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"I love you, Em." Marreck said, giving Emelaide's hair a kiss before pulling her closer. "You should rest before your parents get here. You're tired." He said before stroking her hair and humming quietly.
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Emelaide chuckled softly as she snuggled closer to him, stifling another yawn, "Aye, that I am. But don't let me sleep too long, okay? They should be here in just over an hour, wake me up awhile before then so I can get situated. It won't do for them to see me sleeping on you or greeting them half asleep," she added with another yawn before falling asleep in his arms.
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When it had been fifty minutes, Marreck lifted his head from Emelaide's and shook her lightly. "Em, you're parents will be here soon." He said, trying to coax her awake.
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"Mmm," she murmured, slightly awake but falling asleep in moments as she snuggled closer to Marreck and murmured sleepily, "Five more minutes..."
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"Em." Marreck chided. "You need to get up." He smiled, giving her forehead a kiss before shifting her to sit upwards. "You don't want to be asleep when your parents get here." He said.
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Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Emelaide sighed and leaned back against him, "Let me lay here just a little bit longer? I'm up, I promise," she added as she finished rubbing the sleep from her eyes and simply tried to gather the energy to go change and get ready, "While I'm in getting ready, will you check dinner and get the table ready?"
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"No problem, love." Marreck smiled as he pulled Emelaide off the couch to stand. "But you do have to wake up." He teased, kissing her forehead before walking towards the kitchen.
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Emelaide sighed as she went to her bedroom, slipped off her dress, and changed into a neater yellow dress that her parents adored on her. Slipping on a pair of white flats, Emelaide went to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, and fixed her hair. Heading back out to the kitchen just as a carriage pulled up to their cottage. Blushing, and suddenly feeling very nervous, Emelaide walked over to Marreck and made sure everything was in place. Biting her lower lip as she put the salad on the table, Emelaide looked over at Marreck, "I-is the macaroni and cheese ready? A-and the rolls? What about th-them?"
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"Everything's ready, love." Marreck said, placing the basket of rolls beside the macaroni and cheese. Quickly wrapping his arms around Emelaide, Marreck gave her a small kiss. "Don't be nervous." He smiled as he moved away slightly and rested an arm around her waist.
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Taking a deep breath, Emelaide managed to calm her nerves just as her parents entered the cottage with their bags.
Lorcale Ioveanu was the first to enter the home, "Em? You home? We're ba-oh.. Em, who's this boy who's got his hands all over you?" he asked as he practically glared at Marreck. Emelaide blushed, "Father, please, his hands aren't all over me. Please be kind, Fatehr, he's the elf I wrote to you about, the one I fell in love with and wished you to meet? Marreck O'Sullivan, meet my father Lorcale Ioveanu. Father, I'm pleased to introduce you to someone very dear to me, Marreck." |
"Its a pleasure to finally meet you, sir." Marreck said formally, removing his arm from around Emelaide's waist and extended it to Lorcale Ioveanu.
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Lorcale studied the boy in front of him as he shook his hand, "You seem young. How old are you boy?"
Marie, Emelaide's mother, stepped through the door just as the exchange was taking place. Shutting the door behind her, Marie placed her hand upon Lorcale's shoulder, "Lorcale, love, don't be so harsh on the boy. We don't wish to scare him off on our daughter, do we?" "You're right, my dear, we can get to know him over dinner," Lorcale said as he picked up the luggage an brought it to the bedroom. Marie chuckled as she held out her hand to the boy, "Pleasure to meet you, Marreck I presume? I'm Marie Ioveanu, Emelaide's mother. Pay no mind to my husband, he gets a bit touchy when it comes to Emelaide dating," she whispered with a chuckle before heading to the bedroom to change into a fresh set of clothing. Emelaide sighed as she walked over to Marreck and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, resting her forehead between his shoulder blades, "Are you regretting agreeing to have dinner with us?" |
"Not at all." Marreck assured her, turning to face Emelaide. Wrapping his arms around her waist, Marreck gave her forehead a tender kiss before placing his chin on her head. "Don't be nervous, love. Everything will turn out fine." He smiled, suddenly glad that he'd decided to wait to propose. Marreck planned on getting her parents alone to ask for her hand before proposing, trying to get on their good side.
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"I hope so," Emelaide smiled as she leaned into him, snuggling close in his embrace, "I love you. And please, don't be turned off by my father. He'll warm up to you in no time, I just know it."
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"I'm sure." Marreck smiled as he tightened his arms. "Tonight can't be any worse then Dimitrius and Ariala's meeting with Ariala's parents." He joked as he fought back the nerves that he was desperately trying to hide from Emelaide.
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"So you say," she teased as she hugged him and placed a tender kiss upon his lips, "Don't worry, I promise everything will go smoothly. It just has to."
Just as Emelaide slipped out of Marreck's embrace and linked her fingers through his, her parents emerged and headed towards the table. "This smells delicious Em! Did you make this all by yourself?" asked her mother as she sat down at the table. "Not at all! If Marreck hadn't been here to help, I fear it wouldn't be finished in time, nor would we have any desert!" replied Emelaide as she let Marreck to the table and placed a quick kiss on his cheek and whispered for only his ears, "Deep breaths, my father will surely ask a lot of questions." Sitting in her usual chair as her father at down, Emelaide looked over at her father with a 'Please, don't ruin this Father, he means too much to me' look. Ignoring Emelaide's look, Lorcale began putting some of the food onto his place, "I see you cook, is that how you stole my daughter's heart. Tell me, Marreck was it? How did you meet my daughter? And how old are you for that matter?" |
"I'm 123." Marreck smiled, mustering all of his confidence as he sat in the chair beside Emelaide. "I actually met Emelaide in the woods beside the meadow that connects the two kingdoms. We just got talking and then started to play cards. And the rest as they say is history." He smiled at Emelaide's parents.
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Her parents couldn't help but chuckle at Marreck's comment. Emelaide smiled at him, trying to make him see she was right and that they had nothing to worry about as she began eating her salad.
"So Marreck, you're three years younger than my daughter. Does that seem strange to you? Having a girlfriend who's older? What are your thoughts about my daughter? Your intentions, if you will. Do you love her?" "Daddy!" Emelaide hissed, completely embarrassed, as she looked at her mother, "Mother, please! Father's being ridiculous!" "Lorcale, really, surely the boy loves Emelaide and doesn't mind the age difference! If they don't mind it, why should we?" "Marie, my love, it's always been that the man is older than the woman. Since when to things change? Is it some outlandish custom he brought from Elimlee? I'm simply trying to understand why my baby girl wishes to be with an Elimlee boy instead of a Winterglade boy." "Darling, you can't help whom you fall in love with. And really dear, are we ones to judge? you're only about five minutes older than I am, hardly anything to brag about," teased Marie with a wink at Marreck. "Dearest, I am still older. That fact doesn't change no matter how little time. And five minutes is a lot shorter than three years." "Father, please. It's not a problem for us! We-" "Darling," Lorcale interrupted, "I wish to speak with the boy. Please don't speak for him, I want to hear his own responses." "Yes Father, forgive me," whispered Emelaide as she picked at her food. "Now, Marreck, please answer the questions I have asked." |
"I don't mind the age difference." Marreck said, fighting back his nervous habit of squirming. "When you think about it, elves live so long. I think age is nothing but a number and I know how corny that sounds." Marreck smiled, his confidence building as he talked. "I love Emelaide and my only intentions are to keep her safe and happy, which is I'm sure the same as you and your wife's intentions as well." He smiled shyly. "I only hope that you won't hold the age difference against me. I love Em and I'd hate for you not to approve of me." He said.
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Lorcale smiled warmly at Marreck, "Ah, now that is an answer. But from the sound of it, I'd say you had half a mind to whisk my daughter away and marry her. Now, my boy, tell me. What is your family like? What about your work, what is it you do? Do you participate in the seasonal traditions yet? Or are you still working your way to those ranks?"
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"I'm not at the top of my ranks yet but I'm close. It will be a few more years." Marreck smiled as he breathed a sigh of relief. "My parents live at the castle with Ariala's and I visit them often to help them sometimes with their work." Marreck explained.
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Lorcale nodded, "I see. Working in the Palace is a wonderful honor, don't take it for granted. Work hard and I'm sure you'll go far and provide well for my little girl."
"Daddy! We're not engaged! We're just seeing each other," she added as a scarlet blush crept into her cheeks. "Em, we hope you're not engaged yet. It wouldn't do to have you engaged before we even meet the man you intend on marrying. However, if you were engaged, I can't say I'd mind all that much. Marreck seems like a fine young man, and he's a good cook as well," added Marie with a wink at Marreck. "Your mother's right, Emelaide. Marreck seems like a fine young man, and he seems to love you more than Dimitrius did. The only question is, do you love him just as much?" Emelaide nodded, "I do, Father, very much." "Then I approve, darling." "We both do," added her mother with an encouraging smile as relief washed over Emelaide face. As the small group finished dessert and Emelaide began clearing the dishes, Lorcale turned to Marreck, "Marreck, my boy, I've enjoyed speaking with you. You're an interesting man and I'm glad to see you're truly in love with my daughter and care for her as much as you do." |
Marreck eyed Emelaide carefully as she cleared the dishes and ushered Lorcale aside. "I've actually wanted to ask you a question." Marreck said carefully, the butterflies that had laid dormant through the dinner buzzing around his stomach. Keeping his voice to a whisper so that only Lorcale would hear Marreck added, "I'm in love with your daughter, sir. And I wanted to pull you aside, as tradition goes, to ask you formally for your daughter's hand in marriage." Marreck said quietly as his fingers gripped the small ring box in his pocket.
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Looking over at Emelaide, then to his wife, back to Emelaide, before finally resting his eyes on Marreck. Lorcale sighed as he whispered,, "You'll take good care of her? She's my only little girl.. I don't want to see her hurt... Do you swear upon your honor that you will love her unconditionally and make her the happiest woman in Antronesia? And that you will always, and I mean always, take care of my baby girl?"
- Noticing her father and Marreck in a hushed whisper, Emelaide eyed them curiously as she finished clearing the table, her mother putting away the left overs, before she began washing the dishes. Sighing, Emelaide's nerves reached a great height, fearing what they were speaking of. Her thoughts filled with her father telling Marreck how he really hates him and that he was just putting on a show for her, telling Marreck that he wants him to leave her - all these thoughts swarming in her head, caused a tear to trickle down her cheek as she continued washing the dishes, quickly wiping the tear away before anyone noticed and stopping the flow of tears with her magic. |
"I promise, sir. I want nothing more then to call Emelaide my wife and make her the happiest woman in Antronesia. I love her more then I've ever loved anyone." Marreck said quietly, feeling slightly relieved. "Do I have your permission?" Marreck asked slowly, his nerves evident on his face.
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