Malion: Up In Flames

Promise

"Are... Are you serious, Kaylum?" Anthony asked, cupping both hands over his mouth. He looked up at him, his chin slightly lowered and held up a small golden ring. Another surprised gasp escaped Anthony. From where I stood, I swear I could see tears forming in Anthony's eyes. He lept into Kaylum's arms, exclaiming "yes" over and over again. Barbara and Elliott started to clap and the rest of us joined in. Selvan stepped forward and placed a hand on both their shoulders.

"If you like, I can make this more official? If you have no need for preparation, that is." He offered. Herross scoffed.

"By the Light, you are so impatient. Give them their time!" He exclaimed, to the laughter of the rest of us.

"Personally, I think we could do this right now. Such a beautiful morning... Such an amazing person." Anthony whispered, leaning into Kaylum's shoulder. Kaylum let out a small giggle and wrapped his arms around Anthony's waist and lifted him.

While most others left the beach as the sun rose higher, I sat under a tree and examined Alex's outdated headstone. I heard her voice call my name and whirled around, huffing. Alex stared at me, slightly amused. Her face fell into a concerned frown when she saw my face.

"Dec? You alright there, Princess?" She asked gently as she knelt down. She placed a gentle hand on my cheek and my eyes met hers.

"I'm.... I'm muddled. You can't expect me to be perfecrly happy after one good thing and plenty of bad things." I mumbled, glancing away. The memories vaguely played back in my head and my heart sank.

"Decoda..." she said quietly. It was the first time in a while that I'd heard my full name from her.

"Don't you think I know that, Princess? Beneath, you're 17. Of course all of this is hard. We've both been through a lot. Truth be told, I don't think I'm much better off than you. We're in the same boat, Decoda. That means I'm here for you. I'm never leaving your side again. You damn well better believe that." She said with a bright grin. I cracked a smile and wrapped her into a tight hug.

"I'm sorry for being such a bitch lately. I don't know what's come over me." I whispered.

"It's the grief. I get what you're on about. It's ok, Princess. Oh wait, fuck." She muttered, pulling away, "Am I going to start calling you Your Highness or Queen?" I burst out into laughter and pushed her playfully.

"I don't think I'll ever be Queen. I don't want to be. Beneath, I struggle with the little amount of power I have anyway." I chuckled. Alex smiled at me.

"I'm sure you would make an amazing ruler. You're just going through something seriously rough right now." She said and hooked her scarred arm around my shoulders, pulling me into her.

"Thanks, Alex. If I do become queen, I'm making you my second in command. Elliot would be king anyway, so that leaves the perfect spot for the perfect person." I explained, grinning at her. She laughed.

"Uhm, hey. Do you two know where Selvan is?" A sudden voice interrupted. I looked behind me to see Anthony hidden under his crimson hood. He smiled at me and I returned the gesture. I stood and habitually gave him a friendly Osrocan greeting. He returned it, thumb in open palm.

"Oh, sorry about that. It's..."

"No, I get it. It's nice to see something a little familiar. Anyway, could you help me find Selvan? Kaylum's taking a nap and I want to set up a surprise." He said.

It's your turn with the surprises, huh?" Alex added.

"Well... you see, him and I have been wanting a child for a very long time and I know that we are both still very young. 20 is not a propper age to be having children unless the couple loves each other unconditionally - but there's the thing. We do. He has welcomed me to search deeply into his mind to prove how much he treasures me and I have returned the favour by showing all that I think of him. We acknowledge every flaw and accept each other. I sometimes don't belive that he's real because of how... how amazing he is. We don't want to pass up an opportunity like this." He explained, rambling whistfully and precisely.

"Hold on. Anthony, how old are you?" I asked, curious.

"I'm 20. I'm only a few months older than Kaylum.

"And both of you, at 20, want to have a kid?" Alex asked. Anthony chuckled slightly.

"Sure. Why not? The propper age for marriage on Karmaro is 15. On Orsrow it's similar with Ileth - around 16 or 17." He explained. That was when I realised what I thought was an early marriage to Elliott wasn't early by anyone else's standards but mine. Suddenly Anthony gasped and jolted away.

"Selvan!" I heard his voice suddenly behind me, "forgive my sudden approach, but I'd like to ask for the biggest of favours." He asked the God who had most probably teleported near his small home.

"Oh, Light!" He huffed, "Hello Anthony." He said with a more welcoming tone than I expected. When Anthony asked to help him and Kaylum get a child, Selvan hesitated.

"That... that requires your partner to be here too, you know that, right?" He asked. Anthony burst out into a roaring laugh and when he calmed down, he pushed Selvan's shoulder playfully.

"I'm not an idiot, Selvan. You are the God of Creation and Progress. You need at least something to be able to create life itself. I know how this works. I've been gay for my whole life." he laughed.

"None of you are infertile, are you?" He asked, and Anthony shook his head. Selvan placed both his hands on his hips triumphantly.

"Lovely. I'd be happy to cast the pregnancy at your earliest convenience. However I'd need to talk to you about how these types of children grow up." He explained. A sudden, high pitched excited yell escaped Anthony as he lept into Selvan and wrapped his arms around him.

"Thank you!" He exclaimed.