Emelia's Admirer
-By Take Me New
Her name was Tamra, and she was a simple employee of the local item shop. She didn't have a face that could be easily remembered, nor did she make a point of being known to the public. She kept quiet, and she kept to herself. She was a shy woman of nearly thirty, and though the years had been kind to her she didn't quite have the perfect form to be taken care of. Her hips were slightly wide and her breasts were quite small, and though she was far from fat she was a little larger than the thin ones that so often ran around and made a spectacle of herself.
Perhaps she was so little known because of her appearance, a plain face with average brown hair that hung to the middle of her back, dull brown eyes and a nose a bit too small for her face. Her normal looks combined with her aforementioned body could easily push one into the shadows, not taunted but not recognized, not insulted but not revered.
Or perhaps she was so little known because of who she was. She was of no real importance to the town or the travelers that would come around Greenhill, she had no advice to offer and no wares of her own to pedal. At thirty years she was an employee, and for the rest of her life she would be the same. The town would not mourn her passing, and at times she questioned whether anyone would.
Or maybe her name was unknown because of what she had to say. When she met new travelers or simply spoke to old friends, few things laid on her lips than the praise of Emelia, the local librarian and a front running member of the Greenhill college's faculty. When asked about her Tamra would speak countless admiring words, speaking of her beauty and also of her intelligence. It was a local rumor that Tamra was enamored with the librarian, and though it was mostly true the effects of the rumor caused an unfair stigma in Tamra's life. Though she searched for a lover she found only denial, from the men in the bars and the men in the town. She was denied by them all, but she never stopped talking the words that gave her the reputation she held.
She lived in a tiny shack on the far edge of town, inaccessible from the main roads and a good bit out of the normal paths. It was in this one bedroom shack that Tamra felt secure, within the confines of her one and only home. It was modestly decorated with the bounties of a shop cashier's wages, with a few long plants and one or two cheap tapestries. A single chair sat at a table big enough for one, and a small bed was neatly tucked, as if prepared to be seen by visitors that never seemed to come. It was a lonely shack, and Tamra was a lonely woman.
It was with a soft creek that Tamra sat down upon her chair, its wood was near rotted and soon it would be time to buy another. Atop the table sat a bowl of crude soup and a tiny glass of liquid, a thick brown fluid that was the best Tamra could afford. With her head held low and draped in the silence of her home, she ate, sadly, as she did every night. Spoon after spoon she fit the soup into her mouth, occasionally having to chew an unverifiable piece of meat that had found its way into the broth. A few swallows and then a sip of drink, and her repetitive eating fashion was then continued.
Before she had reached the middle of her meal; however, a knock was heard upon her door. Silently she murmured to herself about traveling peddlers or pestering churchgoers, and for a moment sat in wait, hoping that the knocks would simply subside. Much to her chagrin they continued, and at last Tamra stood up, and began to approach the door. With a careless toss she flung it open, and frowned towards the figure that stood in the door jam. Her frown fell away; however, as her eyes focused in the faint darkness of the outside, and she could make out the figure of who she saw.
The librarian of Greenhill stood inside the door, still dressed in the attire that she wore to work each and every day. A black skirt fit down to right above her knees, and a tight fitting blouse of greens and whites was snug against her body. Glasses were perched upon bright green eyes, and lightly framed amidst mildly tan hair. The librarian smiled at Tamra's shocked expression, and slowly reached out a hand in an effort to shake it.
"Tamra, is it?" Her words were quiet and friendly, and as she spoke them a smile beamed upon her lips, baring teeth that were startling white. Absently Tamra reached her own hand out, and gripped the thin fingers of Emelia within the slightly stronger fingers of her own hand.
"Y...Yes." She spoke, slightly dumbfounded. "What are you...uhm...what are you doing here, Emelia?" She blinked, and quickly shook her head from side to side, biting down hard on her bottom lip. She had never met Emelia before, and though her heart beat hard against her chest, she tried as best she could to beat down feelings that made her want to cry. She cursed herself for her idiotic tone, and tried immediately to correct the statement.
"I...I mean..." She began, though her tone was still less than intelligent. "What brings Greenhill's finest faculty member to my simple cottage?" Emelia smiled at the words and the tone, she seemed to be mildly entertained by the event. Her eyes closed and a faint blush appeared on her milk white cheeks. She let her hands fold down to her waist, and she spoke in the same friendly tone.
"Can I come in?" She requested, and to it Tamra could only give a slow nod as a response. Emelia walked in with casual ease, and after looking around the room briefly reached back to swing the wooden door closed. After she had shut it she regarded Tamra, who was garbed in a dirt brown tunic, with a white apron covering her waist. Emelia simply smiled, and reached up to adjust the frame of her glasses.
"I came to talk to you, actually." Her words were punctuated perfectly, the sign of high intelligence that Tamra found herself admiring so much. "You might have heard from around the town, but I'm leaving tomorrow to join a war. The Genkakku Army has requested my assistance, and I think that for the protection of Greenhill, it would be best if I went."
Tamra had heard the rumors, but it was the first she heard of any verifying statements. She stepped towards Emelia swiftly, her own hands reaching up, and bearing towards her own chest. She spoke with a familiarity that she probably shouldn't have used to the librarian, but she disregarded her mind and let her heart speak as it would.
"You're not a warrior!" She protested adamantly. "What can they expect you to do?" Emelia smiled wide, and gave a long, slow shrug of her elegant shoulders.
"Every castle needs a teacher." She stated quietly. "They have no one to teach the children of the soldiers, or to keep a record of the army's accomplishments. I can't assist them in battle, but my efforts may still help them towards victory." Without a word she reached out, and her fingertips were pressed up and into Tamra's cheek. Tamra immediately went stiff and cold, and her fingers were pressed down into tight fists. She went tense at Emelia's touch, even though her fingers were warm, and incredibly soft against her cheek. She could feel the blush of red fill her face, and her mouth dropped open, slightly. Emelia smiled at Tamra's reaction, and tilted her head as she observed it.
"I still haven't answered the question of why I'm here, though." She spoke the words softly, and as she did so her hands turned, so that her palm fit on top of Tamra's cheek. She held the other woman's face in her hand, and with a slow motion let her thumb cross gently back and forth, over the left side of Tamra's chapped, dry lips.
"I'm here to say goodbye." Emelia spoke gently, her voice as low a whisper as she could manage. "I came to say goodbye...to my secret admirer." Emelia then leaned forward, and without another word, pressed her lips upon Tamra's. The moist pink of Emelia's flesh pressed into the chapped pale of the other woman's, and she kissed her very tenderly. Their lips barely met as they rubbed gently upon one another, slowly and sweetly sharing a kiss. Suddenly Emelia's eyes opened wide, and she looked with surprise as she felt Tamra's cheek begin to fall from her palm. She watched the woman begin to slide away quickly, and fall back directly to the ground.
Tamra had fainted.
When her mind began to awaken, and her vision slowly returned, Tamra could see and feel that she was lying in her bed. Her hand suddenly reached up to an object she felt upon her forehead, and with relief she felt her fingertips fall atop a warm, wet rag. She pulled it from her head and gently tossed it aside, and then proceeded to look around her location. Her home looked untouched, save for the single table had been cleaned and the silverware put in their proper place. She reached down the length of her own body under the covers, and with surprise she felt her own flesh on her fingertips. Immediately she looked under the covers, and with a mild cry of surprise saw that her body was naked. Any stitch of clothing had been removed from her form, and her slightly larger body was exposed, save for the protection of the thin cotton blanket. She pulled it's length up tight around her neck, and looked around suspiciously while she tried to recall what had happened.
She remembered faintly Emelia, but anything past fingertips on her cheek had become a blur. Her mind had no recollection of a kiss, nor did it have a memory of her faint. Slowly she sat up in her bed, still keeping the blanket up around her neck. With another look around, she sighed, and bit down on her lip.
"She...she was here." Her voice whispered, lightly, and suddenly a drop of moisture could be felt rolling from her left eye and slowly down her cheek. "She...was here. With me. And I...I missed...it." Another trail of moisture was felt rolling down the other side of her face, and her teeth bit down harder upon her whitening lip.
"No...no..." She murmured to herself, and pressed her eyes into the palms of her hands. "I can't...I can't have missed it..."
Before she could break out into a mournful moan, her head was jolted upward at the sound of her front door opening. She cowered in mild fear for a moment before she saw the figure that emerged, and as she did so her mouth dropped wide open and her tears seemed to immediately dry up.
"Emelia!" She cried, and the librarian turned around, a smile playing on her lips.
"You're awake." She observed, and then began to walk more into the room. In her hands was a large leather bound book, that seemed to be nearly four hundred pages thick. She was dressed just as she was before, though she looked a little more tired, and her hair wasn't as neatly done. Slowly she placed the book upon the table, and stepped towards the bed where Tamra lay. She dropped gently down onto her knees by the head of the bed, and reached out with her right hand to press her palm against Tamra's forehead.
"I'm sorry I left." She spoke the words quietly. "But I had to get some things ready for my departure tomorrow." Her palm slowly began to course back and forth along the length of Tamra's skin, and Emelia slowly leaned forward to press a kiss upon the other woman's lips once more. The kiss was short and more of a pick this time around, and Tamra managed to stay conscious for its duration. Emelia's hand left Tamra's head, and she leaned into the bed's frame, watching the recently awoken woman.
Tamra blinked, and kept the blanket tight around her neck. She watched Emelia with a sad, sideways glance, and as she looked at her, a tear began to roll down her cheek once more. Her voice was weak and solemn, and her tone was that of failure.
"You're...leaving." She spoke, gently, and as she said the words she could feel goose bumps spring up on her chest. "So why come to me? I'm of no importance, Miss Emelia."
Emelia smiled faintly, and adjusted her glasses on her nose once again. Her cheeks could be seen showing a mild blush, and for a second her tongue trailed gently over her lips, moistening them.
"You're of importance to me, Tamra." Her words were slow and gentle, like words that were spoken to a child. She was about to speak more, but Tamra quickly cut her off, with words a bit less than tender.
"But why?" Her voice was nearly suspicious. "Why am I important? You don't know me...I don't know you. I'm just the woman who works at the shop. I'm the one all the men call names, because I always talk about you." She frowned deep, and Emelia simply countered with a smile just as loving.
"For five years, I've heard those rumors of a woman who's enamored with me." Emelia spoke gently, and her fingers returned to brush up and down Tamra's cheek once again. "But what was left out of the rumors was how the librarian of Greenhill is a romantic...and an admirer from afar is the kind of person she could see herself loving." Slowly Tamra's eyes went wide, and Emelia smiled, her voice dropping lower.
"I love you, Tamra." Her voice was gentle, and as the words were spoken Tamra felt as if her heart was going to burst. "Do you think it's strange? That I love you...even though I only just met you, no more than an hour ago?" Tamra quickly began to shake her head, and leaned her cheek into the touch of Emelia's palm.
"No, no..." She quickly reassured the other woman, as if her words were necessary to maintain the moment. "Because...I..." She paused, and then her hands flew out, to grab hold of Emelia's free hand. She clutched her fingers tightly in between her palms, and gripped them, never wanting to let them go.
"Because I love you." She spoke in just as gentle a tone as Emelia. "I've loved you...for...ever."
Emelia smiled, and rose her head to meet the other woman in the eyes. Her finger remained on the cheek of Tamra, and she smiled wide as she looked into her face.
"They're going to make fun of us, you know." Her words were truthful, and Tamra nodded to the acceptance.
"Because we're going on what we feel." She finished the taller woman's sentence, and smiled wide at the sound of her words. "But we'll know...we're the only two true romantics...left in the world." With that Emelia smiled, and pulled Tamra close for a long, slow kiss.
As Tamra kissed Emelia, her heart began to swell with passion. Her hands dropped the blanket and her body was exposed, but she cared not for the nudity, and simply drew her arms around the librarian she had loved for so long. Deep down her mind reeled with the possibilities and the denials, and a part of her wanted to make her pull away. Every time a doubt entered her mind, her heart beat it back with the promise of love, and the meaning of what it was to be soul mates. She loved Emelia...and Emelia loved her. They didn't have a reason, they didn't have a vast knowledge of one another. All they had was a love, a love that seemed to burst from within. Before long, Emelia had disrobed from the entirety of her outfit, and the two were left under the covers together.
Tamra set down the leather bound book that Emelia had brought with her, and sighed heavily. The words, the events, they were all that were left. Her mind was reeling...all she could remember was the kiss from Emelia, and then fainting. She had come to being awake just a few hours later, she gathered, and when she did so she was fully clothed and laying in her bed, despite what the book had said. When she had awoken she saw the book, just as it was described in the story, laying upon her table. It was all that remained of Emelia, a leather bound book that spoke words of an event that never really happened.
Tamra sighed, and absently fingered through the pages of the book. In her mind, it was hard to determine what was real and what never happened, but the best she could imagine was that she had fallen unconscious after Emelia's kiss, and simply awoke to a book laid on her table. She was confused...her head was nearly pounding, and her thoughts were discombobulated. Did Emelia leave the book? Did the love they spoke of truly happen? After a while she had decided that nothing of it was true, save for the first kiss she remembered first hand.
The book was heavy, but most of its pages were completely empty. Only the first two had been filled with the fictional story that took place with her awakening, but the rest were vacant, and rather disappointing. As she continued to flip through the empty pages, she came across a small piece of paper, wedged somewhere in between the pages, around the three hundred mark. With a suddenly rising heart Tamra reached in and snatched what seemed to be a note, and she let the book drop down to the ground with a heavy thud. She pulled its pieces apart and regarded it with interest, her heart pounding heavily within her chest as she read.
"Dearest Tamra," The note began. "This book is my gift to you, and I'm afraid it is all I have time to leave you. Though I must admit, your faint made this all much easier for me to do. The story I wrote on the first two pages is just the beginning of a wonderful love novel, the story of Emelia and Tamra, a tale of two women separated by fate. I am sorry to leave you without acting out what was described in the story's beginning, but my time right now is fleeting and I must be on my way. The rest of the story...is up to you, Tamra. These pages are blank...fill them with your own legend, the story of how we come together. Tell the story correctly, and we'll truly be able to make love with one another. I look forward to that day." As she read the note Tamra could feel her fingers tightening through a mixture of pain, and torment, and rage. She bit down hard on her bottom lip, and nearly began to tear the letter in half. As she turned it over to make the rip, she saw the spread of writing sprawled across the back. With a pessimistic heart, she read it, though as she did a smile grew upon her lips.
"Make the story come true. We're both romantics, Tamra. Let this be our story of love. I'll be waiting for you...in the final chapter."
Tamra sighed, and gently folded the note back up, to replace it within the folds of the book. Though she wanted to cry, her heart refused to let it. The message was clear, and her resolve had been set.
The next day, Tamra set away from Greenhill. She carried only with her the empty book, a small supply of potch, and a tiny backpack carrying some mild provisions. Though the woman she loved was in the castle of the Genkakku army, her heart led her in the opposite direction. She would fill the book up with her story...and when the final chapter came, she would come to claim her love.
Emelia wrote the words "soul mates" in the beginning of the tale. Tamra was determined to prove the words true. Without a second's pause or a doubting thought, she headed into the direction of the mountains to the north. Her own story had just begun, and all that she desired as a reward at the end, was the love of the woman she had admired for so long. She would prove to Emelia that they were meant to be, as two fated characters in the most romantic of fairy tales.
It was her time to make an impact.
The End
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