(Section 1)
In the extremity of old age, he has settled down in Lythos Castle, where he lives together with his sweet Alear. He plans to spend the remainder of his life here – whatever small handful of years or months he has left. Throughout his lifetime, he traveled constantly back and forth between Lythos and Brodia, but there would be no more journeying in his future. His final trip had been made.
Daily life is tranquil. When the couple is together, they sip fragrant tea and have pleasant chats. They sit in the garden and bask in the fresh air. They go through one book after another, usually with her reading aloud to him. She spends as much time with him as she can. However, many of her hours are occupied with royal duties as the Divine Dragon Monarch. Unlike him, she has no need to retire.
He isn't bored when he's alone. These days, he requires very little to satisfy his attention. Whole hours can float by with him merely gazing out the window, observing the passing birds or the way the grass sways in the wind. Alear has expressed concern, asking if he feels like a pet dog waiting at home for its owner to return from work. But it's not like that. He simply doesn't crave exhilaration in the same way he once did.
He wasn't always so easily contented. In recollecting the lengthy tapestry of his life, he knows there were periods of time when he was unruly, when he detested any notions of inactivity.
It's embarrassing to recall now, but back during his middle years, with his head steeped in denial, he assured himself that he could still be a worthy match for his agile partner, if he just gave it a good attempt. Surely, his condition wasn't going downhill. Surely, rigorous training would revive his energy. But time passed, and then more time passed, and he found no strength to fight against the weakness and exhaustion weighing down his limbs.
Of course, from the very start, he had always known that he was going to age, while the dragon beside him would remain untouched by the march of time. He entered the relationship expecting and accepting this. But it was one thing to imagine this future, and another thing to live and experience it.
Rude awakenings came in other forms, too. There was an incident when he gifted Alear with a pretty pure-white scarf. A few months later, he had completely forgotten about that present. He purchased another, identical scarf, and he gave that one to her as well – and then he wailed out an apology when he discovered his mistake. She only smiled and thanked him for his twofold generosity. But for him, it was painful to be hit with evidence that not only his body, but also his mind, was declining with age.
Whether he liked it or not, his days of being regarded as a brilliant, perceptive strategist were slipping away from him. Time made him a bit more forgetful, a bit less focused. He used to lie awake and tremble with fear and anger, knowing that he was losing what others typically deemed to be his best traits. It wasn't vanity; he just wanted to be useful to his allies.
Later, however, he came to appreciate that at least things weren't worse. There are people whose minds have suffered far worse fates. Although his edges had been dulled, his personality and his senses stayed basically intact, and for that he felt grateful.
This is not a sad story, he told himself repeatedly. Other people died young. Other people reached the end of the road without achieving their dreams. As for him, he had made it well into old age, with historic accomplishments collected under his name. And he had never gone a day in his life without being adored by his friends and family. Once that phase of bitter denial subsided, he recognized how tremendously lucky he was.
No, the elderly man doesn't feel sorry for himself anymore. He is at peace, more or less. He only feels sorry for Alear. Forever youthful, forever girlish, she has spent the past several decades watching her partner become more and more mismatched with her.
While he slowed down, she stayed running. Occasions for battle have been scarce since the war ended, but in sparring matches, she continued to show everyone her lightning-quick reflexes and bruising strength. Even with Elyos entrenched in peace, she kept training regularly.
She never stopped being a mighty warrior. She never stopped being energetic and alert. She never stopped being a fresh-faced flower in the bright morning of her life.
And she never stopped lusting for him with all the feverish intensity of youth. In another era, he'd responded to her with equal vigor. The passion had overwhelmed them both. But his half of it waned as he grew older. He still adored her with all his heart and soul, but physically he could not match her at the same level of desire as before. He tried to, for a while, but eventually, with immense shame and many apologies to her, he saw no option but to admit defeat. She learned to content herself with lying next to him in bed and cuddling into his side.
They've adapted to a lot of things, over the years.
In some of his dreams, he listens to her mocking him for struggling to reach even a measly century without expiring, while she, at well over a thousand, is still going strong. Of course, she never gloats like this in reality.
Even now, her eyes light up at the sight of him, as if he's a rare jewel. In their conversations, she is full of kind words. She mentions how much she enjoys their "strolls through the garden", which is an overly generous way of referring to how he hobbles a few steps from one bench to another. She doesn't needle him about the contrast between these sluggish walks, and their wild adventures from the past when they hiked and rode and sailed all across the continent of Elyos together.
She grinned at him then, and still does now. But he wonders if, in secret, she's excruciatingly bored. Does she long to seek out a new and thrilling young lover? He thinks about this often, but it's only rarely that he dares to voice this concern out loud.
"I'm sorry. Being near me is a mind-numbing chore, I know," he says during one of these rare instances.
It is a bright afternoon. They're lounging just outside their home, having stepped outdoors to take advantage of today's perfect weather. He sits in a large comfortable chair, while she sits sideways on his lap. In her own lap, she holds an open book, but she apparently paused reading when she noticed that he'd nodded off. Once he blinked awake again, he saw her staring at him. Then he made his apology.
"Don't be silly," she responds. "I'm never bored around you, my dear."
"It's okay if you are. You can just tell me honestly. I'm not blind to the obvious fact. You remain a springtime blossom, while I have become a yellowed and wilted shrub."
"Oh, Alcryst. Even after all these years, you lean toward a negative view of yourself. I thought you outgrew this at age thirty or so, but it's never truly stopped resurfacing. I'm not sure whether to laugh or weep at it. I guess this permanent pessimism is part of what makes you yourself."
While murmuring this, she runs her fingers through his hair. Long ago, near the beginning of their relationship, she had blushingly admitted to being fond of his hair. To this day, she declares the same thing, even though it had thinned, and the dark blue color had long been washed out by gray.
"Listen, if you are tired of . . ." He begins, but is stopped by the frown she directs at him.
She asks, "Why are you still pushing this topic? Could it be that it's actually you who's tired of me?"
"No! Absolutely not. I cherish every moment I get to spend in your company."
"Then I fail to see why you imagine a problem here." She strokes his face, her thumb gentle on the withered skin. "There is no trace of resentment within me. Only happiness. You are the most beloved, most gorgeous part of my world."
He figures he ought to just drop the subject. This is the same sort of answer that she's given him every time. He's not entirely sure whether he believes her, but she's clearly not confessing either way.
Alear glances out toward the scenery, as if looking for something. "Oh. Even though it's so sunny, the breeze has suddenly become colder, huh?"
"Yes. Even so, I'd prefer to linger out here a bit longer."
"As you wish. But in that case . . ."
She slides off his lap and stands up. There is a second chair beside them, where they'd tossed a few things they brought outside with them. She picks up a soft red jacket and arranges it around his shoulders.
"Thanks," he says.
"Always." She lifts one of his hands – the shriveled hand that still wears the glittering Pact Ring – and she kisses each of his fingertips in turn.
(Section 2)
Over the years, various people have tentatively reminded the Divine One about her partner's mortality. Maybe they thought her too stupid to notice it on her own. But she's always understood the situation. She knows that the finale will involve her shattering her bones in a crash landing – and she still decided that the inevitable hurt was worth it, if she got to revel in the soaring while it lasted.
Just because she doesn't often mention the subject out loud, doesn't mean that she isn't aware of it. She has simply chosen to focus on the present. Decades ago, she made the resolution that she would savor the time she has with him, finding joy in the moment, instead of dwelling prematurely on a cloudy future.
Yes, she knows that her human sweetheart won't last forever. At some point, he will depart, and she will be immersed in waves of grief, flailing in the dark waters, gasping for breath . . . and then, eventually, the storm would be exhausted, and she would quietly wade to the shore . . . and the sun and sky would see her moving on with her eternal life, perhaps finding someone new, though still carefully reserving a special place in her heart and her memories for him.
This is all going to happen in the future. But not yet. It hasn't happened yet. The two of them still have some time together. No matter how brief that time is, every bit of it is unfathomably precious.
(Section 3)
Alear sighs and leans against the window, staring out at the darkening sky. Tired after a full day of travel, she feels glad that her group has settled into an inn for the night. She has been placed in her own room, and is thinking about turning in rather soon.
It displeases her to leave home, especially nowadays, but some official business trips as the Divine Dragon Monarch are unavoidable.
There's a knock on the door, and then it swings open. The person who walks in is one of the employees of the inn. He carries a sturdy tray bearing a shiny white teapot. "Hello, Divine One! Pardon the intrusion, but I have brought this for you."
"Thank you very much." Alear didn't call for tea, but she easily assumes that somebody else in her traveling party must have arranged to send this to her, as an act of kindness to the Divine One.
This bedroom includes a tiny square table and an accompanying chair. She takes a seat while he puts down the tray and then pours the tea. A little ribbon of steam rises from the cup.
She thinks the servant will exit the room at this point, but instead he lingers, hovering near the side of the table. "This tea is one of my favorites," he comments. "Mostly sweet, but with a hint of spice, making the flavor more interesting."
Alear nods. "Indeed, you said the same thing the last time you served me this tea, on my previous visit to this particular inn."
"Oh, you remember me!" He beams. "I remember you, of course, but I didn't expect the other way around to also hold true. What an honor!"
"Please, think nothing of it."
He is a tall young man with a full head of light brown hair and eyes of a striking shade of blue. An aura of cheerful friendliness hangs about him.
But, in front of her eyes, something in his demeanor shifts, and his next words are quiet. "Divine One, may I stay and talk with you for a bit?"
"Of course." She was slouching slightly, but now she sits up straighter and clasps her hands together, prepared for a task that she has done many times for the Elyosian people. "If something troubles you, then I, the Divine Dragon, will listen to you and share in your burden."
"Thanks so much." With the only chair in the room already occupied, he goes and sits down on the edge of the bed. She thinks this is overly forward of him, but she decides not to mention it.
The young man begins, "In the lobby of this inn, one of the walls has a painting depicting a wolf sailing a boat. You know the one?"
"Yes. I like that painting."
On a prior visit to this inn, when she walked near that wall, the painting caught her eye and she paused to admire it. The image showed not only the artist's skill with a brush, but also a sense of humor that agreed with her.
"I don't think you noticed my presence at the time, Divine One, but I was passing by, and I spotted you while you were looking at that painting."
"Ah, I see. My smile must've looked goofy."
"No, not at all. It was lovely. Divine One, of course I have heard countless tales of your heroism, but witnessing you in person, with that smile on your face, brought out a new emotion in me." As he talks, his hands wave enthusiastically in the air, as if these vague gestures would imbue his speech with more strength and meaning. "From then on, you were embedded in my mind. I thought about you when you were away, and I glowed upon seeing you each time you came for a stay at this inn. I've known for a while now that I am in love with you. I saw that one enchanting smile of yours, and I realized that I would do anything to make you smile again and again. I love you. I love you!"
His eyes are locked upon hers, as if he hopes to blissfully drown in them.
"Oh. Um." She feels a bit awkward under that intense stare. "My sincere apologies. I'm flattered, but I already have a guy. He's waiting for me at home." She thought it was common knowledge that the Divine Dragon has a longtime partner. It surprises her that this person never caught that info.
"Yeah, I know," the young man replies without missing a beat. "But he doesn't really count, right?"
"Huh?" The words are so absurd that Alear wonders if she's actually asleep and having a strange dream.
The young man gives her a sugary-sweet smile. He pats the bed, the spot next to him. "Will you come closer? You probably haven't experienced such exciting fun in many years. Allow me to provide you with a good time."
She doesn't move. "Excuse me, but in case you didn't hear it, I'm already tied to someone else."
"No need to be scared," he says. It seems he means to reassure her. "The two of us are the only ones here. Nobody else will know what happens. He will never know."
"Um, listen, I'm not sure what type of gossip or rumors you've heard about me, but I suspect that you have a very incorrect idea of who I am." She does her best to stick to a gentle tone, even though annoyance is creeping through her insides.
"My darling, my lady of grace, please feel free to be yourself around me. You don't need to say things merely out of politeness or obligation. I'm not judgmental. With me, you can forget about guilt and just speak the truth about what you desire."
"This is the truth. When I return home, I am not bringing a cheating wife back to Alcryst."
The young man sighs reverently. "Ah, Divine One, this is part of what makes you so admirable. You take your commitments seriously. You still hold yourself to the vows you gave him long ago. But those vows were spoken back when he was young and lively, back when you lacked the knowledge of what he would be like as a tired old bag of bones. Circumstances change. People should be free to change with them. I have heard your story, about how you are a beautiful and vibrant lady, so full of life, and yet a dusty old promise has kept you shackled to a shuffling half-corpse. It's tragic! Utterly tragic! I feel so sorry about it, Divine One."
"Good grief! Being old is not the same as being dead. You're too eager to dismiss the life that is still humming within a person. Don't tell me to brush him off while his soul is still present."
Since the moment of his confession, this brown-haired young man has occupied a world that is all warmth, all air, all a soft colorful daydream. But her reaction is finally poking holes into his fantasies. Solemnness seeps onto his expression. "Although your partner is technically still alive, he is no longer doing anything meaningful, right? I can't imagine that you're still benefiting from the relationship. He has nothing."
If I were not the Divine One, I would've slapped this oaf by now, Alear thinks.
He studies her as if he's stuck on a puzzle. "Please. Explain this to me. What is the purpose of your loyalty to him?"
"I pity you," she replies coldly. "You don't know what love is."
The young man's face flickers through a whirlwind of emotions – distress and rage and astonishment and a million other moods – before finally settling on a placid mask. When he speaks again, his voice comes out stiff. "Good night, Divine One. Please enjoy the tea." He stands up and turns to go.
"Thank you. I will enjoy it," she says to his back as he leaves the room. "Good night to you, too."
The door closes.
Alear has no appetite, but she raises the teacup anyway.
It isn't the first time she's observed behavior like this. Humans already have such short lives, and yet, they would seek to symbolically shorten their lifespans even more, by treating old age as a kind of nonexistence. It never fully ceased to shock her, witnessing the fact that some people hold a completely dismissive attitude toward anyone who lacked youth and beauty.
In the world, there are numerous people who excitedly begin their relationships by gazing at their brand-new partners and declaring, "I will love you even when you are old and gray." A smaller number of people actually do so.
Alear sips from the little cup and thinks of the brown-haired man who just left. Ah, what a nuisance.
Her mind switches to thoughts of Alcryst. She can't wait for this tedious trip to be over. In her head, she pictures the moment when she returns home. The elation she'll feel as she runs toward the castle. The tenderness that'll come onto his face when he sees her. She'll answer him with her own smile. They'll wrap their arms around each other in a warm hug. And she will say, "Aha, there's my guy! So happy to see you again. I missed you while I was away."
(…)
Author's note: There is something uniquely sweet about a couple that manages to stay in love for so long, despite the growing differences between them. I know a relationship like this one would be very challenging, but I wanted to show that it can still be happy and worthwhile, and not just a tragedy waiting to happen.
Thank you for reading. Your time and attention mean a lot to me.