Accepting the Challenge

Nela didn't talk to me or Meike as we left the throne room behind us and instead, we rushed back to her room. I didn't ask any questions, either—this was not the time or the place to do so, clearly. But the whispers and the gazes followed us, followed me, and I had to spend all my efforts on pretending I didn't notice them. I looked at that beautiful architecture around me, but if someone would have asked me about it afterwards, I wouldn't have remembered a single thing.

Only when she went into her room and flopped onto the heap of pillows I could see the Nela I knew emerge from her shell. She heaved out a long, heavy sigh, as Meike closed the door behind us.

"So, what was that?" I asked her.

Nela looked at me with a pained expression.

It took a lot of time and effort until I finally understood what exactly had occured in the throne room. We used our gestured and I managed to figure out some words - "Heiraat", apparently, meant "marriage" and a "Verlovungsfier" was some sort of event or party where the proposal happened.

"Dat deit mi leed," Nela said, and her whole expression screamed 'I'm sorry'. "Ik woll di dar nich mit rintrecken."

Finally, I understood the gravity of the situation, and why I had been summoned now. Nela had called me, her long-time online friend, here to escape her mother's engagement plans. For a moment, I wondered if I should feel hurt. After all, she had hid this fact from me. But, as it seemed, it wasn't just out of convenience. She blushed when she unveiled that fact, and there was uncertainty in her eyes as well. But even if that anger flashed up for a moment, it quickly faded away again. Would I have refused her if I knew her plans beforehand? Probably not.

I knew her for years, and yet, the contact in the last day had been so intense that I knew I wanted to spend more time with her. Marriage? That sounded a bit hasty, but we had some more time to get to know each other, as far as I understood. Three months until that proposal event, where I had to prove my feelings for Nela and the understanding of her culture to her mother. It really wasn't a lot of time, time that I would have liked to spend gaming with Nela, but that wasn't an option.

If I failed, I would be sent back home—back to my awful life. And not only that, but I would lose Nela as well, to that Sören guy. I shook my head at that thought. Even if marriage sounded drastic, the other option was much worse.

I took her hand, and smiled at her. "We can do it." I tilted my head. Would I be able to say that in her language? "Ja," I said instead. "Ja."

She smiled at me. Even if we didn't have the right words yet, I could clearly read the relief on her face, in her posture, in the tears that threatened to spill. She was happy with me, I was happy with her, and that was all that mattered. I interlaced our fingers, deepening that connection.

Three months. It really wasn't much time, but I would do my best. I didn't have to learn everything—that would be unrealistic, surely. But it was enough time to learn the basics—of the language, the food, the dances and everything else. I wasn't alone, after all. Nela could support me, could teach me everything I needed to know. Together we could get through this, surely.

Her face was close, so close. My heart fluttered as I couldn't help but notice her smell, warm and floral and nice, as her hair tickled my arms and I leaned in, closer and closer and...

Meike shoved her hand between our faces.

"Dat reckt," she said, a clear stop. "Wi hebbt nich noog Tied."

With that, the moment was broken, and I glared at her. We were now basically engaged (or would be getting engaged, and wasn’t that kind of the same thing?), and yet, she didn't even allow a kiss? Meike mirrored the expression in my eyes, if not even more fierce.

"Ik mag dat hier nich goot lüchten," she said, shaking her head and crossing her arms in disapproval, "Man ik will ok nich sehn, woans di dat Hart braken warrt, Prinzessin."

When she looked at Nela, her gaze finally softened. If not for me, it seemed she would support us for Nela, at least.

Nela smiled at her. "Ik wüss, dat ik op di tellen kann, Meike."

But Meike shook her head. "Ik kann em man en paar Saken lehren, wenn he ehr denn överhoopt lehren kann. Dööskopp."

She glared at me, and it didn't take a genius to understand she was insulting me.

"Hey!" I said, but once again got to the edge of my language skills.

The language comes first, I thought. I have to learn how to speak, and then I can finally tell her off.

It would be a nice feeling, aside from being able to communicate with Nela, of course. She giggled next to me, before she leaned against my shoulder.

"Du kannst dat schaffen, Leo," she said.

"Leo. Leo. Leo." She whispered my name with such affection that a shudder ran down my spine. I wouldn't give her up. Never.

Meike, however, was still glaring at me.

"Nur, wenn er sich anstrengt," she growled, and suddenly yanked me away from Nela. For someone of such short height, she was surprisingly strong. I staggered to my feet, and suddenly found myself staring down at her.

"Wi fangt nu mit uns Öven an. Wi hebbt keen Tied to verleren," she said. There was urgency in her voice.

Then, she glanced back at Nela. "Un Prinzessin? Vergeet joon egen Plichten nich." It sounded like a reminder.

"Ik weet..." Nela sighed. ‘I know’. That much I could already understand.

She got up, and dragged herself to the bathroom. For a moment, there was an impulse inside of me to follow her, to spend more time with her, to get close to her. But before I could move, Meike shoved me out of the room.

"Föhr mi," she said, waving at me to follow her.

I looked back at the closed door, and already started missing Nela. From that moment on, my grueling training began.