Part III - Politicly Incorrect
"Well, I guess this is growing up." Nasicaä sighed to herself as she stood at the cliff edge and felt the wind ripple through her hair and lose clothes.
For the past seven months, all she had done was go to political meetings and when she wasn't locked in a room with people three times her age, she was in the farms to help out the local people and their growing agriculture. Everyday she had woken up early and gone to bed late. The only reason as to why she was out in the open, idly standing, was that she'd ran away from a not extremely important meeting.
"Nasicaä...?"
She turned around in a jump to the sound of the voice to find Asbel starring at her with a confused look on his face.
"Oh, Asbel... you scarred me. I thought it would be one of my advisors." She sighed in relief as she turned back around to face the roaring ocean before asking, "What're you doing here?"
"Ah...nothing much. Just scouting out for any new fishing areas. The only one we have is getting a little crowded." He explained. She nodded at the answer with a smile before turning back to the sunset. There was silence, Asbel fidgeting in wonder if he should walk away or stay with her. He glanced over at Nasicaä, wondering what he should talk to her about since this silence was unnerving. Since they'd saved the valley, he'd only seen glimpses of her from afar and they'd become distant with her royalty duties and him being a strong, young man whose strength was always needed.
"Teto's missed you." Asbel finally remembered as he took the small fox like animal who had been sleeping out from one of his inside jacket pockets and handed him out to her. The last time Asbel and Teto had seen her was four months ago and that had been for only a few minutes. She had hastily given him the small animal had briefly explained that she couldn't give him much attention and that he was the one she could trust the most to take care of him.
"Ah... I missed you too buddy." She cooed as Teto curled around her neck, his tail tickling her nose, before jumping up to sit on her head.
"Your hair's gotten long." Asbel said absently as he reached an arm out to grab a lock of her wavy vibrant hair. As she usually kept it short, but it was now about half way down her back.
"Yeah, they say it's not a good 'image' to have short hair when you're a princess." She snapped out, Asbel widening his eyes at her bitter tone that he'd never from her.
"Oh... I see. Sorry." Asbel sighed as he jammed his hands in his lose pant pockets.
"Why are you apologizing?" Nasicaä asked with a breath of laughter.
"I don't know... I just feel kinda bad in how you're sacrificing so much for your town, for people like me." He said as he absently scuffed his shoe in the cliff rock.
"NASICAA!!"
The two teenagers turned around as they saw a man in a long, trailing coat come to them.
"Princess, we MUST have this meeting with you present." He panted, obviously not used to running.
Nasicaä was silent as she starred coldly down at the older man who tried, and failed, to not cowered under her piercing gaze.
"Come on Na- I mean, Princess..." Asbel corrected himself as he gave her a small smile, inwardly really not wanting her to leave. But he knew that whatever that meeting was about was more important then her having small talk with him.
"Alright. I'm coming." Nasicaä finally sighed as she handed back Teto to Asbel who seemed to growl in defeat. Without anything else to say, she started walking back with the shorter man, Asbel watching their retreating silouettes in the late afternoon sun. And just as they were going to go over a hill and altogether disappear from his view, he could barely make out as she enthusiastically waved her hands, as if saying goodbye.
With a big smile he knew she couldn't see, he waved right back. But when he saw her go over the hill, his smile fell off just as quickly as it had come as he sat down on the rocky ground and held his head in his hands, groaning in annoyance at himself.
"Why did you have to give me hope like that...? Why do I even try? She'll never look at me..." He sighed out as he looked out into the ocean, glad for the salty wind that whipped his face and gave him something else to think about.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x
"Why do I bother?!" Asbel snapped at himself as he angrily kicked a rock into the ocean from his perch on the cliff. Ever since his chance meeting with Nasicaä he'd gone to this place at least once every day for the past few months.
Teto weakly meowed as he wrapped around the young man's neck, making him laugh loudly as it tickled.
"Ah, we meet again."
Asbel turned around in mid laugh, it disappearing as he looked at the pretty face of Nasicaä.
"Oh... running from another meeting?" Asbel asked calmly although his heart was going into overdrive at the sight of her.
"No..." She sighed as she sat down. "I just got off for today and decided to come down here to relax and just listen to the ocean.
"Then I guess I don't want to disturb you." Asbel awkwardly laughed as he took a step away.
"No! With you here it makes it all the better." Nasicaä smiled as sat down and patted the rocky ground next to her, indicating for him to sit down.
"If you say so..." He drifted off as he too sat down, Teto immediately jumping from his neck to Nasicaä's. There was silence for some time as they both watched the sun do it's painfully slow dip into the ocean before Nasicaä broke it.
"Do you like me Asbel?"
Asbel, who had been dreamily watching the sun, snapped wide awake at the sudden question.
"Wha, what do you mean?" He asked as he hoped his blush wouldn't been too deep.
"I mean...do you look at me as an unruly Princess?" She whispered as she hugged her knees to her chest, making Asbel's flustered state go down and turn into a wistful smile.
"Nasicaä... I could never see you as unruly or a problem. You're a very strong girl doesn't fake how she acts, is down to earth, and is someone who does what is right in her heart. I think that's the best kind of person out there and is the perfect person to govern a nation." He said seriously as he scratched his mob of brown hair, hoping that what he'd said wasn't too cheesy.
There was silence for few more minutes as they sat, Asbel not having the courage to look over and see her reaction and so instead focused on the sun that had just hit the horizon. And because he didn't glance over, he didn't see Nasicaä starring at him with watery eyes and a small, genuine smile on her face.
"Thanks." She sniffed as she wiped her eyes on her sleeve, not wanting him to see her cry. "You have NO idea how much I needed some encouragement." She said with a shakey sigh as she placed her chin on her knees.
"I'm just stating the truth." Asbel replied back, making Nasicaä's smile grow all the more.
"Well, it's going to get pitch dark soon so I better get going." Asbel said as he noticed the sun had just dipped beyond the horizon, no green flash tonight.
"So... I hope everything goes well. Until we meet again!" Asbel continued on with a smile as he started to walk away.
"Asbel?" Nasicaä asked, making him turn around.
"You forgot Teto." She said as she handed the small fur ball that had fallen asleep in her lap back to him.
"Thanks..." He said as he situated the small animal back into his jacket.
He starred down at her as she twiddled her thumbs, wondering if he should try to walk off again.
"I hope I can see you again soon." She finally blurted out as she gave him a hug. But it was short lived as Asbel didn't even have time to respond before she let go and started to sprint away back up to her castle.
The only sound was the ocean waves crashing against the cliff as Asbel stood there, dumbfounded.
"What just happened?"
x-x-x-x-x-x-x
"ASBEEEEL!"
At the sound of his name being yelled at the top of someone's lungs, the teenager turned around in his sitting position to see the person he'd been waiting for come running full force down a grassy hill, almost tripping as she stopped at the grass and started to jog on the rocky surface towards him.
"Nasicaä, haven't I told you to be quiet? What if your advisers hear you?" Asbel said once she was in hearing distance.
But she only smiled as she sat down next to him. Through the past eight months, each of them would try their hardest to come here at the sunset to talk about anything and everything. It'd started out with maybe once a month, then twice, and then three times every month, and now it was almost everyday.
"I think people will get suspicious if you're gone every night at the same time I am too. I know the town is getting bigger, but rumors still spread like wildfire." Asbel admitted as he watched Teto jump from his lap to Nasicaä. The small fox had been happy with their frequent meetings now also, as he could see Nasicaä more then ever.
"Oh, they're too worried about how to bring other people into the valley then the people already in it." She snorted.
"Come on, you know those old geezers just want the best for our piece of heaven." Asbel said, trying to fight down the depressing memory of how he was one of the last of his own people. If things had turned out differently, HE would have more then not been in a situation similar to Nasicaä's.
"Pfft." Nasicaä snuffed in a very unlady like way, making Asbel have a breath of laughter.
There was a comfortable silence as they sat and watched the oddly calm ocean, only a few whitecaps at the constant wind. Asbel absently looked over to Nasicaä and blinked as he noticed she was slightly shivering as she had forgotten a jacket.
"Are you cold?" He asked blankly.
"A little." She admitted truthfully, her teeth starting to chatter.
"Come here." Asbel instructed as he unzipped his jacket and took an arm out of his left sleeve.
"What?"
"Body heat." He said with the slightest of a blush.
Nasicaä smiled too before scooting next to him and taking the jacket to drab around her thin shoulders, her right side now pressed against Asbel's lean chest that was surprisingly warm. Getting caught up in want for more heat, Nasicaä leaned her head on her shoulder and wrapped her arms around his chest as she closed her eyes in happiness.
Asbel smile grew as she closed her eyes, summoning all his courage to wrap an arm around her waist to bring her a little closer. He looked out into the ocean in chagrin, wondering if she'd hit him, and so missed her blushing face yet again.
They sat in their close embrace for what seemed like forever before a voice cut through their dreamlike moment.
"PRINCESS!"
Both of them shot away from each other as if they had a disease before both of them turned to the group of shot, pudgy men.
"So THIS is where you've been going off to instead of doing your paperwork."
"HEY!" Nasicaä snapped as she stood, Asbel warily following. "I do that when I get back. It's all done by morning, isn't it?"
"But THIS time is specifically for that job."
"All that matters is if it gets done or not." Nasicaä growled right back.
"Nasicaä..." Asbel interrupted, making all eyes go on him.
"I'm very sorry that I've inconvenienced all of you." He directed toward the old men. "But would you allow me to speak with the Princess in private for a minute?"
"Young man..." One of them growled as he looked up at his determined brown eyes that weren't going to back down. "Fine. Make it quick. We'll be waiting on the hill." He snapped as motioned for the others to follow.
"Asbel, I'm sorry about this." Nasicaä sighed as she shook her head in exasperation.
"No...I should be the one that's sorry." He said as he looked into her sparkling eyes.
"Wha..."
"I think it's best if we don't meet or see each other anymore."
At his sudden declaration, Nasicaä's eyes widened, too shocked to say anything.
"I'm only a distraction and... you need to focus on other more important things. I'm only in your way." He said with a forced smile as he tore his eyes away from her. Easily walking up to her with his long legs, he stopped in front of her as he handed Teto back to her.
Knowing he may never see her again, he summoned up all his willpower to lean down and brush his lips against hers. Their first, and Asbel thought bitterly, their last.
"Goodbye." He said as he gave her one last final hug before walking off into the approaching darkness.
"Asbel..." She whispered as she touched her lips, tears starting to fall from her eyes.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x
"Now, onto the most important point for our meeting today." An old man announced from his seat as Nasicaä blankly looked at him.
"The issue of betrothing our Princess so she may become a Queen."
Nasicaä's eyes widened as every one's eyes turned to her.
"WHAT is this?!" She growled out as she clenched her fists under the table.
"Well, since you are now a few months past eighteen, it's more then time to get you married to a prince." He said as if it was nothing.
"And WHY would I do that? Can't I govern just as well by myself?" She calmly stated, now flexing her fingers. It was out of the question to punch the living daylights out of him in her current situation.
"Because depending on who you marry, there can be a firm treaty that will give a very strong ally and so protection to our little valley. We may be safe for now, but you never know when there will be another war." A second adviser added in, knowing that he had to somehow tie it in for the overall betterment of the country to convince her.
"I see." Nasicaä whispered as her spirit deflated.
"Well, we will talk about this in more detail. I will start to arrange meetings with other countries."
"Then that will conclude today's meeting. Thank you for coming everyone." Nasicaä drawled out with a smile that didn't reach her now empty eyes as she stood and opened the door for the men to go out of.
Finally, after everyone had left, Nasicaä went back to her room. She starred out from her large window, gazing at the late afternoon light. Holding back tears as she picked up Teto, she couldn't stop the longing anymore. Without thinking, she bolted out of her room and through the grass until she was at the cliff side.
"ASBEL! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Nasicaä yelled out into the ocean for no one to hear, her voice stripped away by the wind.
"YOU IDIOT! THEY'RE MARRYING ME OFF! COME AND SAVE ME!" She sobbed as she fell down, hugging her knees as she gently rocked her body in comfort.
"Come back...come back..." She chanted, feeling a kind of pain she'd never experienced before. Yet, as she wished for those things, she knew that it was pointless. When he'd first said goodbye to her, she had naively thought that maybe he was only trying to fool her advisers. But she soon found in the past four months that each time she came out he was no where to be seen.
He really didn't care about her...
x-x-x-x-x-x-x
"My word, what a BANSHEE you are!"
"And what a sick, perverted, egotistical PIG you are!"
Nasicaä panted for a second after her yelled retort while glaring down at her newest adversary (number three if she remembered right...), causing the prince she had been having lunch with to try and disappear into his chair in fear and uncertainty. Barely ANYONE had ever talked back to him.
"Princess..."
"NO!" Nasicaä snapped as she whirled on one of her advisers that had joined her for the appointed lunch gone straight to hell.
"He is a weak and selfish person who doesn't have the backbone to run this country. Even if we are small, we have a large heart." She said before she spat his way, causing an uproar with her and the prince's advisers.
Without another word, she got up, her dress ruffling and heels clicking as she sprinted away.
"Prince Justin, I am SO sorry." The Nasicaä's advisers all said in their own way as they bowed to him. They all started preparing their own torrent to rant at Nasicaä when they had their next meeting to discipline her on these offending manners as she did not realize even the smallest thing might spark off their suppose ally.
"No, no. It is quite alright. This will do nothing to hurt our alliance, I assure you." He said as he tried to smile, his whole world shaken.
"She really IS a beautiful person, body and mind. I think with that outburst I may have actually fallen for her." The royal heir laughed as both the advisers and the prince's escorts faces paled. The advisers glanced at each other with shocked faces. With the other two princes before Justin, it had escalated to a situation similar to this both times, yet when the red head had ran off, they had somehow felt amused and so felt that they wanted to pursue her further. That was until Nasicaä had kicked them below the waist or in their pretty boy faces.
But the person who had everyone's mind spinning was currently sprinting up the stairs to her room, making the guard's eyes widen in curiosity as they were informed she wouldn't come back for another few hours.
"Oh, Teto. Every thing's changing so fast..." She whispered as she took the animal that had been sleeping on her bed and snuggled him to her chest.
"Nothing is the same as it used to be..." She said as she looked out her window. It was only around four, just as the sun's rays started to get redder and the sky start it's transformation to it's beautiful pinks and reds. She sighed as she leaned down on the window sill, holding her head in her arms as she longingly looked at the cliffside that was barely visible from here.
But when she saw something move on the rocky shoreline, it suddenly made her heart leap. Was it Asbel?
Shaking her head as she turned around, she tried to rid herself of such hopeful thoughts. It had been another month since she'd foolishly gone out there and yelled her heart out. Yet...
She couldn't help it as she turned round and tried to focus her eyes. With a gasp, she DID realize that it was INDEED a person standing at the cliff side. So with a breath of giddy laughter, she sprinted down the stairs again making the guard's curiosity spike even more. Once she got outside, she kicked off her supposedly expensive heeled shoes in mid run so they wouldn't slow her down.
Not feeling the burning in her lungs, she ran like there was no tomorrow as she approached the cliffs quicker then ever. Suddenly scarred, she slowed down to jog and then a soundless walk. Finally approaching the rocks, her breath sucked in as she saw the back of someone. Feeling as if her brain had shut down, her body started to move on it's own as it stepped closer and closer to the mysterious person.
Finally with a miss step, a small rock fell from her higher position and caused the person to jump up.
"Turn around." Nasicaä whispered, the person hearing it even with the loud winds.
"Turn around now." She repeated again with a more firm voice. Finally the mystery person sighed in defeat and slowly, almost painfully, turned around to reveal their face.
"Asbel..." Nasicaä gasped as she clasped her hands over her mouth as tears cascaded down from her face.
"This is hallucination...a dream..." Nasicaä tried to convince herself as she took a step back from the person she'd been wanting to see for months who, in his turn, only silently starred at her with sympathetic eyes.
"You're not real!" Nasicaä screeched as she swatted the air in-front her.
"I wish I would disappear too." He finally said as he ran his hands through his thick, and now long, brown hair.
Nasicaä was now silent as she starred at him with teary eyes. Slowly, she raised a hand and placed it on his cheek, causing him to close his eyes at her soft touch.
"You are real..." She said as he nodded his head before opening his eyes.
"BASTARD!" She suddenly yelled as that hand that had been softly corressing his face a second ago bitterly slapped him.
"I deserved that." He tried to convince himself as he put a hand to the quickly reddening spot.
"Where have you BEEN? Do you know that they're trying to MARRY ME OFF?!"
"Of course I know..." He whispered as he looked back up into her eyes, causing her to blink in question. She stayed silent and crossed her arms, telling him without words to explain.
"I've gone here every day for the past five months. I couldn't help myself." He said as his eyes fell.
"Wha...What?" Nasicaä questioned.
"I climb down here." He explained as he pointed down, Nasicaä sitting down and leaning over the cliff to find that there was a small pocket just big enough for a person to sit in.
"So... you've heard everything?" He weakly nodded at her demanding question. "What is WRONG with you?!" She continued to cry as she stood and covered her eyes with her hands, glad that the tears had stopped.
"I'm sorry." He said as he turned away and attempted to walk away.
But he was jerked back and didn't have any time to prepare himself as Nasicaä crashed her lips onto his. Utterly shocked for a second, her could only stand there before his eyes finally closed and he pulled Nasicaä closer to him, deepening the kiss. Finally, both pulled apart as they panted for breath.
Asbel looked down at a blushing Nasicaä, not having the slightest clue to say.
"Will you marry me?" Nasicaä asked with a serious face, compleately shaking his world for the second time in no less then five minutes.
"This is wrong." Asbel finally said as he extracted his arms from around her and pulled away.
"What's so wrong about two people liking each other?!" Nasicaä questioned in annoyance at his stupidity, blushing at her confession.
"You're a princess...I'm a peasant." He stated as he eyes the ground in distain.
"You're a PRINCE Asbel." Nausicaä corrected as she tried to step closer to him, but as she did he took a step back.
"Nausicaä... it's just not meant to be." He said as he turned around to leave.
"I'm going to wait for you here every day! I'll reject any other man! JUST YOU SEE!" Nausicaä yelled at his retreating form.
"You should forget about me..." Asbel said as he continued to walk away, knowing that if he looked back at his dream goddess he wouldn't be able to hold himself back.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x
"Asbel, are you alright?!"
The nineteen year old looked up from his work to the older man who had just ridden in on a horse. Asbel had just finished putting everything in his shed or inside his small home, and had ran back outside to make sure his horse was in the barn. Having finished that, he had locked the large double doors and was about to go back into the safety of his house before this man had interrupted him
"I'm fine! The rain is just getting in my face!" Asbel cried back, hoping his voice would reach the man.
"I just wanted to let you know that the Princess is currently missing and we can't find her anywhere. If you find her, please bring her back to the palace." He told before ridding off, obviously having to go to other houses and spread the information. He blankly starred at the retreating animal and man before he screamed.
"Cliffside...DAMN!" He swore as he suddenly remembered Nausicaä's statement two months ago. He'd still gone to the place everyday, but instead hid behind a nearby hill since she already knew his special place in the stones.
"She's just crazy enough to do it." He said as he sprinted off, tying his ear flaps on his favorite hat to stop their constand drumming on his ears. Feeling adrenoline pump through his body, he felt like nothing could stop him. But as a lighting bold struck a tree not five hundred feet he suddenly felt his chest pang in fear. Yet he couldn't stop. She had been there every other day and he knew that she was just headstrong enough, no, STUPID in this situation, to go to the cliff side.
Frantically panting after his long sprint, he sighed in relief as he approached their special sight, yet groaned in annoyance as he saw something hunched over near the cliff edge. It was so well blended in that if he didn't know better, he'd have thought her a rock.
"NASICAA!" He bellowed over the wind as he approached, yet the wind stole his voice away.
"You idiot!" He cried as he crouched over her, protecting her shivering body from the rain with his own body.
"I k-k-knew you'd c-co-come e-e-even-ven-tually." She shivered out as her teeth chattered non-stop.
"Come on, lets get you back to the castle. Everyone's worried sick about you." He said as he grabbed her and slung her over his broad shoulder.
"Asbel!" Nausicaä yelled in worry as she saw an approaching wave. Asbel, having started walking back up had commited the number one thing not to do when on a costline. Turn your back on the ocean.
Sea water sudden engulfed the couple as they were sucked towards the ocean. But with all the strength he could gather, Asbel held tightly to Nausicaä with one arm and grabbed out for a hold with the other. Holding down a cry as he finally found a crack to grab into, he held his grip as he felt his arm dislocate and his palm tear open at the sharp rock.
Spitting out water, he found that they were right at the edge of the cliff but not off it yet. So getting up, ignoring the searing pain from his arm, he used his other to haul Nausicaä onto his shoulder and started trudging up a second time, not caring to look behind his back. A few more waves tried to take them under, but each time the teenager held his footing. He wasn't going to give away Nausicaä's, or his, life away that easily.
Finally getting out of the ocean's reach, he turned back to stare at the roaring ocean, as if it was angry that he'd escaped. Now panting heavily, he continued on, glancing at his severely bleeding palm, glad that rock hadn't split open his wrist or he might have already died of blood loss. But the dull throb in his shoulder wasn't good, as he'd definantly hear and felt the distinctive pop.
A guard that had been looking on the ground for his ruler, spotted them and hurried to their side. Asbel didn't remember much else as he felt Nausicaä being taken out of his arms and then himself being carried. He remembered flashing lights and more pain in his shoulder, but it was really all a blur...
x-x-x-x-x-x-x
"DOCTOR!" Nausicaä yelled as she barged into the room.
"P-Princess!" the old man stuttered as he stood and bowed in her presence, even though she brushed it aside.
"Where's Asbel?" She questioned as she balled her hands into fist out of apprehension. She'd come back with a few cuts and such, but nothing as serious as Asbel who'd dislocated his shoulder and had to get fourteen stitches for his hand that had been practically cut in half, or so according to the Doctor.
"I didn't want to let him go but he left a few hours ago. Said he didn't want to be a bother." The kind old man said as he stood.
"But he's only been resting for a day and a half here." Nausicaä breathlessly said.
"That's what I argued but he went on his way."
"That IDIOT." She growled under her breath as she nibbled on her fingernail.
"Oh, but he told me to give you this." He said as he handed her a letter. She daintily took it before waving a good-bye, thanking him again for all his help.
After a few minutes, she sat outside in the long green grass, the wind only balmly today with the whole calm after the storm aspect. Breathing in and then out deeply, she finally had enough guts to tear open the letter and read it quickly since it was very short.
Princess,
Please do not go to the cliff side ever again. It will only cause you harm as will I.
Goodbye,
Asbel.
"DAMN!" Nausicaä swore bitterly, not noticing how an advisor had approacher her from behind.
"P-Princess!" He said as he took a step back, not used to hearing that kind of language, especially from an eighteen year old girl.
"What do you want?" She muttered darkly as she hid her face behind her knees.
"Our scheduled meeting is about to start..." He drifted off, wondering if it was just his imagination that he felt something horrible was going to happen.
"Well..." Nausicaä whispered as she stood, Asbel's letter crunching in her hand.
"I DON'T WANT TO GO TO YOU CRAPPY MEETINGS YOU SENILE OLD MAN!" She exploded as she turned on him with fire in her eyes.
"That is enough, why you-" He tried to scold, but was cut off by her again.
"YOU KNOW WHAT I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF?! HOW YOU'VE BEEN CONTROLLING EVERY DAMN ASPECT OF MY LIFE!"
"That's not true-"
"Not TRUE?!" Nausicaä bitterly laughed before throwing the letter in his face, causing the old man to frantically catch it.
"The one man I actually could have LOVED, the only one who liked me for ME, has pushed me away because of YOU deeming him not worthy enough." She continued to rant as she stomped her foot, trying to hold in her tears but found it all in vain.
"All I wanted to do in my life was fly in the sky on my glidder and maybe find someone to fly with me." She suddenly whispered as her shoulders shook as dry, heartwrenching sobs shook her thin body. Everything had been too much...she'd finally cracked.
Without another word, she walked away into the green landscape, leaving the adviser to stand there petrified before glancing down at the letter.
"Asbel...? Wait...THE Asbel?!"
x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Nausicaä sighed as she entered the meeting a two hours later after her explosion in one of her advisers, and if she remembered correctly, he'd been the one in charge of almost anyone and was actually had the highest position rather then hers.
"Ah, Princess." They said in chorus as she entered and stood at the head of the table, not yet sitting down in her wide chair.
"I just wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier." She said as she did a shallow bow to the adviser who sat next to her.
"Oh the contrary, we would all like to apologize to YOU your highness." He queued as the other nine members of the board stood and bowed deeply to the shocked royalty.
"For you see, you have solved the problem of your King." He said, holding down a cackle of amusement at what he knew was going to come.
"For you see, we had no idea your -ahem- little affair was with Asbel."
"Wait, you mean..." She said in hope as she placed her hands down on the table.
"Yes. Correct. He's of very high place as he's the rightful heir to Pejite, the twin brother of princess Lastelle, am I correct?" The old man asked as Nausicaä's eyes glittered in happiness.
"Unknown to you, and obviously him, his people, or last remains of them, have become good friends with us and have recently just been invited to live in the village."
Nausicaä's heart skipped a beat as she couldn't breath for a second.
"It'd be MOST convenient if you marry the young lad. As soon as possible, may I add."
x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Asbel groaned as he put on his sling again, finding that it went on easier and was more comfortable if he didn't wear a shirt.
"With this damn arm." He growled as he looked at his fairly fresh wounds, "I can't do any work." He groaned as he looked out his window to his neat fields that would soon begin to be overrun with weeds and bugs. He was just glad that he was close to the ocean so that he wouldn't have to worry about spores, the wind being exceptionally strong down here.
But a sudden knocking at his door interrupted his thoughts and he dragged his bare feet to the door before opening it.
Nausicaä was the last person he'd thought he'd see stand there with her hands clasped in front of her and fire in her eyes.
"They said yes."
Asbel blinked. Then again.
"What?"
"They said we can get married!" Nausicaä exclaimed as she threw her arms up before embracing him, being careful to not touch his hurt arm as she wrapped her arms around his neck, snuggling her face into the crock of his neck.
"We...We can? Us...married?" He asked in surprise before, "Do-Do you want that? Really?" He asked as he pushed her away to look at her pretty face.
"HEY! I already proposed once." She snorted, both blushing at the seemingly years ago memory.
"But..."
"Do you love me?" Nausicaä said as she stood up straight and starred into the depths of his eyes, making him suppress a shiver.
"Yes."
"I love you too, so what's the problem?" She asked with a toothy grin.
"None?" He asked before he her lips collided with his.
A/N: Howly crap...I'm gonna go die now DX This was SOOO long, but was kinda like a sorry for not updating in forever. Hoped that you enjoyed it. Drop a review and tell me what you think. Hopefully the fluff didn't kill you...
