Anahlliya is a girl apart of a forest group. When she is older, she will become the Queen of the Forest and will have to lead and watch out for her people. Tradition is actually vital to their survival so she follows some of it. She's a real wild child with the vines in her hair and and the fanged necklace she wears. The toothy little grin she gives as she splashes through the mud.
She stands out with her contrasting features. Dark skinned with bright blue eyes and inky black hair. She's lanky, long legged and seemingly spider armed. She is forest born and moves with the grace of a deer and is exceptionally skilled with parkour, free run and buildering.
Nathan is a prince. When he is of age, he will be king. He will be expected to have a wife and to sire heirs for the throne. He is a strange royal, for he prefers romping through the mud and splashing in the rain. He's more likely to fall asleep in the stables than to fall asleep in his own bed.
A gentle soul and so chivalrous. A real gentleman until his best friend gets involved. Then he's a prankster. He is fair skinned with brown eyes and brown hair, he uses his innocent look to deceive his nanny. He can't do good hopping to save his life. He doesn't mind so much.
Anahlliya and Nathan are best friends. They can't help but to get along. At 7 years old, their childish intrigue is all they needed. Nathan is all too willing to wear her people's clothes (no matter how horrified his mother is) and it's never a surprise to see the prince with a little wrap around his shoulders and his waist with a pair of leather skirts.
Anahlliya is all too eager to try out these amazing foods and test out royal clothing (though she's not interested in skirts). They pick flowers and he teaches her how to make flower crowns from daisies and she shows him edible plants. The adults often find them snacking on the small wild strawberries and giggling with delight.
They become teenagers and childishly find themselves crushing on each other hard. They dance in the rain and inevitably get sick. They cuddle with their sniffles and their coughs and giggle pressing little kisses to each other's cheeks. Nathan gives her flowers and she laughs and gives him fruits.
Nathan is 14 when he gives her a family ring and declares one day he is going to marry her. She laughs and reminds him her people didn't do it like that. He comes back the next day with his favorite pendant and a dead serious expression. He drapes it around her neck and repeats that he will marry her someday. She blushes and tells him okay.
It's raining again so they climb into a tree and stay the night. They both get told off something fierce, but the adults can't keep their anger with the two teens. Once again they're sick, sniffles and coughing but they're nuzzling each other and it's so cute.
They're adults and they're in love. They're curious about these desires they've had for a while and they talk about them. They discuss it for weeks while sitting in trees or curling up in wild flower beds. They take a night to themselves and make love. They smile and giggle the next day blushing like shy children. They don't discuss it but they do it again and again.
Nathan is king now and they married him off to some random woman. Her name is Celeste. Anahlliya hates her on principle but tries to stay polite. Celeste realizes the problem and clarifies that she's lesbian. Anahlliya is embarrassed and apologizes and Celeste falls for a common woman.
It it clear to everyone their marriage was a purely political move. They become friends but it's clear to everyone never more than that. Anahllyiah has his heart and no one is concerned about Anahlliya and Nathan laying on the palace roof talking gently.
Nathan is shot and killed in an uprising against the kingdom. The rebels are cut down and pushed back but Anahllyiah is heartbroken. She doesn't respond to anyone and is empty eyed for weeks. She starves herself sitting on Nathan's grave and just staring.
She begins yelling. At some point, she's just too angry and she lashes out at everyone. All she gets are pity filled gazes because the public knows a broken woman when they see one. As much as they'd love to retort to her attacks, it's hard to mean the same woman you hear crying and begging for someone to come back every dawn.
Anahllyiah's mentor dies and she becomes queen of the Forest. She is upset and hurt but she does her job and teaches everyone as best as she can. She still goes to scream every day because she's just overflowing with the pain.
Her people are kind and understanding as even the youngest child knows what the painted marks on her arm meant. The runes of death and the look of sorrow and lifelessness. She wasn't ever flirted with. Never even as a joke. She was hurting so much.
Nathan is dead but she still calls herself taken. She has the a paints for a woman who is taken even when he is no longer around. She still wears the ring, his ring, his promise. The pendant around her neck is scuffed and dirty but it's there and she is still claimed.
She knows it's bad for her but Anahllyiah turns to liquor. She drinks and drinks and drinks. Whenever she thinks her people would be reliably safe without her coherent she drinks until she passes out. She wakes and throws up everything drags herself to Nathan's grave and apologizes softly everytime for now saving him. Celeste (who managed to survive) has enough when she finds her shivering and sick in the snow at Nathan's grave.
Shes given therapy to help and she's being gently guided back to health. Slowly she's understanding and finally accepting. She still has days when she won't get up and occasionally she regresses and drinks herself unconscious but Celeste is there to listen to her ramble about the daisy crowns he made for her. She's there to listen to all the times they cuddled together with near frostbite and the rainstorms they danced in. She listens when Anahllyiah gets a hold of a few glasses of wine and deems it necessary to regal her with tales of their sex life.
Anahlliya kept all the flowers he gave her. She had them pressed and they still sit in her tent. Her hair is silver by now and but she still dances by herself in the rain. She sways and holds the shoulders of an invisible someone she's waiting for.
She sits on a hill in their field of daisies. Their field with the wild strawberries and where he said he'd marry her. Upon her finger sat the ring. Silver banded with two rubies, two pearls and a diamond with emeralds woven around it. She watches the sun set and closes her eyes. She had already trained the next Queen and it was her time.
She had left all of her leadership signs. All she'd brought were the two gifts from Nathan. The pendant and the ring. She feels warmth around her and a gentle hum fills her ears. He kisses her face and apologizes for leaving her. He never meant to make her so hurt. He would never purposefully hurt his Anah.
She cries and sobs and apologizes for now she behaved. He holds her and rocks her and does mind the snot and tears on his shirt. He comforts her as reassures her he still loves her. He is nervous and asks her if she still loves him. She looks at the pendant and her necklace and gently smacks him on the head like she did when they were young.
"You should know I never stopped loving you."
