"You look great. The robe suits you." Alysanne joked. She tried hard not to be bitter or disappointed about Alvin's choice of life, tried to remember there had never been any question about him becoming a priest one day. She still had feelings for him, but if they coulnd't be together, she didn't want to lose him as a friend at least.

Luckily, there seemed to be no danger of that. Brand new robe or not, Alvin was the same as ever and soon the two of them were deep in a discussion about faraway lands and magic. Alysanne even told her friend about the strange stone circle she had found and about the way the stone in the middle reflected the stars above it. Alvin was fascinated.

Alone with her oldest and best friend, it was easy for Alysanne to forget all troubles ad worries and pretend they were still children. Especially when Alvin threw a pillow at her and she just had to grab the second one and defend herself.
In the laughter, it was almost possible to forget the romance that could have been...

...and that is why it was such a shock when Alvin suddenly pulled her close and kissed her forehead. It felt like a touch of butterfly wings and the spot seemed to glow with bright light. Alysanne grinned like an idiot, but then she remembered to play it cool and easy.
"Is this a special blessing of the Watcher?" She asked.

"No, it's..." Alvin didn't finish, but his eyes spoke volumes. They were drawing her in, caressing her with tenderness she had never seen.
"...you are a blessing yourself." He finished finally. "Beautiful like an angel."

"But...?"
All Alysanne wanted was for him to never stop looking at her like that. She wanted to hug him, to hold him, to kiss him... to marry him. She just didn't understand why it shouldn't be possible. Why had Alvin refused her earlier, why had he chosen to become a priest if he felt the same way as her? She felt like screaming.

Alvin moved first. He crossed the distance between them and caressed her cheek gently. Alysanne let him, savouring every moment, letting him decide the dilemma.
After all, he was the priest, he was the one who was supposed to show the way, to be the example of propriety. If he thought it was fine, who was she to say otherwise?
It felt great not to have to be the responsible one for a change.

Alysanne didn't know how long that moment was, how long they exchanged caresses, both shy and maybe a little stunned.
She only knew it ended abruptly when father Ambrose walked through the door. The young pair jumped apart, trying hard not to look too sheepish.

Alysanne was the first one to come to her senses.
"Father, we... it's not... we didn't..."
"I thought I would find Alvin here." Father Ambrose smiled. "And how are you, dear child?"
Alysanne hesistated for a moment. Was he really as oblivious or short-sighted not to notice anything when he came? Or anything strange in her greeting? Was he just trying to ignore it?
"I'm... fine. It's been raining a lot, which is good for..." Alysanne couldn't really believe what she was saying. Babbling about weather? But anything was better than to continue apologising, she just had to appear normal at any cost. "...for mushrooms." She finished and forced a smile.

When Alysanne's eighteen birthday came, she decided to invite Ambrose and Alvin for a humble celebration, as the only thing resembling a family she had left. Alvin joked that with two priests there it could as well be held in church, but Alysanne could see there was no danger of refusing from him.
She baked a cake and tried to act cheerful for her visitors' sake, even if inside she was nervous about her future.

Alvin seemed to be her only safe harbour, the only thing she could be sure about. At least in the rare moments when she managed to ignore his clerical robe and the vows he had taken.
Still... in his arms she felt secure. And it was he who hugged her, under the guise of congratulating her on her birthday.
It had been all outwardly proper anyway - or almost proper, at least then.

Only a few days after her birthday, Alvin turned up at her house long after dark, after Alysanne had gone to bed and was only in her shift.
She went out to meet him anyway, afraid something had happened, but Alvin quite obviously had other things in mind.
"You look even more beautiful in the moonlight than in the sun. May I come in?" He asked, his eyes shining more than the starts above them.
Alysanne blushed, trying to cover the low neckline of the shift.

"My lady?" Alvin gave her a bow, half mocking, half sincere, and then he took hold of her hand to kiss it.
"I'm not..." Alysanne tried to speak, but Alvin took no notice of her protests and continued kissing her hand and her arm, finally getting to the bare flesh of her shoulder. It felt heavenly.

"Come in, before anyone sees us." Alysanne was still feeling light in her head, but at least some part of her kept insisting that being seen in an intimate position with a priest, at night, in wearing only a thin shift, was definitely not a good idea.
At least Alvin was more than willing to follow her into the privacy of the house. He was grinning as if the most wonderful thing had just happened to him and Alysanne begun wondering if he was drunk.
She smiled uncertainly at him, waiting for him to give her something to hold onto.

She was still wondering what exactly was happening and what to do when Alvin stepped forward, grabbed her and kissed her in such a way she had never experienced before.
It seemed to last for hours and still it wasn't enough for Alysanne to decide whether she was more happy or frightened of the possible consequences. The couldn't be together now, not after Alvin accepted his priesthood, could they?