Settling Things

Vallum was sitting in the grass. His pants were wet with dew. As was his habit, he rose before the sun. Today, he decided to take a walk through the forest and found himself in the tiny clearing that Kenra brought him to see the bird at. He lay with his hands behind his head, staring up at the swarm of leaves in the darkness. His mind was crowded with thoughts and wondering about what the future had in store.

He was in the mountains, which was where he wanted to be. He was even with Kenra, the girl that he wanted to marry. Things didn't feel right, though. Yesterday, he saw Vynn and Sari working together in the woods and he called to them. Vynn glanced his way but didn't acknowledge him otherwise. Sari didn't even spare him a glance. He had no idea what to do about what was happening between them, but he couldn't leave it as it was. His mind was made up that he would be with Kenra, so he had to tie up his loose ends.

Vallum pushed himself to his feet and wiped himself off. He walked back to the hamlet and looked for Vynn. He looked around the square and asked a few people before finding her in the forest just outside of the town.

Before he could say a word, he was hit in the chest with a coin. "I can see the look on your face. Let's hear what you have to say." Vynn said.

Vallum stared somberly at Vynn and then looked around to find Sari.

"She is still sleeping."

Vallum acknowledged her and then started speaking. "I am about to propose to Kenra." Those were the only words that found their way into his head.

"So?"

"Before I do, I want to know what there is between us." Vallum was trying to sate the uncertainty that rose in his chest.

"Nothing, Vallum. I don't have a crush on you anymore. Now we are just comrades that had a falling out. We have already settled this, so move on."

Vallum only stared. Puzzle pieces were swirling around inside of him, trying to figure out what went where. He thought back to the kiss that Vynn had stolen from him and how she walked away afterward.

'She's right. I have to move on. If I keep pushing the issue then it will just hurt the both of them more.' Vallum was thinking about Vynn and Sari. His mind was so focused on making things right and trying to keep his relationship that he didn't even realize that he was hurting them. He made decisions for himself, not for them. In consequence, they moved away from him.

Vallum nodded to Vynn and then shuffled away. That was that. Vynn and Sari were just old friends that he didn't get along with all that well.

"Val! Hey, Val. Over here!" Kenra was waving enthusiastically to Vallum when he returned to the square. He walked over to see what the fuss was about, but found out that Kenra just wanted to talk to him.

"You okay, Val? You don't look so good. Is it about the killing again?" She looked concerned.

"No, Kay. It's just... I have something to say." Vallum knew he was about to say something rash.

"What is it?" Kenra's brow furrowed even more.

'Raef, should I say it? Should I propose?' Vallum contacted his friend in an effort to curb his rashness.

'MOO. (CHARGE!)' Raef responded enthusiastically.

'That isn't what I wanted to hear, buddy. You were supposed to be the voice of reason.'

'Mroo. (Then don't ask me, know it all.)'

'Fine.'

'MOO. (CHARGE!)'

"Kenra May Zyrst," Kenra flinched at the use of her full name and sunk even lower into worry, "Will you marry me?" He dropped to one knee and held out an empty hand.

Kenra took a step backward and brought a hand to cover her mouth. "Val... Yes, Val. Vallum Regal Tern, I, Kenra May Zyrst, promise to be your bride." She took his hand and smiled brightly, holding eye contact.

The smile that he saw on her face was the same smile that he saw on her face when they were children. It was a smile that he hadn't seen in a long time: a smile of pure joy. When she took his hand he knew that he had made the right choice. She was the one that he cared about. She was the one that cared about him.

'MOO. (I said 'CHARGE') Moo. (Not propose.) Mroo. (Idiot.)'

Vallum ignored Raef and continued admiring his bride-to-be's beautiful smile. They retreated to Vallum's room and started discussing the details of the marriage. They set it to be at their home village, as Vallum had promised his parents. They didn't see any reason to postpone the wedding day, so they set it for two days from then. Just long enough to tell who they needed to tell.

The rest of the day they spent preparing, and the next day they made an announcement in the square to let everyone know of the event. After they made the announcement they left for Vallum's home village so that they could get the actual event ready.

They made it to the town soon after leaving, thanks to Kenra's incredible speed. They landed on the outskirts of the village and Vallum looked around. The nostalgia rushed to him all at once. He saw all the fields that he grew up around the cow pastures that he had grown up in. It had only been a few months since he left the village, but it felt like an eternity. He had been enslaved and freed, as well as made and lost friends during that time. The amount of time that had passed was far disproportionate to the time that felt like had passed.

With a deep breath, Vallum took the path to his house. It was around the time his parents ate lunch, so he figured they were both inside. He strolled up to the door and knocked.

"Mom, Dad, I am home." He said awkwardly.