Lost Love
The pond reflected her pale blue eyes, and her narrow face.
She looked deeply into the waters trying to find the answers to life's questions, when
suddenly somebody covered her eyes.
"Guess who." A deep, strong voice said.
"Who?" She said, and giggled.
"Guess." He said playfully.
be kind to you forever, you know?” She
kissed him again, and he whined.
“If I didn’t know better, I would say you sound like my mother.”
“I’m not your mother, "Is it Dolwer?" She asked and tried to sneak a peak through his fingers.
"No, it's not Dolwer. Guess again." He laughed as he said it.
"Mular? Is that you, Mular?" Again she tried to see through his fingers, and again,
she failed.
"I can't fool you for long. Can I, My love?" His hands moved away, and she turned
to see his deep green eyes.
He kissed her lightly, barley touching her lips. She smiled and deepened the kiss.
"No, not for long." Ariel replied. "So tell me, boyfriend of mine, what have you
been doing all day?"
"Nothing much. Practiced the bow with Veagal, walked the Paths of the Trees,
and stop some tree-killers." She put her hand on his chest and looked into his eyes.
"I wish you wouldn’t go on the Path of the Trees, it’s dangeous. One day, you are
going to go, and not come back. The gods can’t just someone who cares a lot about you.”
“Oh is that all? Just someone who cares about me? Funny, I thought you were
something more. Like...... “ Mular pulled a small box from his pocket, “maybe a wife?”
He opened the box to reveal a gleaming blue sapphire, laid on a silver ring.
Ariel was speechless, she merely stood there, looking into his eyes, trying to form
the words for a response. “I......I...... I mean.....Yes! Of course I will marry you, Mular.”
She slowly took the ring from him, and slipped it onto her finger. It took a second, but
the ring slowly molded itself to the contours of her finger, making it a perfect fit! She
jumped into his arms, and whispered; “Of course I will be your wife.”
Later that day, they announced it to their families, who were ecstatic. Mular’s
family had known in advance, but Ariel’s was in complete shock, much like Ariel
herself.
****************************************************
After the wedding, they left for the cabin, by the pool. They didn’t get much of a
honey-moon though, after only an hour of being alone, there was a knock on the door.
Veagal was at the door. He looked thinner and paler than normal. His slightly
angled eyes making him seem regal, his pointed ears adding to the effect.. He stated
quietly, so Ariel wouldn’t hear; “I’m sorry Mular, but you know the skirmishes with the
tree-killers, on the Path of Trees? Well they are back, and in large numbers. There must
be at least a hundred of them, all with their infernal fire-sticks. The rangers are having a
problem keeping them away, and we need all the help we can get. Again, I’m sorry, but it
is the King’s orders that ever man able come help.” Veagal looked at him with a
warrior’s eyes.
Mular sighed loudly. “Okay, my friend, I will be there shortly.”
“Thank you Mular.” Veagal bowed deeply and walked off into the setting sun.
“Darling, I must go. King’s orders, I’m afraid. The tree-killers are back, and they
need every man. I’m sorry, Love.” He looked at her for fogvince, and found it in her
sapphire blue eyes.
“If you must, you must, but I want you to promise me one thing.” She fingered the
emerald on the silver ring that sat around his finger. “I want you to promise me that you
will come back to your wife, and have many, many children.”
Mular smiled, and picked her up, kissing her deeply. “I promise, Dear Heart” He
set her lightly on her feet, and jogged out the door as he shouted his good-byes.
Ariel sat on the bed for a long while, praying to the gods to bring back her
husband from the fight.
**********************************************
That morning Ariel awoke to the sound of victorious cries. She hurriedly got
dressed, and ran through the door, hoping to find her husband.
She called over to Veagal as he passed her on the street; “Veagal, do you know
where Mular is?”
He shouted back “He should be here somewhere. Probably near the back, seeings
as how he was one of the last ones out.” Veagal waved, and continued down the road.
She turned and walked further into the over crowded streets, looking for her husband.
Finally the streets started to thin, and the line of soldiers stopped come from the
Path of Trees, but there was still no Mular.
Ariel walked up to another man, named Biad, and asked; “Biad, have you seen
Mular? He hasn’t come back yet, and I am frightened that maybe he got left behind.”
The young man looked at her with a sad, confused look on his face. “The last
time I saw Mular was when he first got to the battle. Oh, he was carving into those tree -
killers like nobody had ever seen! It was a sight, I tell you, but no, I didn’t see him after
that.” He looked away, and added, “Maybe you missed him, and he is already at home,
waiting for you.” Now Biad looked towards his own home, and said softly, “Speaking of
which, I should probably get home too, Eldamari won’t be happy if I don’t make it home
in time for her dinner.” He smiled and walked off, joining his waiting family.
For a few minutes Ariel stood there, in the middle of the street, hoping that her
dashing Mular would come walking out from the Path of Trees, but then she realized that
he probably wouldn’t, that Biad might have been right about her missing him. She
convinced herself that she had somehow let him walk by her, and not even noticed.
Slowly she walked back home, and was dismayed to find no lights on in the small cabin.
The door stood closed and locked, making her only hope fad into oblivion. She
opened the door, and started to cry, as she sat down on the bed. She blamed herself for
letting him go. She told herself she could have stopped him, somehow.
A knock at the door made her look up. She opened the door, and saw him. His
green eyes drooping from lack of sleep, his body haggard with fatigue. There was a long
gash on his forehead, and blood trickled down his face.
“My Love,” he whispered “have you ever known me to break a promise?”
