Faer Arandil had been anxious all day (scratch that, more like all week), butterflies kept flying around in his stomach so much that he felt it might have been better if he hadn't eaten anything for fear of vomiting -- which in itself would have been horrible, but on a day like today and at the destination he was currently sneaking away to, throwing up would have made the situation probably the worst thing to ever happen in his life.
And, to be quite frank, he wanted to make sure that today was perfect.
The two of them didn't necessarily have to keep it a secret hidden from other members of their clan, but even Faer felt a sense of danger and recklessness to know that they were able to hold the secret between only themselves (with the exception of Faer's childhood friend, Jaden Tahal.) Besides, although the Dalish clans didn't really approve of coming into contact with other clans within the Brecilian Forest on a regular basis, it wasn't unheard of and it certainly wasn't forbidden. Really, it was the simple idea that the clans were so few that they never really stumbled upon each other, but whenever they did on the very little chance occasions, it was often something that was welcomed. After all, it was always nice to see some of one's kin.
Æolyn M'Haaren and Faer Arandil have been meeting with each other frequently during the last three years that they've known each other, establishing specific places and specific times that allowed them rendezvous to the point that Faer could successfully call Æolyn one of his friends despite the fact that they weren't from the same clan. However, it wasn't until recently that he began to wonder if 'friend' had been the right term to call her, considering his friendly feelings for her had suddenly turned into romantic feelings and after a couple of months debating whether or not to tell her, he finally made up his mind that today was going to be the day; after all, Faer had never been very good at concealing his feelings.
Today also happened to be Æolyn's birthday, so in his hand he held a tightly tucked leather-bound and blank journal -- a gift that Faer didn't necessarily agonize over. And although he wasn't sure if she herself liked to record her life, he did know that she was interested in learning of others through their journals and diaries as she's always quoting things she's read whenever they were engaged in a three-hour long conversation that usually covered all topics that can be thought of (Faer loved that she was so easy to converse with.)
The other present he was going to give her -- if she would accept, that is -- may perhaps be a kiss.
Nearing on their designated meeting place, he shifted through the bushes and the trees, making sure to step carefully and lightly as he was well aware of the dangers that could be lurking in the shadows of the forest. Their meeting place, thankfully, wasn't too far from where his clan currently stayed, but it was far enough that he would have to remember his way back otherwise he knew he'd get lost. Tracking wasn't really one of Faer's most talented skills, but he could still make his way around the Brecilian Forest enough that he generally knew where he was (he'd only been living here his entire life) even considering how large the forest was. As he cleared his way through, he caught sight of her white hair, wavy and shiny beneath the sun's rays as he noticed that she was so enveloped in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed his arrival.
He always liked it best when he would catch her off-guard, watching her when she thought no one was looking. A few seconds passed as he admired her beauty and almost felt sorry to step into the clearing with a bright smile on his face, voicing his greeting so that she would know he was there, "Happy birthday, Æolyn!"