Forever and Always: A Fairytale

“Ellianna, we’re going to be late!” My best friend, Lillian called from downstairs.

“I’m coming!” I yelled back as I finished putting my long, brunette hair into a tight bun. I brushed off any dirt or dust that was on my brown work dress and rushed down the wooden stairs that led to the front room. There, she was waiting impatiently for me. “Sorry, my hair wasn’t cooperating with me this morning.”

She rose an eyebrow and said, “You’re lucky that momma loves you.” She opened the door and walked outside into the cold air with me following behind her. The two of us sprinted through the elven town towards her parent’s bakery and arrived with just a minute to spare.

As we entered the bakery, the aroma of baked goods filled our nostrils, causing our mouths to water as we panted. Lily’s mother, Ara Erris, entered the front room with a warm smile on her face. “You two look like you just ran a mile,” she chuckled as she put her long, black hair up into a bun so that it was out of her face.

“We might as well have since this one was taking a Millenium to get ready for work, almost making us late,” Lily said, pointing in my direction. Her mother chuckled and shook her head. “What’s so funny?” Lily’s father, Arun Erris, asked, giving his wife a peck on the cheek. They’re so cute.

“Ellie almost made me late again,” Lily explained with a pouting face.

“I told you that I was having hair complications!” I defended with a scowl on my face. “But I’m sorry that we were almost late, Mr. and Mrs. Erris.”

“How many times must I tell you, Ellie, you can call us by our first names,” Ara said. I gave her a respectful nod.

“I’m sure it wasn’t intentional,” Arun said calmly, “Now, get to work.” The two of us nodded and ran to the kitchen. Lily gathered some ingredients, while I started using the rolling pin to flatten the already made dough. Once the dough is flat, I molded it into the loaf shape, put it onto the pan, and stuck the pan into the oven.

“Oh, I almost forgot to tell you,” Lily said suddenly as she was making the chocolate chip cookie dough, “A friend of mine that I’ve known since childhood is coming to visit.”

“Oh, great!” I replied excitedly. Lily and I share a townhouse and don’t get many visitors aside from her parents, so it was nice to know that an outsider was coming to visit. “How long will she be staying?”

“It’s a guy and at least a month depending on how long it takes for him to move all of his things into his new townhouse,” she explained as she plopped the balls of cookie dough onto another pan.

“Oh,” I said in surprise and uncertainty, “Uh, when is he supposed to be arriving?” She was about to respond when Mrs. Erris yelled, “Lily, he’s here!” Lilly stopped what she was doing and washed her hands. When she was done, she took off her apron and darted to the front room.

“Ismael!” I heard her exclaim. A male voice that I didn’t recognize let out a chuckle before greeting her. I slowly placed the rolling pin down onto the wooden counter and went to the sink to wash my hands. When I was done, I took off my apron and edged to the front room. I lingered in the shadows, not wanting to be seen because of how shy I am around strangers.

“How have you been, Ismael?” Ara asked the stranger.

“I’ve been good, Ara,” the man I’m assuming is Ismael replied. “How have you been?”

“I’ve been good, thank you,” Ara said with a smile.

“Quit being rude and go say hello to your guest,” Arun ordered before giving me a playful nudge, causing me to step out of the shadows.

“There you are!” Lily said before dragging me over to where the male stranger was as her father walked over to his wife.

“Good morning, Arun,” the stranger greeted before he looked at me.

“This is my best friend, Elianna,” Lily introduced me, “Ellie, this is Ismael, my life long friend from the southern part of the kingdom.”

“Nice to meet you, Elianna,” he said with a charming smile as he held out his hand for me to shake. I shook his hand and said, “Nice to meet you too.” This allowed me to get a good view of what he looked like, and my breathing hitched. He was a little taller than the average male elf with a muscular build, but because the muscle was stretched out due to his height, he looked skinny. He had a caramel skin tone, clearly the signature look of the people of the southern part of the large kingdom, and he had enchanting amber eyes.

"Well, since Ismael got here earlier than expected, you two ladies may have the rest of the day off," Arun said before walking to the kitchen.

"That's really not necessary, Arun," I said as I followed him, "I can still work, and Lily can go spend time with Ismael. I'm sure they have a lot of catching up to do."

"Nonsense!" Lily said before racing into the kitchen and dragging me out of it.

"No really, it's okay," I insisted. I wanted her to spend time with him. I'm sure it's been years since she's seen him. Besides, I'll have time to get to know Ismael later on at dinner.

"Are you sure?" She asked. I gave her a nod and she let me go. I watched as the two of them exited the bakery before heading back to the kitchen.

"What are you still doing here?" Arun asked.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I want them to spend time with each other. I'm sure it's been years since she's seen him," I told him.

"You're a good friend," Arun said, "I'm sure she'll return the favor someday." I smiled at him and went to work.

A/N:

This is the rewritten version of the story. I apologize for the inconvenience. Please let me know what you think!