-Of Not Waiting Anymore-

Fanfiction By: Wake-Robin

Story By: Sherwood Smith

-.Approaching Nighttime on the Day Flauvic Left Athanarel.-

-Elestra's POV-

Endless amounts of trees seemed to pass us. Magnificent hills and valleys were left unsighted by my eyes. My eyes were only of what was before me. The sun started to set, painting the skies in fiery colors of passion. The explanation of my mission took forever, or appearing so, to explain to mother and father, but in the end, they both knew they couldn't stop me. They knew that they could only keep me safe or at least as safe as I could be, away from their grasps. Rhianna, on the other hand, knew exactly what I was going to do, before I said a word and pushed me out the gates of Athanarel, instead of letting me, in her words, waste my time saying farewell and things when you should be catching up to Flauvic. I knew when and if I were to come back, there were more explanations in store. Including many unhappy emotions between mother and father towards, where I hope to be heading, in the future. I could only imagine the surprise in court, the scandal, the gossip on everyone's lips. I hoped or really wished it were all worth it by the end. The energy I put into riding helped to use the nervous energy and turn off the doubts starting to creep into me. I didn't want to regret…not about this…not about anything.

My body quickly grew accustomed to the rhythmic pattern of Chocolate's galloping, the beat she made upon the path I rode upon. Occasionally, I stopped to check the ground to see if Flauvic passed by, but I mostly thought in Flauvic's mindset and followed where I thought he would most likely head towards. The sound of my riding drowned out the birds singing off in the distance, the whooshing of the trees in the wind. I knew I would be there soon. The ruins of what had been Flauvic's home blurred away beside me, as I sped by. The trail that I had walked in the darkness and rain long ago was now bathed in the fading light. The sound and smell of the sea wafted to my nose. Upon a ridge, I stopped Chocolate's galloping for a second to overlook the small village below and the waters that provided so many resources for those villagers. I felt that he was close by and with that, a surge of energy entered me, as I encouraged Chocolate faster, down a familiar sheep's trail leading to a village. I slowed my mare into a trot as to not harm anyone in my path. I trotted past an L-shaped building next to the reservoir with its business picking up, as fishers came back onto land for a meal and a drink, as the day started to end. I smiled at an image of a certain person by that inn, as I continued on, with the feeling he was nearby was ever increasing.

Checking the vanishing sun, I headed south and then north, leaving the village and passing the old abandoned cottage a couple miles later.

-Flauvic's POV-

I rode slower than I usually would, though I wasn't sure what that'd accomplish. Possibly, I wished that a certain someone would chase me down and beg me to stay, but it was a ridiculous notion. That certain someone wasn't like that and that was one of the reasons that certain person interested me so. I sighed wistfully. I can't even bring myself to say her name, not even in my thoughts. What in the world, has she done to me? What spell has been woven between us? I shook my head of these strange thoughts that had been plaguing me lately. At least, I've said my part. No regrets, right? I asked myself in the silence of my mind. Except one, maybe.

The day that, to me, felt like it'd never end was slowly darkening and fading away. I got off my horse and led it by the reins, approaching a fishing village. Fishermen were coming in from a day's work, bustling around me, as did the other villagers, women and children alike. The smell of salt water, fish, and food tinged the air, carried by the warm currents. Not many took notice of me, except perhaps, the women, but I was used to their flirtatious looks. I walked the streets, looking for a particular place to stay the night. I remembered one inn that I had passed by once in this village and my eyes searched for it. Quickly I found it and headed towards it, yearning for a bed to collapse in for a while. I was drained though, I didn't do much riding.

I passed my horse to the stable hand to be tended for and gave him a couple of coins. I was just about to open the wooden door to enter the oddly shaped inn, when I felt a peculiar sensation. I turned around, looking for a cause for such a strange feeling. I turned swiftly and caught the end of a sweeping glance of a figure upon a brown horse. I watched as the person started riding away, leaving me with a feeling of recognition, though I didn't catch a look of their face. I stared after the receding slim figure on horseback, watching as the person's brunette hair came slightly unbound. I frowned, placing a hand upon the door to push it open and I shook my head with a sigh. Probably just some nameless messenger.

As expected, the place was full with people and travelers like me. I walked quickly towards the innkeeper and requested a room, which I was given right away much to my surprise, since there were so many customers in the establishment. It was not long after that I was able to fall carelessly backwards onto a bed and not long after still that did I find that I couldn't fall asleep. I stared for minutes, just staring up at the yellowed ceiling. Candles flickered, as the room got darker and darker to welcome in the night. The dulled blue curtains billowed out every so often at a passing cool gust. Just outside, the waters lapped up rhythmically. I faintly heard the rumble of those below. I groaned in frustration and boredom, as I sat up from the bed covered with white fabrics.

I ran my hand through my hair, tousling it a little and went out of the room, closing the door behind me. I went down the rickety staircase to hopefully drown out the thoughts in my head and drive away my restlessness. I spotted an empty table with two chairs, in the corner beside a window and quickly moved to claim it, not noticing the glances of some aimed at me.

Sighing, I sat alone, staring out the window. A maid quickly came up to me and I ordered a glass of cider, not having much of an appetite. Efficiently, she came and went, after a couple tries to get me to notice her. My eyes wandered out the window and I sat there, sipping my drink occasionally, watching those outside pass by.

-Elestra's POV again-

A thought flickered across my mind, as I rode into the wildness. Flauvic isn't a camping type. He did it once of out necessity and I doubted that he'd do it again, especially without the supplies needed to camp that he wasn't provided with. Eagerly, I turned Chocolate around, slightly making him rear at my rough tug on her reins.

"Oh sorry, Chocolate. I'll make it up to you when we get at there." I murmured in her ears, patting her mane, as we sped off backtracking our path.

An ever-increasing smile appeared on my face, as Chocolate and I saw civilization again. We sped to the L-shaped building, the inn that Flauvic had gotten our meal from during that previous trip to this village, as I exclaimed apologies to those I nearly upturned with my hasty riding. With a jolt, I stopped Chocolate right at the entrance and a stable hand blinked a couple times quite humorously, as he tried to recover from our arrival.

"Take good care of her," I said, handing over Chocolate's reins and pressing some coins to the stable hand, after murmuring to my horse that I'd get a treat for her later.

Tentatively, I entered the busy and loud establishment. There was a thunderous laughter and conversations, as well as the clangs, clinks, and jingles of dinnerware, mugs, and money, all blending into one jumbled piece of music. No one took notice of me, since I was dressed plainly with a fabric hat hiding some of my now long hair, as to not draw attention from people and to hide my identity as Princess Elestra of Athanarel. I strode purposely towards the innkeeper behind the bar counter and sat upon one of the stools.

"Hello, sir. I'm looking for a friend. He has blond hair, fair skin, a bit taller than myself, feminine sort of voice, erm…light hazel eyes? He wanted me to wait for him here." I asked, describing Flauvic.

"Sure, he's on upstairs, third door on the left." The innkeeper said, in a gruff voice and added with a look toward the stairs. "But he's coming down here right now."

"Thanks for the help," I said with a smile, looking over my shoulder timidly and looked back to the innkeeper before Flauvic saw my presence. "I'd like a glass of cider, please."

The innkeeper nodded, getting my glass of cider and taking my money, before moving on to other customers.

I turned around and found Flauvic as he settled down at a table at one of the windows, alone. A brilliant thought entered in my mind, making my eyes glimmer happily. It was just my luck that the seat before Flauvic was slightly hidden in the shadows of the corner of the room. It seemed the ever-sharp Flauvic had put his guard down, lost in his own thoughts. Just then a maid approached him and I paused, lounging at the bar counter for a few minutes until he was alone with his drink. I smirked a little when I noticed that he didn't even flirt with the waitress, though the waitress seemed quite besotted with him. My moment came and I walked over to where he sat.

-Third Person POV-

With most of her mousy brown hair falling beneath the confines of the floppy hat, a girl approached the solitary figure in the corner with her drink in her slightly trembling hands, not that anyone noticed. The figure, a handsome young man with a mysterious aura about him, was locked in his many thoughts. Barriers were down for both.

"Mind if I sit here, the inn's particularly full today," Her voice drifted to his ears.

He nodded, dismissing her and cutting the potential conversation that could have emerged. His face remained locked on those outside the window the whole time, in his continuing disinterest in pursuing dialogue with anyone at the minute. The voice, the light feminine voice, was familiar to him and he seemingly recognized it, but he attributed that to exhaustion, restlessness, and his thoughts of her, with a frown crossing between his brows and a sound emitted past his lips. A sound, a sigh really, was a foreign noise for this figure, this man who rarely didn't get what he wanted, even for the briefest of moments. This man with his beauty and unmeasured power was left alone and wanting or really wishing things were different.

She sat, carefully and quietly, not wanting to distract the man across the table. She sat with her legs opposite from the window and away from beneath the table. Shadows hid her face from her slanted position against the corner where two of the walls met. The girl watched intently, unbeknownst to him, watching his features flicker with each emotion, which he usually guarded with the tightest of security. Times sure have changed if he is so easily read were her thoughts. A happy smile bloomed from her teasing smirk. Perhaps, there is hope for us yet, she thought. She crossed her legs, across her ankles enclosed with her leather brown riding boots. She sipped her drink, seemingly nonchalantly, though inside her stomach was in knots at the large and possibly dramatic scene that the person beside her could cause. Her fingertips tapped upon her mug, which she occasionally raised to touch her lips for a sip of the bubbly cider to soothe her tongue.

"It seems that the Flauvic charm is unwavering, no matter how rude and anti-sociable you may be. Almost, looks like, all the women here want to kill me for my seat. I'm amazed you're not taking advantage of that." The girl commented amused, her eyes sliding over those in the room. Her nervousness faded to nothing, as she became more confident around this sometimes intimidating guy.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Now if you don't mind, I'd like some peace and quiet."

"Oh, so you're not the legendary Flauvic Merindar. You know, if you did want some peace and quiet, staying down here isn't exactly the smartest choice."

He scowled, turning from the cool glass of the window to the shadowed girl. If this is how she flirts, I'm not surprised that she's not twoing anyone, he thought irritated by her intrusion in his quiet thinking.

"Apparently, you don't know fully comprehend my words or my reputation, if you are still sitting here. On the other hand, maybe you are ignorant of my reputation, knowing my name just by some rare accident and maybe you didn't hear my precise words, so I'll repeat them, loud enough for you to hear hopefully and clear enough for you to register them. With any luck, the vocabulary I'll use is something that any simpleton girl the likes of you will be acquainted with. I'm not particularly fond of the sounds your making when your mouth opens and moves right now, so I'd like to be welcomed with some silence, starting with yours."

The upper class girl from Athanarel 's courts nearly burst out laughing, but seeing as that she couldn't without revealing herself before she desired to just yet, she settled with an ear to ear grin, which he couldn't see.

She coughed, trying to dislodge the laughter caught in her throat, she said, hilarity ringing true in her sweet voice.

"Sure, Flauvic, but before I retreat to your confines of silence, I must say that a couple time changes away from me and a few years trapped in a tree has caused your manners to be quite lacking."

As she finished her words, she leaned forward toward his face onto the table separating them and into the light from the small glow globes. She was delighted with the sight of Flauvic's aggravated expression replaced with a wide-eyed star of shock, before it was washed away with his cool court mask, rusty in some parts with his overwhelmed emotions. She tilted her head so her head rested on the palm of her hand supported by her elbow, as she stared at him and let out her laughter softly, in his presence. Her other hand tapped the table, rhythmically and somewhat impatiently.

"What are you doing here, Elestra," He nearly exclaimed, but controlled himself enough so that he spoke those words in a startled and keen indoor tone.

"Bup, bup," The girl known as Elestra said, moving her drumming fingertips to drum with only her pointer finger upon her lips a couple of raps, "Didn't you say that you didn't like the noise emitted past my lips, which I might add was expressed quite rudely. I think it's best to obey the great Flauvic's wishes before he turns me into a toad or something."

The girl was clearly enjoying this fun she created and glowed with impish glee, an apparently infectious joy that spread onto Flauvic's face with a grinning smirk, tinged with disbelief.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry for my rudeness. I have had enough of your so-called silence," He replied, returning her joking fun. "Now talk, before I'm tempted with that toad idea of yours."

She laughed, blending with his rare chuckles melodiously. The invisible tension between them earlier and the troubled times of ostensibly back then was placed in the back of their minds for the small amount of time being. The mirth faded, so that they could talk adult-like or at least in attempts to. She smiled simply, their eyes locked on each other. Both pair of eyes, windows to their souls, was stained with wariness and rigidity, as their situation presented themselves in their minds again. Elestra sighed, strained with the hopes to make things comfortable and make things work between them.

"So what brings you away from home," He asked again in a faint whisper. "I remember clearly that I said we can't be."

"Did you really think that I'd let it go, just like that?" She replied earnestly.

He sighed and shrugged, before saying,

"I didn't want to leave with regrets. I hoped that you weren't foolish enough to follow."

"But you wanted me to, didn't you?" Questioned Elestra.

He was silent, not allowing himself to answer her, not allowing himself to see her reaction or allow it to happen. A regret it may become, but a regret for the best of both of their lives, he reasoned.

"I'm just going to escort you to the border, where I'm guessing your heading." She finally said.

He nodded, looking to her face studying his. He managed a small smile, as weak as it was. He was slightly relieved that she wouldn't fall for him like other women, he didn't want her to ruin her life. He didn't want her to be changed by him for he had a way of ruining all that he's been given or even taken.

"And beyond the border with you as well," She continued, after he nodded in agreement with her, beaming at him confidently.

He looked surprised at the prospect, but he shook his head in a negative.

"No, you can't." He said, devoid of emotion, and added with a stab of his pointer towards the table. "You belong here."

"Yes, I do. I belong with you."

He scoffed at her play on his words.

"You know what I meant," He told her, looking away.

His words hurt him to say, but he knew it was for her. It was the best for her. For once, he didn't want to be selfish.

"And you know what I meant." She said. Her words were firm and obstinate.

Her hands wrapped around his chin and turned his face to her.

"I can't say I love you, yet. I don't you well enough to. Just give me the chance to."

"I can't. We can't," He replied, enclosing her hands with his and holding them away from him.

"Who says so?" Elestra asks of him, determinedly.

"Who won't?" He countered, reluctantly letting go of her hands and scowling, a scowl she returned.

"We won't know if we don't try, if you don't let me try." She says, pulling him up from his seat.

She wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him. Her hat fell to the floor unnoticed and ignored, as he raked though her hair with his fingers. It didn't take long for the people in the room to notice and not longer still to hear them hooting and urging them on, as they deepened the kiss. Finally, she pulled away, grinning with swollen lips.

"Doesn't seem like they seem to mind much," She says.

He scoffs again and then laughs faintly, pulling her close, so that only a centimeter separated them. He reveled in holding her close without any disguises or any mind barriers. Their foreheads touch, as they seemingly try to memorize the other's face and remember the moment.

"You sure about this?" He asks, hesitantly, almost fearfully.

"Let's renew our escapes for old time's sake," She replies with no trace of uncertainty. "Together."

He grins widely and starts pulling her arm toward the exit, as she follows.

"Wait, wait," She exclaims laughing. "I didn't mean now! It's dark out!"

He stops suddenly, eyeing the darkness outside the windows and turns to her with an embarrassed grin.

"Hehe," Flauvic says, turning slightly pink. "Forgot."

Elestra bursts out in laughter and he spins her into his arms again.

"Humph, you find that so funny, huh?"

She nodded at him, beaming with joy and amusement and lowered her eyes to watch their intertwined fingers between their chests.

"Hilariously so," She further answered him.

He bent down a little, so that they were leveled, face to face. He moved toward her mouth and gave her a long, deep, and powerful kiss that sent shivers down both their spines. He hoped to be doing a lot of this with their time together with her and she thought the same about him.

Basking in presence of the other and this momentous moment in their lives, they forgot those around them and heard, saw, breathed in, tasted, and felt only the other, their soul mate's match. The person they were meant to be with, not that they fully knew it then, but they would and soon.

-FINALE-

You Make Me Happy

By: WakeRobin a.k.a. Judy T.

You make me happy,

Just with your smile,

You let me dream,

And you let me be,

I don't know anyone quite like you,

With you around,

My dreams come true.

You make me happy,

And make me feel free,

You let me laugh,

And you let me breathe,

I know no feeling quite like this,

With you around,

I need not one wish.

You make me happy,

And you let me forget,

You let me go,

And you let me come back,

I want to go nowhere else,

With you around,

There's a peace I've never felt.

(So Say You'll Stick Around…)

(Wake Robin) Well, here we all are! The definite end… sniffle…I'm going to miss writing this, but sorry, I won't miss so much that I would write a sequel or continue this fanfiction story. Thank you for everything, everyone. As promised, I also placed a poem in this epilogue. Unlike the previous poem, this one was not made for this story, but actually just for me. Upon rereading old works, I came upon this and it made me think of Out of Blue, so here it is. ::grin:: The words in the parenthesis things weren't actually in the original poem, but I just felt compelled to write in down, hence the parenthesis things. Anyways, enough rambling, which I'm sure no one will miss, lol and see you later. Not a goodbye just yet, but just a see you later. Love everyone lots!!! I hope you liked how I ended it and everything. I kind of feel that I rushed their relationship, I mean, in my opinion, they barely even know each other. Oh yeah, I know around the end I was using both past tense and present tense, I did on purpose, hopefully you didn't mind it too much. Yup, yup, I think that's all, excluding the thank you notes for chapter fifteen.

.Thank You For Everything Always.

(Frobbit) Thanks for the comments and criticisms. It's been interesting hearing from you. Hope you like the epilogue.

(Mickey Mouse) Glad you like the humor, not many people get it, lol. Thanks for your support.

(Erkith) Thanks so much for your support, you have no idea how much it affects me and how happy they make me. Thanks. Good luck with your fanfics!

(Adiralinnet) Sorry I gave you a scare, but the twists and everything sure does make a story interesting, in my opinion. Glad you like it, though I didn't exactly say that they got together in that chapter, but it's safe to assume it with me around, lol.

(The Jade Lady) I'm glad you liked it so much and that you agree with me having the rewrite. Thanks for the help with the 100 reviews mark I set and the compliments. )

(FelSong) I would have loved a whole pledging their love thing as well, but I just couldn't write for, to me, it just didn't seem right just yet to do it. I hope you like it though without the solid pledge of love, but you have to know they get together and say it later on. D

(JasAbby) Wow, thanks for the compliments. I'm touched that you like it so much. Good luck with school!

(Ereshkigal Girl) Heehee, hopefully this was enough of an ending for you. It was the best I could do without rushing everything. Hope you liked it!

(Kingmaker) Thanks for all your comments, help and criticisms. Hopefully, the epilogue didn't sound too modern. That was actually something I feared doing when I wrote this, but I guess at the end, it's inevitable since we do live in modern times and since I'm too lazy to go over the whole thing and fix my messy writing. Lol. I hope you don't mind the mistakes too much and still enjoy the story.

(Emerald Random) I'm glad everything cleared up for you. I can't believe you reread the whole thing again, but I'm flattered that you took the time to do so. It would have been best to have the story all in one go so that everything was fresh in the mind, but my slow self and the chapter-by-chapter format rather went against that when I took some time off between chapters. Oh well. Lol. Glad you like, thanks for reviewing!

(Rhexi) I know you didn't review and I know why, so I won't leave you out of the thank yous. ) Have fun in the new school, don't get too worried about it.

That's all folks!

Signing Out,

Wake-Robin