Time Has Passed

Ashley's Pov

Mario and I have been together for a year and four months. Time has passed rather quickly. Both of us enjoyed our anniversary by traveling to the human realm. I disguised myself as a human and we enjoyed the sights of the world. We shared an appreciation for nature and wanted to spend our time soaking in the sun. At least, before we went back to isolating ourselves in the castle again.

We even spent our time celebrating my five-hundred-first (501) birthday along with Mario's twenty-first (21) birthday. He was way younger than me statistically but appearance-wise, I only looked twenty-two. I got him all his desires for his birthday, candy, and for some strange reason legos. He was a grown man but he still loved playing with those things. Even if he had child-like wonder in him, I still loved him with all my heart.

I was expecting the two of us to get married soon or at least for him to propose to me. Though, I feared he may not have this in mind at the moment. My mother has been pestering him about not wanting half-breed children. I don't know what she was yacking about because I was half fairy and half goddess. If anyone was going to choose who their companion was going to be, it would be me. Technically, I had more say in the matter than she did.

So, if Mario wasn't going to propose to me, for being afraid of my mother. Then I was going to have to do it. I wasn't afraid of proposing to him, it gave me a thrilling feeling when I thought about it. Wanting it to be romantic, I thought about doing it in the place where we had our first date, which was the magical garden. Also, I did not dream of giving him any basic ring, so I decided to get imaginative.

Typical me, I forged my wedding band for my future husband. I used the fire from our metalworking shop. Bending the metal each time I heated it, allowing me to get creative. So yes, it was handmade. Then I engraved, "The King of My Heart" into the band. This was an extra touch of mine, to let my lover know he had my heart. Though, I also used a little bit of magic on it. It was a spell that sealed our union indefinitely (for an eternity). I wasn't afraid of proposing, yet I was nervous at the same time. We have only been together for a year or so. But I still felt a spark with him. I wanted to take a risk and it may end well or very badly.

As I stood there next to the kindle of the flame, I thought of the many scenarios that could occur once I told him how I felt. Rejection was the only thing on my mind, nothing positive flooded my thoughts. All I could think of was bad situations, which probably was not good for my Karma. These negative thoughts stressed me out and I was not happy. So instead of overthinking, I focused my attention back on the ring I was making.

Dipping the hot metal in water, I cooled off the heat as steam floated out of the water bin. Holding its weight in my hands, I could sense the purpose it had. Almost as if my heart and soul were tied to it, which made me extremely happy knowing I'm giving this to my true love. Wiping off the dust, I could see the words on it more clearly. I smiled because I was in love with someone very extraordinary.

Walking out of the forgery, ring in hand, I almost bumped into the guy in question. I almost dropped the ring but I gripped it in my hand and pulled it to my chest, "Mario!" I said this hastily hoping that he would not notice I was hiding something. Thankfully, he did not notice and instead looked at me apologetically.

Mario touched my shoulder and said, "Oh my goodness I'm so sorry" He seemed more preoccupied with my state of being. Which I was thankful for because I could keep my proposal a surprise.

Smiling, I stated, "It's alright my love" I relaxed my hand from my chest and twirled it around my finger. Making it teleport into my room so Mario would not notice the ring. I hated lying to him but I wanted my proposal to be something unique. As Mario was about to walk away from me, I took that moment to ask him, "Mario? May you meet me in the castle's garden? I want to do something for you" I braced myself for questioning but none came. Surely, I was going to get caught sneaking but no, he didn't even flinch. Surprisingly, Mario accepted my request without hesitation and even seemed happy that I asked.

Mario flashed me a beautiful smile, "I would gladly join you, you know that" He then grabbed my hips and pulled me closer to him. Our foreheads were touching as we gazed into each other's eyes, a warm and fuzzy feeling settled inside me as we were inches from each other. Again, my heart pounded inside my chest because of the curiosity dancing around in my head. I thought of many things but what he did next was completely unexpected.

Mario took my head in his hand and kissed me like there was no tomorrow. This made a sound escape from my vocal cords that I did not recognize. It took me off guard because I never heard that sound come out of me, ever. Yet, I quite liked it. Especially since I was with Mario. Though, the kiss did not last as long as I hoped it would, which made me very disappointed. I had a desire to kiss him more but, Mario told me he had something important to attend to. I had no idea why he was so busy these days, I was worried something extreme was happening that I was unaware of. But I trusted Mario so I decided not to question the situation.

I moved toward my bedroom to pick up the ring. I didn't want anyone to find it, more specifically my mother. She would be very upset if she discovered I was going to suggest marrying a 'wretched human', that's what she referred to him as. I did not enjoy my mother calling my beloved something so vile. We had our trifles every once in a while and most of the time I won, which she did not enjoy in the least. As I got to my room and opened the door, I spotted the ring on my desk and dashed over to get it. Picking it up in my hands I sighed in relief. It was safe and sound, at least for now.

The clock ticking by, I waited for early evening and ran to the garden entrance. I may have gotten there early but I was willing to wait for him. Even if I had to wait another five hundred years, I was still willing to wait for him. However, I only waited for an hour before I saw him waltzing up to me.

Seeing him, I smiled at him and gestured my hand out to him. He took it gently and walked with me as we entered the garden. Adrenaline ran through my veins, knowing that I held the question that was going to change our lives.