A forbidden love

Chapter 3: Soren

Gathering around, the elves weaved through the crowd eager to see who had slain the stag. It was Evelyn, my older sister. I wasn't the least surprised, she was an impressively skillful huntress. She scanned through the crowd looking for someone, once she made eye contact with me, she signaled for me to join her in the front of the crowd with mother standing proudly beside her. 

"Arya, nice of you to join us," my mother cooed. She wasn't very impressed to see I had arrived late. My sister grabbed hold of my hand and looked at me with a bright smile spread across her face. My mother raised her hands, "my kinsfolk, I am proud to declare the mighty beast slain, and by none other than my daughter." She said holding her hand out to Evelyn. Stepping forward, my sister knelt before the queen mother, bowing her head as my mother gently held Evelyn's head on both sides and kissed her. The crowd applauded, cheering for her new victory. It was a special blessing shared amongst our bravest warriors.

"Well done sister," I congratulated her, as she walked back towards me. We made our way into the palace as the crowd began to disperse, my mother occupied by her duties as queen. "Where did you find the stag?" I asked my sister. "He grazed in a clearing towards the south, near the Wulan lake." I stared at her with wonder, I was nowhere near the south. Then again, nowhere near the comforts of our own forest. 

"Goodness sister, look at yourself," she said to me, eyeing my attire, I looked like I crawled out of a bush. I smiled sheepishly, "I know... but there is something I must discuss with you and mother tonight after the feast." My sister looked at me now serious, I had to tell her and mother about the fae I found in the forest. She gave me a stern nod and bid me goodbye as we parted ways at the top of the large staircase, leading to our rooms.

Once I reached my room, I shut the door behind me. I released a heavy sigh slouching against the door, my eyes closed shut. "My my, someone's had a tiresome morning." I opened my eyes to see Soren sitting comfortably on a couch in front the already lit fire, holding a book in his hand. I smiled as our gazes met. Soren was my lovemate*.

*A lovemate is similar to a boyfriend or girlfriend, for future reference,  a lifemate was someone you were connected to spiritually, like a soul mate.

I can't remember exactly how he and I met; I think we just always knew one another while growing up. One day Soren approached me, looking all serious. I thought he was angry, like I did something wrong, but instead he took hold of my hand and said, "Arya, I really like you." Our relationship was an unspoken agreement, we liked each other's company.

I made my way towards him, falling on the sofa, and snuggled up against his chest. We sat in front of the fire for a few minutes in utter silence. It was nice, just listening to the crackling of the fire. He broke the silence first, "Arya, let me take you to the feast." He was always so straight forward, even if he hadn't asked, I would have gone with him anyway. "It would be an honor my lord," I teased. Soren never liked it when I referred to him by his status.

 He lifted me onto his lap, softly placing a kiss on my nose. Wrapping his hands around my waist, he pulled my closer to his body while gently planting kisses down my cheek and then my jawline. 

I wrapped my arms around his neck, softly tugging at a handful of his long silver hair. I felt a smirk reach his lips as he placed another kiss on my neck. Brushing my hair to the side, he tilted my head slightly, giving him more room as he began to place open mouth kisses down my neck. His lips burned on my skin as he savored the taste. 

His kisses became more urgent, as he tightened his hold around my waist, grinding against my core. I let out a soft moan, grinding with him. Exchanging positions with me, he hovered above me. Soren placed his one hand on the back of my neck and his other hand on the inside of my thigh. I pulled at his hair, guiding his kisses further down my body. I felt a smile form on his lips as he looked back at me, "I have to get going princess, my father wants to talk me about some tribal business."     

 I hated it when he did that, he liked teasing me every time we got intimate. He sat next to me for a few more minutes in each other's embrace we sighed together. He stood up to leave, before turning around to look at me once more, "I will be here to take you to the feast before six." He kissed me on the forehead, before closing the door behind him.

Slouching on my bed, I took a close look at the pendant from before. The moon had small patterns engraved on it. Turning it around, I saw words carved in it in the ancient language. The language was from before the great war, when the elves and fae still lived amongst one another. As royalty it was our duty to study the ancient language, that's how we kept our magic alive. My beloved, was engraved on the charm. What was a fae doing in our forests with this ancient pendant?

Sighing, I stood up and made my way to the bathroom. I had to get ready for the feast. At the end of every hunt for the white stag, the family whose kin had slaughtered the beast was granted the privilege to have the first portion to eat. This was one of the few occasions all the elven tribes were gathered together under one roof in celebration.