After all these steps are taken you find yourself on another road. It is almost time to ask the parents of both sides for their permission.

But you are not there yet, brave one. The road of love and courtship is a long one. You must take your time and show your dedication to your beloved.

And the next step may be the most dangerous and unexpected one you will ever have to face... 

To gain approval of the consort's parents you have to talk to them. This is a delicate situation and thus requires a delicate tongue. Otherwise you will never get near marriage. 

Before you have the all important talk, the suitor must find something that remembers them of their consort. This is to be collected and brought with the suitor as he heads to his beloved' parents.

The suitor must present the gift and keep his head down. This is a sign of respect. 

And of course they won't accept this gift without some careful consideration. Like Elrond mentioned in the last chapter, elven parents are very protective over their children. 

So choosing the right gift is crucial in this stage of your courtship.

Because if they accept your gift they are the ones who will send you on a quest of their choosing. How hard this quest will be depends on how suitable they think you are for their daughter. 

Choose wisely.

For once I do agree with Nathalie on this. Thank you for choosing your words with care.

*Nods* I can be nice, even when we talk about elves. *Smiles*

*Looks suspicious from the corner of his eye.* There are three different kinds of quests you can be send on as the suitor;

1. To collect a special kind of flower; there are flowers known to our kind that can prevent a certain ilness from spreading. Or ones that can give you a sudden burst of energy. These are highly valued by our people.

And thus this can be a quest. The most noble one that you can be send on. 

When you are send on this quest it means that the consorts' parents have a lot of faith in you. 

2. To gain a certain skill; when the parents of your consort have doubts about your capabilities, they can send you on a quest to learn a certain skill. 

This can be fishing, learning how to fight with knives or really anything in between. It is important that you can protect your consort in any way possible. 

When you are send on this quest it can mean that the parents don't think you are the right match but you are alright. It can also mean that they like you and just don't want to see you getting killed. So they went with this easier quest.

3. And the last quest you can be send on requires you to start your own vegetable garden. 

This may seem like an odd quest but there is a reason behind it.

If the parents deem you unworthy it has something to do with your gardening skills. Like I mentioned in the previous chapter, you have to stand in close contact to nature. 

By having your own vegetable garden you can show the parents of your consort that you are responsible, can take care of others and you are willing to invest time in things that need time to grow. Like your love.

When you succeed it becomes the most important one of the three.

Aye, because you were seen as unworthy before and now you have proven the parents wrong, you have achieved a whole lot in their eyes. So count yourself lucky because you are going to get married pretty soon.

No, there you are wrong my young friend. No matter which one of the three you succeed in, there are still other steps to take. 

After you have completed this fourth step you have to go back to the parents. They will give you their approval or will decline it. 

It all depends on whether you have accomplished your quest or not. 

When you have accomplished it in the parents' eyes, a few things will happen.

First you will have to invite the king and your own parents to one of your houses. Here, the betrothal is officially announced. This can be done in your own way. Just make sure that you keep everyone's respect. 

During this ceremony the betrothal rings are exchanged. Each ring is given to the couple by the parents of the other. This is a way of showing that they accept you into their family.

A date is set for the marriage ceremony and then at least one year needs to pass before we continue on to the next and final step. 

Before we continue, however, I must note that this year is one of celebration.

Because we life such long lives we don't rush our festivities. Everyone in the kingdom is invited and we celebrate for months. 

There is wine and good food for everyone to share in. 

So, that means that if you want to attack the elves you just have to wait for them to have a couple getting betrothed? I mean... if you spend a whole year celebrating and drinking wine, that means that you are vulnerable during that -

That is enough for now. In the next chapter we - I, will tell you about the marriage ceremony.