AUTHOR'S NOTES
I enjoyed writing this chapter very much. Prince Ethan, usually a level-headed person, loses control over his actions and I wanted to use the environment and Ela's actions and reactions to hint on his progressive insanity. Could you suggest more ways of doing this?
Liked this chapter, then please fan, vote, comment or share when you can. Thank you and God bless. :)
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"Ela." Ethan gulped. How long has it been since he last spoke her name?
The girl donned what appeared to be a decent attempt at a typical Shen'ay gown: long, loose in the wrists and wide around the neck. Obviously, it was a little too big for her. Fortunately, with that large grin, she'd easily pass for adorable anytime, at least to him. But the problem, quite apparent to everyone except her, was that her gown was made of burlap. But despite her marred greasy cheeks, stained clothes and overall pitiable appearance, Ela exuded happiness.
She reminded Ethan of everything his father fought for --- everything Ethan wanted to fight for, if only he hadn't been so...
"Did Ethan not miss Ela?" She glared at him probably irritated by his serious countenance.
Ethan forced a smile on his face as he strode towards her. He had many things to inquire of her: if her cheeks still hurt; how she's been all this time; what she's learned; how they treated her when he was gone; what on earth made her come to his Naming Day Ceremony (1); and most importantly, why burlap.
As usual, words won't escape him when it came to her, so he did what he did best. He pulled her close in an embrace and felt her marred face with his cheeks, before letting out what felt like a hundred years' worth of a sigh.
His face warmed after realizing that Ela has grown after all. Taller? Yes. Wiser? Hopefully. But more noticeable are a few areas that made her well...a lady. He pulled away gently and gazed into her eyes --- the color of the meadows in spring the day he found her or rather the day she found him.
She bared her teeth and hissed. She did love to cuddle, he thought. Ethan lamented the fact that Ela might be a tad bit too old for cuddles, long or short for that matter, with men in particular --- him included! He must remember to educate her with that before they part ways. He cleared his throat.
It was hard to look at her now without appreciating her beauty --- the sparse freckles on her full pink cheeks, her square jawlines that made her appealingly youthful, her adorable snub nose, her bright red curls and her full lips.What am I thinking? Well, she certainly cleaned up nicely. Sort of...Ethan thought as he wiped the stains from her face and hands with a piece of cloth he kept in his purse.
"Ela, I have something important to tell you. Listen carefully." Ethan paused as he collected his thoughts. How many times has he rehearsed his speech?
"There is a war in the Borderlands where many of my brothers are fighting and I must join them soon. The place is very, very, very far --- farther than Egula. And more importantly, I don't know when...nor if I will be coming back." There, he finally said it --- a big lump off his chest. He sighed in relief and waited for a response.
A moment passed since his companion turned her face to the mountains. Still a moment more. Yet, she remained very, very still. The silence bothered Ethan. Did she understand? Did he need to explain everything to her bit by bit?
Was I really that horrible of a teacher? In retrospect, Ethan was quite sure Ela aced her geography lessons; and 'war' was definitely a word he made her use in the past. Very well . From the beginning then...
