Tinsley Family/RP/Marriage Proposal
Marriage Proposal (Willem asks Ilya to marry him - Reply written by Talita S.)
Having escorted Ilya from Nazia straight on through to Barad Falas, Willem suggested that his men rest for a few hours in the city, and that he and Ilya visit the shore where they first declared their love for one another.
It didn't take them long to find that small strip of sand, for they both remembered it well. The wind was up, creating whitecaps on the Silver Lake. The sun was warm and gulls could be heard as they flew into the wind, almost gaining no forward movement.
He took her by the hand, leading her almost to the water's edge. They walked along for a while, neither saying a word, just enjoying the time that they had together.
He slowed the pace and then turned to her..
- Ilya, my dear, it was about right here when I told you that I love you. The tide still comes in and goes out. The clouds still drift by and I still love you. There are times when I can babble on and on, but don't fear, this is not one of them.
She smiled at him and started to speak. He put a finger to her lips and gently shook his head.
- Don't say anything, yet. Please, let me finish. I would like to ask you something...
He knelt before her, with the water lapping at his boots.
- Ilya, we've been through much together as friends. I'd like to go through life with you, but as more than just friends. Ilya, would you marry me?
He pulled a simple ring out from a small pouch on his belt and offered it to her.
He surprised himself with the bluntness of his question. He'd been giving it thought for many weeks. Now was just the right time to ask. The visits to her father in Menedor weren't just about the horses. Willem had asked Charles for her hand in marriage weeks ago. After making certain that Willem's intentions were honorable, Charles agreed to it, but that decision hadn't taken long, for Charles already knew that Willem was the man for his oldest daughter.
For what seemed like days, he awaited her reply, with a thousand thoughts running through his mind. He looked up at her beautiful face, with her hair falling slightly in her eyes. The days of waiting turned to weeks and then to months and then quickly back into seconds as she answered him...
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- Yes - her voice was trembling, faded with emotion. Ilya reached for the hands of her beloved one, touched his fingers with her lips, then made him stand up and gave him a long kiss. - Yes, Willem of Menedor, Marquis of Amdor, knight of the Black Army, my dear and my only... - she smiled beautifully - Yes, my gent, I will marry you.
As Willem kissed and hugged her back, for a moment that seemed to last a lifetime, Ilya could feel she was exactly in the place she should be for as long as she lived. She would like to look into those storming water coloured eyes for a long time, as they were looking at her now, and touch the hand that was now taking the hair away from her face, for even longer.
The knight gently took her right hand and placed the ring on Ilya's fourth finger. They smiled at each other as she took his arm, and started walking the beach. The sand was steady and they didn't have to mind their steps. Watching as the sun was slowly growing towards the horizon, they started talking about simple things that wouldn't actually matter for anyone, like the gull flying over the waves and diving for a fish, or the time they spent for Ilya to gather an egg, a long time ago, or eventually about the white walls of the city, the true Jewel of the Lake, and the Jewel of Falasan. They walked unaware of the odor of fish coming from the boats with the evening breeze, instead mentioning rather pleasantly the fine scent of salty water that filled the air with every wave.
As they walked the beach back, they could see the lights of Barad Falas starting to show, and the city walls painted in red from the sunset. Small animals were now returning home to rest, as the fishermen with their boats, and the many workers in town. Willem and Ilya wandered along the decks that covered the rocky shore, allowing the water to course among the craggy rocks. They slowly walked, hand in hand, both smiling, eventually laughing when a stronger wave would hit the rocks and spill over them, chatting and enjoying the silence together, for the few hours they still had before Willem should move out to Beleriel.
The couple celebrated modestly, dining together as lovers, closely. Dreams were discussed, along with many practical items, such as the date and location of the actual wedding ceremony, but with the fragile state of peace in their land, many of them would be uncertain. There would be time for details, but now it was a time for enjoying each other's company.
