Rouge et Blanc

I was surprised at first when he suddenly jerked up and wrapped his arms around me. I rested my chin on his shoulder. His breath was slightly raspy. Gradually our breathing synchronized and our hearts pounded together. I reluctantly broke the silence.

"Folken, are you alright?" I asked pulling away slightly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to," He let go of me rather abruptly. I was slightly disappointed; I enjoyed having his muscular arms wrapped around me and pulled up against his chest. I was about to respond to his apology when I caught the sight of his wings. They were completely white now and they were beautiful. I couldn't resist and reached out to stroke them. He jumped in surprise when my cold fingertips brushed against his soft feathers.

"Does it hurt when they come out?" I asked quietly raising my head to look up into his eyes.

"The first time it was painful but after a while I got used to it. I should probably close them now" he said sitting up straighter. In a moments glance, his wings were gone and skin appeared where they once were.

"Beautiful flowers." Grandma Rose replied behind my back.

"Yes, my favourite are the red ones."

"Red is love, do not be afraid of it my dear."

"What do you mean?"

"I know that in your heart you don't wish to be alone,"

In that second, the last words of my grandmother echoed in my head again as I held up a red rose. I knew Grandma Rose had a husband but he died in an accident when they were still young. How did she go on in life knowing she had lost her one true love?

"Shayla, I fetched us some water," Folken's voice drifted from behind me.

I turned around in the wooden stool and raised a hand to block the sun from my face. One full season had passed. We spent a couple of months locked in the house from the harsh weather and then the snow melted and spring arrived. We were very busy with the harvesting of my garden. All sorts of fruits and vegetables grew as well as my herbs. I went into town occasionally and saw Keith a couple of times. During this time, Folken and I had become close sharing our past together. He told me of Fanelia and his work in Zaibach. I realized my past rather reluctantly but he was patient never forcing me.

"I don't remember much of my early childhood but I remember a fire when I was still small. A couple rescued me but abandoned me in the snow and that's how I came to live here."

"Why would they leave you if they saved you?"

"I am not sure there was an argument between them and they decided the best way to get rid of me was to 'accidentally forget about me'"

"That is wrong, how could they be so cruel!" Folken blurted out.

I touch the tips of my fingers to his cheek, a habit that I would do every so often. Each time he would meet my eyes and then his eyes would soften from his harsh stern glance. But this time, he took my hand into his.

"Your hands are always cold," he noticed. Skin to skin, his fingers curved around mine.

"It's the way I am" I shrugged.

"Shayla, did you hear me?" I snapped back from the past.

"Sorry, I was thinking. I just found this gorgeous rose," I said holding it out for him to sniff. He leaned forward and buried his nose into the petals.

He straightened up and looked over to the patch of where the flowers grew.

"How come that's the only rose that is red?"

"It means a special day has come," I replied staring up at the clouds. They moved swiftly forming new shapes around the clear blue sky.

"Shayla, is something wrong?"

I turned back to Folken and smiled.

"No, it's just that when Grandma Rose took me in, I knew nothing about myself so she had the first bloom of a red rose to be the date of my birthday."

"I don't know what that was like for you but it gives me an excuse to give you a gift for everything you have done," he stated standing up.

"You don't have to do that!" I protested.

"But it's your birthday, you just stay right here and enjoy the weather," he suggested turning to leave.

"What are you planning?" I asked suspiciously.

"It's a surprise," He smiled for the first time in months. I stared at his back and could help being overpowered by the strong connection I felt for him. In the farthest corner of my mind, I wondered if he felt the same way for me.

Several hours later I emerged from the back door to catch Folken down on his hands and knees scrubbing the floor.

"Well I never expected this," I announced.

He glanced up in surprise and he slipped. I ran forward to help him but ended up slipping down as well. We both tried to help each other stand up but ended up on the ground. He reached out and tucked a wisp of hair behind my ear.

"Come see your surprise," he said standing up and offering his hand. I let him take my weight into his and clutched onto his left arm. I gasped as he led me through the doors to the dining room. Lighted candles surrounded the room. The windows had been shut and draped. The table was set with two sets of dishes on either side with a vase full of roses and the red rose was in the middle.

"Folken, this is wonderful!" I impulsively hugged him. As soon as I pried my limbs from his, he held out a seat for me.

"Where did you learn to cook like this?" I remarked letting the flavours dance on my tongue.

"Actually I learned to cook when I was in training." he answered.

"Grandma Rose started teaching me everything as soon as she took me in: cooking, sewing, washing, medicine even swordsmanship."

"Did she ever teach you how to dance?" he asked standing up again and presenting himself in front of me.

"Only a little," I admitted as he took my hand and lifted me up.

"I'll teach you a popular Fanelian dance," he coaxed me into the wide-open space between the two main tables.

"One, two, step and three four twirl…" he repeated the counts over and over. Pretty soon, I was dancing with him. I felt like I was floating in mid-air. I looked into his eyes and thought of the time when he lived as a prince.

"This has been wonderful!" I exclaimed.

"I'm glad you are happy," he replied.

My eyes shined and my cheeks were flushed. He looked more handsome under the light. The illumination reflected on his hair. I reached out and planted a kiss on his lips. It wasn't a very good kiss; I rather just mashed my lips against his. I took a huge step back as I broke from him.

"Why didn't I ask Grandma Rose about any of this?" I mumbled to myself.

I saw shadows close in on me. I looked up to see an amused look on Folken's face. My heart dropped slightly. I let my eyes drift to the ground but felt my chin being brought up. Folken cupped my face in his hands.

"Kiss me like this," he whispered and touched his lips to mine. I tasted the sweetness of his lips and my head began to spin. I tried to remember every single detail of the kiss: the way his lips pressed to mine and the flicker of his tongue against mine. We broke off breathless. I stared into his eyes and wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him in again.

I turned to my side and stretched. A smile formed recalling last night's events as I touched my fingers to my lips.

"Come in," I said propping up on my elbows hearing knocking on my door.

Folken came in with a red rose.

"Good morning,"

"Good morning," I said accepting his rose. I stroked the petals gently with my fingers.

"Shayndel about last night," he broke the silence and I blushed. Not because of the kisses we shared but of way he said my name.

"Folken, I don't know if you noticed that I feel this… connection when I am with you. I don't know if it has anything to do with me saving you but last night…" I paused to touch his cheek again.

"Shayndel," his eyes wondering around before settling back onto my face. "For ten years, I felt nothing but despair. You brought me back from life… I owe you my whole life and I am falling in love with you… I never felt anyway like the way when we are together. Will you be mine?" His question was something I had always dreamed of.

"Yes," I said softly. Why didn't I say I was falling in love with him?

That didn't matter because Folken smiled again and I knew that smile was for me and he leaned forward for a kiss. I grasped onto him inhaling his scent. My ears went sharp and heard the crunching sound from a distance. When our kiss ended, I got off the bed standing in front of the window.

"Keith's coming, I should probably get dressed."