Kirin's point of view...
My heart stopped beating for a moment when I saw her. She looked like a fairy walking among mortals. Her strawberry blonde wavy hair was wind-swept and wild, but beautiful. Her aquamarine eyes almost glowed with excitement and curiosity. She was breathtakingly gorgeous!
I was heading back to work after my lunch break and saw her enter the bakery. I wanted to approach her, but stopped myself when I saw the man who was walking with her. He was obviously from Shibatsu with his silver hair and purple eyes. He was talking to Captain Kel as if they were old acquaintances.
He must have come to our town to become a warrior in our army and brought her with him. I sighed to myself and pushed my emotions down. I couldn't let myself be heartbroken again. The pain was still too fresh to open up my heart again, only to be disappointed.
When I came to Ilmir, I fell in love with a beautiful and amazing woman named Abby. She was so different from all of the girls I had met growing up in Shibatsu, and I knew that I had to confess my feelings to her.
I waited until I got to know her a little better first to be sure of my feelings. As the oldest son in my family, my mother pressured me to find a girl and get married. My younger brother was 12, still too young to get married, but I was 17 when we came to the Kanta Mountains.
My mother had escaped during the raid with her father and fled to Shibatsu. Her mother had died during childbirth, and she was an only child. Her father remained single until he met a woman in Shibatsu and remarried. He decided to stay in Shibatsu with his new wife and her family when the ship arrived to take any Kanta Clan members back. It was too painful for him to return to the home where he had lost his first wife and relive the tragedies of the past, but he wished us well.
My mother had married another Kanta refugee and had me and my brother. We all wanted to return to see my mother's hometown. I had grown up in a small refugee camp outside of a village and had mostly seen other Kanta refugees and a few silver-haired people from Shibatsu.
When I first arrived in Kanta, I was surprised to see the different hair and eye colors of the people from around the world. The majority of our town consisted of Kanta people who had black hair and grey eyes due to the blessing from the Mountain Spirits. Any child born to a Kanta clan member would have black hair and grey eyes, regardless of the other parent's coloring. It was still interesting to see the different colors of the people from other parts of the world.
Everyone had the same goal to rebuild the Kanta region better than it was before and protect it from any future threats. Most people were willing to go along with the traditional way things had always been, but Katie and Abby had new ideas to improve this nation. Their ideas were fun and benefited the people, so the elders accepted the changes while still incorporating the traditions into our new society.
Katie was amazing and beautiful as well. They were related, so it was not too surprising, but she was married to Alamar, the Kanta Clan Leader, so she was off limits. Abby was unmarried and full of life! I had joined the theater group and loved it! It only made my feelings for her grow.
Unfortunately, I was not the only one who had feelings for her. I had to move quickly before another man came along and claimed her as his own wife. One day, I brought her a gift from the bakery and a bouquet of wild flowers. I poured my heart out to her, but the pity in her eyes as she looked at me like I was a little boy crushed my spirit. She gently told me that she already had someone else in her heart, but I could tell that she only thought of me as a child.
I was a few years younger than her, but I was already considered a man by society's standards. I didn't take the rejection well and left quickly. My friends and brother all laughed and made fun of me for getting rejected. It didn't help that I still saw her during play practice and around town. I couldn't move on because I was constantly reminded of her.
After Abby married Captain Blaise, I stopped going to theater practice and focused on my Blacksmith apprenticeship with my father. Work kept me busy, and I closed my heart to love. My father would gently remind my mother not to push me when she discussed possible candidates for my future wife. Unfortunately, this was a common topic in our home.
I know that I am already twenty years old, but I still have time to look for a wife later. More people arrive in the Kanta region every year, so there is no shortage of available young women. This new woman was beautiful, but I could not allow myself to get heartbroken again if she was already married.
I returned to work as an apprentice to my father, Riktor, the town's best blacksmith. He was the best blacksmith in Ilmir, and possibly all of the Kanta region. Work kept my mind distracted. We had been tinkering with a new invention of Abby's. After we were able to replicate the music box, she started to bring us new projects to work on.
My father was very inventive and could figure out the inner workings and gears of most gadgets. I was learning as much as possible from him. I hoped to be the best inventor in Kanta one day.
The next day, after breakfast, I was surprised to find the fairy-like woman with Al, the clan leader, entering our blacksmith shop. My father welcomed them and began talking with Al as he introduced the woman to both of us. My heart sped up at the sound of her name, Alisa.
I couldn't allow myself to be hurt again, so I pushed those emotions down and remained stoic. "Nice to meet you, Lady Alisa. My name is Kirin." I greeted her in the most respectful way that I knew. I had to remain professional, no matter how blindingly brilliant her smile was!
Be calm, my heart! Stay guarded. Be professional. I thought to myself as a reminder as she showed us her gadgets and blueprints from Stanarussi. This was definitely the most exciting thing that I had ever seen. Time to get to work, the perfect distraction!