by Payton Hart
“I have never been to the royal court,” Gavin replied.
“Why are you here?” growled the man. “Get out. Go back to the highlands.”
“Sir, have you heard of a girl named Malina?” The man stared at Gavin as though he were being a petulant child.
“Malina?” the man croaked in disbelief.
“Yes,” Gavin responded. The man looked confused and mystified.
“She left about a year ago to find some man.”
“Yes?” said Gavin. “Do you know where she went?”
“To the highlands. Some cattle boy. She’s been up there ever since. We told her not to go, but no, she had to go looking for that boy. Probably died up there she did. Her parents were ready to smack her but she left anyway, she wanted to find that stupid boy, good-for-nothing cattle boy. No good, I tell you, no good.” Gavin could not believe his ears. His Malina was looking for him. She was in the highlands right now.
Gavin tried to put the idea of Malina being hurt out of his mind, but it still worried him. Maybe this man was right. After all, what did Malina know about the highlands? Was she prepared to live alone for a year? Why had she not found him? Where was she looking? Gavin’s head spun in circles as he tried to process this information. The woman of his dreams was out there looking for him if he could only find her before it was too late.
Before Gavin could leave, however, he was whisked away by another gentlemen with a silly hat and a long cape. This man introduced himself to Gavin as Blackwood, and pushed him off with a firm grip on his shoulder. Gavin was shoved around and taken in a hurry to a room within the royal court. Seated at a large table were two royal court figures. Gavin was not sure who they were or what they could possibly want with him. Maybe they wanted to inspect him because they had heard that there was an odd, poorly dressed man from the highlands walking around and asking everyone about a daughter of the royal court.
That was it. The two figures seized Gavin up and said, “We believe that you must be looking for our daughter, Malina. She is the only woman in the royal court with that name. We want to know what your intentions are.”
Gavin cringed. He knew that this couple would not approve of him in any way. He was much too poor for their daughter and he didn’t have the manners of the high court, but he had to make an effort for Malina’s sake.
“I intend to find Malina and I intend to ask for her hand in marriage,” Gavin stated with resolve. He looked both of Malina’s parents in the eye and let them size him up for the tenth time. Although he was shy, Gavin was determined to marry Malina and he wanted to present to them a picture of determination. He did not waver. “I have loved Malina since the moment we first meant.” He hoped that would mean something to them.
It did not. “We appreciate that you value our daughter. She is a beautiful creature and unique in the way that she speaks,” Malina’s father responded.
“She is most definitely special,” Malina’s mother chimed in. “She has had many applicable suitors ask for her hand in marriage and there is no shortage of those who cannot bring themselves to ask for fear that she will reject them.”
Malina’s father laughed heartedly. “Malina does seem to have a vested interest in turning all of the men down that we bring before her. However, we are not about to let her marry you, young man. We have no interest in seeing you with our daughter.”
“I’m sure you are a fine young lad,” Malina’s mother continued, “but we are looking for someone more substantial for Malina. She deserves to have someone who can attend the royal court with her and live here as one of us. You are not one of us.”
“And you never will be,” Malina’s father added. “Son, I am afraid that you are not a good match for Malina. Thank you for stopping by, but we will have to ask you to leave now and take your intentions with you.”
Gavin did not want to let Malina’s parents get the last word in so he said quietly but firmly, “I love Malina and if she will have me, I will marry her.” Without giving her parent’s a chance to respond, Gavin walked out. He did not want to speak with them any longer because it was clear to him that though they might not have been exceedingly cruel, they were not ever going to believe that he was a capable or worthy suitor for Malina. Gavin knew he needed to find Malina before she made her way back to her parents and possibly changed her mind.
Turning to leave the city, Gavin thought about Malina and wondered why her parents had never looked for her. Were they so stubborn that they would risk her death up in the highlands alone? He thought about how she must be confused and scared if she had survived this long. He hoped that her time wandering the highlands on her own as a teenager would have prepared her for a year up in the highlands, lost and lonely without a food supply source.
On the other side of the beautiful hills and mountains stood Malina, surrounded by creatures but without a person in sight. She wondered where Gavin was at this very moment and how she would ever be able to find him. She noted the irony that when they had met years ago it was she that had made fun of him for his ability to get lost in the highlands and she had been lost in them for nearly a year.
Malina had created a living space in the highlands several months ago when she realized that she was hopelessly lost and might not survive without a home base. She found a water source and a collection of trees that could act as a shelter. She sang every morning and searched for food each day. She ate only plants because she could not bear to harm a living creature. Malina was stubborn that way. Malina was stubborn in almost every way, but it snuck up on you because she wasn’t loud about it. Malina looked up that morning as a bird flew overhead and began to slowly circle around her. She smiled her little half smile to herself and took it as a sign that she would one day find him. Her sweet, strong, gentle Gavin.
***
It took Gavin several days to get back to the middle of the highlands. He barely slept and barely ate anything, stopping for nothing. He had to find her as fast as he could. Gavin did not go home first but rather started circling the highlands moving through them in a sweeping yet all-inclusive pattern so that he would not miss a single spot. He called out her name wherever he went hoping and praying that she would respond.
Gavin watched as this beautiful girl started to run her fingers through her hair. She seemed a bit nervous for some reason and he wasn’t sure why.
“Are you with someone?” she asked innocently. Gavin could not believe that she would ask something so personal so quickly after meeting and as a women, it was really forward of her.
“No,” Gavin said. “I’m not seeing.” Gavin stopped.
“Yes?” Malina asked smiling her little half smile.
“Oh. Anyone. I mean that I’m not. No one!” He stammered back before smiling bashfully.
Malina quickly reached out and grabbed his hand. Holding it with her long delicate fingers made Gavin want to kiss her but they had just met and he had never kissed a girl before. He had never really wanted to, but with Malina, she was the one. Gavin could feel it somewhere deep inside and it didn’t really make sense to him, but there was something about her that felt right and lasting. He did not say a word but he held her hand and he smiled. Malina smiled back.
Gavin kept looking, calling, and searching. He was famished but he had to find her and there was no time to rest. And then all of a sudden he felt a small tap on his shoulder. He turned around and saw her. Malina. She was standing there smiling that little half smile and when his eyes met hers the smile grew.
He did not know what to do so he stood there, smiling back, in awe. Then he remembered the way that the two of them had held hands the night that they met and he reached out for her hand. She didn’t pull back. The two of them stood in silence holding hands and their love was complete.
Together Gavin and Malina held hands and sat quietly as the sun set. As the sun fell, a beautiful yet eerie peace befell the two lovers as their affection was celebrated by the moon and the stars. The animals left them alone and the
re was a feeling of completeness present in both Gavin and Malina. Without saying a word, the two knew that they were meant for one another and that they both wanted each other. It reminded them both of their first kiss at sixteen.
Sitting alone holding hands in the dark for the first time had been magical, but now Gavin wanted to kiss Malina for the first time, even though they had just met that day. He shooed his cattle to the side and focused on this beautiful young girl in front of him. He had never kissed a girl before but Marcus had told him all about it one day over lunch. He thought he knew what to do.
He moved towards Malina slowly by inching over to her side of the rock. He kept holding her hand and it wasn't as smooth as he would have liked, but she didn't seem to mind.
Malina looked at Gavin and smiled her little half smile to encourage him to keep moving closer. She wanted Gavin to kiss her. She had kissed other boys before, but she had never really wanted to or cared about who she was kissing. Now she did. Now she wanted to kiss Gavin and only Gavin.
He was now close enough to her to reach over and place his hand on her shoulder. His other hand kept holding her hand. He leaned over and placed his lips on hers. Her lips were soft and plump. He parted after a sweet peck to figure out his next move but Malina had other plans.
Immediately, she gently grabbed Gavin's shirt and pulled him towards her. She locked lips with him, hungrily, and kissed him passionately. She guided him and he willingly responded.
It was like nothing Gavin had ever experienced. He started feeling a euphoric sensation as he made out with this beautiful woman who he was sure he had fallen in love with. The stars came out and the two fell asleep holding hands.
"I missed you," Malina whispered. She was almost afraid to break the silence between them since it had been so long. She did not want the moment to be spoiled in any way. She didn’t let go of his hand.
Malina studied him. She noticed the way that Gavin's once short and curly hair was now long and wavy. It fell over his left eye whenever he looked down or shook his head. She noticed the way that his eyes were not only a bright blue, but also a rich, deep and dark blue. They made her feel calm, safe, comforted, and understood. Malina wanted nothing more than to be understood.
Malina looked at his crooked smile and noticed that little gap she loved between his two front teeth. She looked at his broad, defined shoulders and smooth skin. She looked down and noticed the way his body had developed. He had big feet and big hands.
Gavin had been studying Malina as well. It had been so long since they had last been together. He looked at her exquisite and inquisitive green eyes that seemed to shimmer in the moonlight. They made him feel lucky to have ever met her because she was so full of excitement, adventure, and genuine honesty. He loved the way she made him feel and he loved making her feel loved. He noticed her little half smile that melted his heart and he thought she seemed, in many ways, much the same.
He noticed her frail wrists had remained and her slender physique had not changed, but he noticed that she had a strong grip and defined muscles in her arms. She was still that sweet, strong girl he had fallen in love with at the tender age of sixteen.
"I've missed you too," Gavin said in agreement and smiled sweetly. Gavin thought that maybe this would be the right moment to finally kiss Malina as he had before, once upon a time.
Gavin leaned over and placed his hand on Malina's face and gently stroked her cheek before cupping it. He looked into her eyes and slowly moved towards her. She slowly moved her head towards him and leaned in. He brought his lips just over hers and began kissing her, slowly at first. Soft, sweet kisses that showed her how much he had missed her and his willingness to move at whatever pace she wanted.
Malina enjoyed this rekindling of their romance with the sweet kisses for a few minutes before she slipped her tongue into Gavin’s mouth. The two lovers could not slow down, let alone stop. Gavin moved his hand from her cheek to her breast and felt the ample swell of her bosom. He played delicately with them as his other hand brought her hand slowly to his groin. Soon the two were without clothes and in the throes of passion. Nothing is quite like the first time with a true lover and Gavin and Malina were experiencing the full extent of their love together.
The moors provided a beautifully delicate yet wild touch that encompassed the two bodies intertwined. When they had finished, they lay on the cool grass spooning one another with their clothes tossed over themselves for warmth like a mismatched hole-filled quilt.
The next morning came too soon for the newly reunited couple and neither one felt like waking up to face the day. Gavin held Malina closer to his chest and breathed in the heavenly air. He felt that life could not be better than it was in that single moment.
"Malina," Gavin whispered.
"Mmmhm?" Malina murmured. She had spent such a long time surviving on her own that she felt as though it had been years since she last rested. She blinked her eyes open and then quickly shut them. She could just listen to whatever it was Gavin had to say.
Gavin paused, "Malina, are you awake?"
"I'm listening," Malina answered with a sleepy half smile. Gavin grinned.
"What would you say if I said we should stay here for a while longer? We could get up whenever we wanted to and we could gather food together and bathe together and we could--"
"Yes." Malina didn't hesitate. "I would love it if you said we could stay here forever." Malina meant what she said. She never wanted to be apart from Gavin and she trusted him to take care of her. She knew that together they could find a way to make things work. The only problem would be food, maybe shelter, but Malina had already built a makeshift shelter that had served her well during the most extreme weather conditions in the highlands.
"I'm so glad," Gavin said and his heart soared as wide as his smile. He closed his eyes, falling asleep with his lover by his side.
A few hours later, both Gavin and Malina woke. Gavin woke up first and spent a few minutes before Malina woke up just gazing at her. He was so in love with this incredible woman.
When Malina woke the two lovers made love once again. They were relaxed and at peace after their night of pleasant dreams and the sex was even better than it had been before. They were discovering each other's bodies and the experience was more than they had ever dreamed that it would be.
When they finally did get up, they went to gather food out in the moors and talked at length before Gavin went down on one knee.
"Malina, I have loved you since the day that I first laid eyes on you. I know that this is fast, but why spend more time together apart when we know that we belong together? I don't have a ring to give to you right now, but I promise you that there is one waiting at home for you. It belonged to my grandmother, if that is okay with you?"
"Gavin, I don't even know where to begin, but yes! Of course, yes. Yes, yes, yes! And your grandmother's ring would be perfect, why would you think otherwise?"
"Well, Malina, I know what your parents think and I know that I cannot offer as much as any of your other suitors could. I have my cattle, I have my home in the moors, and I have my love for you. That's all. I wish I had more and could shower you with it all, but I don’t."
"Wait, why do you know what my parents think?"
"I visited them before I came here to find you. I knew where you were because I went to the royal court first. It is no accident that I found you here. I was on a mission to find you Malina and I know that your parents do not want me to marry you. They did not want me to pursue you."
"Oh, Gavin. You should never have gone to them!"
"But it brought me to you so it was well worth it."
"I will always be happy with what you have to give to me. I do not need anything else but you and one day, our children." Malina smiled her sly half smile as Gavin's smile faded. "What's wrong?" Malina asked.
"Nothing," Gavin responded. "Nothing at all my love, but I have been smiling so much that my mouth hurts."
Malina ran over to
Gavin and kissed him so passionately that the two ended up making love yet again. Staying apart from one another would prove impossible.
The week that Gavin and Malina spent in the moors by themselves was almost a sort of honeymoon. It was a chance for the lovers to rekindle their romance without the watchful eyes of family or friends.
Soon it was time, however, to make alternative plans. The two lovers could not live off of the land in this way forever and the food supply was scarce. Gavin also knew that he wanted to marry Malina with his friends and family present.
"I was wondering if you think we should both approach my father?"
"Do you think he will have anything against me?" asked Malina.
"No, I don’t believe that he would, but to be honest I don't know. I never told him where I was going when I left and he may be expecting me to marry someone from the moors."
"My parents cannot be invited to the wedding Gavin. They won't come. They will leave us alone if we leave them alone, but I am afraid that if we poke them too hard then they will charge at us with everything they have."
