Callum sat on a blanket, ring in hand. Rayla was next to him. "Rayla..." he said, "you are the most amazing, beautiful, talented woman I know. And I have to know... will you marry me?" She stared at him with confusion, which quickly morphed into stifled laughter. She laughed hysterically, then said,"Marry you? Haha! No!"
Callum jolted awake. He felt his cheeks, wet with tears. You're just nervous, he told himself. I'm sure she'll say yes. With that, he fell back asleep.
Callum cried into his knees. He might have been fine, had she said no normally. But she laughed at him. Now, he despaired. How could she do that? Hurt him like this? It was... cruel. His sobs went unheard in the empty castle. He sniffled. He clenched the ring tight in his hand. He stared at it. Anguish bubbled up inside him. He chucked it across the room. It clinked as its shiny surface struck the stone floor.
Callum wearily opened his eyes. The resounding "shwing" of stone on metal rang through the room. Rayla. She hadn't said no. He hadn't asked. He breathed a quiet sigh of relief. She turned her head. "Good morning, Love." Callum smiled. She had never called him that. He liked it.
She continued to sharpen her blades. Callum, after some struggling, managed to fall out of bed. He had high mage stuff to do. He walked out of the changing room feeling refreshed. "Bye!" he shouted as he ran through the doorway. Rayla barely had a chance to wave. She frowned. Rayla wished he could take a day off. Wait, day off. Her day off was over! She scrambled to get ready.
She ran to the throne room, where Opeli stopped her and politely requested she walk. Rayla gave her a quick thumbs up, then speedwalked away. She burst through the throne room doors, ready for work. She took her place next to Soren and Corvus. Corvus glanced at her. He smiled. Yeah. Ez told him. The crow master read him his letters. Rayla realized she had forgotten something, but she could not remember what. Right! It was July 14. Callum's birthday was tomorrow. She smiled. A day that was special for more than one reason.
As the crow master went on and on, "King of this, queen of that," Rayla stared into the distance, waiting for something to happen. She secretly hoped Ezran had something magic related in those letters. Just an excuse to see Callum. She was tired. Exhausted, even. So tired that she didn't even notice Ezran had been calling her name. When she realized, she quickly turned to him.
"Would you go fetch the high mage, please?" She nodded, and was out the door. She walked quickly to see her boyfriend. She knocked on his door. No answer. She knocked again, growing worried. Still no reply. She pulls out the spare key he had given her. Rayla unlocked the door. Luckily, Callum was just asleep at his desk. She shakes him awake.
Blinking away fatigue, Callum asked why she was in his office. "Ez needs you," she responded. His stood and trailed behind her as they walked to the throne room. Rayla fiddled with a piece of jewelry in her pocket.
YOU ARE READING
Still Here
Fanfiction"What if Rayla never left?" Yup. This story answers that question! Or, at least, it tries. I have been contemplating for FAR too long. "Hmm.. I want to make this book." But I never did. So now, I'm going to.
