Madelaine

Charlie's POV:

I realized that Levi and I had been talking for more than an hour so I decided that I should check in with my parents. Levi seemed reluctant to do so but when I led him by the hand, he put up no resistance. As soon as we turned the corner of the building, I felt sets of eyes quickly focus on us. I suspected that the observers were my family since I didn't think I knew anyone else here but I was surprised to see that in addition to my parents, Frieda and Ahren were also watching us from my family's table. As we approached, I noticed Madelaine was there as well, just largely hidden behind her parents due to her relatively short stature.

I again questioned whether I should show reverence to the elven royals but since I was at hugging stage with Levi I just did a slight bow. Upon lowering my torso, I was reminded that my hand was still interlaced with Levi's which I then released. I looked up to see pleasant smiles on everyone's faces except for my father who looked like he was about to cry and Madelaine who was holding in a laugh. I didn't know what she thought was funny but when I turned around to see Levi, he was fidgeting his hands uncomfortably. What a mean sister, he's just shy. I approached Levi to calm him down by placing my hands over his and giving him a smile. At first, his fidgeting increased but soon after, halted entirely.

Seeing that Levi had calmed down, I brought him over to a pair of seats at the table that were close together. Under the cloth of the table I maintained my grip on his hand while my face looked forward.

It was when we sat down that I realized no one had been talking. An awkwardness began to set over the table which I broke by saying "it's nice to see you again" to Frieda, Ahren and Madelaine although in Madelaine's case, I'm not sure I meant it. Frieda revealed an equally devious smile as my mother's had been, before returning the nicety.

After breaking the tension, the conversation began to flow naturally again which revealed that the context for the party had been a celebration of the summer solstice. Although it was well into the hottest times of the year, the spirit lands had year-round mild weather which I liked. I missed the snow in Gillingham but other than that, there were only benefits, aside from increased precipitation which was debatable.

—

As the sun set while we were enjoying our dinner, I recognized that the party had come to its finale. I had a fun time seeing Levi again but other than that, I mostly listened or ate. The jovial conversation between families had flowed virtually nonstop throughout the day but there was a point when I'd realized they weren't just talking, they were plotting. My mother said "I hope our families can grow closer in the future" while glancing at me, to which Frieda responded amiably with, "I hope for such a future as well; our children may even be the ones to form the bonds". We're they planning on marrying me to Madelaine?!

I looked to my father to see him equally distressed as I felt; my mother was trying to marry me off! I stood up on my chair before shouting, "I don't want to marry Madelaine!" I then hopped off my chair and ran away. I heard someone following behind me who I saw was Levi. I didn't want to be alone so his presence was welcomed and we continued running. We ran around the corner of the house but didn't stop there; now that we were out of sight of the party, I used wind magic to propel Levi and I into the hills surrounding the house.

The hills were covered in tall pale green grass that waved in the wind. As Levi and I rocketed overhead, the grass violently parted ways until I stopped and we laid down in the grass. It was tall enough to hide our bodies so I relaxed slightly before looking over to see Levi. His troubled gaze was framed by the golden light exuded from the setting sun and he hesitated before saying "Why don't you want to marry Madelaine?" I was stunned by the question but began to formulate an answer. Seeing my hesitance, Levi asked another question, "Is there someone else that you want to marry?" This question was easier so I bluntly said, "Madelaine's the only girl I know". At this, Levi scrunched his brows in thought. He looked like he was confused but his following question was said with certainty, although quiet. "Do you like boys too?" Huh?

In my previous life I had been gay but I'd never acted on my feelings and always repressed myself. I never sought out any romantic relationships and simply chose to deny my sexuality since I couldn't deal with it at the time. After I'd been reborn, I realized how I'd felt but seeing as how this world appeared hindered in terms of technological advancements, I figured it followed suit in other aspects so I decided that I'd once again suppress my sexuality. Was Levi just ignorant of the world's views on being gay or was that something that I could be?

After extensive hesitation, I responded with "I do" at which point I looked up to see Levi's face over mine. I was still lying on my back while Levi had crawled over to talk, getting ever closer. When I responded, Levi closed the distance between our lips and gave me a quick upside down peck on the lips before pulling himself away. I could only think of how soft his lips had been for some time; that was my first kiss.

I lied on my back stunned before sitting up. Levi had turned his back to me but glanced over, revealing his tormented tearful face. I unconsciously swallowed while looking at his angelic face. I had a sudden strong urge to wipe the tears from his face, which I indulged. I closed the distance between us before gently turning his face to me. I moved my thumbs over his reddened cheeks and eyelashes to wipe the tears before saying "I'm sorry, don't cry." Levi flinched slightly under my touch but didn't move away.

While holding Levi's face, I pondered my situation. Levi clearly liked me and I thought he definitely had potential but I felt a bit icky about dating a child. Although I was currently a child too; I decided that if we entered into a relationship, I'd be PG until we were older. While I personally was all for a non-heteronormative relationship, I didn't know how the world would perceive it so I asked "will our parents be mad if we're together?"

Hearing these words, Levi lit up. "Of course not, you do like me though?" he asked slowly. Looking at Levi's pitiful state, I couldn't say no, especially since it wasn't true so I just said "yes". Levi looked overjoyed, in complete contrast to the lingering tears in his eyelashes. He spread his arms forwards and wrapped me in a tight hug. Levi pressed himself into my torso while giggling happily. At this point, Levi felt very small in my hold and even smaller when I wrapped my hands around him, after which I let out a truly happy smile.