Sometimes Mystina found herself wondering why she didn't just wash her hands free of the mess that was Lezard's love life. It wasn't as though he thanked her for her help, in fact on occasion he went out of his way to be rude towards her. Locking her allergy prone form in a roomful of flowers being one of the worse of his transgressions. He almost never said a kind word to her and he always rushed her along, making impossible demands when it came to educating Lenneth.

But, and she was loathe to admit this, curiosity was part of the reason she stayed. Her curious nature stayed her hand, kept her from blasting the door and just leaving. It kept her around when things took a turn for the weird, Lenneth actually starting to warm up towards Lezard. It was a gradual thing, the melting of the Valkyrie's heart, but little by little a change came over her.

If asked to pinpoint when the change happened, Mystina didn't even have to think on it. She'd promptly answer that it was the night Lenneth had spent alone with Lezard. She didn't know what he did, or how he accomplished such a feat, but something had changed between the two. She could still picture the scene vividly in her mind, of Lezard escorting Lenneth back to the bedroom. He had given Mystina a sheepish grin, bidding a quick good night to Lenneth as he graced the back of her hand with his kiss.

He had then fled from the room, almost as though the hounds of Hel were nipping at his heels, as though he couldn't stand to be around Lenneth any longer. Mystina had thought that meant the date had proven a small disaster, and she remembered the smirk on her face as she turned to question Lenneth. How quickly the expression died on her lips, seeing the half dreamy smile on Lenneth's face, the girl moving on unsteady feet towards her vanity. She surprised the mage with her giggles, brushing her fingers against the flowers, inhaling their scent.

She was, Mystina was slow to realize, more than a little drunk, walking tipsy eyed around the room, humming a song underneath her breath. At first Mystina was willing to write it off as a night of drunken debauchery, thinking whatever had happened, the Goddess would be sure to regret come the morning. That sadly was not the case, Lenneth being bright eyed and perky when Mystina came to visit her the next day. She smiled a lot more, and she seemed to throw herself into her studies, showing an eagerness that had not been there before in learning Norse.

Once Mystina came upon her in the midst of studying a piece of browned parchment, sighing wistfully as her eyes traveled over the words on the page. When Mystina asked her what it was she was reading, Lenneth merely offered a mysterious smile, tucking the paper inside her dresser drawer.

If possible, Lezard started spending even more time by Lenneth's side, sometimes even sitting in on their language lessons. Mystina couldn't put her finger on it, but his presence annoyed her, the mage being bothered by his attempts to learn Itlandic. He didn't slack off, or offer any unwanted distractions from the lesson, proving to be serious about his study of the language. And yet his insistence at attending the lessons irritated her nerves to the point of snapping angrily at anything he said.

She didn't let her irritation keep her from noticing the way Lezard and Lenneth sat near each other, knees touching, or the way the girl allowed him to sneak touches with his hand. It wasn't long before she walked in on them, their heads bowed close together as they studied a book placed between them, Lezard's hand idly playing with Lenneth's hair.

Neither one even looked guilty when Mystina slammed the door closed, merely straightening and moving apart from each other. That had Mystina gritting her teeth in annoyance for days, displeased to see Lezard succeeding in what she thought was impossible.

Lezard was also giving Lenneth more freedom, no longer locking the bedroom door on her. The Goddess was free to roam the many areas of the tower, knowing to stay well away from locked doors. She often went to visit Lezard of her own accord, coming to see him in the library or his work room, sharing private smiles with him, and whispered words that drew her closer to him and farther away from Mystina. The mage was saddened to see Lenneth growing less and less dependent on her, becoming more and more comfortable with Lezard.

It was almost like losing a friend, Lenneth delighting in spending more and more time with Lezard. She also remained tightlipped on the topic of the necromancer, choosing to guard her feelings when it came to discussing if she was falling in love with the man. All the signs pointed to yes, Mystina watching in disbelief as Lezard continued to foster a close relationship with the Goddess.

Flowers continued to fill the room, as did expensive dresses, and a multitude of twinkling jewels. He went to extravagant lengths to spoil Lenneth, and she let him, enjoying the attention and gifts he bestowed on her.

Greater freedoms were afforded her, Lezard taking her outside the tower to explore the woods on several occasions. He wouldn't let her leave his sight, and she made no move to flee, content to remain at his side.

And still after witnessing all this, Mystina nearly choked on her surprise when Lezard came bursting into her room at the collegium. "I did it Mysty!" He shouted, barely even flinching as he crashed into a stack of books piled messily on top of each other. "I did it!"

"Did what Lezard?" Mystina asked, arching a yellow eyebrow at him as the books noisily slammed into the floor. She sighed, seeing one overturned book spill it's place holder onto the floor, another tossing up her notes in an unorganized pile.

"She said yes Mysty!!" Lezard said, purple eyes shining with excitement. He practically vibrated in place, so ecstatic was he, holding the door open as curious students eyed the disheveled young man who stood in the doorway of Mystina's room.

"Come in here and close the door!" Mystina hissed, rising to pull him inside. He gave her a happy grin, allowing her to move him. She quickly shut the door, and turned to eye him, voicing her question. "Now what exactly did Lenneth say yes too?"

But Lezard was dancing in place, spinning around to hug a shocked Mystina. "She said yes!" He repeated, his voice a loud shout in her ear, causing the blonde to wince.

"That's great." Mystina sighed, rolling her eyes. "Lenneth is capable of saying a lot of words. This is news how?"

Lezard pulled back to look her in the eyes, his expression deadly serious. "She finally said yes to my proposal!"

"Oh...OH!!" Mystina's eyes widened in shock as the magnitude of what the necromancer was saying hit her. "That's..."

"Wonderful, fantastic, outstanding!" supplied Lezard, filling in the gap where she trailed off. Mystina merely nodded, and offered him a weak smile, still not believing this was true. Lezard laughed and embraced her again, almost lifting her up off the floor in a huge bear hug.

"Let's not get carried away..." Mystina began, pushing out of Lezard's arms. "Are you sure she agreed to marry you?"

"Of course I'm sure!" Lezard snapped, unwilling to let Mystina put a damper on his mood. "I gave her a ring and everything!"

"You're always giving her jewelry!" protested Mystina. "Perhaps Lenneth just thought it was another bauble."

"No." Lezard shook his head, still smiling. "She knew what it was for. And she gave me her consent. We're to get married immediately!"

"Great..." Mystina said, her lack of enthusiasm lost on the necromancer. "How soon is immediately?"

"Tonight!"

"Tonight?!" Mystina exclaimed, shaking her head in disbelief. "What, are you scared she'll change her mind?" Lezard fell quiet at that, no glib answers or irritated retort to her sarcastic question. She realized that was in fact the very thing he feared, hoping to marry the Goddess before she changed her mind. "Oh Lezard..." Mystina moaned, bringing a hand to her face. "If you're that unsure about her commitment to you, then you shouldn't be marrying her!"

"I love her!" Lezard said stubbornly.

"But does she love you?" Mystina wanted to know, not wanting to see either one trapped in a loveless marriage.

"She cares for me." He sounded defensive, a hint of stubbornness to his tone. "She likes me Mysty, and if she doesn't love me yet, she will soon enough!"

"Then wait for her to be certain." Mystina advised, seeing his face twist into an angry scowl.

"I thought you'd be happy for me!" He snapped, waving an arm angrily through the air. "Happy for us!"

"I am!" She protested, knowing it was all a lie.

"Then why don't you sound like it?!" Lezard demanded, staring at her. "Mystina I worked so hard for this...please...please don't ruin it." His eyes were practically begging her, Lezard staring at her as he whispered.

"I won't." Mystina sighed, bowing her head, her blonde hair falling forward to brush at her shoulders. "What is it you want me to do?"

"Stand up for us." Lezard was quick to answer. "Neither one of us has many friends aside from you and Bellion. Lenneth and I both want you there for the ceremony,

to bear witness to it."

"All right." Mystina gave a nod of her head. "What else?"

"Well...you could come along with me to the stores. Lenneth wants a proper wedding dress, something classy and traditional. I believe the word she used was elegant." Lezard said, reaching into his coat pocket. He brought out a piece of paper, shaking it open, and Mystina could see his messy handwriting splattered across the page. "There's a lot to do, and so little time. Let's see...there's the cake...and we needs two rings sanctified by a priest."

"Those do not have to be fancy." Mystina interrupted, reaching for the list. "Simple gold bands will suffice as a sign of your commitment to each other." Her eyes scanned over the list, nodding at the things written down on it. "We don't have much time if we want to get all of this done by tonight. But..." She couldn't help smiling back at Lezard, a kind look in her eyes. "If we split up and hurry, we might just make it!"

"Agreed." Lezard said, looking relieved. "I'm glad I can count on you Mystina."

"Sure, anytime...as long as it's for Lenneth's happiness!" Mystina laughed, and stepped towards her closet. She pulled out a cloak, sliding it over her shoulders, slipping the list into her skirt's pocket. "Let's go." He already had the door open when she turned, causing Mystina to laugh. "Lezard..." She paused, a thought occurring to her. "I didn't see mention of a priest or a church on your list..."

"Ah...do not worry, I already have a man chosen for the job." Came Lezard's mysterious answer, a twinkle in his eyes. "After all, next to the bride and groom, the priest is the most important part of the ceremony!"

"Hmm, if you say so." Mystina said, wondering how Lezard intended to get a priest on such short notice. Little did she know she'd be displeased to learn just what lengths Lezard would go through to ensure his marriage to Lenneth happened.

--

To Be Continued!
Michelle

Kaelin! Yay! You're still reading! Yes, thank goodness he finally wore her down!! I worry it might seem a little too fast, but in my mind, and I hope I conveyed it right with Mystina's thoughts, quite a bit of time has now gone by from their date happening, for them to get closer and closer. After the wedding, there will be a time skip to get to the next dramatic point of the story. But shhh!! No spoilers, you'll just have to wait and read! XD