He was dead sure about this. He had never been so sure about anything in his entire life. It had been nearly a year since he had run into his little woman that day in the willows. It was crazy to think that it had been that long since he had met Meili. It still felt like it was yesterday that he had helped her out of the branches when she had gone crashing into them, right in front of him. Her teal eyes...those eyes had captivated him from the moment he'd laid eyes on them and from that day forward he'd been hooked. A lot of things had happened in the course of their year together; deaths, births, promotions, wars and yet his feelings for her were still there. If anything, they had grown stronger over the course of the passing year and now they were coming to a climax. After spending much time recuperating, all that down time allowing him sufficient time to think, Gael had come to a conclusion. Meili was the most beautiful woman in the entire world. She made him feel like no one else did...because he loved her. He deeply, truly loved his little woman...The only problem was...he wanted her to spend the rest of his life with him. He knew that she felt the same way...but would she be ready for such a commitment? Gael had awoken early that day and gone to the closest river to bathe. He usually wasn't one to worry about his physical appearance, but what he had in mind to do today required that he look his absolute best. After bathing he meticulously groomed his coat to the best of his abilities, getting out as many of the burrs and knots as he could in order to look respectable. It wasn't until he was completely satisfied that he was up to par that he would set out in search of flowers to pick for Meili. He wasn't looking for any flowers in particular that would catch his eye; and he did find some. Pansies, if he remembered correctly from what his mother had told him. They were growing pretty well, blooming to their full capacity, their brilliant red calling out to him like a beacon. He would gather as many as he could in jaws, hoping that the bouquet he gathered would be enough for his little woman. These flowers were alot like her; little but brilliant in their beauty. With his flowers all collected, the nervous Adravendi would make his way towards the whistling willows; the place where they had first met. He would set his flowers down at his paws, making sure not to rip any of the petals, wanting to keep them perfect for Meili. The organ in his chest would stutter, butterflies attacking his stomach as he allowed his skull to tilt back, a sweet melody calling out to his little woman. He would let it fade out, skull returning to its former position, nerves racking his system as he waited for her to appear. This was it. Today would change the rest of their lives. Talk like this

Today had started out as any other did. The only difference in today was she woke up and Gael was no where to be found. Her brow pulled together as she looked at the empty spot beside her. She had slept in a bit today, the sun was almost high in the sky by the time she poked her head out of the den. She shrugged, thinking nothing of her missing man. She was sure he just had his own things to take care of this morning. He was the heir after all, he had responsibilities. Meili paddad out of the den and stretched, her jaws stretching wide in a yawn. It was a beautiful day. There was still snow on the ground and it was still bitterly cold of course, but the sun was shining and the skies were clear and bright. She shook out her fur so that it laid smooth against her body again. Just as she was about to go looking for some prey to bring back to Valhalla, Gael's voice caught her attention, making her gaze swing in its direction and her ears perk up to catch it attentively. A huge grin broke out over her face and she took off toward him without a second thought. She didn't wonder what he was doing away from the den or why he was calling her to him, all she knew was that he wanted her and she was more than happy to oblige. Her swift paws carried her toward him, kicking up snow as she went, till she finally reached the willows where she had first met Gael. She slowed her pace only slightly as she weaved among the branches, remembering vividly that day almost a year ago when she had gotten tangled in them and he had been her savior. Finally he came into view and her pace slowed to a gentle trot, her teal eyes taking in the scene before her. She looked over her big man, a grin creeping over her muzzle when she noticed how handsome and well groomed he was. She couldn't remember a time when his fur was so impeccable. Next she caught sight of the group of beautiful red flowers in front of him, making her wonder what he could possibly be up to. She slowed to a stop in front of him, a huge smile glued to her face and her tail waving happily behind her, but her teal gaze clearly showed her curiosity. "You look amazing," she said, leaning in to give his nose an affectionate lick. She knew he had probably spent ages working on his pelt and she wanted to be sure he knew that she noticed. She glanced down at the lovely bouquet he had gathered and back up at his cerulean gaze before adding, "What are you up to, handsome?" Speech Others Thought

He was 100% sure that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Meili at his side, but shit the nerves were getting to him. He could feel his stomach rolling and flipping and twisting inside his abdomen, his legs actually trembling from the amount of nerves that were racking his system. Shit. Shit. Shit. What was he doing? Was he making a mistake? It had only been a year that they'd met and already he wanted to make her his wife. Other spent years together before they finally decided to settle down. Was he moving too quickly? It didn't feel like it; not to him at least. He had been through so much this past year and yet Meili had stuck by him, through everything, loving him and supporting him. Why should he wait if he could make her his now? He would wait for bathed breath, his heart beating erratically inside of his chest. God, he had never been this nervous with Meili before; at least not that he could remember properly. And her wafting scent would reach his nostrils, making him fidget in his spot, toes flexing as he dug his claws into the soil, tail twitching nervously at his hocks. Cerulean gaze would lock onto her timber figure as she would approach. Dear gods, she was even more breath taking than before. Was that even possible? He felt like an idiot talking to himself inside his head, but he couldn't help it. Meili was making him all kinds of nervous, especially with what he was planning to tell her. You look amazing. A nervous grin broke across his lips, his throat constricting for a second as he forgot how to talk. He would gape at her until she asked him what he was up to, his voice suddenly coming back to him in a rush. I...uh...see Meili the thing is... He would stutter, trying his best to keep his composure but failing miserably. He would stop, becoming quiet as he took a deep breath in order to steady himself, gaze locking with Meili's as he started over. Meili, it's been nearly a year since we've met. It seriously doesn't feel that way with how fast time has gone by, but it feels like I've known you much longer than I really have. So many things have happened in this past year and you've been with me through them all. You don't know how thankful I am for you being here for me and somehow, I will find a way to repay you... He would trail off, limbs folding beneath him as he lowered himself to the ground, belly pressing against the chilled earth as he nudged forward his bouquet of flowers. I love you Meili. Actually I'm in love with you. From the moment we met over there in those willows, there hasn't been a single moment that I haven't thought about you. You consume my every thought. You've become my life, my reason to wake up in the morning, the reason I push through the obstacles put in my way. You are my love, my little woman...And there's one question that I would like to ask you. Meili, my little woman, would you do me the great honor of becoming my wife and spending the rest of your life at my side? Skull would lower towards his paws, eyes upturned towards his little woman, the blood rushing in his ears as he waited to see what her reaction would be. Talk like this

Meili sank to her haunches and watched her big man as he fidgeted nervously, tripping over his words and even having to stop and calm himself before he could really speak. She watched him curiously all the while, but remained silent and let him say his piece at his own pace. Something was clearly on his mind and Meili was interested to see what all of this was about. Everything he said made her heart melt and her gaze softened, her teal eyes shining with the love she had for him. She looked down at the flowers he had brought her as he nudged them closer. Meili set her forepaw gently over their stems as if she was taking them from him, gazing at their beautiful red blooms happily. He spoke again and she lifted her gaze back to his and as he spoke of how much he loved her, her tail thumped softly against the ground. She understood everything he said about his thoughts being consumed and how she was the reason he pushed through things because she was the exact same way with him. He was her world and it made her feel wonderful all over to know that she was his. Then he asked her the question she never in her wildest dreams imagined she would ever hear. "Meili, my little woman, would you do me the great honor of becoming my wife and spending the rest of your life at my side?" Her eyes widened in disbelief as she ran his words through her head multiple times and her jaw hung open from shock. His wife? He wanted to marry her? So many emotions raged through her, but one emotion stuck out stronger than all of the others. Love was all she felt for him and she couldn't imaging spending her life anywhere other than at his side. "Yes... Yes! Yes!" she finally managed to reply, her tail wagging wildly behind her and a huge, joy filled grin breaking across her muzzle. Her eyes sparkled with tears of joy. She lunged herself toward him with a giddy laugh, wrapping her forelegs around his neck and pulling the both of them to the ground with a soft thump. She lavished his face with affectionate kisses, her tail still hitting the ground, the tears that had filled her eyes spilling down her cheeks. He was perfect, the love of her life, and she couldn't wait to start this new chapter of her life with him. Speech Others Thought

He would watch with baited breath as her eyes would widen in response to his words. He could see the disbelief in her gaze and he could feel himself inwardly flinch. Was that a good kind of disbelief? He really hoped so. He would find it quite adorable the way her jaw hung slack from the shock, though he hoped it was because he had left her speechless not because she didn't know how to turn him down gently. Yes... Yes! Yes! Came her reply finally, though it didn't register right away with the young Adravendi. Even when she tackled him to the ground, pulling him down with her so that she would land on top of him, fawning over him with kiss after kiss. He would look up at her stupidly, unable to believe that she had really said yes. You said yes? You said yes. You. Said. Yes. You're going to be my wife. My wife. Right? He probably sounded like an idiot repeating that to himself outloud, but he just couldn't believe that she had actually said yes! He was going to be able to spend the rest of his life with her. He could form a family with her, grow old with her...The possibilities were endless and it was just too incredible to think that she had accepted to spend the rest of her life at his side. Talk like this

She heard Gael speak, clearly showing his disbelief that she had actually said yes to his question. She laughed giddily and nuzzled his neck affectionately as she replied. "Yes, silly, your wife! she suddenly stopped, blinking as the reality of that statement sunk in. She stared down at him with wonder and love in her eyes, whispering, "I'm going to be your wife. You're going to be my husband. my husband. My big man, forever." She grinned and brushed her muzzle against his, letting the thought of them being together forever wash over her. She had never been as happy as she was right at this moment. If only for just a minute, Meili was overjoyed. Nothing in her past mattered because now she had the brightest future she could imagine. A future with Gael was all she could ask for. "I love you so much..." she said softly, gazing down at him with love as she laid on top of him from tackling him to the ground. Nothing around them could break her attention from her man. Her mind drifted back to a few months ago, to the day that she had found him out at the emerald valley, and those new, churning feelings that had scared her that day. Now those feelings caught her attention again, but instead of trying to run from them she embraced them. He had asked her to marry him, willingly asked her to be a part of his life forever, there wasn't anything to be afraid of with him any more. Those fluttering butterflies danced around her stomach and she blushed as she gently kissed the side of his muzzle, her gaze staying on his. Speech Others Thought