I entered my hut, my mother with her black hair sitting on hers and father's bed, her jet black hair flowing down her front and back, she also has brown eyes much like myself and my father, who seemed to be hunting at this time of night... Something odd... Peculiar and strange... Unless he was called out to help the chieftain of course...

"Hello Jessica!" My mother called from the other side of the room as I walked towards my little alcove in which sat my small, hay and straw bed with furs surrounding every inch of it, it was warm and cosy; expected of the time of year.

"Hello Mother, sorry for being rather denying of you earlier, it's just-" I blush as I open my hunting journal and my graphite pencil to start writing todays events, which was also a weak attempt to change the subject.

"Because of what? Because you love him? You went red, in front of him... He didn't see him... He was there!" My mother teases as she chuckles lightly.

"He... Was? Maathias-" I gasp as I realize that today isn't my hunting day. A day wasted! What am I to do now? At least I'll get praise for using my day off for hunting. "Is usually hunting with father, no?"

My mother chuckles again. "He came home just before you! I saw him enter the fortifications with a large smirk on his face. I asked him to see if he saw you in the forest... He said he did."

'Was that noise him? Like... What?' "Ah... I didn't see him." 'I probably was very close to him though' I smiled and nodded as I crossed my arms in front of my chest as I leaned on the wall as the side of my bed was against the wall.

"Yeah... Anyway, feast will be here in three hours. Don't be late!" Mother says with a stern tone as being late to the feast was strangely considered unlawful and wayward, especially for those ages such as mine.

"I won't mother!" I say kindly as I close my hunting journal, having written nothing. I press the bottoms of my palms onto my bed as I stand up slowly, still smiling at my mother.

"Don't be too late Jess..." Mother says in a quieter tone as I take long strides toward the door of our hut. I deposit my bow and quiver on a clothes rack before I open the front door and slowly walk out into the warm, lively, shrouded forest with elves of my like walk around, minding their own business.

A few minutes pass as I continue to walk towards the village centre, where most people hang out on days like this. I'm mainly looking for Maathias but I doubt I will see him, only his and my friends are there perhaps.

I continue walking towards the village centre, which is a well surrounded by benches with most people sitting upon them talking or kissing or just... Relaxing. I walk up to the well and I see Maathias with his friends talking, hopefully he doesn't notice me so I can sneak up on him and scare him... Oh that would be funny.

I see Maathias' dark blue eyes dart around the place, as if he's seen me but he's pretending to look for me. I walk closer and closer until his shoulder is poking into my stomach. "Boo!" I shout loudly as I hold my fingers in the long strands of his dark blonde hair.

"Aahh!" He shouts in retaliation, his friends burst out laughing loudly as I let out a small chuckle.

"It's only me! No need to worry! Not an orc or something!" I take my hand off his head and I jump over the bench to sit next to him as he also chuckles a little.

"Ah. Well, anyway, I got your note. Got it right here!" He pulled the note out as he also got a golden coin out. "You want this?" He chuckles sarcastically as he wraps the coin up with the note.

"Naah! You keep it!" I watch him fold the note up with the coin, he offers it me before he throws it into the well.

Maathias whispers to both of us. "I hope the law changes for us to be together and for both of us to have a great life" he blushes a little; hoping that no one else had heard his words.

"We can be together, Maathias, we can!" I say quietly into his ear.

"Jess... You're twenty eight and fourteen in human years! You're underage, we both know that, I'm sixteen, I am of age..." he sighs deeply as he turns his body to face me. "Look, I want to be with you too, but not until you're sixteen..."

"Why can't we be secret about it? Please Maathias!" He waves a hand to dismiss his entourage. They stand quickly before walking off.

"Jessica Evans. I love you. I love you a lot, I don't want to be kicked out of our tribe, not until you're seventeen anyway." A tear comes to his eye as a gush of warm air blows few strands of our hair around.

"Maathias, can't we just keep it between us? Please?" I move my hands hands on top of his. "I... I love you too..." he chuckles softly.

We start talking about our day for about what seemed like an hour. Our minds lost in conversation just as the bell went to signal that the feast is ready.

((Please vote if you enjoyed this chapter))