2 Will You Love Me Tomorrow

Heart practically crashed into his bedding when Tahlia returned him to his room after the whole ceremony had ended. Tahlia moved to the chair and table near him and sat, letting her arm rest beside the journal he kept. There was a silence that lingered in the room, but it wasn't awkward. The two knew almost every detail about the other and it was obvious there was too much weighing Heart down. Tahlia wouldn't be the one to speak first. She knew he needed a moment. Instead, she let herself dose off for a short bit.

Heart felt as if his chest was going to explode, if the pressure in his head wouldn't beat him there first. A while had passed before he sat up again, turning his head to see his friend still there. As with all Phoenicians, Tahlia's hair was fiery. Though, it seemed to be of a lighter shade that most. She was asleep but based on a slight movement, Heart could tell her arm wasn't doing well at holding up her sleepy head. He snickered a bit before standing, stretching a bit and walking to Tahlia. He let fire form around a finger and poked her in the cheek. She jumped awake, batting at his hand before laughing.

"Ya got your own room, you know?" Heart teased, going to poke Tahlia again.

She pushed his hand out of the way and stood, "I know. I was just waiting to make sure you were okay. Things were far too... tense back there."

This statement caused Heart to lose his smile again. It was too tense. There was something off about Grace's reaction to the ceremony, even though they had grown so close the past few years. The memories of constant flirting, catching each other staring, missed chances to touch... These all just seemed as if they had been wiped clean from her mind, "I begged them. You know. I begged my father and the seers to let her be the one who was chosen. I couldn't find anything in her eyes except fear and anger..."

Tahlia narrowed her eyebrows, "I know. She is full of so much emotion that it seems to be bursting at the seams at times. I was sure that engagement would be the happiest day of her life."

"Maybe it was," Heart looked a little hopeful, "She spends so much time in the city that maybe she was so wrapped up in idea of a human lifestyle that she forgot our ways our different. Not that I will ever deprive her of that."

"They will," Tahlia shook her head and moves across the room to the sofas by the fireplace, "They'll force the darkness out of her hair, style it similar to the way your mother wore her hair or your grandmother before her."

Tahlia was the daughter of a seer. It was quite uncommon, as seers were not allowed to marry or birth children. But her mother's spark had not ignited until after the pregnancy. Due to this, Tahlia was raised by the seers to help assist them in whatever they needed. She was separated from the rest of the Phoenicians. It did help in some ways, as she spent all of her years growing with Heart, training with him, and learning with him. They were friends, as one could say, since they were born, though she was a year older than Heart. She wasn't too special and still had yet to be selected for marriage of any sort. Tahlia got lost in the fire for a moment, wishing the marriage rules were different but also thinking of what will happen to Grace, "I can try to bring her belongings to you, for you to hide until after the marriage. I am usually the one who is tasked to burn all of that stuff or recycle it."

"That's brilliant!" Heart sat on the sofa across from her, his eyes now shining as they reflected the fire, "She will be so happy to have those things back. I would do anything to keep her happy. I wish I could formally request they not do that to her..."

"You make an exception for one person, you have to make an exception for all. Her behaviors don't seem to please most, from what I have heard, so you will have to remind her to keep it private, especially the music," Tahlia reached out to manipulate the fire, letting it dance slower, "Until you can change the rules."

"My father would have my head. The seers would lose it," Heart stared at the moving flames, "I can't change the marriage process it-"

"It's to keep the bloodlines healthy, I know. I'm not talking about disrupting that," Tahlia twirled the flames, "We do what we do to make sure no Phoenician is born from an inappropriate relation. But don't you think they should be allowed to visit the towns, wear the clothes they desire, listen to the human's music, or even just have a weapon of choice."

"There you go saying 'We' again. I thought you didn't like working with the seers," Heart joked before changing back to the main topic after a irritated side glance from Tahlia, "Yes. Times are changing, just as they always do. Humans change with these times, but we hardly seem to."

"Even in the old stories from our ancestors," Tahlia sighed, "We had started gaining knowledge beyond their's. Our people helped them, provided them with new and exciting things. But because we are hunted and forced to go into hiding on a different land... Why did that take away all our exciting changes?"

"Alright, it's decided. I will make the rule as soon as I am King. I will let us interact with humans and explore their culture. I will have people hired just to keep up on current times and news...." Heart kept going, listing everything he wanted and knew Grace would want from him. He stopped after a short while and fell silent. Tahlia left the fire alone to do it's normal flame and turned more towards him, staring in concern. He met her eyes, "What if she stops caring for me, Tahlia? What if she leaves?"

"If she stops caring, we have counseling. We can work with it. Tradition is, unfortunately, tradition. The king and queen must do what they can to continue forging ahead. Even if you only have one child, like your parents, and stop trying for another, the people and the seers will be happy," Tahlia felt bad saying these words, as they felt almost wrong to say. She moved her pale blue eyes away and spoke words even she didn't believe, "Grace won't leave. She can't abandon people. The girl cares far too much."

Silence fell over the two for a moment before Grace's mother entered the bedroom. Grace's mother always seemed too dedicated to her job. Heart was ignorant of it, but Tahlia knew the woman got scolded daily by all the elders, seers, and royals for not 'raising a better daughter'. It had made her visibly I'll and she was always working her hardest, as if to make up for disappointing everyone. Grace's mother cleared her throat, nodding at Tahlia, "Dinner is ready, your highness. Please join your family. Tahlia, your presence is requested by the seers." The woman bowed and left without another word, leaving the two concerned. Regardless, they stood, said their goodbyes and went their own separate ways for the evening.