A New Beginning

I did it.

The thought ran across Faewyn’s mind as she stood on the corner of Gate Street, gazing with near disbelief at the new stall that had been placed there. It was built with a well made structure, displaying various jewelry creations upon a blue-green colored table cloth. It was hers. All the work that went into gathering for materials in the forest and on the beach had paid off. The summer’s bounty was kind this year. Now she had a new goal in life. Whether the stall will be successful or not depended on things, but she honestly didn’t care very much about that. She was just proud of the fact that she can now sell her jewelry to the public.

It seemed like only yesterday that she had been struggling just to earn even one silver shilling. Her only skills at the time had been in gathering for goods and produce in the wild and on the beach. That was only about five months ago, when she had first arrived in Seahaven. She was just a girl who had often gone to the beach in search of seashells. It was only when her sharp eyes started to draw in the more high quality shells that she had begun to wonder what else she could have done with herself. Was there more to life than just scavenging?

Yes, there was.

Faewyn knew what she wanted to do when she first learned that jewelry shops had prized seashells and that it was possible to sculpt them into delicate works of art. She remembered the time when it seemed impossible for her to even earn enough coin for a few tools. Now she had nearly the whole collection, right within her bags. It was now possible to even replace her older, more worn out instruments that were used in creating her work.

Who knew that a simple branch that had fallen from a tree could be used to create such distinct wooden pieces? Pendants, bracelets, and even rings could be crafted from a piece of the world that someone else might easily overlook. Faewyn remembered the day when she sat down and pried open an oyster shell, finding her very first pearl. It was the most beautiful thing she had seen. She thought it would just simply be a dream to have accomplished such a feat. And there was another inspiration, the amber from the trees. She never knew that the forest giants could create such a unique and stunning material to work from. Faewyn was often mesmerized by the golden hue of the resin, how even the littlest imperfections could make it special. Now she enjoyed making translucent rings of amber and carving little shapes into them. She made her very first one for Cavinaar. He was her inspiration. Faewyn wanted so much to make him happy, to do something for him that would show him her feelings for him. That was when she made her first ring, carving a tiny figure of a deer upon the band. To her, the deer represented the gentle and loving side of him. It represented his emotions, his dear smiles, and his kindness to her.

Now she was engaged to him, her best friend. Cavinaar was always the most loyal companion, and Faewyn wished that she had met him long before she had gotten together with Dalindo… Even before she had met Beckett. Sometimes she still thought of the two other men. She and Dalindo had quite a history together, but Beckett had not even been given a proper chance.

Faewyn had still beaten herself up over the thought that she broke Beckett’s heart. She had been foolish. There could have been something between him and her. She wondered though if that, too, would not of worked out. From what she had known of Beckett, he was reserved and often quite busy with his work. She still remembered how his gentle voice made her calm and made her heart flutter. He may think of her differently now, but she still held a place for him in her heart.

Things have taken a sudden turn for the Count. He had become one of the five candidates that could possibly become the next King. There were moments when she wanted nothing more than to see him achieve that dream, now though she felt that if he were to become the next ruler that she might break down inside. What was it that bothered her so much about it? Was it the thought that, the next time she would see him again, that he would have the power to change her life, to churn her emotions? He did that already. She tried to hide it well enough the last time she had seen him. Count Beckett was very selfless and helped a young boy during the storm that had brewed over a short time ago. A part of her wanted to think that Beckett simply helped the child in order to gain favor with him for the crown, but she knew better than that. It was his nature to help, she knew that when she had first met him. All he had ever done was try to help her, even when she nearly died in the hospital from having the plague. And how did she repay him? She turned to another man, one who she had thought she had fallen deeply in love with. Perhaps she had been in love. Sometimes, she still wondered if the feelings were true. What was love? Love, to her, can be expressed in many forms. She loved Beckett, Dalindo, and now Cavinaar more differently than the other.

Faewyn’s heart was like the ocean. It was large, vast and able to hold so much. Her heart, though, could also be treacherous.

Why am I thinking of Beckett? What good is it to do so now?

She thought that perhaps she had to prepare herself. Faewyn knew that the Count was meant to rule. To be a King that could possibly bring Seahaven together again. A part of her wanted to see that happen, but a huge piece of her didn’t want to see him in such a position. Was she selfish? Possibly, probably. She didn’t know what she would do if Beckett were to succeed. Faewyn thought that a part of her would shatter. That she’d possibly hate herself.

No, stop it, Faewyn scolded herself within her mind, If Beckett becomes King, then nothing will change. You will both remain strangers and will have nothing to do with the other.

But it was only a matter of time…

Faewyn tried to put the thoughts into the back of her mind. She was engaged now, to Cavinaar, to a wonderful and loving man who was possibly the only one who could tolerate her faults and still remain deeply head over heels in love with her. Cavinaar knew all her secrets. He knows more about her than anyone else in Seahaven could ever know. There was nothing to hide from him. He was her other half, the one destined to fill in her emptiness.

Sometimes it still surprises her that she had ended up being with him. Someone who she tried to think of as a friend, possibly an adopted brother.

Now she will become his wife.

A smile tugged at her lips as she thought of him. Cavinaar was so happy and excited when she accepted his proposal. He began to share ideas with her of what he wanted to do for their wedding. It was true that he and Faewyn were commoners and couldn’t have an official marriage, but at least they could pledge themselves before Ylessa, at the beach. And that is what they will most likely do.

In all honesty, it felt like Cavinaar was the actual enthusiastic bride and that she were the more mellow groom. Was she strange for feeling this way?

She wondered what Dalindo and Beckett will think when they hear of her being engaged. Both will probably not care in the slightest. That was how it should be.

She needed to move on.

Faewyn was going to start a new life with Cavinaar. The stall was just one of many first steps.

What will come next?

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