Rhea wandered over to the window seat, and, with a deep breath, opened the window. The night was beautiful, a blue velvet sky with diamonds sewn in it. She sat comfortably on the window seat, and began to take her hair down. Once that was done, she took her brush and began to comb. As she gazed down into the rose garden below, she noted the presence of a willow tree right by her window. She smiled, removed her shoes and overdress, and climbed out the window to sit in the willow, in only her cream colored under dress. She leaned back, comfortable in between two branches, staring off into space

“I wish you were here, Val. Because you know I would renounce everything I was born to be, if only to spend all my days with you. Because even if you were not Val, I would love you still, because it is you I love, not your name. I know now of the wrongs I have done against your family, and what I have done to you. I wish that you could become not a Harwin. And instead of that name, you may have me.”
A voice sounded below “I wish I could take you at your word.” With surprise, Rhea sat straight up, falling from the tree. She landed in Valerius’s arms.

“I knew something would happen if I wasn’t around”
“How did you get here? If Tyrol knew, he would kill you!”

“Love brought me here”

“That would be one of the stupidest things I have ever heard” Val looked hurt ‘But I love it anyways, because it came from you.” He put her down, and held her close. She looked at him.

“If I could be with you forever, we would have parted too soon.”

He looked down at her “Then let us never part.”

“Say you love me”
“You already had that from me since we danced.”

“As you have had that from me. I wish that I could give it to you again!”

“Would you withdraw it? Why, my love?”

“So I could give it again.”

He lifted her chin, and kissed her. A voice sounded from the window “Rhea!”

Both of them started. “Who’s that?”

Rhea looked just as surprised as him “I think that’s my maid, Mara. I don’t know how she got here…”

“Rhea!”

Val grabbed her hands. “Tomorrow then, my love?”

She looked him in the eyes. “Stay. I will be back” She scaled the tree, and returned through the window.

Val looked about “Oh sweet, sweet night! I’m scared that because this is night, this is all but a dream. And tomorrow I will wake, and none of this was ever true”

Rhea reappeared. “Don’t worry about that, love. If it is a dream, it is the sweetest dream either of us have ever dreamt. I have only a few things to say, for I must bid you goodnight. If you truly love me, and wish to marry me, send word tomorrow where and at what time we will be so wedded. And I will follow you forever, as my husband and master”

Val looked up at her, sitting at her seat “No, not master. As an equal, guiding each other troughout life.”

She smiled at him, and blew him a kiss. “What time tomorrow shall you send word?”

“Nine o’clock”

“Until then is twenty years”

“Nay, say twenty thousand. I love you”

“I must go. Goodnight, goodnight! Parting is such sweet sorrow! That I should say goodnight until it is tomorrow!”

A/N: The final line is from act I scene II of Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare- the famous balcony scene, although I personally prefer how she fell from the tree into his arms- I know, I'm a hopless romantic