"Jealousy?" Marreck blinked. "I'm afraid you've got the wrong friend. Her magic is envied by Erreminette. I couldn't care less about my magic if it meant that Ariala could see what trouble you are for her. Going and kissing Ariala before you break things off with that other Winter Elf. Now what's going to stop you from going and doing the exact same thing to Ariala?" Marreck rolled his eyes as if he realized he was talking to a child. "Don't be so blind to your feelings. I bet you haven't even realized how many people you've hurt in the past."

Marreck took a step forward, glaring down at the Winter Elf. "If you hurt Ariala there will be serious consequences. She is very passive at first but if she's provoked enough she can have a temper that would suprise you." Without another word, Marreck turned on his heel and strode off into the woods towards Elimlee.

~-~-~

Ariala felt the rain lessen as her breath became more shallow. "I can't." Ariala panted, her energy all but drained from the effort.

"Rest child." Her Master coaxed. "You're doing well."

Dimitrius simply shook his head with a sigh as he finished filling the basket with blueberries. Picking up the baskets, he headed back towards Winterglade, Marreck's words still racing through his thoughts.

"Marreck!" Ariala called after her friend. "I just made it rain!" She called, giving him a friendly hug. "You should've seen it. It was amazing."

"I told you that you would do well in your class. Is your Master expecting you to go back in the afternoon?" He asked, staring into her gorgeous green eyes. How anyone as beautiful as her could love a Winter Elf was beyond him.

"Yes." She sighed. "I was just going to rest before I have to work again. It was so hard." She said, climbling the rope ladder.

Finishing his lecture, Dimitrius made his way towards his Aunt's cottage carrying the four baskets of fruit. Opening the door, he forced a smile and carried them into the kitchen, "I'm here Auntie! Ariala grew these for you! There are still apples there for the picking, I'll need another basket for them though, do you have one?"

Cindalina nodded as she walked into the kitchen, "Of course, it's in the back." Popping a blueberry into her mouth, she sighed contently as the delicious berry melted in her mouth, "Absolutely remarkable. That girl of yours has wonderful growing skills. The things we bake and cook will be spectacular if she does all the growing!"

Dimitrius chuckled as he walked back into the kitchen carrying the said basket. After placing a kiss on his Aunt's cheek, he nodded with a smile, "Aye, I'm sure her cooking will be marvelous; especially with you as her tutor."

Cindalina smiled as she patted Dimitrius' cheek, "Flattery will get no nowhere, love."

Grinning Dimitrius popped a blackberry into his mouth, "Aye, but you deserve to be told the truth. And who else is going to tell you the truth without exaggerating if not I?"

Cindalina simply chuckled as she began getting out the necessary ingredients for the first pie, trying to sound casual as she glanced at Dimitrius, "Something wrong, child?"

Ariala fell alseep as soon as her head hit the pillow, resting for her next lesson.

"Marreck?" Erreminette's vocie asked. "I saw you run past my window this morning. You looked pretty upset, what's wrong?" She asked.

Dimitrius shook his head, "No, I'm alright Auntie. I'll see you later this evening to help you bring the pies over to the Masters Villa," he added with a smile as he headed out out of the cottage towards the Masters College Villa to give his lecture.

Cindalina simply sighed as she began preparing one of the pies and said softly to herself, "That boy will never learn.. you'd think after 126 years he'd know that I can read him like an open book.."

"I met Ariala's Winter Elf." Marreck said, disgust in his voice.

"Dimitrius?" Erreminette asked. Then her face clouded with anger, "What did you do?" She asked, though it came out as more of a accusation.

"Don't act like I'm the bad one here!" Marreck said defensively. "You know he kissed Ariala before ending things with the other elf. What's to say he won't do it again?" He shot back.

Neither one of them heard Ariala's footsteps until she was standing right beside them. "What did you just say?" She asked Marreck, tears rising to her eyes.

After his lecture, Dimitrius made his way back to his cottage, where he dropped off his school things and headed back towards Elimlee to collect the apples for his Aunt, Marreck's words still playing in his mind.

Ariala's voice was barely above a whisper. "You idiot! You have no idea what you are talking about!" She ran to the meadow, choosing love above her lessons for the day.

Please let him be there... Ariala thought as she darted through the forest, twisting around the trees. As the meadow came into sight, her breathing came harshly from the adrenaline rush but she managed to yell anyways.

"Dimitrius!" She called, gasping between yells. "Dimitrius!"

As Dimitrius stepped into the clearing, basket in hand, he saw someone running in the distance across the meadow. Squinting, he still couldn't make the person out, nor fully understand what was being said, so he simply walked over to the apple tree and began filling the basket with apples, assuming it was just some Elimlee children playing in the meadow.

Ariala nearly fainted from relief as she Dimitrius picking apples. Managing to stop on a dime at his feet Ariala gasped for breath. "Don't...Listen...To...Marreck." She said, working to catch her breath.

"He doesn't know what he's talking about." She said after she had composed herself.

Dimitrius arched his eyebrow as he looked down at Ariala, still placing apples into the basket as he spoke softly, "Marreck? You mean that jealous friend of yours who hates the thought of you loving anyone other than him? What makes you think he said anything that would make me doubt you?" Gently, he reached up and brushed a few locks of her blonde hair out of her eyes and tucked them behind her ear, "You'd best run along, love. You don't want your Masters angry with you."

What Dimitrius didn't tell her, what that the words Marreck has spoken to him still rang in his head like a warning bell. All morning, he had been wondering how much he had truly hurt Ariala, and Emelaide for that matter, with his rash and abrupt change in feelings; and he wondered how much pain he had caused both girls. For although Dimitrius was sure of his feelings for Ariala - knowing that he loved her and valued her above everyone and everything else, he was afraid Ariala may change her feelings towards him and believe that maybe she had been to hasty in her feelings the more she was around Marreck. But more than anything, he was afraid of losing her to the Spring Elf forever.

All these thoughts, placed in his mind by Marreck, flowed through his mind like a tidal wave. However, Dimitrius somehow managed to keep these feelings and thoughts from showing in his manner, his actions, and his words; hopefully not allowing Ariala to clue in to his thoughts and worries.

"Dimitrius..." Ariala whispered, pulling his arm away from the apples. "If I'm a little late then so be it. You're not telling me something." She said, worry crossing her face. "There was something more that Marreck said." She finished, refusing to acknowledge anything about Marreck loving her. That was just silly.

Dimitrius offered a small smiled as he placed a kiss on her forehead, "Don't worry about it, love. Everything's fine, I'm perfectly alright. It's truly nothing to worry about, I promise."

"You're upset Dimitrius. I'm not blind. What did he say?" She asked, a mix of fear and worry in her voice. Ariala hesitated before placing her hand in his and pullng him close, which calmed her slightly. Her other hand took his free hand and she looked up, scared. "Please tell me."

Then she looked down at her feet. "If you want to leave me, please don't let it be because of what Marreck said." She finished, placing her forehead against his chest.

"Hey.. come now, who said anything about my leaving?" he soothed as he gently took his hands from hers, one slipping around her waist to hug her close while the other gently stroked her cheek before slipping under her chin and tilting her face up so their eyes met, "I'm not going anywhere, I promise. Nothing could ever make me wish to leave you, don't ever think it's possible. Marreck was simply acting jealously; it's understandable. He loves you, and if I were in his place, I'd go stark raving mad to have lost you to someone else before I could confess my feelings to you; especially to one who isn't even of the same race."

Placing a kiss on her forehead, he murmured softly, "I love you, Ariala, and nothing he or anyone may say will change that."

Looking down into her eyes, he smiled, "I'm honestly alright; he simply said some things that I didn't consider. He made me realize a few things, that's all. It's truly nothing to worry about."

Ariala was visibly much calmer. He wasn't leaving. Ariala remembered the night before when she had told Marreck that he didn't understand love and when she looked up at Dimitrius she realized just how true her words had been. She had never felt this way and she stood on her toes so she could look Dimitrius in the eyes. "I love you to."

Dimitrius chuckled softly as his hand caressed her cheek, "Aye, Marreck did say something about you mentioning that to him. He referenced it to my being the 'Romeo' to your 'Juliet', I believe. Nothing like referencing Shakespeare in a heated argument; I just hope we don't have the same fate as those in the play," he added with a teasing smile as his lips brushed against her forehead, her nose, before landing on her lips in a tender kiss.

Still caressing her cheek, Dimitrius sighed, "All joking aside, I'm sorry. I'm sorry if you were hurt by my abrupt change in feelings. It must have been confusing; seeing me one day seeming so in love with Emelaide, and then the next me obviously falling hard for you. I'm truly sorry if my feelings seemed to force feelings from you, it wasn't my intention. I never meant to hurt you or Emelaide; but it seems I've done more damage with my emotional thinking than I realized.
But don't get me wrong, I don't regret a moment of it. I just.. after Marreck's words.. I... I just.. I feel as if I let you down and could have done things differently, saving both you and Emelaide a great deal of hurt.."

"Dimitrius..." Ariala sighed, putting a finger to his lips. "You're not forcing me to feel anything. Yes, I saw how you were in love with Emelaide but I've been with other elves before and I've never felt quite this way. I just assumed that the way you felt was the same. Don't think that there would've been a solution to stop from hurting both Emelaide and I, it was inevitable that one of us would be hurt." She reached up to place a small kiss on his lips. "But we're here now and that's what matters."

"But no more sad talking before it ruins the moment." She said with a smile. "I love you, and all I wish is that you just love me to." She said, giving him a long kiss.

Returning her kisses, Dimitrius sighed contently, just happy to have her in his arms. Breaking from there kiss, he rested his forehead against hers - their noses brushing, his breathing hard, his voice soft as he spoke, "Me loving you, is something you'll never have to wish for; my love for you is here, and here it will stay for the rest of our lives and will live on in our souls centuries after our deaths."

"Well, let's just hope we don't end up like Romeo and Juliet." Ariala smiled, holding him tight against her, never wanting to let go. She reached up to give him another long kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck and back.

"I think its time I go back to my lesson and you should bring these apples to Cindalina." Ariala said after breaking the kiss and unwrapping herself. "I love you." She said, allowing time for another small kiss.

Dimitrius chuckled as he pulled her back against him to place a gentle, passionate kiss upon her lips. Not letting her go, he smiled, "Aye, your Masters are surely going to be furious when you arrive, so you'd best hurry along. As for the apples, you're right; Aunt Lina will be just about done with the blackberry and raspberry pies by now and will be expecting the apples."

After placing another gentle kiss on her lips, he whispered against her lips, "I love you too, Ariala; don't ever forget that, no matter what Marreck may say." Placing a final kiss on her lips, he stepped back and let her go, his fingers still brushing against hers for a few moments longer.

Ariala smiled before she ran towards the castle to continue with her lesson before she became to late.

"Ariala." Her Master said, his mouth in a grim line. "Where have you been?"

"I'm so sorry Master." She said.

"That wasn't what I asked Ariala. If your studies are important you would arrive on time."

"You're married Master." Ariala said, trying to explain. "You must know what its like to do something for the sake of love even if you knew the consequences."

The Master smiled a rare smile. "Let's continue with the lesson." He said. "And next time, tell love that it must be patient so that you may learn."

Sighing, Dimitrius placed the last apple into the basket. Picking up the basket, which was a bit heavy from the apples, he wiped his brow and headed back into Winterglade to his Aunt's cottage.

When he arrived, he saw the table and counters filled with pies and other sweet treats - strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, and raspberry - all lined up together in neat rows. Dimitrius chuckled, "You've been busy, was I really gone that long?"

Cindalina smiled, "Aye, but it's alright. You seem happier, is your quarrel settled?"

Dimitrius eyed his Aunt as he set down the basket of apples, "Auntie, there wasn't a quarrel."

"Something must have happened; you know very well you can't hide anything from me," she said with a sigh as she looked up from the pie she was finishing, "Come, let me put this pie in the oven then we shall sit down and talk over a strawberry turnovers, how does that sound?"

Dimitrius chuckled as he went to the stove and put a pot of tea on, "Alright, you win. I'll tell you what happened; it's not that interesting though."

Ariala's brow was furrowed and covered in sweat from her concentration as the rain fell around her. "Well done, Ariala." Her Master praised. "You may stop now." He said and Ariala immediately quit, tired from the effort.

"Thank you." She said, forcing a smile.

"You've done well. You should go home, you're tired. We'll start again the day after tomorrow, give you some time to rest." The Master said.

"Thank you Master." Ariala said then turned to run home.