1.
"Thanks for the meal, Evan, it was delicious."
Evan looked up and smiled at his father's long-time customer, an old man named Craven. Craven's crinkled eyes beamed as he waved goodbye and exited out the small noodle shop. Evan sighed, wiping his forehead and looking out the window to see a setting sun. Exhausted from a long day at work, he hung up his apron and went into the back to change. He glanced over at his watch, excitement beating quickly in his heart as he realized that his date with Lily was finally going to happen in thirty minutes.
Lily...
He had been head over heels for her ever since they were in primary school. Lily was the most beautiful girl in their small Ionian town, and was even rumored to be Irelia's god-daughter. She had long flowing blonde hair and milky pale skin with long graceful fingers.
They were finally happening.
He closed up shop, and made his way to the small dessert place where they would meet. It would take him ten minutes to get there, and he stretched his arms as he walked, his dark brown eyes observing the cooling day. After he blinked, he saw none other than Soraka in one of the small gift shops. Soraka had been a family friend for ages now, and she was revered in Ionia in general.
"Soraka!" Evan popped his head in with a bright smile. Soraka looked up from the row of small glass figurines, and smiled graciously at the young boy's greeting. "Evan," she said affectionately, walking over and hugging him, "How are you, dear?"
"Good," he laughed, "What brings you to town, priestess?"
She gave an airy laugh and said "I'm here to rest for a while."
Evan detected a hint of something tragic in her voice but didn't press on any further. Instead, they engaged in small talk for a little before parting ways. As he walked back, he wondered about the strange feeling but instead shrugged it off.
There she was. Lily sat at a table in the dessert shop, her pretty face tilted on her hand and her brown eyes staring absently downwards. He swallowed his breath, before inhaling anxiously and walking in. The bell rang softly as he entered, and Lily looked up, her lips spreading in a smile as soon as she met him.
"Hi Evan." She said.
"Hi Lily." He smiled as he sat down in front of her, taking the menu and studying it. They sat in silence until the waitress, Sonia, came over and asked them for their order. Evan frowned and pointed to a large brownie sundae, asking "Sonia, does this look like it's a little too big for one person?"
Sonia nodded, and replied "Yeah, do you two want to share it?"
They answered no and yes at the same time. Evan looked anxiously over at Lily, his heart beating as he realized how much he messed up. "Well, we don't have to share then… I guess I'll just have this instead." He pointed to the much smaller vanilla ice cream. After the waitress finished taking their orders, she sauntered off and Evan turned awkwardly back to Lily, who was now staring boredly at the table.
She exhaled softly, and he frowned at the thought that she might have been bored with him.
"Soo…." He started. Lily looked up, "Hmm?"
"How was your day?" He smiled. She glanced to the side, her eyes still bored and unrelenting as she said "Fine." A pause passed by that was so awkward and cold that Evan just wanted to go home right there and then.
"How was yours?" She finally asked.
"Good!" He laughed, "It was kind of tiring working at my dad's shop, but he does want me to inherit it one day…"
"Oh?" Lily raised her eyebrows. Sonia arrived with their ice cream, setting the two small bowls on the table. Lily took a bite of her ice cream and didn't say a word. Jeez. It was like trying to pull an angry cat out from underneath the couch. She was not interested at all, was she? He felt himself sink inwardly, as he realized then and there how much time he had wasted liking her.
The rest of the date was miserable. The more questions he asked, the more reclusive she became until finally, Lily announced that she had to go. It was dark outside, and the Ionian stars glowed in the dim streets lit up by red lanterns. He walked her home, and then made to walk back to his own house where his family would be waiting for him.
He sighed as he made his way across the empty street, pulling his long fingers over the top of his head as he kicked himself inwardly for liking someone that turned out to be this… boring. She was beautiful, smart, popular and athletic… but she turned out to not really have a personality at all. Instead, Lily's only flaw was that she was boring.
He hated himself for realizing it this late.
A large gust of wind blew fiercely through the streets, making the lanterns sway back and forth frantically. Evan froze and looked backwards, at the direction of the gust. But there was nothing.
He walked again, his footsteps echoing in the silence as he made his way home. However, he looked up at the entrance to the town and saw a strange figure by the gate. It was the lean figure of a girl with long silver hair that fell around her waist. She didn't seem to notice his presence, as she turned to look back once more at the town and made her way out of the gate.
"Hey, wait!" Evan ran after her, certain that if this young girl walked out of town so late at night that she would get kidnapped by bandits or mauled by wild animals. He chased her fading figure into the distance for twenty minutes until he found himself out in the dark woods, his shirt drenched with sweat. She was gone, and he was completely alone in these woods.
After five minutes of trying to find his way out, he realized with a pang of panic that he was lost.
2.
Though he had been searching for the last hour, Evan still didn't find a way out of the ever darkening forest. Insects chirped in the distance as he sat dejectedly under a tree, his sore legs pulled up to his chest. Oh boy, he thought, I'm in trouble… The white moon stared back at him from the sky, as if beckoning him to come home. He felt his stomach grumble, and winced.
After a little more rest, he forced himself to stand up and look for his way out yet again. He walked a little more and began to see a strange rocky path leading somewhere into the woods. That was a start, at least. Evan walked on the path, his footsteps crunching against the leaves and grass. The white path led into an iron gate that was heavily shrouded by the surrounding bushes and hedges.
He pulled apart the rose bushes, wincing as their thorns cut against his fingers, as the gate opened in front of him with a low screech.
"What the…" His mouth dropped as he saw that this gate led to a sharp cliff overlooking the sea. He stepped a little closer, his body trembling as he looked up to see a strange shape up in the sky.
"What is that…?" He muttered.
Suddenly, another large gust of wind blew Evan off his feet, whirling him towards the gaping cliff. He cried out as he whipped over the cliff. His hand roughly grabbed onto the very edge of the land as he tried to pull himself back up. He swallowed, his heart beating anxiously inside of his chest as he tried to pull himself up.
Through the thinning fog, his eyes made out a castle floating eerily in the sky. "Help!" He bellowed, his voice echoing into the emptiness and whistling winds. There was no response. He felt his fingers start slipping off the edge of the cliff, until finally, he was plummeting downwards, the gust whipping furiously against his back and the motion whistling like angry ghosts in his ears.
Dots filled his vision, as he suddenly blanked out.
3.
Evan sat up with a rush, his eyes wide with fear and confusion. He looked around to see a beautifully furnished bedroom with four wide windows glimmering with light. The room shined magnificently, and the bed he was laying in was exquisite with various silk and cotton sheets. It was a large bed, actually, and could fit three people easily. The room itself was large, with wide ceilings overhead and stone floors. A large pink desk sat by the wide double doors, and it was littered with papers, books and most peculiarly, stuffed animals.
He got out of the bed slowly, wondering where he was. Heaven? He thought. He walked over to the window and looked outside, crying out and falling backwards when he saw that there was no floor outside this strange place. After a moment's hesitation, he got up and walked slowly over to the window again to look out. It couldn't be…
There really was no ground outside, just an endless expanse of fluffy white clouds. So I really am in Heaven, he thought. The door opened, and he turned around sharply to see a tall and slim girl with ivory white hair that spilled around her shoulders. They stared at each other in silence. "Who are you?" Evan asked. A slow smile spread her face, as she looked up and said that her name was Syndra.
He squinted his eyes, "Syndra."
"Where am I?" he finally asked, walking over to her. He stared into her brilliant purple eyes as she took a pause and said "You're in my castle."
"Oh." He laughed, "That makes sense. Everything makes sense now. So I've really died after all."
Her hands linked around his, as he looked up to scan her face. She had an angelic face, and much more beautiful than any other girl he had ever seen. Even Lily? He thought.
Lily was attractive, but she didn't compare to this stranger.
"So… what am I doing here?" He asked, a shy grin spreading his face as they clasped hands.
"You're here to be my husband." She said grimly.
He let go of her hands, "Wait what? Your husband?" Syndra crossed her arms and replied "Yes. You owe your life to me, and now you're my property."
"Property!" He gasped.
Syndra just smiled, her eyes affectionate and full of grace.
"Do you even know my name, Syndra?" Evan asked, his head spinning with bewilderment. When she didn't reply, he said "It's Evan. See. We just met and now you want to propose to me." He sighed, sitting on the bed with his hands clasped over his knees and his head tilted towards the window, "You're really cute and all, but I don't think we can get married."
There was a thickening pause.
"I don't think you have a choice." Syndra simply replied. He turned slowly to meet her gaze, and realized, as they locked eyes, that he probably didn't have a choice or an escape. No, he just had this strange girl who stood in front of him telling him that he was going to be married to her. That was stranger than anything else… even waking up in a castle that was in the sky.