When Mary closed her eyes she envisioned she was far away from Mineral Town. She imagined she was a swashbuckling pirate or a master thief who was wanted in every country. She scaled walls, jumped from buildings, and battled monsters. She was brave, bold, and laughed in the face of fear. She was everything she wanted to be. She was the heroine destined for greatness in every story. Though she had to overcome obstacles, sometimes seemingly insurmountable obstacles, she rose to the challenge. More importantly, she always, always got her happy ending. In every story that she dreamt of, in every manuscript she penned down, she envisioned a happy ending for herself.
Consequently, one of her favorite fantasies was to imagine that she was a princess locked in a tower. She would wait for her knight in shining armor to vanquish the dragon and save her. It would be love at first sight, and they would live happily ever after together. This fantasy played over and over in her head as she sat in the quiet library hall. She imagined what it would be like to be swept off her feet, to have a dashing young knight rescue her from loneliness, and to experience love. Often, the knight would lift his helmet and expose a shock of red hair and blue eyes. A little gruff in his manners, but he would look at her with passion and speak with a softness in his voice. He would lift her onto his horse, take her into his arms, and carry her away to his castle where they would live happily ever after.
Maybe that's why it hurt so much. Seeing Gray together with Claire. Whenever she saw them, her chest tightened, and she forget how to breath for a second. She was always so stunned with how happy they looked together. Laughing, smiling, teasing. Their relationship was filled with vivacity, a humor and liveliness neither possessed on their own. They seemed to fit together in a way that was very different from what she had with Gray.
Growing up, she always assumed Gray and her would end up together. She had known him from childhood and believed that she understood him best. He came daily to visit her in the library. While not particularly talkative, they shared a stoic companionship. Their relationship was built on shared interests and a quiet, comfortable friendship. To Mary, they were made for each other. No one was better equipped than her to understand Gray's silent requests, his need for someone to support him. She wanted to be that person, and for a while she was. She sat quietly next to him, supporting him for years. She provided comfort whenever he would storm into the library, upset over his grandfather's criticism. She accompanied him to couple's festivals and made sure to bake his favorite batch of chocolate chip cookies every year. She believed her feelings were known and returned. He would relax in her presence. The tension of the day would be gone as they spent afternoons reading in the library together. She would catch his eyes wondering over to her every now and then before they quickly darted back to his book. He smiled readily at her nonsensical ramblings on the latest novel she read, and he blushed ever so slightly when their hands touched accidentally. Indeed, she never suspected that his feelings for her could change so suddenly when it seemed as if their romance had been building for years.
However, their relationship became strained once Claire stepped foot into town. At first Mary was excited to meet the new farmer. Her golden hair swayed in the breeze as she enthusiastically strutted into the library and introduced herself. Mary believed they could become friends. Until, Gray started coming less and less to the library. Even when Gray came to visit the library, he was different. If possible, he seemed less distracted. His concentration was more focused on reading, and she rarely caught him stealing glances at her. He no longer blushed when she came a little too close, and he stopped inviting her to festivals. It wasn't long before he started giving halfhearted excuses for not coming to visit her. He claimed he had to her Claire with her farm, or he was busy crafting tools for Claire. Eventually, the visits stopped altogether.
All too quickly, Mary caught Gray and Claire holding hands and laughing past the library. She saw them picnic on Mother's Hill, in the grove she helped her father collect samples in. She went to the supermarket and saw Claire buying the ingredients to make Gray's favorite cookies. While she sat inside, they spent festivals together. They became the talk of the town. The gossips decided there was no cuter couple, and Gray's previously gruff reputation was replaced with that of a doting boyfriend. He smiled more, laughed more, blushed more. He changed. Together, they were a couple so enshroud in love that they couldn't help but radiate that energy to the rest of the town. Anyone could tell by looking at them that they were head over heels for each other.
Therefore, it came as no surprise when the engagement was announced. Mary wondered how everything could go so wrong. How could the love she felt for Gray and thought she had received back be wiped away in an instant? Their relationship, built on years of companionship, blew away as she watched Gray and Claire exchange vows. Their gold rings glistened in the candlelight of the Church, and Mary couldn't help letting a few tears slip out as the couple glided down the aisle together. After the service, she finally let herself cry fully. Flowers blew down the town path as she walked the distance to her library tower, tears flowing freely. Some part of her had hoped that he came to his senses and married her at the wedding instead. She dreamed he professed his love to her during the wedding, and then they would run away together. But, here she was alone. He was married, exceedingly happy, and she knew that her relationship with him was over completely. Their romance was nothing more than a short lived fantasy, so beautiful to her but it only lived in her imagination. She knew this fact. But she couldn't quite let go of her dreams just yet.
So, Mary dreamed some more. Looking at the dusty shelves around her, she imagined she was merely locked away in her tower. She was simply waiting for her knight to come rescue her. He had to fight the dragon first. Fighting the dragon takes time. She can't rush him. No. She just had to wait and be patient. He would come in time. His blue eyes would soften when he looked at her, and he would carry her away. She could still get her happily ever after. She just had to wait and imagine what life would be like with him. She could do that to pass the time. She closed her eyes tight, tighter than she had before and imagined.