She was 15 when she first met Meiron. He was still a squire at the time. She was walking along the gardens one day when she saw a boy who looked like the same age as her wandering around the royal garden.
She always saw him before that day though and have also heard a lot about him. He was the talk of many ladies, and they always giggled and squealed whenever they mentioned him.
She never really understood what his appeal was since she always viewed him as a bit of a loner and he always looked ever so serious for her tastes.
He garnered even more attention due to his skills as even though he was very young, he was a fast learner and one of the strongest squires that anyone has ever seen. Many guessed that he would become a knight despite his young age due to his skill, and they were right.
Though, besides that, she truly never found any interest in him until that day in the garden when she had found that he was taking care of a stray cat that found its way to the royal garden.
He didn't notice her at the time as she watched him feed a little orange cat with a carefree smile on his face.
It was on that moment that she felt her heart skip a beat for the first time towards a boy she had just met.
She stepped towards him to introduce herself, and he jumped as the sound of crunching leaves, alerting him of her presence. He turned around and she saw as it donned on him that he was in the presence of a noble lady.
"M-my Lady Ervea. Forgive me for loitering around in the gardens. Please, excuse my insole-"
She held her hand up as he started to apologize.
"Now, now. I won't hear any of that. It seems we haven't been formally introduced, although you already knew my name. It is expected for a lady to introduce herself properly. My name is Lady Ervea Trittania Amerthyshia. What's yours?"
"My name is Meiron, my lady. Meiron Alklanis. I'm a squire under Sir Mulric." he said as he bowed. He didn't show any signs that he was nervous in her presence. He even almost seems expressionless. Though, a few minutes ago, he was smiling and if Ervea was being honest, it was the most breathtaking smile she had ever seen.
She wanted to see it more.
"I see. And what's your cats name?" the only way that told her that he was shocked by her question was because he blinked a few times before turning his gaze to the orange cat that was happily eating a fish near the rose bush.
"Her name is Dathy."
"She has a wonderful name." she said as she smiled.
After that day, she continued to meet with him and helped him feed the cat named Dathy. They were friends for 6 months until she finally saw him smile again. She was commenting about how fat Dathy was becoming, and he smiled as she poked the cats stomach. His smile caught her off guard.
They were friends for a year and 3 months until she heard him laugh. He had climbed a tree and she tried desperately to climb it as well, resulting in her falling on her bottom. He laughed though he made sure she was alright, to which she threw a bunch of leaves at his face and quickly ran laughing.
It was on her 16th birthday when they shared their first kiss. He kissed her in the gardens, the place where they first met, under a starry night sky.
The only way to describe it was like being struck by lightning while butterflies danced in her stomach. It was electrifying, and her heart felt like it was going to burst in her chest.
And she felt all that from a chaste kiss. A mere peck on her lips. She remembered how his eyes shone that night after he had kissed her, and promised that he'll soon give her a real kiss.
Which he did 4 months after her birthday, as they shared a few more kisses to figure out how to kiss properly.
That kiss felt like being swept in a flaming tornado. It felt fiery and it felt like she needed to hold on to him, lest she gets swept away. She clutched his shirt desperately as he kissed her passionately, as though fearing that she might fall if she let go.
She was desperately in love with him. And yet, it was 3 months after her 17th birthday that she broke his heart.
She remembered crying, telling him that they could never be together as not only because her parents would never allow it, but also because she was leaving the palace and she knew that it was his dream to become a knight.
And for that to happen, he needed to stay, whilst she planned and wanted desperately to run away.
Two separate plans, two separate goals.
It was a month after she broke his heart that she left the palace. And it took her a whole year to stop crying every time she saw a stray, orange cat wandering around the streets inside the wall of Garuh.
It was on her 18th birthday that she heard the news that Meiron had finally become a knight and was immediately deployed to fight a battle outside the walls. She couldn't sleep well for 5 months after she heard the news.
And now, the same man which she loved for so long was now standing in front of her. She still remembered vividly how he used to climb the trees in the garden with his deep, beautiful emerald green eyes.
He clasped her hands and looked deep into her eyes.
"I've missed you, Ervea. Truly, I have." with those words, she couldn't stand it any longer and hugged him tightly.
"I've missed you too. I've been so worried for so long, to be honest. The last time I've heard of you is that you went off to fight a battle somewhere. I couldn't even get ahold of any news of whether you're alive or-"
"Its alright, Ervea. I'm alright. I'm right here."he said as he whispered the most comforting words she has ever heard in her ear.