E D W A R D & A U D R E Y

"love me, dear friend"

"I wish you would stay here with me," she whispered, „forever"

"I will," I replied calmly, "don't cry, please"

"You'll leave me tomorrow, again. Like yesterday. And any other day before. And I'll be alone again"

"Your father will take care of you"

"No"

"Yes, I kno-"

"Stop," she interrupted me, "I don't want him. I want you, here, next to me"

"I'll be back soon"

"No," she cried out, "you'll die, this time or the next"

"I won't let us die"

She sighed, "It's the thousands of seconds I need to survive without you, listening to my father saying I should look for another man, a real man, who'll marry me and make me a pregnant woman as you know how important this is. Edward?"

"I'd marry you, one day" I answered, "But not now. You know how it is. I have to go. I have to go, fight for my country, fight for you. And our friendship"

"Edward, please, don't leave this time. I don't want to live here anymore"

"If I was important to me, you'd understand" I whispered more to me.

"Are you questioning us? Are you sick?"

"I don-"

"No, you don't believe in us anymore," she almost screamed, "You forgot about me, already. Probably found another woman in the battle zone you were the last time, stupid idiot"

"I would never," I admitted, "you shouldn't care about this as my friend"

"Can you promise me you won't look at another woman?"

"Uhhh, let me think about this... Hey!"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to actually punch your arm. You drive me mad" she laughed.

I joined in, "Do you want me to drive you even more mad?"

"How?"

"Do you want me to touch you?"

"Not now," she giggled, "my father is next door. He'll hear us"

"Not if I make you shush"

"Edward"

"Audrey"

"I love you, you know that, right?"

"I do, my dear. You're my friend, and I won't disappoint you. I'll fight, and I'll come back as promised. Then everything will be like before" I stated.

"It'll be your last battle?"

"Yes," I calmed her, "Forever"

"Forever of us," she said, "Please let there be more of us"

"There will be. And, maybe, I'll marry you"

"You haven't even properly asked me yet," she groaned, "You're a not so charming soldier"

"But I'm yours"

"Mhm," she murmured, "Hold me, now"

"Your father is next door, remember?" I reminded her.

"Also a village lady needs to do some sins" she shrieked.

"Hm, you're an already very sinful young lady"

"For you only"

"You're precious, Audrey"

"You are"

"Take my hand," I ordered, "and promise me one last thing"

"Everything" she guaranteed.

"If I don't come back," I started, "look for another man. A good man. Somebody with pride and love and experience. Somebody who'll make you as happy as I do. Somebody who can make you even happier. And as soon as you are sure he is the one, marry him. Marry him and give him his first child. Don't let him go, ever"

"But Edward," she started crying, "I don't want to find somebody else, I can't"

"Yes, baby, you can. We.. you are not my official woman. You are my friend, Audrey. We are a small village, you can't just get pregnant of somebody that leaves you right away. You know what they say about such women"

"They're whores. And I won't find somebody ever again"

"I wouldn't mind," I explained, "if there was somebody before me. It's us that counts right now"

"Then don't let this fade away"

"I won't"

"You promised me to wait for you or marry another man if you can't keep your promise, that's so poor of you," she whispered.

"I'm sorry, Audrey. God might want me dead"

"No, you're doing everything right. Please, please, listen to your heart. I want you here"

"Your dad doesn't," I repeated.

"He will. You need to make me your wife"

"I don't have the money for a big ceremony"

"It doesn't matter," she kissed my cheek, "I don't want a big ceremony, or a ring, or anything of those fancy things"

"We live in a kingdom"

"No, we live in a country led by a kingdom. It's only you and me in that small bubble of ours" she clarified.

"You're a great woman, Audrey. You'll find somebody else"

"So you're telling me goodbye now?" she asked fearfully.

"I.. no, I'm not"

"Yes, you are, you are going to leave me, you are going to die. Or find another woman. Am I not enough for you?"

"You are, you are everything for me, angel. I just... I wish I didn't have to go there"

"It's not your fault, right"

"Believe me. I need to fight," I told her for the millionth time.

She explained another idea of hers, "Can't we just.. you know.."

"What is it, love?"

"I mean.. can't we.. can't you marry me, now?"

"Now? For god's sake, no. My woman deserves something better. And.. you're clearly not sure about your feelings"

"It'd be fine. We could go down the kitchen, invite all of my family that are still here and yours.. those, I mean.. I'm sorry"

"It's okay," I told her.

"No, I'm sorry. I wish some of your family were still here"

"I wish so, too."

"I would have loved to get to know them"

"They would have loved you" I told her calmly.

"Thank you, my charming one"

I grinned, "yours"

"Sir," she laughed, "you are refusing to marry me"

"For the moment. One day, trust me my little princess, it might be true"

"And my father will be there"

"And he'll support us, I hope" I told her.

She started sobbing, "He needs to. What if he won't?"

"I will kill him, personally" I joked.

"Edward, it's no time for jokes like this, there's a war outside"

"You slowly start to understand"

"I wish it was just a nightmare"

"And you'd wake up right away," I continued.

She ended our little story, "before I'd see you laying next to me, breathing out all the fear I have breathed in before. And you'd say that there was no war. Just you and me"

"Just you and me," I repeated, "does he even know I'm here?"

"Huh? God, no. He would've thrown you out right away"

"How am I supposed to marry you?"

"As you said, there's time for this," she declared, "but first you should ask him"

"I don't need a permission to marry the love of my life"

"But you know how it goes. He'll kill you with his own hands if he has to"

"I won't let this happen. I won't let anybody destroy us"

She shook her head, "I'm just asking you to talk to him. Tomorrow, after I announced you. You'll have to promise him you'll come back from war and still be able to.. walk, go out, make money, and come back"

"You're acting like I will die" I said shockingly.

"You.. I hope you won't. But my father will want you to make me and our children have shoes on. We need the money"

I looked at her, "You can talk to him, now"

"Are you crazy, Edward? I need to announce you, you can't just come here without permission"

"Your seductive face led me here"

She blushed, "I might be a thief"

"An evil one?" I asked.

She stuck her tongue out, "If you want me to"

"Going back to your father, so you'll announce me?"

"Of course," she said eye-rolling, "I'll tell him about your short break and how you decided to visit me right away. I won't tell him anything about our engagement"

"But I haven't asked you yet, remember?"

"Indirectly, you did," she laughed out loud, "but we'll have to be calm now. Or else he finds out"

"There's nothing he can find out, we aren't doing anything naughty" I informed her.

"Go and take your weapons with you"

"Come with me" I ordered.

"What? No, I can-" she started.

"Yes," I interrupted her this time, "You can. You can be with me. All the time"

"I'll have to fear much more about you dying. And you'll have to take care of me"

"My colleagues and I are constantly switching our position. They can take care of you"

"I don't want THEM to take care of me," she confessed, "I want you. How many times more do you want to hear these words leave my mouth?"

"Three"

"You're just my friend after all," she whispered sadly.

"That's what you think?"

"Yes," she now screamed, "You never said yo-"

"Now be calm," I demanded, "your father will hear us"

"This wouldn't be bad, though, would it? We are just friends, a poor village lady and a soldier, how stupid can it be? Just go. Go and leave me, go and leave your friend alone, leave that whore alone that you have been using as your sex toy the whole time. Go and fight in the war, loser"

"You don't understand, Audrey, listen" I now whimpered.

"No, it's you who doesn't understand. If I was your woman, you wouldn't have ever left me. But you treated me like a slut like you did with all the other women here before"

"I didn't"

"I talked to them"

"And you believe them?" I almost sobbed, "You believe some irrelevant ladies who are stating they had a sexual relationship with me?"

"Since you seem to have a sexual desire for everybody you meet," she said sadly, "you're like a man whore, almost"

I suddenly corrected her, "You shouldn't mind, I'm just a friend, right?"

"Yes... yes, right"

"I wish it was different" I confessed.

"It is you who is constantly calling me their friend. Friends don't kiss, Edward. Why can't I just be your woman?"

"I called you my woman, already"

"That's not enough. Go out, and scream my name," she postulated, "but we're, still, just friends, aren't we? You never felt something for me"

"I did"

"Yeah," she ended my sentence, "as a friend, as a false sister, so that my father wouldn't force me to go out look for somebody else"

"Then don't"

"You do-"

"I don't want you to look for anybody else, Audrey," I confessed, "I like you, I really like you. God, I love you more than your heart can take. If I could I would go to your father and punch his stupid thoughts out of that head of his, making him clear how much I do love you. If I could, I would make love to you right now"

"Then do it, Edward" she demanded.