Wedding Preparations

Two months after the party, my parents announced to the land once more, saying we would be holding yet another gathering, and this time, it was for my and the Elf Prince's wedding.

"I'm so excited Lady Ash!" My Lady-in-Waiting exclaimed. "The wedding is in a week! Are you feeling prepared?"

"Absolutely." I smiled. The Lady-in-Waiting, Nishimaya, was an Elf, and an early wedding present from the King. "So Nishimaya."

"Yeah?" She looked up into the mirror, since she had been working on my hair.

"Tell me more of your homeland."

"Alright!" The fair skinned Elf smiled and began speaking immediately. "The Elf lands are mostly fields, and we, instead of building cities and messing up the environment, sort of roam the land. Elves are welcomed in most kingdoms, so we have no need to hunt, or hurt the lands by polluting it and building walls."

"Is it pretty?"

"Very." Nishimaya smiled again. "My favorite place to go is the Iris Lagoon. The water's purple there, and there's flowers everywhere you look, growing near the pink waterfall, along the shoreline, absolutely a beautiful place to visit."

"Can you take me there Maya?" She fell silent for a moment, and I noticed her surprise at the nickname.

"Of course! I'd love to Lady Ash!"

"Just Ash is fine." I smiled up at the Elf, who smiled in response. "Can you finish up my hair?"

"Of course." She went back to brushing my hair, humming a giddy tune. Once she finished the braided crown, she stepped back, looking intently at the back of my head. "Hmm..." She plucked a couple flowers from one of the many vases decorating my room, carefully braiding them together, setting the multi-colored band on my head. "Perfect!" I nodded, in total agreement. "Now, for your dress."

"No dress today." I told her, stepping towards my huge closet. "Let's see..." I walked inside, choosing the outfit. "This one." I held up a pair of black pants, ones that should fit me perfectly, and a white strapless shirt. Over the shirt, I wore a blue overshirt, with short sleeves. I slipped on the bracer, and had Nishimaya clasp the necklace around my neck. After those were on, I admired the braided golden ring Eldrin gave me. "I'm ready for your assistance Maya." Honestly, I could just put it on myself, but Nishimaya loves to help me dress.

When everything was on, I headed out, leaving her to fix up my room in preparation for night.

"Hey there beautiful." Eldrin grinned, blowing me a kiss as I walked into the dining hall. "What's up with the pants today?"

"I figured we'd train today."

"Good idea. By the way, I had the cooks make your favorite for breakfast."

"Seriously?" I knew my eyes probably lit up in excitement, but how could I help it? Pancakes are the best!

"Yep." He led me over to the table, revealing a feast of pancakes and fresh fruit. "Pancakes, for the pretty lady, and fruit for everyone else." At my look, he amended his statement with a laugh. "And the princess of course."

"Good." I giggled and sat at my mother's right, a place of honour in this Kingdom. "Thank you for this meal." I said in flawless Japanese.

"Good job as always Ash." My mother smiled softly. "How long did you spend in Japan?"

"No time at all actually."

"Really?"

"Yep." I began to eat, listening to the ladies of the Kingdom gossip.

"Did you hear how Prince of the Fae is a gorgeous angel of a man?"

"Really?" The rest of the ladies said.

The first woman glanced at Eldrin. "But there's no way he can be prettier than our Elf Prince."

"That's true." Another lady said with a dreamy smile. I grinned. "But, did you hear that he's coming to this Kingdom for the wedding?"

"Is he?" The first lady asked again.

"That's the rumor." The other replied with a smirk. "I'd like to see him for myself."

"Mom." I murmured, bumping against her shields. She dropped them, and I entered her mind. :Is the Fae Prince coming?:

:He is.: She smiled. :I guess you heard them talking too.:

:Right.:

:Don't worry, I've seen him before. He's not as pretty as they say.:

:What are you ladies talking about?: I jolted back in surprise.

"You okay Ash?" Eldrin asked me, sounding concerned.

"Yeah, fine. Sorry if I worried you." I closed my eyes once more. :Dad?:

:The one and only.: I could sense his smirk over the Mind-Link.

:We are Lifebonded. He Sensed you speaking to me and interfered.: There was a sharp tone in her Mind-Voice, aimed at Dad.

:Ah. I see. Well, we were talking about the Fae Prince.:

:He's a prick.: Dad said with a note of finality and I almost lost it, giggling a bit. :Selfish and vain. I don't like him one bit.:

:That's only because he decided to flirt with me. You never like flirts like him.:

:True.: He smiled. :Everyone's leaving now. You should go too Ash. Don't you have somewhere to be?:

:I do, actually.: I smiled, breaking the Mind-Link. "Goodbye you two."

"Bye Ash!" My mother waved as I left.

"Now, can I ask why you were so out of it?"

"Huh? Oh, Mom, Dad and I were talking."

"But I didn't hear you?"

"Mindspeech."

"Still don't really understand, but okay."

"Change of plans."

"What?"

"Grab my hands." He did, confused, and I teleported us to the Field, the place my mother and father ran off to, and practiced magic at.

"Whoa..." He looked around, in awe of the fields of flowers.

"These are thornless roses." I chuckled softly, picking one. I carefully tucked it onto his ear and smiled softly. "You look pretty."

"Thank you, my love, and might I say, you look stunning."

"Thanks." I smiled again. "Sit down in front of that rock please." I pointed at the knee-high stone. He did so, and I sat on the rock. "Now, I want to play with your hair for a moment, and check you for Mind Magic"

"Alright."

"It may hurt a bit. I'll try to be careful, but if you do have those abilities, you'll probably be very sensitive to it."

"I trust you." He looked at me, true, total trust evident in his eyes. "I'll hold the flower for you."

"Thanks." I smiled, and began braiding his hair, my fingers effortlessly twisting the strands as I carefully probed his mind, and gasped, pausing for a moment. "You- How is this possible?" I brushed the Mind Channels, feeling immense power flooding into me. "With this much power, I'm shocked you haven't burned the castle down!" I finished the braid, tying it up into a bun. :Mom! I need your help! Go to the Field as soon as you can please.:

:Of course.: She, and my father, appeared in an instant. "What's happening?"

"Eldrin- I-" I couldn't form the words, since I was so shocked. I felt her bumping my shield, and quickly dropped it. She watched the memory of what happened and I saw her freeze.

"What? How?" She dropped to her knees in front of Eldrin, and grabbed his face. "I can see the power flowing behind those eyes. This man is the most powerful person I've seen. Maybe even stronger than Vanyel himself."

"Than V-Vanyel?" I repeated, stuttering a bit. "How?" I stood, pulling Eldrin up with me. "I need to train you. And see what other powers you have." I turned back to my mother and father. "Thank you, but I'll take over."

"I wish you luck Ash." Dad smiled and waved, disappearing with my mother.

"What now?"

"First, fire."

"Alright."

We trained for hours, until it was time for me to turn in. I promised we'd continue the next day, and we headed to bed, thoroughly exhausted.