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My Belle Dame,
I hope that you have mercy, and agree to go for a ride with me. Shall we meet at sunrise?
Yours,
F.
Ameliance giggled as she reread the note she found in her pocket. Who could it be from but Fourchenault Leveilleur? Ever since they met at the bridge, he’d been passing notes to her. It was no secret to her; he slipped them in her notes during classes they shared, and they started sitting together. Who would’ve thought that Fourchenault of all people would pass notes? It made her heart flutter to know that she was special to him, special enough to risk his pride if anyone else knew he was sending her secret messages.
She arrived at the stables just as the sun’s rosy fingertips brushed the land. A handsome figure approached at the same time, and she smiled to see that it was Fourchenault. “Good morning, my lord,” she greeted.
He paused for but a moment, then grasped her hand and kissed her fingers. “My lady has mercy on me.” His cheeks were tinged pink, as if he were feeling shy.
“I happen to enjoy riding very much. What shall our steeds be?”
He led the way into the stables. “I know it is uncommon, but I thought that this morning could be horseback riding, if you knew how.”
Ameliance’s eyes widened. “You know how to ride a horse, Fourchenault?” she asked in awe. She stopped to pet one of the chocobos keening for attention.
“I learned shortly after I learned how to ride a chocobo. Do you know how?”
She did, so she nodded. A sly expression crossed her face. “Would you like to ride on one together?”
The pink on his cheeks flared red. “I—that is—yes, but I thought—you would like your own horse more?”
He’s even more handsome when he blushes, she thought, not a little dreamily. “I’m only teasing,” she said, which made him relax, although the blush had yet to recede. “I’ll have my own horse, if there is one.”
“This way, if you please.” They passed the chocobos and came upon the horses kept by the Studium. The creatures were fewer in number compared to the birds, but no less beautiful.
Soon enough, the pair saddled their horses and made their way to a path. Birds called from the trees, and there was a slight chill to the air that gave it an overall sleepy atmosphere. It was a beautiful morning, and Ameliance was glad that Fourchenault suggested they go for a ride. It was also much more romantic to use horses than chocobos, which he undoubtedly knew.
It’s nice that he makes such sweet gestures for me. Several boys and young men had tried wooing her, but so far, only Fourchenault had succeeded, and she wasn’t sure if he was actively trying like the others. If he was, then he was very good at making it seem otherwise. “Sunrise was an excellent suggestion, Fourchenault.”
“Thank you. I thought… the morning is the most peaceful, and the colors are beautiful.” He led her past a grove of trees to a small slope, which gave a good view of the ocean and the sun beyond. It was indeed very beautiful, all rosy gold and blue violet. In the distance, a ship was coming into port, lit by the sun.
“Oh! Look!” She pointed at the ship excitedly. “What do you think it is? Visitors? Gleaners coming with new treasures?”
“Does that excite you?” he asked in turn, amused. His amusement dropped when she turned her face to his, and he saw her eyes wide and sparkling, her cheeks flushed, and a smile charming enough to silence him.
Wouldn’t it be nice to make her look like that all the time?
“What could be more exciting than the exchange of knowledge?” she hedged, and gently nudged her horse to start trotting toward the harbor. “Visitors will learn all they can from Sharlayan, and they can leave pieces of their culture here, so we will also learn more. And gleaners collect every little thing; we are so lucky to know what plants look like in the Far East, not to mention the delicious popotoes and other crops coming from the West!” Ameliance sighed wistfully. “It would be nice to see anywhere other than Sharlayan, you know. When you mentioned how you would like to go to the colony, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.”
“Really?” He’d listened quietly to her chatter, but now he was taken aback. I made her think about something?
“Yes.” Again, she looked at him. “It would be rather thrilling, wouldn’t it? A new environment, new people, new weather. I’d miss home… but it doesn’t have to be forever, so I could always return.”
“You wouldn’t go alone, though, surely? A woman such as you would never do anything without a plan, and I can’t see you doing such an undertaking by yourself.”
She shook her head. “No, I think it would be best if I had someone to come with me. That way, we could share our experiences. We could compare how we enjoyed something, or if we didn’t like it at all. You know, adventurers are lucky in that way.”
Fourchenault huffed. “Having no stable life? No home to call your own? Always on the move, never resting? I doubt they’re that lucky.”
“But think!” she countered. “Think of seeing sunrises like this all over the world, of meeting new people all the time, of trying new food and festivals and stories. Adventurers get to try new things all the time.”
“That may be so,” he agreed, “but what about having a home? A home, with a family. Where your roots are. I’m not saying you’re wrong; I only doubt how lucky an adventurer can be when that is a negative to me. I do not think I would enjoy having to lay my head somewhere new every night, and the hardships trying to raise a family on the road would bring.” He stroked his horse’s neck as he spoke, and she noticed how his hands were gentle, even though he was speaking as passionately as she was.
“Is that what you want, Fourchenault?” she asked curiously, bringing her horse closer to his. “A wife and children?”
This time, it was her turn to be blown away by the expression on his face. Despite the vulnerability, he was revealing just how deep his desires were for that future with a soft turn of his lips and a hidden smile in his eyes. “Yes, it is. I would like to live in the colony in Dravania after graduating the Studium. I would like to get married and after a few years, have children of my own. After a while, we would all return home to Sharlayan.”
“That’s a very nice dream,” she said, and then chuckled. “You do want an adventure!”
He chuckled as well. “I do, but I do not want to be an adventurer. Is that satisfactory for you, Ameliance?”
She reached over and held his hand. “More than satisfactory. In fact, I think I’d like that for myself.”
Fourchenault kissed her fingers, and nothing more needed to be said.