"Can you please stay?"

She had asked him with pleading eyes. He smirked and kissed the top of her forehead before smirking and nodding.

Near the top of one of the stone steps, they just sat as she regailed everything.

"I had never lost someone like that, everyone knew what to do, and I just didn't. I wasn't alive when the last original died. The timing didn't make sense, the parties and then everyone heading out and just carrying on with their lives like nothing happened, I don't get it," She said coming clean.

Her shoulders where shaking, she had been holding this all in for the last few days. Once she stopped, she looked at him. He just listened, that was all she needed.

"Everything will work out, just please don't keep everything in. You can talk to me or send me something if you need to," he said looking right at her. She nodded.

He then decided right then and there to give her the gift from his mother. The necklace. She looked at it, her mouth agape. Her people had acess to jewelry, but most of it was handmade and you could definatly tell.

But they weren't bad, just different. However, what he held in front of her was exquisit. The look of the design was unlike anything she had seen.

Even in the storys she would read as a child, or even from the stories that Rondell would tell her about when he was a younger dragon. The silver pattern was intricate and the jewels in it, gorgeous.

The gentle blue hue shined. However, she had no idea what stone it was. Maddie watched as he slowly pushed it her way. She looked at him.

"My mother wanted me to give this to my mate. My father had given it to her, and as far as I know, its always been with her. She must have seen how I had reacted and mothers intuition I suppose," He said, rubbing the back of his head in a nervous motion.

Maddie looked down at the necklace, she clutched her hands together.

"I can't accept this," She said. He looked at her.

"Maddie, she wanted you to have it. I want you to have it, especially as my mate," he said. He closed the distance between them, the necklace still in his hand and out for her.

She contemplated, her green eyes just kept looking at it. She bit her lip slightly, she had never been one to take a gift super lightly, and when looking at this, she worried about what would happen to it.

She then thought of how she felt and how Kyle may feel, or his family would feel after the fact. Looking up into his eyes and face, she could see he wouldn't back down, he looked like he was taking after her too much.

She sighed and gently took it from his hands.

"Ok, but I do so under duress," She said with a slight smile. Although it was more so for the slight joke she said. Looking at him, she hoped he didn't think she was a gol digger of some kind, but he seemed to have understood it.

He motioned toward her. "May I?"

She nodded her head, handing it back to him. He went behind her and then placed it around her neck. Although Maddie had shorter hair, she still lifted it a bit so he could see the clasp a bit better.

Her hand reached up and felt where the necklace laid and landed on her chest. She smiled as she felt him pull away and she released her hair. Turning around she watched as his eyes gazed on her.

The blue of the necklace fit well with her skin and hair, and while blue and green didn't always go well together, the blue was just enough to cause her green eyes to shine.

"What?"

"Beautiful," He whispered. He walked up and engolfed her into a hug, his heart felt like it was bursting.

Pulling away, he kept looking at her, his smile was making his thoughts very obvious, or so he hoped.

"What?" This time she was even smirking and laughing a little bit. She felt a bit embarassed with the look he was giving her, but she was still feeling giddy.

"I just really can't believe how lucky I am," He said.

"I want to introduce you to my family," He said. Maddie's heart rate accelerated a bit.

"No, the feud, no ne even believes we are alive," She said. he could see the slight fear in her eyes.

"Maddie, please. I truthfully don't care," He said. She looked up.

"I care about you so much. You mean more to me than them. We are mates, we are meant to be together and be better for each other. Since we are both high nobles of our kind, we are meant to help each of our kind. I don't care what they say," He said.

He walked forward and pulled her arms in a comforting way. Placing her hands on his chest she looked at him as he finished.

"I want you to be there for everything, the only way to truthfully make that happen and to move forward, would be to introduce you to my family, especially with how everyone is forcing me to get married," He said. Her eyes got a bit wide.

"When your next in line for the throne, the high nobles kinda "force" their daughters my way at a certain point. My mother just wants me to be taken care of and her people when her and my father step down," He said.

"Force?"

"Well not really force. More so introduce them to me and continued to have them trying to get with me or flatter me in some format. From what I can tell, their daughters are going along with it and don't really care that they are being used as a pawn. They want to be queen, rich, etc," he said.

"I imagine that you are also quite a catch for some of them," Maddie said with a bit of a joking manner.

"Some have said that I am a lot better looking than they thought," he said looking off into the distance.

She could see he was being a bit bashful. She thought about it. he wasn't wrong, both of their kinds could benifit from their union and they could be happy together, she knew that.

But she also knew the possible outcomes when it came to meeting his family, but if they both wanted something and a future, she knew she needed to meet them.

It also didn't help that she was a bit jealous after hearing about the other girls.

"Alright, your right. If we want this to work, I need to be introduced. I'm sorry, i'm just a little nervous."

"I can understad that. Especially with how my people have portraid Dark Reigns, but I won't believe that, no matter the past or the stories they portray. You have shown me that," he said. Her cheeks where getting red.

"My mother is having a party for their anniversary. Their 25th, and it would mean a lot if you where my date," He said. She smiled and nodded.

He wrapped her in a hug and picked her up swinging. Whatever would happen, he was gonna be prapaired for it, even if in the end he walked away from them all.

"I need to go prepair, and tell them that you are coming," He said.

"Ok, but when will it be?" she asked.

"Next week," he told her. She nodded, felt a kiss on her forhead and watched as he walked off. her hand reached up and she felt the necklace, she started to giggle and feel giddy once again as she ran home. The day started out as a mess, but she just couldn't help the smile on her face.

Kyle on the otherhand walked through the woods, and as he reached home, there where no guards around, which was odd for the time of day.

Throughout the castle, everone was running around.

"Kyle!" He heard his mother. Looking at her, she whisked him into the dining hall to find his family and another noble family, the Dresdens.

Lord Dresden was famous in the area, he was a war hero. His wife was another Lords daughter, and together they had 5 children. Their oldest was Marissa. Her curly black hair and orange eyes looked his way with a smirk.

"Father?"

"Kyle, Lord Dresden has come to use with a proposal of some sorts," He said.

Kyle could see the look in his fathers eyes. Lord Dresden was aways trying to curry favor with his father, never worked.

"I see."

"Tis a marriage proposal," Marissa said. The king looked to his wife at that.

"Dear..." She said.

"I am only considering it, I have yet to say anything on the matter," He said to all.

"I'm afraid I must decline. I have found my mate, and with your permission, Father. I would like to have her here for the ball honoring your anniversary," Kyle said proudly. His fathers eyes went wide, His mother walked around and could just smile with pride.

"I would be thrilled to have her," his father said. Kyle could just see the fumes and smoke coming from Lord Dresden, Marissa just looked confused and didn't understand. They where escorted out, and Kyle himself felt prideful as he looked at his parents.

Next week, was going to be just what he wanted. Hopefully, everything would go alright.