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“Young one, I’m not calm, just resigned. There’s nothing I can do to change it, nor can you. You must realize that, no matter what course you choose.”
“What course I choose? And don’t call me young one. Considering what you want of me, that’s just freaky.”
Relian fought his impatience, his frayed fabric of nerves threatening to tear beyond any stitches he could give it. “There are but two choices before you. Yes or no, at some point you must pick one.” He tried to keep his voice a steady monotone.
“Yes or no?” she questioned dumbly.
“The binding! Yes or no to the binding,” he retorted more hotly than he intended. This woman tried his patience like no other.
Cal jumped a little, and alarm spread over her face. Relian didn’t know if it was from the news he imparted or the way he imparted it. He swore under his breath. Why did he overreact around her? He felt like a young elfling who had no control over himself or his words. It had to be that dratted bond at work.
Her hand shakily tucked a tendril of hair behind an ear, and he watched, fascinated. A sudden desire to see that glorious hair spilling around her shoulders rocketed through him. It’d be a wondrous sight, as it had been in his dreams. He just knew it.
“I’m sorry, but all this is new to me. I need...I need time to think, and I can't possibly make a decision of that magnitude right now. I need to go home.”
Her rational words broke through his haze. She talked of home, and here he was trying to force her into a decision. Shame washed over him. He’d resolved to be more patient. Indeed, his father rebuked him to take more caution with her. What was he doing instead? He surely didn’t show the calm exterior in which most elves prided themselves.
He forced his pulse to stop its upward spiral. “Nay, no one is asking for an answer right now.” At least, not yet. His voice sounded hollow and empty to his ears. “All we attempt right now is to make your stay and your friend’s as comfortable as we may. Nothing more.”
Hopefully, she wouldn’t give his people cause to make her stay unpleasant, for they could and would if they saw the need. Much rested on what she didn’t understand, on what they didn’t understand.
“How long will I have to decide before...”
His mind blanked. He needed sufficient time to convince her to bond, sufficient time to make her fall in love with him. Was it a deception on his part? Yes, but a needed one. If she tried to flee or refused him... No, those weren’t options they could countenance. However, if he could make this more palatable for her, he would.
“A year. That is the traditional time a couple has to finish a binding before the effects become life-threatening. The bonding either has to be broken then or completed.”
Even as he said this, he felt like the biggest liar. A sick feeling tore at his insides. Though it was true that the effects of an uncompleted bond become worse with time, it varied from couple to couple. He’d just randomly picked a number to placate her. He wanted to give her time to get used to the idea...used to him. Still, what was a year? It was nothing to an elf.
She stared at him, shock and horror printed on her face. He swallowed against the guilt. She was no elf but a human who likely felt keenly every year that passed.
And as for letting her leave... Though his people couldn’t control the veil, it could be urged to comply. For her, however, he wouldn’t utter the words of the summoning spell. At least not yet. He’d take no chances. His duty was clear.
No matter her initial decision, he couldn’t allow her to go home, at least not permanently. Maybe not ever.
