A/N: A lot of the dialogue in-game was painfully sexist regarding Traditional Roles, but nonetheless I hope you enjoy the new chapters! The old one covered Meru's new life after leaving home, but I wanted to explore her life before living among Humanity, and imagine her old lifestyle as very stifling and rigid in a "respect your elders" and "women are generally silent" kind of way based on how she and Lenus both were wild spirits outside of their societies. I also always understood Meru to only LOOK younger than she was since Winglies always read to me as much longer lived than Humans, and she seemed overeager to explore the world and learn how people were outside of her forest to make up for that. For the purposes of this story they are all equivalent to being in their early twenties, with Guaraha being a couple years older than Meru.

I straight up do not remember what their houses or anything look like in detail and I'm taking creative liberties because I can. This fandom needs love and life, and thanks for enduring the writing and enjoying this slightly deviated AU, lol.

Tolten

Reader Discretion is advised

Content warning: implications of generational mating to survive, blatant sexism.

Chapter 2: Arrangements

It was just like any other day, the moon loomed high above with its aqua glow against the bright sky, and Meru was off at the springs with her childhood friend, Guaraha, enjoying the natural light that spilled in through the small canyonlike enclosure. The two were often found together, and the sight of them braiding each other's long white hair, swooshing their bare legs through the icy clear water or swimming together in the spring was not entirely unusual. The village whispered in hushed tones of gossip as all do, wondering on the propriety of two young adults spending so much time so closely together, casting quick assumptions and guessing at the potency of the hypothetical lineage between a prentice guard and healer who had both grown to be so comely. 'What roles would their children fill within the community? Have they already been trying? Surely, otherwise they wouldn't be so close…' and so on and so forth just out of earshot and behind closed doors, but if anyone were confronted about it any claims would be denied. The two were certainly aware of the rude and leering looks, and the wonderings of others, and did their best to ignore them.

Today was just the same for them as they leaned back on their hands wetfooted and giggling the minutes away.

"You know" she started after the laughter died down, swooshing her leg against his, "I think I'm going to miss you a little bit when you're off officially protecting the village edge with the others, you know, after your ceremony." She pointed to the warrior's braid she had just added into his hair for him and the long black bead nestled within it. He'd been learning it and showed her as well.

"Yes, the ceremony to recognize us should be soon…" Guaraha felt along the braid she had done behind his ear and smiled warmly at her, his deep mulberry eyes glittering before darting away down the spring. The clear cold water glittered along the surface in the warm sunlight, beams broken up by the mountain crags and forest's younger evergreens. Beyond them the great mountain inclined and stood soaking up the heat of the eastern sun. He didn't say anything for awhile, digging his fingers into the soft grass and soils beneath them. Meru waited in silence, letting the sounds of the spring and birds overhead fill the silence for a while longer, her woven pine earrings and braided high-ponytail swayed when she finally turned her head with impatience. She bumped his leg with hers again, more purposefully.

"Guaraha." She called quietly, then insistently, "Guaraha?"

Another moment passed in silence, the spring water gushing past their knees and the calls of birds were the only sounds surrounding them. She waited and waited until she was sure he wouldn't speak.

Finally he looked at her, "Sorry, Meru. I have a lot on my mind."

She never got to coax him into sharing it. Another adult had come with her children to play in the springs and called to the pair, and suddenly the conversation was over; they weren't alone anymore. Meru wanted to know what he had wanted to say, but she thought perhaps it was for the best, Guaraha was never so good with words anyhow. The two greeted the older woman as her small children ran past them to the spring, naked and giggling all the while.

"Hello Guaraha, Meru." She said, nodding and slipping down into the water beside them with a knowing smile, though why she thought she 'knew something' about them, they didn't understand. They never understood why the other adults thought they knew anything enough so as to be presumptuous of their lives.

"Your parents are looking for you, they're with the Elder and want you to come home right away."

They briefly exchanged looks before thanking her and getting up. Guaraha hesitated, chewing at his lip like he always did when he wanted to tell her something. It would have to wait, whatever it is. He busied himself with easily taking Meru up by the hand, brow still slightly furrowed, "Come on, we shouldn't keep them waiting."

Meru looked up at him before nodding in agreement, Guaraha was always ever so diligent.

She focused hard for a moment before a brilliant set of wings flashed out behind her. Guaraha immediately did the same, and the two kicked off together hand in hand, soaring towards the Elder's chambers with a rush of wind in their faces and hair.

They soon found themselves slightly dizzy and gently touching down at the steps of the Elder's home where the guards posted outside nodded them in.

"Come on." Guaraha said breathlessly after a moment, giving her hand a hard squeeze. He didn't like to deviate from what was expected of him, and there were many expectations of his position. Obediency to the Elder was one of the expectations they both shared, and Meru hated it. She sighed and rolled her eyes as they entered the Elder's home. The walls swept up around them into a shallow sunlit dome of colored glass, she had always thought it to be beautiful and stopped to look up at it almost every time. Guaraha tugged at her impatiently.

"Hurry up!"

"Stop tugging me." Was her stubborn reply.

Soon, they were greeted by the Elder Blano and their parents, seated among the finery of the elder's floor cushions and rugs, each one visually telling the history of their people, Meru knew each story easily as she had memorized them for the seasonal dances. They remained ignored on the floor as she focused on her parents, who were speaking pleasantly over tea with the elder in his meeting chamber. The room was large, the silvery white stone walls arched up overhead to an even grander ceiling with evergreen colored glass. If one could read through all the frills of calligraphic writing, they might read the history of their people as well. The stone floor was polished, reflecting the green light of the glass, centered beyond the low table was another large window rimmed with stained glass depicting the many seraphim of Archangel, Archangel, and more frilly writing beyond that.

The table was set with a large stone serving disc laid with many small wooden bowls and plates of cheese, flatbread, nuts, cured meats, many dried herbs such as pressed spring weed and pine needles, with the main bowls appearing to be fruit salad and a traditional bean and vegetable salad. In the center of the disc, a large teapot atop its glowing warmer and small plate with a section of honey comb.

"Ah, and there they are!" Blano began, clasping his wrinkled hands together firmly, "just the two we have been expecting! Come young ones, come sit with us. We have much to discuss."

Guaraha came to the table with Meru obediently behind, and the two quickly seated themselves along the floor cushions at the table asking questions at the same time, some jumble of what's going on? The Elder just chuckled, "Please younglings, relax and help yourselves. Your parents and I were just discussing important matters."

Socialties and rank were important, and so pleasant conversation always took place before business. They passed the next few minutes fixing their tea and lightly filling their plates with cheeses and the like, Guaraha discussing with their elders their time at the spring and how they had been told to come there, both still a little confused as to why their presence was requested. Meru sat silently, obedient. Bored. She hated pleasantries and wanted them to just say when Guaraha was being taken away to the forest edge and when she, a healer and the best dancer of the women, was to lead the ceremony.

"Elder," Meru finally began, "Did you ask us to come here because Guaraha is going away soon? Does it have to be now?"

Her father fixed her with a stern look for her rudeness, "Meru!"

Meru straightened on her seat and bowed her head in shame. Her cheeks suddenly felt very hot. In her village, women were scarcely allowed to speak, and girls less so. She was there simply as decoration and formality, and no matter how many times she was reminded she could never keep her mouth shut for long. The gaunt man straightened in his seat, satisfied with her reaction and conceded to the Elder.

"Forgive us, Elder."

Blano nodded to him turned back to his youngest guests, pleased.

"Well, to business then. The children of age have been called here today to discuss some very important news."

Meru grit her teeth behind a respectful smile to the Elder, hands folded in her lap and fidgeting under the table. The silence felt like forever, what was taking so long? Meru wished anything that she could turn to the Elder or her parents and demand answers instead of enduring such drawn out meetings.

"These younglings are both exceptional in skill and lineage. As we know, Guaraha shows great promise in protecting our village with the other men, and has great inheritance. He is careful, dutiful. Meru is the most beautiful and shows great promise in the future position of village healer, she already does well to lead herself and the dances. All in the forest see that the two are incredibly close."

They sat expectantly, politely. Something within Meru understood where this was going, clamoring inside of her gut while she sat silently in stubborn denial of the day she knew would come, the day she was given off to another of her village to be ceremonially tethered in ownership and bred. Beside her, her closest friend of her entire life sat rigidly with his chest puffed proudly and a small smile tugging at his lip. She was absolutely frozen as she was being given to the man beside her.

"Thusly, it is strongly within my heart that I announce my approval and decision that the two of you so paired shall continue on to become one, as man and woman do."

Her heart dropped out of her body entirely while his soared into the clouds. Meru heard nothing, and only barely felt herself smile rigidly.