Truthful love

Jin

A handful of days later, as I returned to the citadel in the evening from some physical training in the woods, Kayon intercepted me at the citadel’s entryway.
“Ah, Jin Eaglecrest welcome back. I hope your daily training went well”, he started, “would you be so kind as to follow me?”
“Of course. Do you need help with anything?”, I asked.
“Not me, no. But thank you. Your aid is always appreciated.”
Kayon led me to the study, where Erinara was once again refining her magic. She had her head lowered and her arms hanging by her side, with her hands folding over her chest as a beautiful gleam emitted from her body.
She raised her head.
“Ah miss Erinara, pardon the intrusion. Would you follow me please? The both of you are needed elsewhere”, Kayon said.
“Certainly. Lead the way please”, Erinara joined us.

Kayon walked us through the citadel, ultimately halting in front of Erinara’s room.
“That’s as far as I’ll go. Thank you for joining me. Off you are”, Kayon opened the door and shoved us into the room. Then he bowed deeply, closed the door, and promptly walked away.
“What just happened?”, Erinara asked.
“I was hoping you could tell me”, I replied.
In the middle of the room stood a table with three plates, a letter and two chairs. A soft floral scent emitted from the food.
Erinara’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“There’s no way he would…”, she said quietly while approaching the table. I followed suit. Erinara opened the letter and read it, a pink hue creeping into her face.
“Am I missing something? What’s going on?”, I asked.
“That Kayon…”, Erinara went silent.
“Is it the letter? May I read it?”
Erinara handed me the letter. I read its contents out loud:
“As per warlock tradition, please enjoy this meal.”
In a confused tone I added:
“I’m sorry, I’m not familiar. What does this mean?”
Erinara seemed to think over if she wanted to answer or not.
“What he has prepared is an old traditional meal to commemorate a new partnership”, she explained with a tone of embarrassment.
“Right. But there’s something bad about it?”, I inquired.
Erinara sighed deeply.
“Every course in this meal has petals of a mystical flower cooked into it, that is said to promise those who eat it together an undying love. This flower has become rather rare over the years, but if anyone could get their hands on the real thing, it would be Kayon. The flower’s magic forces you to speak truth.”

I sat down in one of the chairs.
“What are you doing?”, Erinara asked me.
“Well, it’s a tradition, right? In the kingdom of crests, we don’t have any traditions in regards to partnerships, so I figured abiding to those of your nation would be a fun idea”, I said.
Erinara sat down as well.
“You’re okay with it?”, she asked.
“Of course. I said I’d do anything if it was with you, didn’t I?” 
“I don’t know why I was even worried”, she laughed, “you know, there’s a second part to the tradition. Often this meal was used as a way to scare would-be couples.” 
“Well in that case that part failed spectacularly”, I laughed, then asking “Would you not have done the same as me?” 
Erinara took a bite of what appeared to be sliced fish with pink and white flower petals adorning them. After swallowing she immediately said:
“Of course I’d want to share this with you. I would do anything to prove my love for you is genuine.” 
She blinked a couple of times, opening her eyes wide as her face turned red.
“This is the real deal”, she said, sounding surprised.
“In that case, allow me to also partake.”
I picked up some fish off of the same plate as Erinara. It tasted delectable, the petals hardly adding anything but a light floral note to the fish doused in lemon. I felt a switch flip in the back of my mind.
“Ask me something”, I said excitedly.
“Are you certain?”, she asked.
“Of course, anytime”, I said, without even having to think about my answer.
“This is fascinating”, I commented.
“I see. You said you aren’t bothered about my omen traits, correct?”, Erinara asked.
“Absolutely. They are just a part of you”, I replied.
Erinara’s gaze fell lower slightly.
“Are you worried about it?”, I asked.
“Yes.” She paused briefly, “I will ask about it, is that okay?”
“Yes.”
“What do you think of my horns?”, her voice was barely more than a whisper. Worry stained her words.
“They’re cute”, I was compelled to reply instantly.
“Did you say cute? Why?”, Erinara asked with an astonished tone in her voice.
“Yes, they just are. And anything would be cute if it was part of you.”
Even though the flower’s magic made me answer truthfully and quickly, it did nothing to diminish the heat spreading through my face at breakneck speed.
Erinara’s purple eyes were staring at me. She touched her horns.
“You’re seriously thinking that? You can’t just say things like that, you know? My heart can’t take it”, she said.
“Of course I do. You are beauty incarnate in my eyes. Why wouldn’t I be allowed to tell you, the one I love, what I think of you?”
That answer all but silenced both Erinara and me. The most we could do right now was stare into each other’s eyes with an immense amount of fluster between us. 
“This is dangerous for my heart”, Erinara said, placing her right hand on her chest.
“You’re telling me? Mine is pounding out of my chest.”

By now we had moved on to the main dish, a meat stew with flower petals floating in it.
“May I ask why you are so worried about your horns?”
“They are rough, and unsightly.”
I thought over whether I should ask the next question that formed in my mind. Erinara seemed to have already realized what I would ask.
“Go ahead”, she lowered her head slightly.
“Are you sure?”, I asked.
“Only because it’s you.”
I reached out to touch her black horns. They were slightly rough, hardened and strong. Ridges adorned their surface. They reminded me a little of a sheep’s horn from the farms.
“I don’t see anything to dislike about your horns”, I said.
Erinara took a shaky breath.
“What about something to like?”, she asked.
“The sensation of their touch in intriguing, and the person they are attached to is the most amazing in existence.”
Erinara laughed to herself in satisfaction.
“Hey now, that’s embarrassing you know. What if I asked you what you’d like about me?”, I asked.
“Wait I didn’t mean-”, I began, but was interrupted by Erinara.
“Everything. I feel completely at ease around you. And your body looks amazing as well.”
Erinara clasped a hand over her mouth, her eyes having widened as much as physically possible.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to”, I began again.
“No, no”, Erinara interrupted, “I deserved that one.”
Despite her voice being filled with a bashful tone, she broke into genuine laughter.

“I would like to ask another weighty question, is that okay?”, she asked.
“Certainly, I will mirror it then”, I said.
She nodded at me.
“Are you worried about anything regarding the relationship with me?”, she asked.
“Not at all, I would do anything you told me to in a heartbeat. Are you worried about anything regarding the relationship with me?”, I repeated.
“Not in the slightest. I trust you with my everything.”
Once again, both of us were beside our minds, a combination of fluster and happiness having taken us over.
We finished the entire main dish without finding the ability to form another question. We did, however, steal glances at each other a lot. On the occasions where our eyes met, a quick surge of color would go to our faces.

By the time we arrived at the desert, a pudding that had pink spots where the flower petals laid, we were finally able to speak again.

“Is there anything left you would want to ask me”, I asked her.
“Do you think that this experience helped us?”, she asked in return.
“I feel like I have gotten a much better view of you and of us. How about you, what are your thoughts on this experience?”
“I feel the same way as you”, she replied.

We ate the last of the pudding, finishing our meal.
“What would you like to do now?”, I asked.
“A kiss would be nice. Or a couple of them. Never mind. A lot, please, Jin”, Erinara said, getting up from her chair. I met her halfway.

We spent a long time holding each other in quiet affection, indulging in each other.