[Over at Sylthfarn's death site]
"Ugh...My head..." Sylthfarn groaned as he sat up slowly. "Owww..." He rubbed his temples then he looked around. "Hold on a minute..." He saw green trees around him. "Where..." He saw a soft blue sky. "Am..." He turned his head and saw the carriage that had knocked into him. "I?" Sylthfarn stood up very slowly, he was rather woozy he was feeling rather light headed as well.
"Ah, you are awake"
Sylthfarn turned around to see Merlin smiling at him. "Merlin? Where am I?" He whispered to his faithful friend who had been specializing in a certain magical ability. Merlin chuckled.
"Can you see for yourself? You're on the border edge between Calida and Viegald" He said simply which made Sylthfarn very confused. "Uhh...What?" He kept looking around. "Wh- How did..."
Merlin began to laugh. "I brought you back to life. I was asked to at least try by someone who filled your shoes, so to speak, awhile ago" The Master Wizard tilted his head. "How long ago?"
"About two years"
Sylthfarn nearly stumbled over. "Two years!?" Merlin nodded. "Everyone in Viegald was told you are dead. Until the young girl Merleawe told them not to give up hope that is" Sylthfarn was instantly curious again. "Merleawe?" Merlin smiled. "That's her name. She looked very much like you Sylthfarn, in fact, she was almost a perfect reflection of you"
Sylthfarn's eyes widened. "Nevermind that. We'd best be getting to the castle. Do you think you can walk?" Sylthfarn nodded. "Yeah..." He turned with Merlin as they began to walk back to the Kingdom of Viegald.
[Back at the Castle in Viegald]
Vaith smiled very widely as himself and Fern were about to suprise Merleawe, behind the door of the dance hall that Merleawe used to entertain guests and such.
Just as Merleawe was about to open the door, Fern swung it open and (near enough) pounced on the unsuspecting girl. Merleawe fell to the floor with a squeal as the other people in the castle yelled, "Happy Birthday!" At the top of their lungs.
After getting up off of the floor, helping Merleawe up and pushing her into the hall to her birthday...A boy raced into the dance hall. "Everyone! Everyone!"
They all turned their attention to the boy on the other side of the hall. "What is it Shira?" The boy began to wave his arms in the air like mad. "Merlin...Merlin..." He was panting from running for so long.
Merleawe smiled warmly at the boy. "Calm down...What is this about Merlin?"
The boy looked to Merleawe, then to the others in the hall. "Merlin's done it! By god he's done it!" He shouted at the top of lungs as best he could.
Merleawe clicked as soon as he said the first three words. "Does that mean, what I think it means!?" She asked the question all the hall people wanted to ask.
The boy nodded. "Yes! Yes!" He starting to smile very widely. "He's back! Merlin's back and he brought him with him!"
Fern was about to ask who the heck he meant when his eyes fell upon someone else's who was walking side-by-side with Merlin. He looked slightly out of it, but he was there none-the-less.
"My god..." Fern shot up in a flash. "Sylthfarn!?"
The entire crowd turned to Merlin who was stood next to, the one which Fern had shouted, The former Master Wizard.
Merleawe was the first, out of everyone again, to walk towards the pair.
Sylthfarn's gaze turned from Fern's directly to Merleawe's. 'Woah...She is my reflection...Its like looking into a mirror...' He thought as she stood in front of him.
Merlin leaned towards Sylthfarn's right ear. "She's never met you before" He whispered as Merleawe bowed to Sylthfarn several tiems. Then she did something very unexpected which everyone couldn't believe...
Merleawe lowered herself onto one knee in front of Sylthfarn. Before Sylthfarn or any of the other four could say anything to her however...
"I am thankful you are here, Master Wizard, I have done my very best to help this kingdom from being plunged into a civil war..." She said with so much respect that it made Yue's head spin...If that was impossible before...It was possible now.
Sylthfarn's mouth was agape. He had no idea that this girl, who looked like a civilian to his best guess, thought of him as though he was a royal king of his own right.
Fern, eventually caught up to Merleawe and put his hand on her left shoulder and lowered his head to her ears. "Merleawe. Sylthfarn gets rather embarresed if you do this kind of thing to him..."
Sylthfarn nodded his head while Merleawe shook her's. "Fern! You should be thankful he's back! Its a miracle! The Master Wizard has returned!" She kept her head lowered. "Please forgive me...I never thought I'd get to meet you Master...I...I..." She held back tears as she knelt there. All of her friends were looking on in shock and silence as they saw just what was going on.
Sylthfarn did one completely unexpected thing. He lowered himself to Merleawe's level and slowly put his hands on her's, making the girl gasp. "Merleawe. I am ever so greatful that you have helped to keep this kingdom in peace. I am not sure what would have happened if you hadn't done what you did. I can imagine it was a rather difficult challenge to rise to. Now, look at me"
Merleawe slowly rose her head. Sylthfarn saw that she was crying and smiled warmly, as you would if you were going to try to heal a young child's feelings. "I...I failed to be you Master Wizard...Please...Forgive...M-me!" She shouted as she fell into a very intense waterfall of tears.
Sylthfarn put his hands on Merleawe's shoulders. "Why would I forgive you...When there is nothing to forgive?"
Princess Seraphia's eyes widened. "Sylth..."
Merleawe felt the Master Wizard put his right hand under her chin. He then slowly rose her head to look at him in the eye. "Merleawe. Stop crying" He wiped away her tears with his left hand. "They used to say that a girl doesn't look like themselves if they cry...I can imagine you are full of life and energy...You are one nice girl, I can tell. Thank you for everything you have done"
Before Yue could say anything, Sylthfarn did another thing which was not only unexpected but shocking at the same time. Sylthfarn kissed Merleawe straight on the lips which stunned the life out of Merleawe, not to mention the whole crowd in the hall.
As Sylthfarn broke the kiss he looked at Merleawe, who looked like, she was shocked to her very core. "Syl...Sylthfarn..."
Sylthfarn kept smiling. "Come on. We've got to get you cleaned up. From the looks of it you've had a busy day. I'm surpised you haven't fainted yet" Merleawe was a racket fall of nerves.
[The following day]
Merleawe's 16th birthday had gone very well, if unexpected, she had even be permitted to dance with Sylthfarn! Something which no-one, not even the Princess, had done so far!
Sylthfarn had told Merleawe that her studies were very important. He even went so far as to say, that she could have a room in the castle, IF, and only IF she passed the tests well...As he would test her himself to see how much she improved.
The Princess pulled Sylthfarn into a small passage-way and whispered to him, "Sylth. I think it would be better if you married Merleawe" Sylthfarn's expression immediately changed to one of shock. "What?"
Seraphia giggled. "Have you not seen her lately? She doesn't stop talking about you! I bet ev-"
"Will you shut up about him already Merleawe!?" Both Sylthfarn and Seraphia heard Fern shout. "All I hear every, single, day is Sylthfarn this and Sylthfarn that!" They heard him storm past the passage-way that they were in.
Merleawe was tailing behind Fern. "But he's so nice! He's polite, smart...Intell-"
"SHUT UP!" Fern spun around as Merleawe stopped in front of him, opposite the passage-way were Seraphia and Sylthfarn were.
"I don't, EVER, hear you say nice things like that about any of us!" He nearly screamed. "Fern! He's...He's..." Merleawe began to fidget while Fern sighed angrily.
"Alright, alright. You want to marry him, I know that already! GOD! Anyone else would think you loved him to bits!" Fern spun around and began to run away from her. Merleawe was about to give chase when she caught a glimpse of the secret passage-way which Fern had showed her close.
Seraphia leaned to Sylthfarn. "Well? What do you think?" She whispered while Sylthfarn started to get a great big smile on his face. "You know what? I'll give it a shot..." Seraphia's eyes softed. "You realise that she's a civilian?" Sylthfarn nodded. "Yeah...I know"
Seraphia nodded. "Alright then"
Merleawe pressed the switch and looked down the passage-way. "Hello?" She began to walk down the passage-way. "Anyone here?"
Sylthfarn nodded at Seraphia. "Get going...Don't let her spot you" Seraphia nodded. "I got'cha"
While Seraphia raced into the back section of the castle, Sylthfarn stepped in front of Merleawe.
"Where ar-" Merleawe stopped walking as she was (literally) only an inch away from Sylthfarn's face. "Am I?" Merleawe began to blush and stutter. "I..W-..H-...A..." Sylthfarn chuckled lightly. "Let me close the passage-way" He pressed a switch to his left and turned to Merleawe as the light in the passage-way went very dark.
"Now then..." He closed the gap between them...AGAIN.
Merleawe was so stunned that she couldn't move...Not that she wanted to in this instance anyway.
It looked like her birthday had an unexpected surprise...Sure, it was only 1 day after, but she had never thought it would be like this!
Sylthfarn wrapped his arms around her waist while Merleawe's arms shot to his neck.
This was going to be one FUN evening.
'I am started to enjoy this already' Sylthfarn thought to himself as he began to commence what would be known in the magical kingdom as:- The courtship...
Let's just say... Sylthfarn was not only cheeky and had several high strung parts to his personality...And Merleawe wasn't just arrogant and ignorant...They both had...The time of their lives that night.
The only thing they were really worried about...Was the reaction of the Kingdom. Merleawe was concerned...Whereas Sylthfarn didn't really...Give a shit as he put it.
