The Proposal

Kelton paced back and forth, his light elfin feet didn’t so much as bend any of the virid undergrowth. He was waiting for Yastley to meet him. Elfin folk of the West were always punctual, following the clock of the sun, Yastley however was of the East, and they tended to be a more free flowing people, saying that “they’d get there when they get there and if the appointment was important enough to make, than it was important enough to wait for everyone one (namely themselves) to show up.”
Yastley scampered into the small clearing, her long carrot colored hair streaming behind her. As she came to a gentle stop, the only thing that kept her long locks from falling around her face was the fact that it was tied in the back with two ties as was the way of the East.
“You wished to speak to me Kelton?” Yastley asked, not bothering with a salutation to get straight to the point.
Kelton resisted a small smile, Yastley was so much like the rest of her brand of elf in so many ways: her comparatively tall stature, red hair, almond shaped green eyes, abundant freckles, and a proneness for being tardy, but at the same time she was unlike them too. Her somber tone and face Kelton had never at anytime seen on any other Easterner. Her manor was abrupt in a way that could be taken as rude, regular Easterners are known for being overly hospitable. Most of all, Easterners were reputed with the ability to empathize with anyone at anytime, while Yastley became disgruntled and uncomfortable whenever anyone came to her with their emotional woes.
“Yes, I did,” Kelton replied, “I wanted to ask you something.”
“If you need advice on your love life, you’d be better off with a Northerner.” She said bluntly, her body language changed ever so subtly as she leaned away from Kelton, ready to leave. (Northern elves were all involved with their work, and were the least social of all the elves, rarely did they ever leave their beloved mountains for any gathering of any kind, even during times of trouble. They found the “soul searching” of the Easterners a complete waste of time. Suffice it to say the North and East never truly saw eye to eye, though the East never considered themselves to be any one’s foe, they merely looked upon the North as the estranged cousin who was difficult to understand.)
“I’m not here for advice,” Kelton said, he tried to swallow down his nervousness. His emotions had been twisting inside of him like a wild horse, refusing to be broken.
“Oh?” She inquired, her eyebrows raised a fraction of an inch; obviously his inner strife had made itself apparent across his face.
“Yes, I would like to court you Yastley,” it was utterly unromantic and must have been an embarrassment to the Romanics of the East, but his prepared speech which he had been reciting while he paced had left him the moment Yastley stepped into the clearing.
“This is highly irregular,” she said after a barely noticeable pause. In which her face had turned to what would have been the perfect poker face, if it weren’t for the slight darkening of the naturally pink color of her cheeks.
“Yes, I know,” he tried to rush into some sort of explanation, but lost the words in his hurry and she cut him off before he could begin again.
“We would need permission from both councils, and not to mention, you would need to approach my father, and invite me to meet your parents. This is so unusual a notion that we will have to do everything to protocol to avoid a scandal.”
Kelton couldn’t believe his ears.
“You mean to say,” Kelton said “that you are willing to entertain the idea of a courtship between…you and I?”
“Yes, of course, though I must say you went about it the wrong way.” Yastley said calmly, though her blush deepened.
“I thought there wasn’t a wrong way to begin to love,” Kelton replied, he was quoting the Eastern representative in the West court.
“Only fools who don’t mind their lives ending in tragedy and the more tragic the more romantic the tale. I have no intention of taking part in a relationship that will end in banishment, do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Now the first thing to do is for each of us to see our local councilman and get an approval, now you go to mine and I’ll go to yours, and don’t you dare leave until you get it in writing.” Yastley paused. “What are you waiting for, go.”
“Don’t I need to make an appointment?” Kelton asked.
“He’s an Easterner Kelton; you just need to find him.”
“Alright,” he turned to leave the clearing. This wasn’t going the way he had planned, but at least, she hadn’t said no.
“Oh, wait, I almost forgot.” She caught his sleeve as he walked by her. He turned and she put her arms around him and kissed him full on the mouth.
Clanging bells went off in Kelton’s head, and his ears were still ringing when the two of them parted.
“There, now my mother can stop worrying about me,” Yastley said, evidently proud of herself.
“What?” he asked confused.
“I’ve finally kissed a boy, now maybe she’ll let me get some peace and quiet. Bye-bye,” she said before running out of the clearing, “see you back here later.” She called over her shoulder before she vanished between the trees.
Kelton headed out of the clearing and towards Easterner’s home by the ocean. Once he cleared his head he started to laugh quietly to himself. If this was any sign on how the relationship was going to go, then he was glad he asked.