Feelings

Karina

"Elva it was the most amazing night I've ever had."

"Really?"

She makes her way over to my bed where she joins me under the covers all snuggled up.

"So we flew over the city and stopped at the obelisk just outside Enjer."

"And I wasn't that bad on the flying hoverboard."

She gives me an unconvinced look "Really? Everyone knows you're terrible at riding, whether it's the hoverboard or bike. I'm surprised you didn't fall off and plummet to your doom, hahahaha."

And the winner of dramatic arts in all of Yavanna goes to Elva Galadriel.

"Oh stop it." I slap her arms playfully. "Besides Iston was right next to me, I trust him."

For a second I smile as I reminisce about our night together yesterday. I was terrified at first but when he asked me If I trusted him, I was so overcome with emotion that I had to say yes and as promised, I didn't fall off or as Elva would like to put it "plummet to my doom."

"Awwwn see you're smiling." She leans on me causing the covers to slip off her and gives me a side hug.

"What?"

I'm pulled out of my trance.

If I wasn't dark skinned I'm sure I'd be beet red by now.

"Oh Elva."

"I know that look."

Like a toddler caught putting her hands in the cookie jar.

"What look?" My pointed ears perk up.

"You know..."

All of a sudden my cheeks feel like they're on fire, I get up from the bed with the sudden urge and need to arrange my perfectly organized desk as I try to avoid her gaze. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Elva can read me like a book.

"Karina." She laughs.

"You know what I've got to go, I got umm training, yes that's it." I try to come up with something, heck anything. I just want to be away from Elva's scrutiny.

"But you've already had training with Erlan this morning." She continues laughing. "You told me you invited him to your birthday party tomorrow and that he's been teaching you how to use other weapons apart from your bow and that you're getting pretty good at fighting."

Dang it, I did tell her that.

"Oh yeah, I forgot." I'm still fiddling with the end of the pen I picked up from my desk, still not looking at her.

Elva looks at me suspiciously, cocks a brow then smirks. "Did you invite Iston?"

"No." I squeak. "You know what shoot, I just remembered I haven't, so I'll see you later bye."

"Karinaaa."

I say all at once as I rush to the door. I breathe a sigh of relief, leaning on the door frame once I'm on the other side.

My eyes carefully sway to the floor facing mine. To Iston's room.

Should I go to him?

His guard Lara stands in front of his door, straight faced, arms crossed, with a huge trench coat that matches her tight black leather jumpsuit that makes her look even more intimidating.

My legs move on their own accord towards his floor, towards her.

The red head turns when she sees me approaching, her dark eyes flicker upwards and it's like they're boring into my soul.

"Good day, your grace." She tilts her head slightly.

"Good day Lara." I recognize her greeting. "Is Iston in?"

She seemed quite surprised that I addressed him on a first name basis but that look quickly vanished from her face.

"Yes he is."

"Good, I would like to see him please."

There is a slight hesitation on her path.

"Yes, your grace."

She opened the door leading me into the main room.

"I'll tell his Highness that you want to see him. Please take a seat."

She motions to the navy blue couch and walks into his bedroom.

Please take a seat? I chuckle in my mind, you're in my kingdom now honey, I'll take a seat if want to.

Anyway I sit down, puting a biege throw pillow on my lap, looking around the room noticing I've not been here since they fixed it up for him.

Minutes later she walks out.

"The prince will see you now."

So I'm having an appointment in my own palace, okay.

She holds out the door for me to enter and I do.

Iston's back is turned to me, his black and golden wings uncovered and are so huge that they reach the floor. He turns as soon as he hears the door close, his phone in his hand.

He wears a loose shirt that is cut out to accommodate his wings, his short curly hair is damp and a bit wet like he just came out of the shower.

"My lady, to what do I owe this pleasure." He gives me a wide grin as he moves forward to place a kiss on my hand and he hugs me.

Wait did he just hug me?

Awwwn he smells like chocolate and vanilla flavoured marshmallows. Now that I think about it, I guess I'm a little bit hungry.

I return the energy by smiling.

"Good day to you too. Your room is beautiful by the way". I observe everything in the room.

"Why thank you. I'm surprised you haven't been here before."

We move further into the room as we talk. Finally I seat on the couch closest to Iston while he sits on a sanguine coloured bean bag.

I smothen my lemon chiffon jumpsuit. "Oh no I have, I chose this room for you. I just haven't been in here since they got it ready for you."

"Ah I see." He nods and waits patiently for me to tell him the reason I'm here.

"I wanted to tell you thank you, for last night. It was amazing."

Those twinkling green eyes look at me, like he's drinking me in.

"I'm glad you had fun, maybe next time we'll use the gravity bending boots."

Whoa calm down Bob.

He sure is ambitious. "Why don't we take it one step at a time?"

"And I wanted to invite you to my birthday party tomorrow even though I didn't really want one, father didn't give me much of a choice by asking Kaedan to plan it as well as his own, he never gives me much of a choice about anything really."

I realize I'm beginning to start rambling about father.

"...but I'd be glad if you showed up." I end with that.

Iston looks at me like he's trying to figure me out. "I noticed something."

I gulp. What on Elanor could he have noticed?

"There's always some sort of tension between you and your father. It's an unadulterated enigma."

I look at him for a moment and then my eyes flicker downward to my hands neatly folded on my lap.

"My father is a strong and powerful ruler with views and opinions that must be heard as a result of that we don't always see eye to eye."

"Hmmm."

"But he really isn't a bad elf. I just have to be the proper Queen he wants me to be."

I think back to all the arguments and fights father and I have had which leads to me getting hurt at the end of it all.

Needing some air I get up from the couch and walk to the balcony. There's a worried look on Iston's face as he carefully watches me.

I've always tried to prove to father that I am good enough, not only good enough to be called his daughter but also good enough for Yavanna as well and some part of me thinks he'd have preferred Kaedan as his heir and not me, at least that's what a certain groups think, not only in Yavanna but other nations as well. Maybe that's why he's always so hard on me, criticizing me, always looking for flaws. He wants to craft me into a perfect elf, who keeps her emotions in check, who doesn't argue with him but does as she's told. He wants to make me a female version of him and I'd rather just be... me.

My eyes are fixed on the view ahead.

"This dinner party now isn't really for me, well it is but I just see it as a way for him to flaunt me to the world. He knows I'm not really comfortable at large gatherings, I prefer staying behind the scenes, only coming to the stage when I need to." I say to Iston as he walks up to me.

He joins me to look into the horizon, marvelling at the sight. "The towering buildings powered with some kind of renewable energy, vehicles, aircrafts and roads that defy gravity, hovering and floating in the air. Yavanna is really beautiful, the way everything stands on it's own, independent yet all still very connected."

"Yes, I believe we are blessed. Everything runs on a very unique energy source." I don't say more than that, because the people of Yavanna don't disclose the source of our power, and wealth. There's a reason we're called the Dark Elves after all.

All of a sudden Iston snaps out of his trance as if he shouldn't have been caught up in it for this long and shouldn't have changed the topic. "Isn't this party meant to be about you and "your twin?"

I notice the emphasis he makes on "your twin".

"Why is it only centered around you?"

"Well Kaedan and I maybe be twins but we weren't born on the same day?"

The way his face contorted in confusion would have been amusing if I was in a better mood. "Excuse me?"

I had to give a quiet laugh because this is the reaction people give me when I tell them Kaedan and I wasn't born on the same day.

"We were born a few minutes apart. He was born after midnight and I before."

"Oh." Was all he could say. "That's really interesting."

My stomach rumbles slightly, inaudible enough for even an elf with the sharpest hearing to notice.

Thank goodness he didn't hear it, cause that would have been embarrassing.

Then it rumbles again. Loudly this time.

Oh The Light, how embarrassing.

He looks at me and chuckles clearly surprised.

"Hungry?"

I wish the ground would just open up and swallow me whole. "Yes please."

"I'll ask Gildor to bring us something to eat."