"seriously Leena, I don't understand why you have to be this way all the time. We have been together for how many years now, and yet we still have not once copulated".
"you speak as though we have legally been bonded together by our parents".
Leena's face expressed how angry she was starting to get at the words spoken by Elmon.
When Elmon saw that she was starting to get agitated, he calmed himself down and sat next to her on the bed to calm her down.
"i am sorry, I got too heated for no reason. I shouldn't have done that".
He placed his head on her emerald colored hair and started patting it as he conveyed his apology to her.
"no, I am also at fault for getting angry".
She jumped herself into his embrace, putting her head on his chest and wrapping her arms around his body.
"this must be difficult for you, but we have no choice. It is the way it has always been, and there is nothing we can do to change that".
She positioned her head on his chest while he gave her a peck on her forehead with his hand still striking down her hair.
They showed their affection by maintaining their love pose for a while with both of them remaining silent.
"Leena, we should make a run for it. Leave everything behind and just get ourselves out of here".
Elmon broke the silence with words that were displeasing to the ears of Leena.
She moved out of his warm embrace and stood up from the bed to pace her steps a little before replying him.
"you know perfectly well why that is not possible for me".
"why not? You are only saying it is not possible because you don't believe in it or work towards making it possible".
"what about my obligations? You want me to abandon everything? Leave it all behind to run? My mother would not tolerate that, nor will she be happy about it when she finds out".
Leena, with her full name being Leena Etoris, daughter of the current Elven queen, Dilya Etoris, and the next in line to inherit the throne as the monarch of the elves nation.
Elmon belongs to the Ilanin clan of the Elven nation with his surname as Alluin.
He got up from the bed and moved closer to her. Grabbing unto her shoulder to stop her moving about and look her in the eyes with an affectionate gaze.
"no Leena. I don't want you to abandon everything, what I want is for you to choose what will make you happy, not what will make the others happy. Your happiness should come first before anyone else".
The relationship between the two has been kept a secret from others, especially her mother the queen for credible reasons.
Leena is a royal who is next in line to the throne. For someone of such status, her betrothed one will be chosen based on qualifications and not on affection.
Elmon by standard does not fit the requirements or qualification needed to become Lenna's betrothed one in terms of heritage status or physical status.
His case is no different from the story of a royal prince falling in love with a commoner female except the reverse is the case here.
Elmon is well aware that if Leena ends up succeeding her mother, he will never be able to stand by her side as an equal but rather as one of her subjects who would only be able to gaze at her shadow from below the podium.
He doesn't want that to be his fate, to be how his love for her ends, as a fragment of the memories made in the past.
"i don't have a choice or a say in this matter Elmon. My path has been decided for me already the moment I was born as a royal. I am set to inherit the throne and there is nothing that can change that".
According to the marital rituals of the Elves born to the royal bloodline, the bride must stay pure until the night of her marriage, is a tradition they hold very dear.
For clarification, this tradition does not apply to non-royal members. They elves have very extended lifespan, so holding on to their chastity till then can be very difficult to accomplish for most.
It only applies to the Royals who are meant to set an appropriate example for the people they rule over.
No matter how deep the love between Leena and Elmon is, they are forbidden from ever engaging in sexual intercourse because Elmon has yet to be declared as her legal partner.
If this tradition were to be shamed on, the one to bear the consequences will be the both of them, resulting in solitary confinement for the rest of their lives, and for an easy punishment, the result will be lessened and death will be swiftly granted.
"don't let yourself be tied down by responsibilities you never chose for yourself. Please Leena, don't do this to me. Do not let our separation be as a result of you becoming queen".
Elmon got on his knees and held unto Leena's two hands with his head rested on her thighs.
"please, it is not too late for you, for us".
Elmon turns her palm over, showering it with kisses on all sides as he stared passionately at her.
Leena returned his loving gaze with a loving gaze of her own, eyes filled only with affection directed at him.
She loves Elmon just as much as he loves her, if not higher than that, but there are certain things that love cannot overcome.
What Elmon is asking of her is too much for her to make a reality, or even consider it as an option.
"i am sorry Elmon, but we have to end this now".
Leena with a dejected expression, let go of Elmon's hand and made her way out of his apartment in rejection of his proposal.
She left him on his knees feeling lost, rejected and unwanted by her as she puts an end to years of their being together with a short sentence.
"damn it!!!!!"
In anger, Elmon banged his fist on the floor several times, cracking open a part of the poorly made wooden floor.
[ I told you, she was never going to accept you. There is only one way to make her accept, and we both know what you need to do ]
The thick ominous voice rose up from Elmon's shadow in the form of cold dark fog that carries with it, a sense of pure malice.
[ Open the gates, and free her of the responsibilities ]
The voice silently whispered alluring words with a caring tone that would make one believe that truly, it cares.