Hey, everyone! There was an official Elsword romance fanfiction contest on the phorums so I decided to enter with this little one shot. The word requirement was 1500 words but I managed to fit in 1496 words in the span of an hour. Phew, that was kind of hard. Anyways, enjoy this little Valentine's Day treat! I suggest listening to Aldnoah Zero Unreleased Track 17 at the *. If you read this on the forum, it will be slightly different as I had to use conjunctions to make it fit the word count.
Disclaimer: I do not own Elsword or any of its subsidiaries. This is a fan-based work of fiction. Rights to Elsword are owned by Nexon and KoG Games. I also use a quote from Fire Emblem: Awakening. I do not own Fire Emblem or its content. Rights to Fire Emblem are owned by Nintendo.
"Dear, it looks like Crow will not arrive for another day. They ran into some demon stragglers at Dead Man's Hill." The blonde elf smiled at the elderly man seated in the rocking chair, gently caressing his wrinkled hand with her smooth palms.
"Ah… Well, he is a busy boy. And maybe that is for the best…" With methodical motions, a claw of glittering steel softly laid itself across her hands. At this touch, she finally tore her eyes from the interlaced fingers and focused on the man's face.
A pair of drooping, golden eyes gazed into her brilliant green irises tenderly and a small smile played across his weathered lips. His face, before defined and sharp like a blade, was withered and his head and small beard of grey hair did nothing to help any sort of youthful image. But those occasional battle scars from conflicts past that were carved into his flesh signified his experience and former ferocity.
"Raven… Are you sure that is alright? He is your son. Don't you want to see him on-"
"Our son. The boy does not need to see his old man like this…" He softly, but firmly interrupted her, to which she nodded slightly in understanding. She laid her head on his chest, listening to the weak beat of his heart.
After a few moments of soft silence, his weary voice broke it. "I have always wondered…" She turned her head to look him the eyes. "You said something in elvish before the ceremony. What was it, Rena?" Once again, a small, but handsome smile broke out across his lips. Was this really what he wanted in these last moments?
"I'm surprised you remember that, Raven. Well…"
She had no idea what she was doing.
It was perhaps the biggest day she had ever known in her long life and here she was, standing at the edge of the forest, debating if she should just run away. And in her wedding dress for that matter!
Now that she thought about it, Rena swept her eyes over her outfit. It was absolutely stunning. The elf thought the woman she saw in the mirror earlier was anyone but her. She looked gorgeous. Her bridesmaids even told her so. Aisha had more or less forced out her compliments in between her sobs.
But when she heard that Hagus was delayed in arriving to officiate the ceremony, Rena had decided it was the perfect opportunity to step away from the wedding and found herself wandering to the edge of the forest. Her emerald orbs gazed deep into the shadows of the branches, contemplating the best route of escape from… something.
The Grand Archer could not describe this feeling. She was happy, happier than she had ever felt before. But why did she feel her heart twist whenever she looked at his smiling face? She could not place this feeling of dread that gripped her so tightly.
She was not worried about his state of mind, not at all. The man she was set to marry had cast aside the power of his nasod arm in favor of the fencing he was taught when he was a Velder knight. The Blade Master had even refined his technique into something entirely unique and original, a fencing style no swordsman could mimic. And this zenith of his skill came from his own work ethic and tireless pursuit of redemption, not from the power some metal arm gave him.
Was she worried about his health? Of course she was. Even with his new style and experience, he still put himself on the front lines of the ElGang, no matter how dangerous the foe.
Numerous brushes with death came to mind, but that was not all she remembered.
She remembered the pain etched across his face on their first meeting. She remembered his tale of how he lost everything he loved, including his fiancée. She remembered… the taste of his lips on hers. That was the day they swore to always be there for one another. They just never tied the knot until now – here – in Ruben, where her journey began.
She listened to the wind whistling through the trees and picked up a faint song. It was… very familiar. It was like a bird call, the pitch rising and falling like a sparrow diving through the air. It was one of her favorite calls of nature, so she found herself whistling along with it.
Eventually, it stopped. "The birds know that one, huh? Clever little guys."
"I thought they did a lovely job." She answered the voice on instinct. An awkward silence followed. Then the gears in their heads clicked. "Huh!? R-Raven!?"
"R-Rena!? What are you doi-" She heard him on the other side of the tree to her back, likely in his suit, and she blurted out without thinking.
"NO! Don't look!"
"What!? Are you naked!?"
"NO! I am in my dress! You are not supposed to see the bride before the wedding, right!?" She curled up into as small of a ball as she could, afraid that he would peek around the trunk at a moment's notice, but her warning seemed to serve its purpose.
"Uh, right. What are you doing here, Rena?" The man called out from behind the tree.
*"I…" That feeling came back, that ominous dread. "I don't know. When I heard Hagus was running late, I came here…" The forest floor became very interesting to the elf. "I just feel… afraid. I don't know how else to put it."
Her mind immediately started shouting 'foul,' so she quickly continued. "Not that I feel like you will hurt me or anything. It is... a different kind of fear… I don't know…" She felt like she knew the answer, but it was evading her.
That was when he answered. "You're afraid of the difference in our lifespan, aren't you?" It was all clear to her now.
Yes. That was what she feared. She dreaded the day she would have to bid him farewell as she continued on. Years of happiness only serving to pave the way to an eternity of loss she did not want to feel.
She now knew what she dreaded, but what was he doing out here?
She decided to ask. "Yes… I suppose that is it. But what about you, Raven? Why are you out here?" She heard the Blade Master shift awkwardly behind the tree.
But he did not leave her hanging for long. "I… lost so much before. Now that I have found something this precious again, I fear I may lose it… again… just like last time…" The demons of his past had come to haunt him. "I came here to clear my head… and maybe run away…"
That last bit made the elf want to wheel around the tree and smack the man in the face, but she didn't want him to see her in this dress. Not yet, at least.
But, then she thought about it, and a light giggle leaked from her lips. "So that's it. Raven, are you worried about being left alone again?" A fair enough question, but the answer was what she loved about him.
"No. I don't want to see you hurt. I can deal with being alone. I can't deal with seeing the woman I love suffer, no matter what form it takes." He spoke with such resolution. He was serious.
And that was when her insecurities fluttered away like a flock of butterflies. "Raven…" She leaned up against the trunk and closed her eyes. "Close your eyes for me…"
She gave him a couple of seconds before she spun around the tree and planted her lips on his in a passionate kiss. His eyes squeezed tight, trying so very hard not to open. But he did not resist.
Only after their lips parted did she speak once more, this time in her native tongue. "Naneun geugeos-i seolo salang , naneun geu gwageo segye ui umjig-im-eul bol su iss-eoyahabnida algoissda. Geuleona ileohan jjalb-eun nyeon salgo yeong-won gachiga habnida." She set her head on his strong chest and muttered one last phrase. "Thank you, Raven… I love you…"
"It means… 'I know that to love another, I must watch the world move past him. But such short years make an eternity worth living…' It was an elvish saying that advised us to enjoy the small moments in our lives." She watched his reaction. His eyes were fluttering closed as he struggled to move his aged mouth.
"Ah, I see… That's what it meant. I am so glad I fell in love with you…" His eyes finally closed and his breathing slowed. "Thank you… Rena…" Like a spring breeze, his last breath was peaceful and warm. His heart stopped beating. But he left her with one final gift.
The smile she loved was left on his face and her tears fell on his lifeless hands.
"Thank you, Raven…"
I think I am sucker for this pairing for a lot of reasons, but let's not get into that. As I mentioned in the opening note, the "elvish" Rena speaks is a Korean translation of "I know that to love another, I must watch the world move past him. But such short years make an eternity worth living." Now this is what comes out in Google Translate, so it is probably not the best translation out there. Please Read and Review this one-shot, and if you would like to see what other people have been writing for this contest, please check out the Valentine FanFic Contest on the official NA Elsword Forum. The contest ended and this story was one of five runner-ups! Go me! Until next time!