I just saw Epic (yup, slow me). And I adore Ronin and Tara together – I was so upset she was gone so early in the film. So I had to write this. I prefer to imagine that sometime before the day of selecting the pod, something sweet would have happened between them… and this is it.

Disclaimer: Cover image is from Tumblr, and I'm not the creator of these amazing characters.

Enjoy this very short story.

Beautiful

..

He's saved her, time and time again. He's serious around her, but deep down he's a little boy, suppressing the urge to be free with her like he once was, a long time ago. He is her King, and she knows that in her heart, but she doesn't tell him because he always pretends that there is nothing between them. She loves him, so much. Every time he waltzes into her royal chamber and gives her his report of the day, she thinks of how it's the only chance she gets to ever really talk to him anymore. It's the reason why she is playful around him whenever he tries to be sombre about things that don't require his broodiness. It's the reason she smiles at him so enchantingly that even though he does his best to remain distant, he actually fails.

And it's because he loves her too.

And how can he not? Queen aside, she is stunning. She alone holds the key to his heart. He tries to withdraw from her, but she only continues bantering with him, never losing her joy. She is the reason he can smile that smile.

The smile she loves to see on his face.

So much time since she'd been queen, and every time she faces the Boggans, he's there to protect her. He catches her, and carries her bridal-style back home safely. He's smooth, so steady and sweet, even, and she knows she has fallen hard, and there's no one that can take his place in her life, no matter whether she is the queen and he is the leader of the Leafmen.

One morning, he walks in as usual, preparing to rattle off the list of his preparations for the day. She is sitting on the edge of a sprouting vine, her gorgeous dress of green and white overflowing onto the shiny floor.

He nods at her and gives her a small but acknowledging smile, and greets her appropriately.

She looks up at him, thoughtful for a change. She's usually very spirited and lively around him. She voices his name, and he notes the personal touch of her tone as she stands and moves towards him.

He is struck for a moment; he remembers that every day he fights and he can very well die and not see her again. They need to stop the Boggans and Mandrake and save Moonhaven and the people of the forest. He thinks that he needs to protect her, most of the time, but he realises that he forgets that he needs to protect her and him, together.

She is now standing directly in front of him, and he is somewhat speechless, lost in his reflections. He doesn't know how to express this to her, and he knows he shouldn't because of their complicated relationship, their positions. But she is looking up at him expectantly and she says his name yet again, love filling the atmosphere around them.

So he says just one thing that he knows will tell her everything she needs to hear from Ronin, the man whom she loves, not Ronin, leader of the Leafmen.

"You're beautiful," he breathes, his deep voice echoing in her ears.

She smiles, so genuinely and happily. She touches his face, a rare occurrence. He closes his eyes briefly at her touch, something so scarce between them.

The creases in his forehead are gone and in a single moment, it's just them together, and no one else exists. He holds himself strong and sturdy, but he realises that they haven't had an exchange like this since they were teenagers, when they were young and free.

So he takes the leap that he never has done before; after all, their eyes are already connecting like stars in the sky, and her face is inches from his. She is waiting for him, and she has been waiting for a very long time. Then again, so has he. And they deserve something more than the dance she always does around him, something more than the way he always acts around her.

And so he lowers his head and kisses her, slowly, softly and sweetly. She returns it, encircling her arms around his neck. In that moment, she is just Tara, the lady of his dreams, and they are two people deeply in love with each other.

It doesn't matter that the kiss only lasts several seconds and then afterwards they are back to normalcies. It is an assurance for her that he loves her as much as she loves him. And for once, he doesn't regret it. She needs to know that he cares, more than she thinks.

So that if she's gone one day, she would have already known, that at the end of the day, he would be hers, and only hers.

Let me know your thoughts on this. Cheers!