Beautiful People: Valentine's Edition!

http://paperfury.com

So, let's just get this out there . . . I do not write a lot of romance. I mean, I write more now than I did three years ago, but I honestly don't have that many couples in my stories. In general, I'd rather focus on family relationships or friendships. However, there are some characters who are together (or headed that way), and those I tend to ship very hard- though few more than Kate and Aedon from Between Two Worlds. And since this month's Beautiful People theme is couples, guess who I'm answering these questions for? (I know some people do this as an interview, and I might try that another month, but since there's two of them, it's easier to just do it this way.)

1. How did they first meet?

Aedon was the first person Kate met in Aralan. She’d been told that she was being called to another world, but hadn’t been told how or when . . . and, unfortunately for her, the portal landed her not in the city but in the woods outside the city. Thankfully, Aedon happened to be nearby, found her, and guided her to the city. 

2. What were their first impressions of each other?

Aedon thought Kate was rather adorable, if kind of odd. Kate, for her part, was kind of in awe but mostly just happy to have been found by someone very nice.

3. How long have they been a couple?

Officially? Less than a year. Unofficially? About two years, give or take a month or two.

4. How committed/loyal are they to each other? Would they break up over a secret or a disagreement? Could stress drive them apart? Would they die for each other?

Kate and Aedon are highly committed to each other. There’s not much that could possibly drive them apart- they have their disagreements, but they’ll do their best to work things out once they’ve cooled down. When they’re in danger, though, any arguments are forgotten- they’re fighting side by side, watching each other’s backs, and, yes, if necessary they’d willingly die for each other. (Except they’d probably argue over who was going to die for whom . . . most of their disagreements stem from the fact that they’re highly protective of each other and of their families.)

5. List 5 “food quirks” they know about each other. (Ex: how they take their coffee, if they’re allergic to something, etc….and feel free to mention other non-food quirks!)

-Kate loves pie of all kinds- she’s a little notorious for it- but only Aedon knows that her favorite type is strawberry-rhubarb.

-Not a food quirk, but: Kate always dreamed of being a princess/lady in a fantasy world . . . which Aedon found out, and that’s why he started calling her “Lady Kate.”  

-Aedon drinks coffee. Kate drinks tea. No, they don’t fight over it.

-Aedon had never had peanut butter before the events of Between Two Worlds. Now Kate has a stash imported from Earth, which he ‘raids’ on occasion. (She knows about it, and gave him permission to do so.)

-Not sure if it’s a quirk, exactly, but Aedon is a surprisingly good cook, at least in the field.  

6. Does anyone disapprove of their relationship?

‘Disapprove’ is a strong word, but Aedon’s family has discouraged it. Traditionally, people live their lives in the world where they’re born. They may visit another world temporarily, but they won’t stay there. So, while Aedon’s family loves Kate, they weren’t thrilled when the two fell in love.

7. What would be an ideal date?

Something exciting, but not seriously dangerous. Exploring, a mini-quest, something like that. Followed up, naturally, by a stop at their favorite bakery for pie.

8. What are their personality dynamics? Similar? Contrasting? Do they fight a lot or mesh perfectly?

Kate and Aedon are pretty similar in several ways. They’re both protectors by nature- not only in the way that I mentioned in #4, but in the sense that they both plan to spend their lives protecting Aralan as a whole from evil. Kate is a bit more fiery than Aedon, and also more prone to snap decisions, while Aedon is more thoughtful, so they complement each other in that respect. They’re also both on the stubborn side . . . but they work it out. 

9. What have been their best and worst moments together as a couple?

Their worst moment (well, rather more than a moment) as a couple was after the war in Aralan was over, but before Kate returned to Earth. Kate was basically pushing everyone away because she was feeling broken and guilty and was just in a really, really dark place. And she pushed Aedon away most of all because she felt like she didn’t even deserve to see him. And she may or may not have disappeared for a little while.

Their best moment is connected to that worst moment. After a while, Aedon and Jarek agreed that they were fine with giving Kate space but they couldn’t just stand by and do nothing and they were worried about what might happen if someone didn’t intervene. So they found her, but Jarek let Aedon handle actually talking to her (because Jarek’s the tough-love sort and that was not what Kate needed at that point). And Aedon alternately talked to her and prayed over her for a while, until she finally started responding, and long story short, he helped her get on the path to healing. 

10. Where do they see themselves and their relationship in the next few years?

They’ll court for a while, until the standards of both families and Society have been met; then they’ll get married. In the meantime, they both fully intend to keep having adventures.

I hope you all enjoyed hearing about Kate and Aedon. Many thanks to Cait Grace for hosting this event, and thanks to all of you for reading!

Happy Valentine's Day!

 -Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)