The Heir Of Ruven

Haness, Kingdom of Ruven

17 Juni 1920

Thousands of swallows flew through the sky which looked to be starting to get cloudy. The birds came from the south and traveled a very long distance to come to this land.

The birds migrate in search of food, avoiding the harsh winters of the South in order to survive.

Being able to stay on this land doesn't mean they are safe, sometimes groups of children shoot them with slingshots to take them home so their meat can be cooked. Not to mention the nobles who have a hobby of hunting make these poor birds targets just for fun.They died as guests, far from their home in the south.

A young man walked alone up the hill. He wore a white coat, not a black coat. On top of the tree, dozens of birds were perched, chirping and responding to each other as if they were talking about the man.

Today is a very special day for him, so he shouldn't be sad. Even though the sky had tried repeatedly to rebuke him since morning, trying to make him aware of all the craziness in his head.

This morning the sky looks strange, sometimes cloudy and sometimes clear. Yes, even the sky is playing tricks on him, nature and everything in it are laughing at him.

"This is love?" He said slowly in a hoarse voice, he smiled bitterly.

From the top of the hill, the faint sound of church bells could be heard calling him to come immediately, because there was a woman waiting for him. Waiting to make sacred vows together.

The man didn't pay attention, he continued walking towards the clear river bank. The place where he and the 'woman-in-waiting' often made love, just enjoying the beautiful scenery or playing in the calm river current.

He took out a small red box and opened it with hesitation. Inside the box was a ring that he was supposed to put on the waiting woman's ring finger.

"They're right, I'm crazy, I'm insane, they're all right, hahaha..." he said while laughing. He didn't care that there were dozens of birds witnessing his insanity, witnessing his despair.

The birds will be gone soon. Yes, they will go where they came from. They came to this place when spring arrived and soon, it would be time to fly back on the long journey home.

This man took off the ring on his ring finger, the ring that the woman-in-waiting had put on him seven days ago. Yes, exactly three days ago. The day they picked up the white wedding dress that the woman would wear today.

The day where the love they have knitted becomes stronger, the day where the hug feels warmer. The look in each other's eyes shows how much love there is between the two of them.

A kiss that felt even sweeter than before. Love, yeah, that's all they know. The feeling of love that for some reason they have suppressed for years. Love that was never realized, hidden in memories.

"Why did you force me to wear it that day? You cheated, crazy woman. Do you think your love is greater than mine? You are very wrong if you think like that. My love is greater, your love is nothing. I know you understand that." He said bitterly. He spoke alone while occasionally smiling bitterly, he was hiding something in his heart. Something that is difficult to put into words.

He looked at the sky, it was cloudy, that's what he saw. A strong wind began to blow, blowing away leaves and flower pollen. The man is fully aware that there are things in this world that cannot always be maintained and must be let go.

Even though he knows, not everything can go according to his wishes. All the hopes he built were like a tall tower, sometimes they had to be buried and he had to let them go.

A thread of destiny that connects two human children, a thread that is strong even though it is invisible to the eye. However, a strong thread is still a thin thread, the thread sometimes has to be broken and cannot be reconnected.

The man closed his eyes for a moment, trying to dig up the stored memories. His mind was filled with everything about the woman in waiting.

Her beautiful eyes, her long shiny hair, her sweet smile that never left her face. However, compared to all that, her sincere love is something that cannot be replaced.

"Fly with your beautiful wings, go where you belong. I won't be sad, I won't wait, I promise, I won't wait. So, don't think about coming back. Because if you do that, believe that you will regret it."

The sky's water droplets began to fall, little and slowly, but surely. The man closed his eyes. In front of him, stood a beautiful angel in a white dress. He smiled, but his eyes held sadness.

"Don't show a face like that, you know that I love you and I also know that you love me, what's better than that? Today we promise that we won't stop here. We both know that our love cannot be destroyed."

The man opened his eyes slowly, there was deep sadness. He looked at the sky, little by little sunlight appeared behind the gaps in the clouds. Although there is a ray of light that shows that there is still hope for him. However, that happiness still seems very far from being imagined.

A swallow flew right above him, stopped and perched on a tree branch. At that place, there was another bird who seemed to greet him with a smile.

The birds were chirping sweetly, as if they were saying they missed each other. For 30 seconds they kissed like lovers. Then they flew together, far away until they were no longer visible.

The man couldn't take his eyes off the pair of swallows. Even when they disappeared, he couldn't stop looking.

There was strength he could feel, deep within his broken heart. If that hope was still there, he would not waste the slightest opportunity he might get to heal the wound in his heart.

"Can we get back together? Will you recognize me when we meet again? Will you call my name when I greet you later? Really, I'm willing to wait for the day when we will reunite in a beautiful place, a place created just for you and I am." He said in a shaky voice.

In this world there are things that go and will come back someday, like those birds. They will come back when the time is right. However, there are also things that leave and will not come back even if they have to wait a lifetime. Yes, even if you have to wait your whole life.