don't say this often, but I apologize for my rudeness before. I feel like we got off on the wrong foot. It seems that we're much too protective of those two elves" Arwen murmured softly, trying to seem less threatening though he knew that it wouldn't do much help is Osmil still found him unnerving to be around.

 

Blinking a bit surprised when Taegen grabbed his hand and pulled him up as if to tug him along, Meldarion tilted his head in confusion when a second later Taegen's posture closed off again. Though he had not been expecting to be touched by someone he had thought an enemy merely a day ago, he wasn't going to lash out either. It wasn't proper of him, nor did it make much sense to him. Taegen had made no move to physically harm him so Meldarion hadn't minded the thought of being pulled after the man. Taegen, however, didn't seem to match his way of thinking.

 

Sighing softly when Taegen walked back over to him after explaining what the flower was, Meldarion knelt down once more to be somewhat at eye level with the other elf. "Tae.....I don't understand this sudden change. You don't have to apologize for touching me. Yes I know, you'll more than likely argue the point, but just listen to me for a moment. If we are going to try and be friends, then touches here and there are going to be acceptable....at least towards me. If you make no move to cause physical harm towards me, then I won't react negatively to a simple grab of the hand. There would be no point to it and we would be making absolutely no progress whatsoever. For both our factions and for ourselves as well, I would like to make this marriage more than just tolerable. But I'm going to need you to help me if we are to become friends to commence this whole turn of events. Can you understand that?" Meldarion spoke gently, keeping his eyes on the younger of the two as he willed him to understand that nothing bad had happened for Taegen to close himself off. For some odd reason, it hurt to have the door slam once again when it had been going to well.

 

"You shouldn't worry so much about him. The more he gets to know Mel, the more he'll come to realize that Mel doesn't mind getting touched. In our faction, physical affection is something that is given quite freely and we grow up accustomed to random displays of affection. Besides, I'm sure Mel will keep him safe as time goes by. Meldarion is strong enough for the both of them. He's had no other choice but to be since he was a little one. You're friend is in good hands" Arwen replied calmly, watching Mel and Taegen together. He had frowned lightly when Taegen seemed to have closed off to Meldarion but whatever concern he might have had faded when he saw Meldarion kneel down to speak to Taegen again.

[Raychu]

"Age had absolutely nothing to do with how wise I am! It's only... Oh, is that so? I was not expecting you to be open to hear this. I'm glad you listened, I'm not quite used to people listening and getting a positive reaction," he said happily. Taegen was quick to go on the defensive when his age was mentioned. This was the excuse the elves in his home had used before. If his marriage partner were to use the same thing, he was going to go mad. He may not have been much of a fighter, but he would still unleash his wrath. His age truly meant nothing, it was just a number that stated how many years he had been alive, it did not determine wisdom. A young elfling could be as wise as the oldest elder and still not match the age. Years were just more time added to make one wiser. He had heard many things beyond his years to get a hold of his own opinion. Taegen didn't need to be told his age was what determined his wisdom, it was bribing more than an excuse to him to say he's not able to sit at the table on the same level as us. This, he hated. He had to have Osmil speak for him to be clearly heard or he made himself heard by force.

 

"I would try to understand your of thinking with animals, I just happen to not be very fond of them. As you saw with... Amur was it? Ah, yeah. It was. I've never had good experiences with animals. They don't seem to be too fond of me either. Flowers don't attack me randomly, they just sit rooted into the ground and grow. There is no hostility toward me from them. Animals are a much different story. I'll admit it, since it was clear, I'm afraid of animals. The most I can do are the most harmless ones like butterflies. They seem friendly enough to be around. Birds with beaks like that, I can't help but become so worried," he laughed lightly, frowning at the fact he just told Meldarion his biggest weakness. Taegen trusted Meldarion, he did, this didn't mean he didn't just give him a weapon to get what he wanted. This could mean any little thing, not something large. He just didn't appreciate that now his marriage partner knew. It was quite embarrassing.

 

"Intimidated? I am intimidated of you? Don't speak of such nonsense. I would never be intimidated by an elf who held high power and threw his father around as a weapon when talking about the severity of a marriage and the faction. Of course that is a ridiculous accusation. Ah, why am I hiding it? Maybe I am, that is only because you cornered me when speaking so lowly of my faction, as if you had already assumed them to fail even under the oath of this marriage. I felt obligated to make that promise from how you kept speaking so rudely about my faction. I trust my faction to hold my life on the line, I will not take back the pro she either, that doesn't mean I truly wanted to say it. I do understand I was quite rude as well, for that I too, am sorry. Unlike Tae, I am hostile towards your faction because it is how I have seen things. My father is one of the elders, he doesn't think so highly of your faction either. As you both have stated before, each elf in our faction was raised differently, including myself," Osmil said softly as he took deep breaths to calm him fear. Arwen was a scary elf, one he didn't plan to mess with.

 

"You don't understand. Touching you was not right, I was in the wrong. I fully comprehend that we need to make this marriage go soon smoothly, I get this, touching is just. It's not allowed for now. Unlike you, touches here and there are going to upset me, refrain from doing it. We are not close like I am with Oz. Touching you is improper, it is the learnings in my faction, please don't force me to go against it," he said softly, running a finger down the stem of the flower. In his faction, touching so causally was only allowed if you were close to that person, as he was with Osmil. Touching s star her causally was frowned upon, he didn't want to be looked down upon because he randomly acted. Shaking hands was fair, touching them often meant a relationship of friendship or intimacy was there. Even if Meldarion was his marriage partner, they held no connection so he still believed the touching was something that should have not happened. Taegen wouldn't dare go against the teachings of his own faction while he was still housed there, it was immoral of him, as if he was committing an act of betrayal.

 

"I see, your faction is quite a friendly one then. Forgive me for saying this, that is sickening to our faction. You're only meant to touch someone in an informal way is when you are very close to them. I suggest you do not try to act over friendly with our faction of elves right away, let them ease into your friendly ways. Even I understand his disdain towards touching. Him and I are friends, it is allowed in a moral way to touch each other. Him and Meldarion have yet to build a complete connection that would allow for such touching to occur. That is his problem. However, this teaching is quite old, I think it is overused. We have a way of moral and immorally right in our faction, this I wish to change. It is as if we are bound to rules that don't exist," Osmil murmured softly as he studied both of them. This would be quite a huge learning experience for them to deal with, one the brunette was eager to learn. He pushed up his glasses as he looked away from the couple and back to the elders. They still remained huddled together, what were they even speaking of?

 

"Oh. I want to properly explain Taegen's behavior. I hope you can relay this to Meldarion later, as I can't say it when he's listening. First, allow me to say this, mentioning his age only aggrivates him further so please don't bring it up. The entire reason he is so oblivious to the way he speaks is because of no one listens to him because they believe he is too young and immature, this was not the case back then. Before he gained his unbearable attitude, he was a mature young boy, that changed. I he wanted to be heard, he screamed out. Now if he hears something he doesn't like, it's normal for him to react as such. Secondly, his father is the same exact way. I won't go into detail about that man, but for the sake of your lives, I hope you never meet him. He is the only citizen of the faction I will not go to my death bed for. He is aggressive and very much against your faction, this marriage as well. However, if you meet his mother, you will enjoy her company. She is an understanding lady unlike her husband. It's amazing that Taegen grew up with an open opinion while living under the same roof as his father," the words in w hushed tone to make sure Taegen heard nothing and was clueless to their conversation. He wouldn't appreciate his dad being mentionEd, that mattered not to him.

 

"Uh, Mel...darion, what is your faction exactly like? I'm curious to know how different it is from mine. I also want to know how hard it may be for you to adjust to your environment change with me," the words spoken softly as his eyes moved from the flower to Meldarion. Saying Mel had him so excited in the beginning, nam that excitement had vanished as he shut the other out. He was curious to know the teachings, he needed to make Meldarion understand their right and wrong. Touching was a wrong, for now at least. He hoped they still had a shot at becoming friends, he truly wanted to be friends with the older elf. If lovers would never be an option, friends always remained open.

[Time_Keeper]

"Then whoever you have tried to communicate with have been quite foolish. Though I can't deny that you are younger than I am, that doesn't mean that you can't be just as wise if not more so than myself. Whether you're young or old, your opinion should be heard and acknowledged by those around you. If it is not, then how could anyone make an unbiased decision.....At least that's what I think" Meldarion sighed. He had seen the quick slip Taegen had had when his age had come into question. Frankly, it was a bit amusing and though he wanted to say that he understand what the younger elf must have gone through, that would have been a lie. Being raised by Arwen's parents and by default, being inducted into the faction's royal family, made for his word to be heard clearly at all times whenever he wished to be heard. He did not have to act out like Taegen seemed to have been forced to do. Truthfully, it was a pity that the younger elf had been tried in such a way.

 

Listening to what Taegen said about animals, Meldarion's brow crinkled a bit as he thought of how he could answer. "I understand your fear yet it's hard for me to comprehend it. I do not think little of it or think of it as childish thing. You did not grow as I did nor do you possess the affinity I have for wildlife. I won't try to explain to you the reasons why you might have been attacked because I was not there to see it happen. All I can tell you is that not all animals are the same, just as not all elves are the same. Some are more foul tempered than others. And some are more loving and affectionate when you see past their harsh exteriors. However, as I promised you, I will do my best to keep my animals away from you. You won't have to fear them as long as I am around" Meldarion finally responded after a few long moments of thought. It was the best answer that he thought he could offer the other elf and he hoped it would be acceptable.

 

Watching Osmil speak from the corner of his eye as he stood ideally by his side, Arwen hummed softly at the man's words even as he parted his lips to speak when the other seemed to have finished. "Allow me to be honest then as to the reason I dislike your faction so greatly. The man your friend is bound to marry soon, is where my dislike originates from. Your faction took away Mel's parents and left him orphan at an age that no elf should be without their parents. He was barely more than a toddler before they were both killed in cold blood in front of his very eyes. It took several hours for my parents to be able to track down where his parents had tried to hide him before their deaths, for the murder happened in the midst of a battle. Meldarion was in a catatonic state when he was cleaned of his parents blood and taken to our faction's healers. It took several long days for even the smallest of responses to be brought out of him and the very real fear that he would die for the next few weeks, plagued our faction strongly. You won't see now mental scars he holds, but I do. He has no blood family to call his own and that is something I can't easily overlook" Arwen spoke silently, not wanting his friend to catch wind of what he was saying. He knew that the blonde hated having the deaths of his parents be spoken of, but at the moment, Arwen had a point to get across.

 

"I don't hold your faction completely responsible nor am I bringing this up to blame you for the actions of the past. I am merely telling you this to give you a clear picture as to why I primarily have no love lost for your faction. Both our factions have taken much from one another, and that does wonders in tainting the heart. I do not hate your people, nor do I like the lot of you. I will remain neutral until proven otherwise.....but I won't lie and tell you I don't harbor an anger towards your people. For the sake of the entire situation we find eachother in, I am willing to bury the past and move on but only if I have your word that you will in full honesty be willing to do the same. No matter how much we might harbor negative emotions towards the eachothers faction, this goes high above our own heads. This is for a future I believe many long for and I will not fail our people" Arwen finished just as quietly as he began. For the first time since he had met up with these elves, his tone lacked of anything aside from maturity and seriousness. It was as if he was making an effort to fill his spot as future leader of his faction. He was acting as a true representative for his father and his people and though it could be a bit unnerving, it was needed at the moment.

 

Frowning lightly at what Taegen said, Meldarion's confusion of the custom of the other faction grew all the more. To hear that touching was not something looked highly upon was a bit upsetting. For Meldarion and his own faction, friendly touches were fine. It led for a tighter bond between his people and a lighter atmosphere to live amongst. His faction valued the ability of having physical contact with one another. In a sense, they could almost be described as a pride of lions or a pack of wolves. Always showing physical affection towards the eachother without holding anything back. It made living at a time such as this more comforting....Yet he knew that everyone didn't think the same as his people. "I understand, thank you for explaining things to me. I will try to abide the best I can to your customs in any way I can while I stay with you. The least I want is to cause problems for you" Meldarion responded softly, offering Taegen a small apologetic smile.

 

Lifting a brow at Osmil's explanation of the customs of the man's faction, Arwen felt the stirrings of dissatisfaction grow in him. So they wouldn't be allowed to touch anyone while they lived amongst the other faction? That in itself would be hard to accustom themselves to. They had grown up thriving on physical affection from the moment they could walk and talk and even before that. To have that suddenly taken away just because it wasn't the way of the other faction, was a hard ball to swallow. Nevertheless, Arwen intended to stand by his word on helping make this marriage work. He might not like the way of the people they would be living among, but he wouldn't fight them either. "Very well, I will abide by your rules while we are among your faction. However, I don't intend to keep my physical reactions short around Mel. I won't touch anyone else if that is proper but Meldarion and I will behave just as we always have. I presume that won't be a problem?" He asked mildly, flickering his blue gaze onto Osmil again.

 

Thoughtfully looking at Taegen when Osmil explained the way the youngest was and why he was that way, Arwen blinked and tilted his head to one slightly. "I see" he murmured quietly before continuing "I suppose I can understand why the boy turned out the way he did then. It's a pity, should he learn how to control that attitude of him, he would have been a great member of the elder council one day. Nevertheless, there is still time for that, perhaps with our presence he will learn to keep a cool head....As for his father, I have little intentions on wanting to meet the man. If he is as bad as he seems, I'd prefer to keep him at a distance from us. Which brings about the question. Does Taegen still live under the roof of his parents? If that is the case, I will have to say that Meldarion and I will find lodgings in the woodland during the night and come to your faction during the day. It would be best to keep the situation as peaceful".

 

"I'm sure it will be fairly difficult regardless how I was raised" Meldarion put in mildly while he lifted his gray eyes to the skies and continued "My faction are very openly affectionate with one another. We value the comfort of having eachother near and our bonds are nearly unbreakable. We value the freedom of music and dance and we hold many celebrations through the seasons. Though there are occasional arguments here and there, we always manage to resolve every internal incident as peacefully as possible. Arwen's parents rule with a wise and fair mind. We listen to the opinions of everyone in the faction equally before we settle on a single decision. To put it short, our faction is very much like a large family. We love and care for one another with the whole strenght of our sheer beings. We adore the freedom of being who we are with no care for those who disagree. The stars in the night sky often guide our daily tasks and we are ever grateful to the heavens for providing us a means to express ourselves and survive......You might see a little of it when Arwen and I must go to gather our belongings for the journey to your faction. We're very vibrant elves, I hope we don't surprise you too much".

 

As he spoke, a smile lifted the corners of his lips and his eyes filled with the obvious love he had for his faction. Though he had lost so much, the faction had done a great job filling in the void that he had had after being orphaned. Perhaps they couldn't heal all his mental wounds but he would never trade what they had taught him for anything else. Yes, he would learn from Taegen's faction but he would not forget the ways of his own people.

[Raychu]

"Don't call them foolish, they are just... Oh. They really are foolish. I mean, they are still the elves in my faction, calling them foolish is insulting. We just have our own way of handling the speaking from different ages. I am unheard because of one of our teachings, I'm used to it. I've made myself heard plenty of times," he laughed weakly. His people were foolish, he tried to enlighten them on accepting new teachings they could include the entire faction as a whole unity. Instead, those words were rubbish to them, nothing but the whispers of the wind blowing by their ears. Even if he believed they were quite foolish for ignoring him, not caring to think about him, he still had to respect him as the elves his faction. That's how he must feel for them, it was only fair. They were his faction of elves, he loved them, even if the way they still taught was becoming nothing more than a nuisance. Perhaps if they brought in a completely different faction, they could try and change to match the other elves. It was a hope he was going to hold onto, he wouldn't give up.

 

"This is know already, I just can't comprehend the animal world, which deepens my fear of them. If I don't understand, I worry. I can understand plants, I can't do the same with animals. They are terrifying creatures to me, for that, I'm not sorry. As j stated before, you see the animals through your own eyes, much differently from the eyes I see the plants with. I understand plants completely as a whole, animals are quite hard to watch and follow. They are dangerous and terrifying, that is all I have to say for them. I know it may be hard to keep them away, if I feel threatened by any animal that comes near you, I can easily distance myself for my own protection as well," Taegen said in a hushed voice. Explaining his fear was quite embarrassing, he didn't understand why it felt like it was something to laugh about. Everyone in his faction found it normal, they pitied his bad luck with the animals around him. With someone who adored animals, it felt like he was a mere child with ridiculous worries.

 

"He is not the first in any of the factions, I'm sure he's not. There have been many who have lost the lives of the ones they loved because of this war. Taegen's grandmother, my younger sister, Meldarion's parents. I understand you don't like us, I don't feel as Taegen does either. I dislike your faction, however, I will do the same. I don't wish for us to live in complete misery of each other's existence if possible. I can try to get along with you, however, I'm not sure I can. You still hold quite an intimidating aura, I feel as if you are trying to put me in my place. That may just be who you naturally are, none the less, it scares me," he said smoothly as he looked into the forest from where they came. It wouldn't be too long before they trudged back home, the elders would be finishing by now. The only things they would be discussing was the safety of the two boys going into enemy territory. He already took the weight of the boulder on his shoulders to carry, he made sure to promise they would not be harmed.

 

Taegen frowned when he got the apologetic smile, he didn't like it much. In his faction, half of their rules were he ones hat remained unspoken. He hated that about his faction, he didn't quite grasp why they had to make it hard to interact. Talking was allowed, for is you were to lay your hands on the person, you would be committing a crime in the eyes of the elders. It was silly, he hated having to stand up for it, he just couldn't let Meldarion go into the faction oblivious to their teachings. He would have a lot to say and change for the other, even if it was a drastic change as well. He was going to take this into his own hands to teach his marriage partner all about their faction, the teachings, the rules, they way the spoke and acted. He was excited yet he dreaded that he couldn't have learned new things himself.

 

"It will be no problem for us at all. It is acceptable between you two, it is obvious you two share a bond, which allows for touching to occur. It is the same between Tae and I. We are known as good friends because of how overly familiar we are with each other. It's only acceptable if you actually share a bond in our faction. If we see no bond, we're supposed to frown upon the touching between two people. Unlike Tae, I don't take this too seriously. However, Tae was raised to take it to heart," Osmil said as he looked back at his friend. A frown overcame the brunettes face as he watched Taegen closely. He was still shutting Meldarion out, that wasn't good. He was doing so well with interacting with his marriage partner. If anything he needed to worry about, it was if Taegen decided to cause a ruckus of some sort, at time like this, his friend became quite unpredictable.

 

"An elder? Even you say that he could? I wouldn't dare say that to his face though, he is against the idea of joining them. He doesn't enjoy being around them at all, if he were to truly become an elder, I fear for how the council would turn out with him around to change all the ways. Is he still living under the roof of his parents? Are you attempting to be humurous? Tae hasn't lived under the roof of his parents since he was able to figure out his own independence. Though the money he has is from his parents, he moved out long ago. Young or not, he is able to live properly on his own. There is no need for you to find other lodgings, his father doesn't even visit him much anymore. I only see his mother around often, who again, is a friendly person. It's only her. His parents separated after his grandmother died, his father became too much of a handful. You'll never see them together anymore," he said in a sadder tone. Taegen didn't even care his parents had left each other, honestly, he didn't understand how to react. His friend just assumed it was okay and left it at that, though it took a toll on him when his parents never went near each other after that.

 

"Oh. I guess since Tae had already introduced himself with Meldarion, I might as well copy him and do the same with you," the brunette spoke as he reached his hand out towards Arwen. He was going to shake his hand and that was that. He may have felt intimidated by the other, that didn't mean they couldn't be friends, or even acquaintances. He didn't want to be best friends with the other, he just wanted to be able to talk to the other without feeling completely afraid of him. This was something he could hope for, he didn't know if it would happen. The other already stated he didn't love the faction, that might mean he will be against trying to be friends with Osmil. He didn't know yet, this was going to be found out sooner or later.

 

"That sounds like so much fun! Your faction sounds like it is quite wonderful, as if you're living your life to the fullest! My faction is... we are more on the conservative side of the spectrum. We prefer to keep ourselves limited in such openness. I myself, prefer to keep on that conservative side," that cheery voice quickly turning into a monotoned voice. He felt bad that the other faction sounded much better than his own home and he was close to openly admitting it. He hates remaining so closed and hidden by the ways of their teachings, yet he took it hard when he went against it. He was scared he would be straying them if he went against their teachings with everything he had. "We have celebrations only in spring and fall. We don't enjoy touching, we are normally just neutral with each other. I guess you'll see when you get there. I hope you don't get annoyed by how different we are from your faction."

 

The elders had finally seperated, Osmil's father walking over to them. He pulled Osmil aside with a quick glance at Arwen, before speaking in a hushed tone. His son nodded, watching his father walk into the woods, displeasing through the trees. They were going into the enemy faction to retrieve the needed essentials for the two elves, much more intimidating than before. Taegen stood up and walked back over to Osmil, practically hiding behind him as his eyes flickered from his partner and the other brunette. He still didn't know what to feel about this, it was no longer complete hate though. He enjoyed Meldarion and having civil conversations with him, he just didn't know how to feel about the marriage now. It seemed like it could sail smoothly if they were to work together, that was all.

[Time_Keeper]

Listening to Taegen describe how his faction was and how he was usually unheard due to one of their customs, Meldarion had to fight down the need to frown again. Though he was more than willing to learn and accept the customs of the other faction, he didn't know how he would stomach having a partner that was not heard simply because of his age. Nor did he know how he would stomach the fact that he might not be heard because of his allegiance to his birth faction. It wasn't for the first time that he questioned whether he was making the right choice in accepting this marriage, but nevertheless, he wouldn't walk away from it now. He had given his word and Meldarion stuck to his word. He would learn to tolerate what he would no doubt soon be experiencing and he would gain valuable lessons from that. Even if he was rather hesitant at the moment after hearing what he was hearing. So for now all he managed to murmur was a soft "I see" and offered Taegen an understanding little smile in response to what had been spoken.

 

"I understand" Meldarion said quietly when Taegen explained a bit further, his fear for the creatures Meldarion held close and dear to his heart. It was still confusing, but the elf knew that not everyone saw wildlife the way he did. His faction had come to love animals through Meldarion's insistence and his teachings, Taegen was different. There would be no changing that any time soon. Only time could heal what his experiences had brought about in him and Meldarion felt no annoyance and frustration towards that. In fact, all he felt was quiet acceptance. "I am glad you have told me this in full, it would have been more difficult if I couldn't truly understand where you stood. I am grateful that you have made things clear to me and though things might be a bit difficult with animals around me, do not be afraid to talk to me again should you wish for me to send a particular creature off. The last thing I would hope for is to make you to nervous to be around me" Meldarion replied after a moment's pause.

 

"Dully noted.....however, I can not change what my presence makes you feel. Should I at any point seem to be too overbearing, I would appreciate if you voice your concerns to me. I will not know what I'm doing wrong if you keep silent and in the end, it will do more damage than good. Should in the off case, I refuse to listen, turn your words to Mel. He has known me long enough to be able to calm me at any given point" Arwen suggested lightly. He had heard the words spoken to him only about a handful of times and it still was a bit foreign to him. In their faction, everyone was used to Arwen, Meldarion and the rest of the royal family. No one tried them with fear of concern of how they would react. If anything, their faction acted like a massive family, even though they were not all blood related. It would take time for Arwen to get used to being thought of as intimidating by just being in an area, but it could not be helped.

 

"We can not help how the teachings of your faction may have affected him. I will make sure to assure both Mel and myself that we remember to keep our affections to ourselves. If we are to go to this faction of yours and insure the unity of our people, we won't want to break more rules than not. It will be difficult, I presume, but it won't be impossible. As I have said before, if we make a mistake or stumble along the way, please have enough confidence to correct us. Because we belong to my father does not mean that you can not teach us right from wrong while we live amongst you" Arwen exhaled calmly. He hadn't lied when he said that it would be difficult to learnt o be closed off from those living around you. That was not something his faction did. In fact, his faction's teachings appeared to be the exact opposite from what Osmil was telling him. However, learning to change and adapt to their surroundings wasn't impossible and he was sure that Mel and he would both do fine in the end.

 

"I will not mention it to him, but the truth seen by the eyes of another can not be denied. Perhaps your elders need new blood to bring them out of the past and learn to accept the future. Your friend had a tongue to him and a temper that might take them all by storm, but he has a good heart. I might not know him enough to like him, but even I can see that his heart is in the right place. He wouldn't be doing this if it weren't" Arwen mussed, gazing thoughtfully at Taegen. He might not truly care much for the boy, but he wouldn't lie about what he saw with his own two eyes. Taegen had potential to change many things if he learned and wanted to. However, no one could force him to do so. "It's a pity that such a fate had to fall upon them yet the Gods know why they make things happen.....I do look forward to meeting his mother, though, you make her sound like a lovely elf to be in the presence of. I can only hope that she will be accepting to us being around her boy" he put a few moments later. He meant every word he said, even if the other elf didn't believe him. Though he had no desire to see Taegen's father, his mother did seem rather promising to be around.

 

Looking down at the hand offered to him the same way Meldarion had done so when the greeting had been presented to him, it was hard to tell that the two didn't share blood. Their subtle actions seemed to compliment the others splendidly and without even having to observe them for to long, one could tell right off the bat that the bond held between Arwen and Meldarion was more than likely an unbreakable one. Inhaling deeply, Arwen paused his stroking of Amur's feathers to reach out and grab the hand provided to him. Giving it a firm shake he said "As Meldarion said before, it is a pleasure to meet you Osmil. I wish for our path together to build a trust and perhaps even a friendship that can be shared by our people in the future. And I would like to thank you for your hospitality in allowing us to stay with your faction".

 

"You never know when will be the last time you draw a breath, so we are taught to live our lives to the grandest of our potential. Death is only a small step away at any given moment. While we still live and breathe, we should us the time to be true to ourselves and learnt he endless lessons these lands hold for us" Meldarion stated lightly even as a gentle smile lifted his lips. He valued the lessons he had been taught since being just a little one. They might be different than Taegen's faction, but they were just as important to him even at this time of change. "I will not grow irritated, I can assure you of that. It will be difficult, yes, but I will do my best to make our time with you smooth. There is nothing in the fact that your faction is different than mine. It will give me plenty of lessons to learn and I am eager to see a different side of what has been normal to me for centuries" Meldarion finished just as calmly as he had begun. Things would certainly not be the same as they had been since he was born, but he would learn to accept it. Who knew, maybe it wouldn't be as bad as he was thinking.

 

When both Osmil and Taegen moved away from them, Meldarion rose to his feet and walked over to stand beside Arwen and their own elders. With a soft exchange of words, the elders began to walk off into the woods and Arwen glanced over at Osmil and Taegen with a small frown. "Come along, you two. I would advice you to stay close and make no sudden movements once we are further into our lands" he called to them before nodding at Meldarion as the slightly smaller elf arranged Amur gently on his shoulder. With an exchange of nods, the two followed after their elders, confidence and calm weighing upon their every move.

[Raychu]

Taegen felt calmed knowing Meldarion wasn't going to be against their faction and its ways, though he understood if the other did prefer to remain to his own ways of his faction. Their faction sounded peaceful and kind, like his faction used to be, then something changed. From what he could hear, there had been so thing among the elves in his faction to cause for an alarm and they used the change of custom to ensure their safety among the faction. Like they were looking for traitors among their people to proven them right in the way they took hold of the situation. Not once did they find someone betraying the faction, they found nothing but love and devotion, that didn't change their minds. The previous elders were intent on keeping their original idea held out through the end. Sooner or later, the new ways of the faction were accepted and became the new way of life. It didn't bother anyone, though, it felt like time to change the old with an even better new. Their old was starting to wear and tear, falling apart.

 

Though Osmil understood where Arwen stood in saying that, his presence really was an intimidating once. Not that the brunette was always going to be bothered by it, for now it would have to be that way. The brunette began to awkwardly forget as he pushed his glasses up multiple times even when they were perfectly centered on his nose. This just went to show how awkward he truly felt around the other elf. Osmil wasn't easily intimidated either, his father was an elder, he was used to this aura, Arwen changed that. He was that kind of elf who was blunt yet laid down certain underlying threats that could scare anyone. It was amazing the brunette had yet to crack under the pressure of talking with Arwen. The air just felt heavy when he was with the other elf, as if Arwen somehow radiated. That wasn't going to be his favorite thing, he barely got by with his father. Now Arwen and Meldarion were in the mix, Taegen was starting to crack first, he could tell. This seemed like a gift of misfortune.

 

At some point, Omsil hoped to see the matured Taegen on the elder council. There would be endless possibilities of change if his younger friend were to join. It didn't seem like it would happen soon enough. Taegen held that familiar childlike attitude and quick temper to anything he disagreed on. He was far too reckless to be even considered to have a place in their faction, doing as he pleases without much thinking. The younger elf was the odd one, he took their customs to heart yet he hated them the most. No one understood how he could hate something he held so dearly to himself. Taegen had many good qualities, the mysterious and bad part of him outweighed the good he held. It was hard for his friend to be taken seriously with his child demeanor. He wasn't naive, he just held the attitude of a child. By then, Taegen was just considered a problem child in their faction who needed a few lessons here and there to be fixed. Osmil is glad he was with Taegen most of his life, he took the opportunity to slowly guide him.

 

Taegen had disengaged himself from Meldarion as he hid behind Osmil. They followed behind after hearing Arwen's advice, keeping a good length between them. They weren't scared, Taegen was just holding Osmil back because he felt nervous. This nervousness came from the fuzzy feeling that he knew this man from somewhere, even if he truly didn't. The younger elf couldn't eliminate the thought completely, however, he seemed to calm it as he hung back from his supposed to be marriage partner. Which would have been even crazier. For him to have previously known his marriage partner? That seemed to be unheard of. This feeling of trying to remember something was becoming an irritating thing. The elf wanted to get along with his marriage partner, he did, it was hard when your mind had other ideas. He even called out the shortened version of Meldarion is such a way, it could have potentially disgusted the man. Taegen felt like he said it on impulse, not meaning to really do such a thing. However, he couldn't hold his tongue quick enough to stop the simple name of Mel from leaving his mouth in that sweet tone.

 

"Are you feeling alright? I would hate for your to feel sick at this moment, though you already do. Did something happen with that Meldarion fellow? You two seemed to be getting along well though. It relieved me, I was so wound up worrying you would resort to your normal behaviors and try to scare him off. Guess I underestimated you a bit," he laughed softly, the golden eyes locked onto the back of Meldarion and Arwen. It wasn't the entire truth, Osmil had high hopes that Taegen would pull through, and he did. His younger friend was a nightmare in the beginning, however, he seemed to have let himself ease up, allowing for him and Meldarion to start a bond. One that the brunette didn't think could happen so soon. It made him feel hopeful of this marriage though. He truly believed it would be able to do something for the division in the factions now.

 

"Ah... No, I just am flustered going into what we used to consider enemy territory. Hey! That's not fair! I told you I would try my hardest. Which I believe I did! Getting along? I don't see what you mean. I felt we were just being neutral in the situation we were put in," he said a bit louder than he meant to. Curse Osmil for getting under his skin and ruffling his feathers. When the younger of spoke next, it was soft and quiet so none of the elves around them could hear. "Mel spoke of Arwen's mother and her garden. I was hoping you would do the honor of asking him if I am able to take a look around. I'm really curious and... I just don't know if I can do it myself." No matter how boisterous and loud Taegen was, he still had those times where even he couldn't speak up enough to be heard. Osmil didn't want to do this either, he hated interacting with someone so intimidating, he would only do it for his friend.

 

The brunette made his way ahead of his younger friend, looking back every so often to make sure he was being chased by a bear and disappearing once someone took their eyes off of him. He sat there, continuing to walk alone, waving with a small smile as his friend would look back. Osmil focused on Arwen, building up the courage to speak to him once more. As he made his way, vastly approaching him, he lightly tapped the shoulder of the other brunette that he seems to dread talking with. "Arwen?" He called out in an attempts to get his attention if the touch didn't do that for him. Osmil's stomach was knotting, he didn't enjoy doing this at all. Only for Taegen. It would only take a second then he could return to an easier conversation with his friend. Hopefully.

 

Taegen was watching what his friend was doing furiously, wondering if he was alright. His face was paper than normal and he had almost a grim look on his face. The younger elf couldn't understand why his friend would be so against just talking with the two, he personally enjoyed having the small conversation with Meldarion, even if he did kind of abruptly ending once they started to walk towards enemy territory. He wasn't scared either, nor nervous. From what his partner had told him, he felt almost at peace walking into the new faction. He was almost jealous Meldarion got to experience the new faction, even if it wasn't so grand for him. Taegen wanted to be able to experience the simple kindness in a faction rather than a distant one he lived in. Just once he wanted to be able to smile at people and not have stoic looks in return. The cold stares were chilling. He had an opportunity to experience it, if only for a short time. He would make the most of it he could to observe. Taegen would dare not interact.