Age of Heroes (Age of Heroes Chronicles)
Chapter 269: Changes

The wind of the plains greeted the morning dawn. In the Plains the breezy wind of the morning is always refreshing.

The sunlight slowly enters the tent and slowly the blanket that cover his body slightly move.

Slowly he opens his eyes, his hand went to his side and then he realized something is wrong.

No one is beside him and that startled Arial more than it should.

'Velamina?' he asks and then he awoke with urgency.

With half naked body he looks beside him. There was no one. He then rubs his eyes and look inside the tent and then on the table beside the bed, he spotted a letter.

His face darkened. He got a premonition that nothing good could come of that letter. But he got up from the bed and slowly approach the table. He sighed. Then he takes a deep breath

Slowly his hand reaches the letter.

he looks at it and there he was just standing still there, for a few seconds, his mind is blank. He closes his eyes and sighed as he slowly opens the letter.

Looking at the state of letter, he does not know what to feel. The letter is almost crumpled and there is some trace of droplets of water.

Then from the first word, his heart sank.

From: Your Elvenan

'I don't know how to express what I am about to say so I left this letter to you.

This is my letter to you Arial, my star. I've been thinking to throw away this letter because no explanation could explain it. Nor is there any excuse.I hesitated countless times. I crumpled it and write it, crumpled it and write it. I don't know but in the end, I still leave this letter to you'

Arial finally knows why the letter was so crumpled. He continues reading the letter

'You must be shocked by my disappearance. I must ask you to not search for me for whatever reasons. To this I ask you to forgive me. I am not so obtuse or so oblivious of your situation. Honorable man you are; you must have thought to take responsibility for me. That is your personality isn't it Arial?'

Arial clench the letter tight but he relaxed his hand as he keeps reading

'A responsible and honorable man. If it were any other men, I would have gladly accepted such offer to return with you but since it came from you I must then decline. Do not misunderstand my refusal as a sign of dislike but more for your honor and well-being. I know how and what manner of treatment that you will be subjected if you bring me back to Davarus. I may not know much about human culture but at least I know this much.A human like you bringing an elven bride? A man of your stature, a prince, must have burden I can only imagine. I am a free Elven and likewise I know living in a stone castle surrounded by guards is not the life I want. Life with a prince and all its burden it not what I want. You may call me selfish. Curse me! Hate me! But never forget me. Someday we will meet again when the stars are aligned and our fate crossed paths again.

Then on the bottom with scribbling that is filled with watermark that Arial could only assume is her tears, there is another words she wishes to relay to him, almost like the letters are trembling and with great hesitation she wrote it, truly saying what she really wants to say.

The letter was squiggly and some of it was incoherent but it was also clear what she was trying to say and Arial could see how she tried to erase some of the words, but could not, try to forget but could not.

He keeps reading as his eyes darkened

'I…I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm…so sorry. I love you, my star. I didn't say it enough. I will see you on the starry skies every day, dreaming of your visage in my night dreams. I never hope you will curse me. I hope you will love me even though I have hurt you most terribly. Even though I love you. Even though I know I will miss you every night as I see the stars that lined the skies I still had to hurt you and myself. A life as a lord bride may be not what I want, but a life with you? Gods, yes. I dreamt of it and wish for it. But I have seen our fate. As there are winters and springs, there is a time for everything. And our time is not yet. And that broke my heart, knowing that. How I cursed the fates. How I cursed them all. That there is still a long time before our time comes. But I will never forget any second of my time with you, however brief our encounter seems to be. I love you, my star. And you will not understand it, at least not yet. But it is because I love you, I leave you.Here I end my letter and one reminder from a Starseer. One may live as a conqueror, a king, or a noble; but he must die as a man. With all my love, your Elvenan'

And there ended her letter. For a while Arial don't know how to react. He sits still, frozen, his eye is moist and his hand is trembling.

With anger? Or was it regret? He doesn't know the name of this emotion that he is feeling right now.

Could he change her decision? Can he run to her now? Seek the entire Plains for her?

Search The Fabled Forest? Went back to The dragon lands? And would it matter?

He sat still in the bed and for about half an hour, he kept reading the letter, as he could not yet recover from the surprise departure of Velamina or why she had thought that she would burden him.

He knows of course he will have a lot to explain to, and some mockery he had to endure, some papnoticon ban, probably from the church but that doesn't matter to him.

After all, to Arial, love isn't just a word he bandied about freely. None of her worries mean nothing if she really loves him. None of that ever matters to him.

None of his worries requires her to disappear. Is this his fault? Did she believe he is incompetent? That he couldn't endure that much?

He had endured greater things in his life than superficial mockery.

And the church? He couldn't care less about the church. He was perturbed at the conclusion Velamina has arrived at.

To think she thinks so highly of his position that she would rather disappear. Yet, when he utters this he was in a state of anger and disappointment.

He could search her. But where would he start? And how long will that take? While he wants to take responsibility, he also has responsibility back home.

To his family, his people, his friends….and then one thought enter his already disturbed mind of how will he account of this affair with his wife.

One-night fling? No, he shakes his head. He loves her. No matter how he tries to deny it, he fell in love with Velamina and he is not ashamed of it.

But he also loves Helia. Helia for her calm mind, and noble disposition, for her gentle heart and for her great wisdom.

Velamina for her passion, her indomitable spirit and will, her unbounded freedom and the way he feels when she stares at his eyes and that mischievous smile of hers that always manage to tug his heartstring.

Could it be possible to love two women at the same time? he once questioned. And now he got his answer.

It is possible.

For one, he felt the nervousness of innocence while for another he felt the startling thunderous sensation every time they kissed.

In an hour after that, with thoughts that could not rest on nothing, asking why and why, again and again, the letter is unfolded again, and Arial begin perusing it again, trying to find meanings, hints or clues Velamina might have left him in the letter.

Her regrets and her advice is all remembered.

That day, he should have begun preparing to leave but it would take him another week before he could move from that tent and return home.

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Did anyone expected that? Arial and Velamina love story would be continued. Dont forget, Elven in Arial world have long lifespan

Some of you might even want me to change this story to a harem stroy now because some of you might be frustrated but remember Arial prophecy and you could slowly make sense of it

Anyway, see you all tomorrow. Dont forget to leave some votes and please leave some reviews to counter the lies in the review section.

Ciao and hope you all are staying safe.