Young Writers Society

At the outskirts of the village, Astelna stood atop a small mound watching the sunset. Right before her eyes were the mountains, tall and proud, yet hued with an orange glow. The wind blew against the elf's dark hair. She wore a long, sleeveless gray dress and a bandage was wrapped around her shoulder. Every time she saw it, the memory lingered in her mind. She will always remember that one day, in which Lonna, in her rage, pierced her with an arrow.

Feelings of sadness, regret, confusion, and anger was upon her. She did not know what to think. Little happiness was in her. Her round, downcast eyes were filled with tears.

Suddenly, from behind her, she heard what sounded like feet walking through grass. She turned and saw Einar. The man certainly looked older than before, but still retained that youthful visage. He stood next to the elf. She quickly wiped her eyes.

"I cannot believe it," he said. "I cannot believe that the quest for searching the Dark Crystal had come to fruition."

"We didn't save your mother in time," chided Astelna with a bit of sourness in her voice. "The mission had been in vain. I came here for nothing!"

"I must disagree with you," said Einar. She looked at him incredulously.

"What do you mean?"

"If I had not come on the mission, you would have still stayed in the mountains for the rest of your life, never seeing the outside world and its beauties. You would have still remained in those dark caverns, blindly following the authority of Geud."

"This was supposed to be for your mother, not for me!" said Astelna. "She's dead, Einar! Retrieving the Crystal was a complete waste of our time."

"I know that it was the will of the Crystal that mother should pass. This concept will be hard for me to fathom and accept, but I must learn to how to move on and look to the future."

There was a brief pause. Astelna suddenly muttered: "I can't believe it."

Einar heard her words. "Believe what?"

She turned to look at him with stern eyes. "I can't believe that you love me!" she said, raising her voice. "How could you love me?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean, Einar!" exclaimed the elf. "How could you fall in love with someone who murdered your brother? How could be in love with some elf whom no one cares about? How could you have affections for someone like me, terrible and dark? This is absolutely ludicrous!"

"I believe that there is good in you," replied Einar, gently. "In my eyes, you are not my brother's murderer, nor are you some dark and cruel warrior. In my eyes, I see a wonderful woman who deserves a chance to see the world. You are more than a servant of some terrible dragon. You are an intelligent and beautiful person. Do not say that no one cares about you. I care for you deeply and my affections for you are exceedingly great. You mean so much to me."

Astelna looked him for a while with a pensive face. Her face was red with tears. Einar smiled and took her hand and held it tight. 

She flashed a small smile.

"I forgive you of all your wrong-doings," said Einar. "Leave the past behind and start anew. The road to the future lies ahead." Einar suddenly heard in his mind a voice and knew that it was the Crystal speaking to him. It said: You must do it, Einar. You must ask Raven Warrior.

Einar pulled out of his pocket the ring he had found in Chema Cavern and presented it to Astelna. He went on one knee and said:

"Astelna, will you have the honor of being my wife? Let us be together in marriage so we can spend the rest of our lives together in peace. I love you dearly and I pray that you say 'yes'."

"Of course I will," she replied. She held out her hand and Einar put the ring on her finger. After he stood up, the elf continued: "Of course I will marry you. I do love you, Einar. I know I have not said it before. I had been confused when you said that you loved me. I thought you would think of me as terrible. It is not so. So, yes, I will marry you. My heart is rejoicing now that I am with you." She went closer to Einar and kissed him.