The bright, white light that filled True's palm filled Astrid's eyes. She couldn't look away from its glory. She tried her hardest to listen to him as he began to explain what aspect of light magic he was going to show her that day.

It never crossed her mind that she could learn about light magic until True offered to teach her a couple of months back. He noticed that she had a strange fascination in it. The simplest spells that most Natanstrelleans took for granted filled her with so much wonder. Her wide-eyed reaction to how easy it was for him to cut down and chop up trees for firewood broke his heart.

"Okay, Astrid, today I'm going to show you how to manipulate water," True announced, shaking Astrid out of her trance.

"Oh, that's why you took me to the lake, I was wondering," Astrid said with a beaming smile.

True returned her smile and placed his light orb onto her outstretched hand. As soon as she felt its warmth against her skin her heart raced. She could never calm the butterflies in her stomach during light magic lessons with True. It always felt as if she was doing something forbidden, that if she got caught she would be in a lot of trouble.

But who was going to catch her? Only True and Naomi knew where she was and both of them decided that it was important for her to learn the art that held Natanstrelle's society together.

"Okay," True whispered in her ear as he took up his place behind her.

He caressed the tops of her arms, then manoeuvred her so that she faced the lake.

"Now, focus on the water," he breathed. "Listen to its song, smell its fragrance," he let his instructions sink in for a few seconds then continued, "Now, hold the orb steady in your left hand. Can you feel the light?"

Astrid nodded, too scared to speak in case hearing her own voice would shatter her concentration.

"Good, now hold out your right hand." He lifted her right arm by the elbow, so that it stretched from her body at a ninety degree angle. "Reach out and touch the water in your mind."

Astrid scrunched her eyes shut as she concentrated hard on following True's directions. In the darkness she managed to feel the heat in her left hand and the cold, waving wetness in her right. A satisfied smile played on her lips.

"Got it?" True asked. Astrid nodded again. "Now, imagine the water in your right hand is an orb just like the light in your left hand."

Astrid shaped a small ball out of the blue, calm water that she felt in her hand. Her fingers moving in time with her thoughts, moulding an invisible orb in the air in front of her.

"Now bring your hand into your chest," True instructed, staring at the movement of her delicate fingers. Astrid gracefully brought her right hand in towards her heart, bending her elbow with great control.

"See, you did it."

Astrid opened her eyes to see what True was talking about, and there she saw above the lake, a tiny ball of water hovering in mid-air. Tiny drops of water fell down to the surface of the lake only to bounce back up to the orb again with silent grace.

"You're incredible at that, when I made my first water ball it turned into a tiny rainfall after only a few seconds. You've kept yours together for a couple of minutes now," True gushed by her side.

"What now?" Astrid asked, her left hand still kept the light orb steady and her right fist still pressed into her chest.

"Now you can move the orb anywhere you like, keep your right hand on your chest and imagine the orb flying where you want it to go." As soon as True finished his sentence, he saw the small ball of water begin to dance in circles and figures of eight above the lake.

"Amazing! Keep it up!" He cheered in triumph over his prodigy. Then the orb came to a sudden stop, suspended in the air.

True smiled down at Astrid. "Do you want to stop now?"

A mischievous grin formed on Astrid's face as the orb began to fly through the air again. This time it made its way closer to the pair of them and stopped above True's head. 

"Astrid, don't you dare!" True warned as he stared at the water that hovered dangerously close to the top of his head. He heard the sound of a quiet snigger before a cold rush slapped his forehead and ran over his face. His eyes squeezed shut and an involuntary scream left his mouth. 

That small chuckle evolved to a full blown howl of laughter. 

"That's it!" True choked his words out as he wiped the water from his eyes. "You're so dead!" 

Astrid gripped the light orb tightly in her hand as she darted away in a sudden burst of energy, and True began to chase her through the trees that stood tall between the lake and Naomi's cottage. 

It didn't take long for True to catch up to her. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him. 

"What did you do that for, eh?" he scolded her, with a twinkle in his eye. 

Astrid was just able to stick her tongue out at him before she felt him tickle her sides. In a fit of helpless giggles she fell to her knees.

"Ah! Stop, stop!" she managed to yell between breaths.

"Say you're sorry!" True yelled back over her laughter.

"Never!" Astrid guffawed, she was wriggling on the ground in a giggling mess.

"You fool!" True scoffed, not giving up his means of torturing her.

Astrid could take it no longer.

"Okay! Okay! I'm sorry!" Astrid screamed and as soon as her squeaky apology reached True's ears he stopped. Astrid lay on the ground out of breath and True sat down beside her. 

"Now, that showed you!" True announced, satisfied with himself. 

Astrid got up so that she was sitting too, leaning against the trunk of a tree. 

"Here, take your orb!" she said once she got her breath back and handed him his ball of light, which had shrunk in size and grew dim from the lack of use during the scuffle.

"Cheers." He took it and stored it away in the pouch that hung on his belt. 

Beautiful moments passed as Astrid and True sat in silence, they let the peaceful, forest air become still around them. It felt like time had stopped. 

True looked over at Astrid; her ebony hair cloaked her shoulders, her porcelain skin was smooth in the glow of the sun, dark lashes underlined her delicate eyelids that remained closed as she soaked in the bliss of the atmosphere around her. True's gaze went straight to her pink, soft lips that curled at the edges in a content smile. 

He could not take his eyes away from her beautiful face, a face that he knew by heart; one that he had watched grow over the few years that they were inseparable. A face that he loved. His breath caught in his throat at that thought. He loved her. 

"Astrid?"

A melodious hum left the girl sitting by his side in response to her name.

"May I kiss you?"

Astrid's eyes flew open and she turned her head towards the older boy who was sitting on his knees beside her. His, now frizzy, damp hair lying limply on his shoulders and his deep blue eyes were filled to the brim with hope.

"W-what did you say?" Astrid asked with a nervous tremor.

"May I kiss you?" True repeated and added with a smile, "my Astrid."

Astrid looked into his intense eyes. Such a thought never crossed her mind. She knew she loved him, of course she did. She couldn't imagine her life without him. She had no life before him...

So how could she say no?

She witnessed True's lips begin to quiver as the wait she made him endure caused doubt to enter his mind. 

"Yes, okay, why not?" She said and chuckled at True's look of relief.

True then scooted closer to her side, lifted his hand to cup her cheek. Astrid closed her eyes and pursed her lips, he moved in and pressed his lips against hers. Their open mouths danced together as if they waited all their days for this chance. A heat travelled through them both and the butterflies in Astrid's stomach fluttered more wildly than she ever felt them before.

True then stopped and pulled his face away so that he could gaze upon Astrid's beautiful face again. His sapphire eyes, full of love, longing to meet with the violet glow from those that belonged to his one and only.

As soon as Astrid's eyes blinked open he drowned in the irises that were prophesied to bring darkness. He refused to believe such slander, for those eyes were his favourite things to look upon. They belonged to the girl he was willing to change his life for.

The rest of that day, Astrid and True went about as if they were in a bubble. It was like that kiss had sparked a new energy between them - their close connection now even closer. As they helped Naomi prepare dinner it looked as though they were dancing despite the lack of music in the room.

Of course, Naomi didn't fail to notice the shift in the atmosphere.

"What's going on with you kids?" she laughed out her question as she chopped the carrots that were on their way to the rabbit stew that bubbled on the stove.

"Nothing..." Astrid giggled, her gaze did not leave True, who winked at her before turning to the other woman in his life.

"Why do you ask?" he questioned, his gleeful grin not dwindling for a second.

Naomi stopped, took in the giddiness of the pair and shook her head in defeat. "No reason, no reason whatsoever," she sighed and carried on chopping, her heart leapt for joy for the two lovebirds whom she knew were going to get together at some point.

Just because they saw her as an old woman who was out of touch doesn't mean that was the case! Nothing got past this lady!

She slipped the diced carrots into the stew pot and stirred them round to meet their friends - the chopped onions, parsnips, potatoes and swede. She hummed a well-known Natanstrellean tune as she watched the wooden spoon in her hand travel around the pot.

She let her mind wander into places that she tried to hide from for many months, but she knew now that this was the time to stop avoiding this next step.

She had been thinking about talking to the pair of them about their future. They needed a plan, they needed a trade, they needed a life of their own and with a heavy heart she would have to do the practical thing and get them ready for the real world. The first step that she had to take was to talk to them about their options.

Illuminare-trabem only knew where she would find the strength for this talk! But by the great power's name she would muster it from somewhere!