...Following the brief silence, Ashmaren turned towards the armor-clad boy and revealed that she too felt the same way. A virtual embrace and a rush of blushes later, and the two were off to Emain Macha to make their union official in the eyes of Lord Lymilark. Engaged and elated, the two set off to Port Cean to spend a honeymoon under the stars...
...days passed. The guild acquired new members. Guild dungeon runs were replaced with guild fishing trips:
For Warrensworth, it was life as usual in Erinn alongside his new partner. However, for Ashrayne, life had suddenly began to crumble. Guild members grew unhappy that their leader (whom they secretly harbored their own feelings for) would be officially off-limits. Social dynamics shifted rapidly within Artifex. Her life's work on constructing the perfect guild was in jeopardy--just now understanding the key to the guild's happiness was the ability to chase the elusive Ashrayne....It was a sunny day in Dunbarton. Warrensworth was sent a message from an unusually somber Ashrayne. "You're going to really hate me..."
..."I'm rethinking the whole marriage."
...And it was over.
Warrensworth, for all the hurt, understood why it had to happen. The guild must take precedence. Equipping an unremarkable blue robe to perhaps reflect his mood, he retreated to a life of volunteer church work collecting eggs for those even less fortunate than he:
"How's Ash?""When's the wedding date?"
His guild members hadn't gotten the news. Each innocent inquiry was a depressing reminder of what was lost and what could have been. To escape it all, he turned to a new family for the chance to simplify his life. Slash. Defend. Smash. Finish. Warrensworth had temporarily banded with some Famous guild adventurers as they delved into Rundal Dungeon:
Winding down his day solemnly overlooking the pristine waters of Emain Macha, Mistresraven caught up with Warrensworth. Hood up, eyes staring into space, she could tell something was bothering him. It was the deflating effect of rejection. She had felt it too, perhaps, on the day he revealed to her that he'd be wed to Ashrayne. The two of them stood amid a stiff summer breeze in silence...
...She stepped forward and clasped her hand in his. There would never be a guild of suitors for her to placate. There wouldn't be official guild business to draw her from the one she desired most......He realized that throughout his days on Erinn, there had always been one person who dropped everything and ran, navigated Moon Gates or traversed Mana Tunnels to be beside him...
It was a newbie's lifetime ago that the two had met around Deian's campfire that fateful night in the Tir Chonaill highlands. That fire has long since been extinguished, but its legacy burns on in within them.
Umm, this is monumentally depressing. I'm soooo sorry (again)!
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