"I can't promise you how long we will be together," he said, moving the jewel closer to Mericlou, more awestruck than he had ever seen her. "My fate was sealed when I revealed myself to you, but I wanted to be completely honest with you, and so I don't regret it. "What I'm trying to say is that …"
"Yes," Mericlou said quietly, in the middle of his sentence.
"Excuse me?"
"Yes!"
"You mean …?"
"Yes! Yes!" She wailed, unexpectedly leaping forward and throwing her arms around his neck, and toppling him over, onto the floor. She smothered him in kisses, and then laughed in joyous abandon. "Yes! I'll marry you! I'll marry you!"
"Are you absolutely certain, Tulyr?" Aldrec asked, managing to seat himself back upright. "I don't know how much time I have left. And … well … considering what happened in your house, there are certain to be more problems, if word got out that we were married. Also, I know that you, being an Alerian model, were created to be compatible with humans only, so we could never have children of our own."
"I don't care about that," Mericlou said with a courageous smile. "I love you, and you love me, right? And as for how long you have, or whether or not we could have children, I care even less. Anytime with you by my side is time worth living, and when the time comes that you have to leave, be it today, tomorrow, or whenever, you will go with my love, and I will still have yours." She giggled playfully. "And if we want children someday, well …" She thought for a moment, and then shrugged her shoulders. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
"Well, I guess that your feelings are pretty much carved in stone," Aldrec said, and then handed her the jewel.
"This is a symbol of my undying love for you," he recited, as if the words came from an ancient memory. "My people had a saying: 'Love is the blessed flower that never fades, the blossom that lives forever.' May my love for you last forever, my sweet Tulyr."
"May mine last forever as well," Mericlou said, accepting the jewel, and then leaning forward into a long, loving embrace with Aldrec. Somewhere along the line, their lips found time for a kiss that was just as meaningful.
"Are you ready?" Aldrec at last said, as he began to stand up.