Hey Guys! Sorry, school's started again and you know…school.

A NOTE THAT MIGHT BE NEEDED FOR THIS CHAPTER: Just because Rufus was paying Edmon before, doesn't mean that Edmon didn't really love Mara. Because he did, and Mara had sort of forgotten the whole incidence anyway, since she wasn't wearing the ring. SO yeah…

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"Jerome," she sighed to herself, swinging higher gently on the swings in the deserted park. There would normally be a lot of people here, but it was a cold rainy day, a light drizzle feel around her. The grass looked grey and there was brim of mud around the slide.

But Mara loved the park when it was like this. When she could sit on a wet swing and talk to herself or just plain think. Without people judging her.

"And she sat there all alone in the rain," came a voice. She looked up, to see Edmon standing there, he was wearing a grey v neck shirt, tight, with a black leather jacket and jeans. His dark hair looked even darker slightly damp.

"And he just stood there watching her," she replied, swinging herself a little harder now.

"Hey," he came over beside her, and sat on the wet swing, beginning to swing himself slowly "What's up?"

"I thought you'd left."

He was silent for a moment, and she wished she hadn't brought it up. Why couldn't she just accept that he was going to be a part of her life now?

"…I found I couldn't leave. I got to the airport and…I just couldn't leave. I'm staying here for a year, renting a small place, going to a public school, living with my Gran,"

"Why?" she asked in a small voice. A fat rain drop fell onto her nose and slid downwards

"I think you know why," she didn't have to turn her head to know that he was looking at her. "Anyway, what's up?"

"Nothing much," she shrugged, they were swinging together now, matching each others strides.

"So…were you ever gonna tell me about the proposal?"

She wasn't surprised that he knew, he was like Jerome like that. All knowing. Everywhere at once

"Well you already knew…"

He laughed a little, but it was strained "Why?" he choked out, running a hand through his hair, the other hand gripping the swing tightly

"Edmon…I love him,"

"No you don't." he shook his head, and she stopped swinging to stare at him, he stopped to, and looked into her hazel eyes "If you loved him you would have said yes immediately, if you loved him, you would never fight. If you loved him you would tell people you were getting married, in fact, if you really loved him, you would be getting married as soon as possible. But you're not, you're getting married after this term, after graduation, after university. From the outside, it looks a lot like you're stalling."

"From my side, it looks a lot like you're jealous, Edmon," she said softly

"I love you," he spoke with no shame, he sounded proud…and so heartbreakingly honest.

"I have to go," she stood up, and he leapt of the swing too

"Wait," he called after her as she tried to rush away, she turned, almost soaked to the skin now "Do I have any chance with you? Ever?"

Mara wanted to say no. That there was no chance they would ever be together. But she couldn't be sure, she would never be sure "Maybe," she said quietly, but he heard. And the smile that lit his face was so beautiful that she wanted to rush over and wrap her arms around him.

"That's good enough for me," he said gratefully, watching with happy eyes as she left.

Line Break

"Jerome, I think we need to talk," Mara said quietly as they sat in front of the fire place. They were up past ten, it was 12:15 to be precise. Everyone was asleep, they had snuck out.

"We are talking," he commented, stretched his legs along the wooden floor

"About the whole marriage thing,"

To this he turned his head "What about it?" he asked curiously, braced for the worse

"I don't think I can do it,"

"What?"

"I don't think I can marry you," and they were words she had never pictured herself ever saying in her life. And yet here she was

"Why?"

"I just can't. I want to, but I'm not sure. There are so many different options in life, and I really dislike this term but the whole essence of being 'tied down' for the rest of my life. And starting so early. It's limiting me from doing some of the things I could do. All the things I could see. All the things I could accomplish."

"Being with me…would limit you?" he was trying to understand, his eyes squinting slightly

"Yes," she said slowly

"But I thought you loved me,"

"I do,"

"I thought you wanted to be with me,"

"I do,"

"Then," he brought his legs up to him again "I really don't see the problem with marrying me,"

"We're so young-"

"Excuse."

"Exploring-"

"Excuse."

"The money-"

"Mara. What is this about, really?" he took her hands gently in his, and looked her right in the eye

"I…don't know how much we actually love each other," she confessed sadly. Jerome didn't hide his shock, his mouth parted slightly and his glittering blue eyes widened

"I see." He muttered to himself, "Close your eyes," she closed her eyes gently.

He kissed her forehead, and then her left cheek, and then her right cheek. Before kissing her softly on the lips. Energy seemed to him between them and she laid on her back beside her fire, him hovering above her "Keep them closed," he whispered quietly, admiring how the flames made her skin sparkle and flicker.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FOLLOWING IS RATED M, PLEASE SKIP THIS IF YOU ARE UNCOMFORTABLE

He took a deep breath, before bringing his hands to the top button of her light purple pyjama shirt. He would never admit it to anyone, but it was his favourite colour. He undid one, kissing down her neck, then onto the newly discovered skin. He dared himself to go for another, he almost groaned at the amount of skin now, kissing them tenderly, as if she might break.

"Jerome," she whispered, he stopped immediately and went back to her face, kissing her on the lips, a little more roughly now. She curled into him, and he trailed his free hand down to her chest, over her shirt, not quite trusting himself. And very gently, oh so gently, he started to massage her left breast through her shirt.

He would have left it at that, if she hadn't made that delicious sound at the back of her throat at the contact. He took another breath, kissing along her jaw, bringing his right hand up and doing the same to her right breast.

Mara started to pant at this new feeling. It was amazing, it was electrifying, and all so good. She arched her back towards him, eyes still closed. She wound her arms around his neck, keeping him close to her.

He continued to feel her, loving this new found pleasure he could give her.

Line Break

They hadn't gone the whole way, they'd stopped and gone up to bed. To afraid of what might be next.

"Right, the next riddle is guys," Fabian began. Patricia, Fabian, Nina, Amber, Alfie, Jerome, Mara and Joy sat in a circle. Now all officially part of Sibuna, Mara wore her necklace out in the open now, while Nina did the same. They all had matching tattoos. "It says: 'I am a wonder. I am as rich as King Midas and have a number of vibrant faces. My father always beams at me, and yet my mother cries, what am I?'"

"Who's King Midas?" asked Amber loudly, Alfie nodded in agreement, unsure.

"Um, I can't quite remember," Fabian furrowed his eye brows

"I know," Mara said quietly, everyone turned to her "It's an old legend. It's not real, the story of King Midas, it goes like this…"

King Midas was a very very kind man who ruled his kingdom fairly, but he was not one to think very deeply about what he said. He seemed to speak without really understanding what he was saying. One day, while walking in his garden, he saw an elderly man asleep in the flowers. Taking pity on the old fellow, King Midas let him go without punishment. When the god Dionysus heard about it, he rewarded King Midas by granting him one wish. The king thought for only a second and then said 'I wish for everything I touch to turn to gold.' And so it was.

The red, blue, pink and green beautiful flowers in his garden turned toward the sun for light, but when Midas approached and touched them, they stood rigid and gold. And sunk to the ground heavily. The king grew hungry and thin, because each time he tried to eat, he found that his meal had turned to gold. His lovely daughter, Joyalina at his loving touch, turned hard and fast to gold. His water, his bed, his clothes, his friends, and eventually the whole palace was gold, his whole family was solid gold.

King Midas saw that soon his whole kingdom would turn to gold unless he did something right away. He asked Dionysus to turn everything back to the way it had been and take back his golden touch. Because the king was ashamed and very sad, Dionysus took pity on him and granted his request. Instantly, King Midas was poorer that he had ever been, but in some way, he was richer, he felt, that now he would truly appreciate the things that really mattered.

"Wow." Joy said in awe, looking at Mara, just as everyone else was. True awe on their faces "You are a really good story teller,"

"Amazing," Fabian whispered. Mara blushed a deep red.

"So, we're looking for something that turns everything it touches to gold?" Alfie asked "Shouldn't be that hard, I mean someone like that doesn't really blend in,"

"But it's a story," Mara laughed "We can't possibly be looking for something like that,"

"Who says it's just a story?" Jerome asked, now all eyes were on him "Who could come up with something like that?"

"Well it's not true." Nina stated, Mara nodded with her "You could check the history of you kings and queens, there was never a King Midas,"

"It could have been ages ago," Joy piped up "Could be real,"

"King Midas," Amber murmured "Never really heard a name like it before, shouldn't be that hard to track them down or to find some information," she said smartly.

Everyone nodded with her, it would be easy to find information on them.

Everyone nodded, but Jerome.

Because Jerome had heard the name before, now that he thought about it, he had KNOWN, the King Midas. If he wasn't mistaken, he had once been married to Queen Jock.

But Jerome, said nothing.

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