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Staring into the mirror, I felt like I was seeing a completely different person. My teacher had pulled my hair back and arranged flowers into the bun. A few loose strands of my dark hair fell to the side of my face, but it was a nice touch if anything. "There... Well don't you look lovely?" She had smiled. I returned the smile towards my reflection and tilted my head to the side, pondering the stranger in the mirror. I wasn't sure if I liked this new me, but she did look pretty.

There was a knock at the door and Teacher had told them to come in. It was Faren and my heart skipped briefly. I wasn't expecting to see him today. He paused in the doorway and his eyes landed on me and, frozen, I held his gaze. He didn't blink, yet his expression was unreadable. It was almost as if he, too, was pondering this new me that stood before him. It was just a matter of seconds before he smiled warmly and nodded towards Teacher. "I don't mean to intrude, but I need to borrow Ashling for today." I kept silent and fiddled with the sleeves of my shirt. I wasn't dressed in robes today since it wasn't a day to find work around the academy.
Teacher beamed. "Of course! We were just playing dress up, nothing else. Take her." And she nudged me from behind gently, making me take a step forward. Remembering my manners, I nodded my head towards Faren. He was still a noble around here, no matter how friendly he acted towards everyone. He was someone to look up to and respect.
"Thank you. Ashling," his eyes met mine again- Stop that, I thought - and he smiled again, more softly, "May you come with me?"
I nodded. "Of course." I kept my calm, but the truth was, my heart squeezed behind my chest. I was convinced it was because of Faren's appearance, though he looked like himself as any other day. He was dressed in his white and soft blue robes, his hair was still as blonde as ever and his eyes...
I shook the thought away and once again, kept my expression calm. Faren held the door open for me and as I passed him, I asked "Do you need me to wear my robe?" Since it was for work, though I'm not sure what work it was today.
"Not today, it's just something simple. I just need some help moving things is all."
"I see. Alright." I kept quiet after that. I didn't know what to say. It wasn't often that I got to be alone with him, so it was unusual.

He led me to one of the storage rooms kept on the first floor of the building. When I entered it and he closed the door behind him, the sound startled me and I spun around to face him. His hand was still on the door handle. He looked at me and noticed that my expression may have been puzzled so he flashed that typical, angel-like smile once again. "Is everything alright?" He asked. I couldn't tell if he was teasing me or not so I nodded once. It's just very... awkward for a man and a woman to be alone in a room together, a storage room, no less, I thought in my head. I would have said so out loud, but I didn't want to lump Faren in with the rest of the male students that dragged their lovers to hidden places where they could be alone for a while. Faren wasn't that type of man, he was a noble, no less! He was different.
"Come with me then, there's some things we need to move around. The festival is coming up soon and we should prepare ahead of time." He moved past me, venturing around some boxes and jugs and shelves.
"The festival isn't until a couple months, right?" I asked, following after him, my mind calming down a bit.
"Yes, but a lot of what we need for the festival is in the back and we need to move it around so we'll know where to find it when the time is right."
"What are we looking for right now?"
"Well..." he laughed to himself and the farther we moved into the storage room, the more he swiped at cobwebs and dust, "I was in here earlier, before I came to find you and attempted to move some things myself, but..." his voice trailed off when he stopped. I stood next to him and saw a jug with the lid popped off and coins scattered everywhere. Tiny silver coins. "I bumped against some things and now there's a mess." Faren rolled his eyes and shrugged. He went over towards a small window and lit up the room with sunlight by shoving the curtain aside. The coins caught the sun and glittered and I smiled softly. It was pretty.
"I cleaned up this area a bit, so there's not so much dust and what not. Do you mind helping me pick these coins up first before anything?"
"Yes, of course." I laughed and felt more at ease. The thought of Faren being a klutzy noble was amusing. Not only that, he wasn't afraid to get his robes dirty with dust. He was more carefree than the others here.
"I appreciate it." He spoke and rolled his sleeves up before squatting down down and picking up one of the coins, gazing at it.
"What are these for?" I asked and squatted down among the coins as well, picking up a couple at a time without examining them.
"They're prize coins. They have engravements on them for free prizes." He held the coin between his thumb and first finger and held it out in front of me. I looked and saw that the word "food" was engraved into it.
"Food." I said. He nodded. "Say if you won this at the festival, you receive a free meal."
"That's crazy." I laughed. He was still squatting down on the floor, picking up coins in front of me when he met my gaze and smiled. I caught my breath and looked at him.
"You look very lovely with your hair like that."

That caught me by surprise. I blinked and went back to picking up coins, not bothering to see what they said. "Thank you. It's different, I guess. It's nice having it out of my face, at least." I had replied almost too casually. He made a "Mm" sound, nodded and went back to picking up again as well. Then it was silent. Every now and then, I glanced up briefly to watch him. his blonde hair was hiding his face as his head was ducked down. It was almost white, like a platinum blonde. The rumors were that since magic is white and you're a noble, the magic channels through your body increasingly and it can change your hair and skin color. I imagined that's why he was so blonde with pale skin, but then I couldn't begin to imagine how strong and powerful he must be.
"How old are you, exactly, Faren?" I asked. He didn't look up.
"Ahhh.. when you're a noble, you stop aging. I thought you would have learned that by now in your teachings." He laughed.
"Well, yes. But how old were you when you became a noble?"
"I was young. A little older than you are now."
"That's still not a number." I flicked a coin towards him in a playful manner. He caught it and laughed, looking up at me. There was the smile again.
"23."
"23?"
"That's what I said, no?" He chuckled. His head ducked down again. Only 4 years... I thought to myself. My heart squeezed again. There was the silence again before I asked "But you were not 23 when I was born, right?"
"No."
"How old were you then?"
"You are aware that when you become a noble, your magic effects your aging process and lifespan right?"
"Yes, I'm aware." Of course I was. I paid attention in school. Once you have mastered your powers, it becomes a part of you. Instead of controlling and summoning it, it becomes one with you and channels through you 24/7. It merges with your skin, your bone, your blood even. Because of that, it can change not only your appearance, but your lifespan. It almost keeps your body frozen in time. You are alive, but you never seem to age. At least physically. Nobles can live to be thousands of years old. Though, they are not immortal. They can be killed if their body is killed. Or if their magic dies away. Magic, like anything else alive, cannot last forever. "I know about the aging process and such," I said.
"Very well. Let's see... I was 23 when I became a noble. And that was quite some time ago."
"Before I was born?"
"You are 18, correct?" he looked at me.
"Yes."
He smiled once again. "Yes... quite some time before that."
"How long ago?"
"You are quite curious today. You forget that you're supposed to be helping me pick up." He laughed. He had began placing coins in the jar that they fell out of and I had stopped bothering once I started asking questions. I ducked my head and began the process of picking up again.
"I've been curious since the day I arrived here." I said. My heart squeezed again, it was doing that too much today. But I realized how my sentence must of came out. Quickly, I asked another question.
"How long do you think it will be until you pass away?" I dared to glance up at him. It was a rude question, but as long as it covered up that embarrassing comment I made, that will do.
"Oh... I have plenty of more time until that. I'd say a hundred years or few." He laughed.

For some reason... A hundred years didn't seem a lot of time at all. Though he appeared young and healthy, it was clear to me then that he had been a noble for a very long time. He was the youngest at the academy, yet he was well respected by all of the others. As I picked up coins again, I said "I see," and didn't look at him any more.

I enjoyed Faren's company. I enjoyed it all too much. He made me smile, he made me laugh, he tutored me and was helping me grow stronger whenever he he had the chance. He also made my heart sing and ache and skip all at once. It was confusing, a little painful as well, but how I loved it. Love? I do not think I could label my feelings as "love" just yet... It wasn't like that.

I picked up coins while lost in thought and, for some reason, in that silence, I decided to examine one coin. Engraved into it was "embrace" and I stared at it long and hard then glanced up to see him in front of me, still picking up the mess. Once he had placed some coins in the jar and his hand was free, I reached out and lightly touched it.
"Faren..." I spoke.
He didn't say anything, but I could feel him looking at me. My eyes were staring at the coins glittering on the ground. In his hand, I placed the "embrace" coin. Our skin had been touching for a mere few seconds, but it was enough to linger even as I pulled my hand away.

I dared to look at him, my heart hammering and picking up speed in my chest as I watched him examine the coin, his eyes widening just slightly as he looked towards me. He didn't blink and for a moment, he didn't look like the noble I usually saw him as. He still looked like an angel, but he seemed all too innocent... Like the face of a boy, a young man, still learning how to grow up and adjust to the world. Still so innocent. And after that moment passed through, He moved closer, dropping onto his knees and wrapped his arms around me. I may have gasped quietly, taken by surprise once again. I even toppled over a bit and he had helped ease me down onto the ground before holding onto me once again. His arms were wrapped around my neck and he inhaled deeply. My hair that was once done up, became loose and my hair escaped from the flower decorations, sprawling out onto the floor and among the glittering coins all around us. Instinctively, my arms found their way around him and my hands clung to the back of his white coat. Some of his blonde hair tickled my cheek and he held on, tight.

And that's how it happened. The closest I had ever come to Faren, physically, in that year. It had been several months since I had first laid eyes on him, talked to him, learned from him and it had finally happened. This moment was something I had longed for since we had first met.

He was a bit heavy on top of me like that, but not too much. I had closed my eyes and enjoyed his arms around me more than anything else. What moved me most was the fact that he held so tight, almost as if he had wanted this just as much as I did.

He stirred and sat up just a bit away from me. His face was a few inches from mine and I still thought he was just like an angel.

"You're not supposed to use those coins outside of the festival." He spoke softly. I wanted to touch his face. My fingers found his chin and lightly brushed along his jawline. I smiled lightly and stared.
"I'm terrible at winning games at festivals. And the chances are, I would have never seen that coin again." I was waiting still. Just do it, I thought. My fingers brushed along the back of his neck. Just a little closer.
"You wouldn't have needed any." He said and then, he leaned in more.

Our lips just lightly touched, almost testing one another. His breath was warm against my mouth and I wanted it even more... But he pulled away and leaned over me. He held onto me and helped me into a sitting position. He looked away and breathed softly. It was obvious that he felt awkward, maybe? Or nervous. He was running a hand through his blonde hair before he looked towards me again. I didn't make any more movements other than gathering some more coins reluctantly. I watched him though, not so scared to look him in the eye all of a sudden. I smiled shyly and placed some coins in the jar.

I was okay. Just being in his arms was enough for me. And it seemed to make him happy as well. So that was enough for now. Faren. I was beginning to recognize all that I felt for him recently. It was pleasant.