Phantasy Star: Fringes of Algo

This silly fanfic occured to me when I considered celebrating the Brazilian Valentine's Day equivalent, which is held on June 12th. The story focus on a true love relationship and some deep questions raised by PSIII, as prejudice, acceptance, discovery, love and choices. Unfortunately I can draw some parallels from it with my real life, but I shall not complain. Isn't it from overcoming hardships that the true love is built?
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"Darling, will you marry me?" The cyan haired girl asked with begging eyes.

The blue haired man gently touched the girl's face to reassure her of his sincerity and smile. "Yes, my love, I will."

"You know it will not be easy." The girl closed her eyes and turned her face back.

The man held the girl by her arms. "I know, my dear, but it doesn't matter anyway. It is just something between you and me. If you really love me the way you say you love me, there should be no worries about the future; no matter what happens, I'll still love you and you will still love me."

The cyan haired girl threw herself in the blue haired man's arms with the most beautiful smile in the world on her face. "Oh, my love, the only thing I want in my life is your love. That is enough to make me the happiest woman in the world."

The blue haired man kissed her forehead and answered, gently stroking her long cyan hair. "You can rest assured. No matter what happens you will always have all my love for you, because the main goal of my life is to make you the happiest woman in the world."
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Thus, the story of the lovely couple began. Although this story looked like a fairy tale for the outsiders, it wasn't. Under a superficial scrutiny, the lucky man had found the loveliest girl in the world by accident just when she was alone, looking for someone who could help her. That man was so lucky that the girl had no one else to lean on, and he showed her all his kindness when she most needed it. Besides, she wanted him, and it was the most important thing. Naturally, a relationship developed between the kind man and his perfect girl and they vowed to each other they would marry and be together for all the eternity. Everything seemed to be perfect, as in a romance aimed for young teenagers.

But it was not meant to be that way. The lovely couple's peace would not be attained easily. Everything conspired against their relationship. The opposition that they had to face worked as a trial for they love; if it survived the ordeal, it would mean that their love was true. Soon the hardships began. The kind gentleman and the perfect princess had to endure a series of difficult challenges to be blessed with the true love in their lives.
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Later

"Why do you want to marry this woman, my son? She is certainly a nice girl, but she is not the right woman for you..." The king had a worried countenance. He knew his son would not react well to his reasoning, but he needed to knock some sense into his head.

The subject of the conversation annoyed the blue haired prince. Why couldn't he decide on his own what was the best for him or not? Was he being irresponsible? Was he harming someone? Was he breaking an oath he had made before? As the answer was no for all these questions, so why wouldn't they leave him alone? Why wouldn't they let him seek his happiness on his own? Didn't they say his happiness was their top priority? So why they balked at his suggestion of marriage? Certainly Maia was not the rich noble his family dreamed he would marry, but all in all it was him who would spend the rest of his life by her side. It was he who should determine if Maia was the right woman for him or not. He started feeling angry, but tried to contain it.

"Why not? How can you say that, father? I'm the one who knows if she is good or not. And for me, she is perfect."

"But she is just a commoner, my son. I know you always liked the kind of girl like Duchess Brittany. But even someone like Baroness Vanessa would be fine, as she is charming, she has class and a she has also a different beauty. But that Maia is just a commoner..." The queen was uneasy, but tried to keep a lighter tone in order to convince him to change his mind.

"And she is the woman I love. It doesn't matter if the duchess is prettier, richer or have more class; even Princess Lena can't change my mind. Who knows how they really are? The only thing I know is that Maia is perfect to my eyes and I'm sure she loves me." The prince raised his tone. He wanted to keep the conversation civil, but all that inquiring and disrespect made he feel angry. He was tired of the phonies who insisted they only wanted the best for him when they only cared about themselves.

One of the prince's uncles intervened, with his voice filled with veiled sarcasm. "You call her perfect, Rhys, but from what people have told me, she far from perfect. She is just trying to fool you. The fortuneteller told me she is not who you think she is. He said she accepted gladly to marry you because no one would marry her where she came from."

Rhys could not hold back his anger anymore and rebuffed the last arguments in a rude manner. "What that fool knows? He always told lies about me. You should know better than to pay attention to his crazy predictions. Everything he had ever told about my future turned out to be a lie. I know who she is and even if she is not who I think she is, this is my problem, not yours! Leave me alone! I know she loves me and I am certain that she has nothing to hide from me." The prince was furious. His relatives, who have ever told him they only wanted him to be happy, were now acting against his happiness, trying to imply Maia was not a suitable woman for him. Although his fiancée's past was mysterious, hidden behind the veil of a claimed amnesia, it didn't matter. Rhys wanted her even if she had been a prostitute or a criminal in the past.

The queen shook her head. "She may love you, but she is not the love of your life, is she?"

"She is! And I'll marry her, no matter what you say. If you are not with me, don't be against me; just leave me alone. You always claimed you loved me, but you are a bunch of phony egoists. Why are you trying to sabotage my happiness? I never had anything in my life and now that I have a woman who makes me happy, who really loves me, you are trying to separate me from her. That won't work and you will end losing me!" Rhys stormed out of the room and left his relatives behind, who lamented his decision.
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Rhys faced all the opposition from his family, who secretly wished his relationship with Maia ended. Though Maia was always very kind to his family and loved them as if they were her own family, they still hoped Rhys would break up his engagement with her. That kind of conversation repeated itself very often, making Rhys less and less pleased with his family. To their frustration, Rhys' and Maia's love seemed to grow stronger and stronger each passing day. Rhys started ignoring and avoiding his relatives; he even considered moving out before the marriage, so he could have some peace of mind. As their insistence didn't prove fruitful, Rhys' parents eventually resigned to his will and stopped openly opposing his marriage with the mysterious commoner who once washed up in Orakian beaches and changed the kingdom's fate permanently.

However, they have never accepted the marriage. On the wedding day, the king and the queen could not hide their frustration and sadness. The other prince's relatives boycotted the wedding. Though saddened, Rhys didn't let it spoil what should be the happiest day of his life. His love for Maia was stronger than ever and her love for him was always getting stronger and stronger. Orakian marriages didn't hold any special meaning, being just a legal procedure which could be held by any authority, including the prince itself. For Rhys and Maia, though, the marriage meant a lot because it symbolized the victory of their love over the improbable circumstances that make them get together and all the barriers that had been put on their way to try to destroy their relationship.

Yet, fate had decided it was not enough. While they walked down the palace's main hall, hand in hand, absorbed in their own happiness, they didn't even imagine what was about to happen. During the long-awaited wedding ceremony, a dragon broke into the palace and kidnapped Maia. Rhys could not believe his eyes: on the day he was supposed to see his greatest dream come true, his Maia was gone. That was too much for the poor prince. He had fought so many foes, had overcome so many difficulties to finally have Maia as his wife, and, in a few seconds, a mythical creature invaded his house and stole his guiding light, the reason of his happiness. If it was not already enough, he had to face the indifference of his parents, who not only laughed at his loss with scorn but also sent him to the dungeons to prevent him chasing his beloved fiancée.

"Maia!" Rhys cried in despair, as he watched the dragon taking his fiancée away.

"Rhys! Calm down! It is over!" The king seemed more relieved in seeing Maia go than worried about her fate.

"Over? It is not over! I'll call the mountain armies, the forest armies, the sea armies and we will chase that demon spawn of Laya and bring my beloved Maia back!" Rhys was desperate.

"No, Rhys, you'd better forget about her. She was just a woman. There is no need to start a war because of her." The king reprimanded his son.

"Just a woman? She is my woman! Wouldn't you do the same for mother? Do you dare to tell her you wouldn't rescue her if it had happened to you, father?" Rhys blue eyes were full of rage as he asked in defiance.

"It would be a completely different matter. I was a duchess, not a commoner." The queen answered in a nonchalant way and then, seeing her son's reaction to her comment, realized she had said something wrong.

"Is it all just because she is not a noble? Does it mean that all the love I feel for her doesn't mean anything for you?" Rhys shook his head. "I can't believe it! I can't believe it! With or without your help, I'll look for her, for she is the only thing that matters for me. If I can't find her, don't wait for me because that will mean I am dead. And I renounce my claim to this throne! You will never see me again, mom and dad! I don't want to look to the face of the ones who rejoiced with my grief and sorrow."

Rhys turned to leave, but the king ordered him to be arrested and thrown in the dungeons to cool off. Rhys was desperate to find the love of his life; he could not even think about the horrors the woman he loved so dearly could be facing in the hands of the Layan monster while he was there imprisoned, powerless to help her when she most needed him. His despair made him hit the walls and the cell gate bars with his fists and head, injuring himself in the process. He looked so desperate that the guards thought he would commit suicide, so they warned the king and the queen. After considering many options, Rhys' parents concluded that it would be useless to leave him locked, so they set him free, but not without plotting with the nobility of the neighbor kingdom. Lena, Princess of Satera, would help Rhys in his quest, with the secret intention of courting him, making him forget that Maia and stop acting like a fool. He was the heir of Landen and it was unacceptable that he would leave everything to chase a mysterious woman with whom he had fallen in love. But he needed time, so they made Lena set him free. And so started Rhys' quest for Maia.
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Meanwhile, Maia was taken back to her former home, in Cille. It was a collective sense of relief among the Layans. They were shocked by the news she would marry an Orakian and they decided to put an end to that abomination. The finest flower of Cille could not be handed to an Orakian, the heir of the filthy man who murdered holy Laya. Now, Maia was locked in her palace, safe from harm. Harm in form of a Orakian prince who was in love with her.

Maia was depressed. She really loved Rhys and she was sure he was not a bad man. Despite of being told countless times stories of how mean the Orakians used to be, Maia had seen with her own eyes that Rhys was not a bad man. Exactly the opposite, he was an honored gentleman, a kind and responsible man, like no other man she had ever met before. She had received his love, his demonstrations of affection, and she was certain he was not acting, just to fool her. His love was real. Love was not just a dream; with Rhys, love was a reality that she had lived every day of her life since she had met him. It was very painful to be separated from him by force. She knew she would never stop loving him.

Her father questioned her about the relationship with the unknown man. Besides being a completely stranger, he was also an Orakian, which was the worst thing a man who would marry the Princess of Cille could be.

"My daughter, what do you have in mind? Marrying a filthy Orakian? Do you want to kill your father of disgust?" The king had a reproaching tone.

"But dad, I swear to you, Rhys is an honored man. He is kind and good. It doesn't matter that he is an Orakian, he is the best man I've ever known." Maia was sad and in despair.

"But you know, my daughter, these Orakians are all liars. They pretend they are good men, but they want to harm us. See that damned Orakio: he pretended to be friends with our holy Laya just to murder her, accusing her of being possessed by the devil. That man would pretend he was marrying you to put you to shame and then throw you in the gutter." The king talked with an air of superiority, as if he had already seen situations like the one he was describing.

Maia crossed her arms. She was baffled at the suggestion. "It is not true, I know him very well, and he will never do that to me. He didn't know I was a Layan, so he was not plotting against me. Besides, I was just a commoner there and, even so, he defied his family just to marry me. His love for me is true."

"Maia, my love, do you really want to marry a man who doesn't believe in Laya? There are so many good Layans who could be a suitable husband for a princess like you, my love. You must be kidding when you say you still love that filthy Orakian." The king shook his head in a disrespectful gesture.

"He doesn't believe in Laya, but he believes in the same thing as us. Did you know that the Orakio's law is the same as Laya's law? Your prejudice makes no sense. I love him and he will be the only man I'll be marrying, like you or not." Maia answered with her voice filled with anger. She didn't hate her father, but the way he dismissed her feelings hurt her. If being separated by force from the love of her life was not already enough, now she had to face the scorn from her relatives, who didn't even try to understand her feelings. It all made her feel more depressed.

"Well, my daughter, I don't know what that filthy man has done to you, but you are clearly out of your senses. You will marry him only over my cold corpse, so prepare yourself for a life of loneliness. I hope your reputation is not so spoiled after your foolery, so that I can still arrange a marriage for you and we can try to forget the shame of you being impure, touched by a damned Orakian." The king had kept his composure, but then started lamenting to himself. "My only daughter, ravished by an Orakian… I'd rather see you dead…"

Maia broke down in tears and left. It was too much for the already depressed princess. She had almost died, she was a fragile and amnesiac girl in an unknown land, with no one who she could trust, no one who cared for her, even so, Rhys had been a perfect gentleman for her. He never tried to abuse from her situation, he never tried to force her into anything, he never tried to fool her. If she had fallen in love with him and wanted to marry him, it was only because of his perfect personality; he had never forced her to do anything. Besides, just the fact that she was engaged to an Orakian was already enough to make her own father doubt her own character, as if she had become vain, promiscuous and the most absurd, an evil woman.

She was angry at her father's hypocrisy, which could be extended to all the other Layans. She had heard many times the teenage nobles talking about their sexual adventures, but no one questioned their purity when they married as long as their adventures didn't produce any child, proving that the ancient customs did not matter in the recent times. Why should she be considered impure now? Just because she was engaged to an Orakian? That didn't even mean she had been touched by him. In fact, she hadn't because Rhys understood her fears; she was in a very fragile position without family or friends, and she feared he would just abuse of her feelings and then leave her. So, he acted like a perfect gentleman, waiting until after the marriage, just to make her sure that his feelings were true, that he really loved her.

But her father would never understand it because of his blinding prejudice. No matter how good Rhys was, he would never understand. It was ridiculous how the prejudice against the Orakians was so strong; they were the same people, they looked alike, they behaved alike and they even believed in the same principles. It was unacceptable how a war, which took place a thousand years ago, still had a huge impact on both Orakians and Layans. Dozens of generations passed after the war, there was no point in hating all the Orakians for what Orakio may have done. If everybody would hold a thousand-year grudge against the family and all the descendants of everybody who once made harm to him, not one person would be friends with another and therefore the mankind would be extinct.

No, it was pure nonsense. Even so, Maia suffered. She was a blameless victim of Layans' prejudice, being ousted by her own people. She wanted to flee from Layan lands, but her father put dozens of guards to keep her under constant surveillance. She entered in self-destructive depression, depriving herself from eating and sleeping. She grew thinner and thinner, her skin was pale, her hair started falling, but no one cared. Her father completely ignored her; his words were only reprimands and he didn't allow her to discuss about Rhys or Orakians anymore. She was instinctively seeking death, but not because she couldn't endure Rhys' absence. It was because she had lost her humanity through the eyes of the Layans.
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While Maia was feeling worse and worse every day, Rhys had resisted the depression because he was completely focused on his quest to find his beloved fiancée. As his quest progressed, Rhys cut the strings that tied him to Landen and to his family. It was not that he didn't love them anymore, but it looked like his family didn't love him. After some days, a rumor of Maia being a Layan surfaced in Landen. Rhys' parents started scolding him for falling in love with a Layan witch (and consequently a prostitute) and openly celebrating the fact that she was kidnapped. They accused Maia of trying to seduce Rhys, like Laya had tried to do with Orakio a thousand years ago, with the sole purpose of causing the Orakians downfall. Rhys didn't really care whether she was Layan or not because she was still perfect; and he was even more disgusted by his family's blatant prejudice, for they had known her and they had seem how good and kind she was. The Orakian prince started wondering if his relatives had not gone mad, and, before their provocation reached unbearable levels and he resorted to violence to shut them up, he decided to cut all the relationship with his family. He still loved them, but the separation would be the best thing that could happen to them. At least at the present time.

As his quest progressed, Rhys learned a lot about the world he lived in. Besides his love for Maia, the new and interesting things also helped him to keep pushing harder and harder, despite the huge obstacles in his way and the occasional setbacks. The androids proved to be valuable companions, not only helping him fighting against the monsters and dangerous wild animals, but also providing him company and teaching him things about the world. Then he met Lyle who, despite his arrogance, was a good man who, despite his own interests, really wanted to help him find Maia.

When Rhys learned he was a Layan, he felt relieved. During the hardships of his quest, Rhys started questioning whether he was sane and Maia was perfect or he was mad and that is why only he saw Maia as a kind, gentle, lovely and sweet lady. He had many reasons for not believe he had gone mad because many people who had known Maia considered her a sweet and lovely lady, but in the heat of the moment he had completely forgotten about them. Knowing that Lyle was a Layan and a common man made him rest assured that, even if the rumors of Maia being a Layan were true, she was not a witch, but just the woman he loved. Then, he met Lena.

Lena was the lovely Orakian princess, who volunteered to help Rhys in his quest. Rhys was overjoyed to learn that there were still Orakians who believed in him. What he didn't know was that it was all a secret plot between Landen and Cille governments: they would try to make Rhys fall in love with Lena and desist from his intent of rescuing Maia. Then, they would try to have Maia marrying Lyle, averting the crisis that was shaking the whole world and putting both Orakian's and Layan's in danger. Though Orakians and Layans hated each other, they still wanted to avoid an open confrontation. That is the nature of the politics; you sometimes have to plot with your enemy only to fight him to death later. Lena and Lyle were just pawns in a diplomatic game.

Princess Lena, who admittedly had a crush on the Prince of Landen, put all her effort in trying to seduce Rhys. At first, Rhys was annoyed, but he couldn't resist the charms of the girl, so they soon developed a close relationship, though not a romantic one. Lena had high hopes of succeeding in her intent, but she didn't know exactly what was on Rhys mind. And, as they were so close to Cille, she didn't expect that Rhys would quit his quest and return home. She expected that, after meeting Maia again, he realized that he didn't really loved her. And everybody would be satisfied, especially her.
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Later

The King of Cille was startled by the news that the Cille castle had been invaded by Orakians. At first, he feared that Shusoran had fallen into the enemy's hands and it would be a matter of time for Cille to fall. But soon the advisors told him it was just the former Maia's fiancé who had invaded the castle, looking for his daughter. He was shocked by the Orakian man's impertinence and frustrated because he believed his plot with the Orakians would not take that damned Orakian so far on his mad quest. He ordered Maia to be locked in her room, protected by several guards, while he prepared for fighting the Orakian. Though he didn't admit, the sad state his daughter was softened his heart just a bit. He still hated that man, but he didn't want to see his daughter dying slowly before his eyes.

Rhys, surprised by the fact that Maia was not only Layan, but also a Layan princess, was fighting the opponents like mad. Just the thought of being near to see his beloved again made him become anxious and somewhat reckless. If it wasn't the protection his androids provided him, he would end seriously injured or even dead. But who could criticize him for losing his coolness at such a crucial moment? As soon as he arrived at the palace, he ignored the Cille soldiers' threats and ran to the main hall. Both Lyle and Lena tried to talk to him before he met King Cille, but Rhys ignored them. Finally, he reached the main hall, where he met a middle-aged man, with blue hair and a mustache, holding a strange staff in his right hand. The man was wearing garments of a noble and a golden crown on the top of his head. He was surely the King of Cille, Maia's father. The man seemed to be expecting him.

"Filthy Orakian, how do you dare to invade my castle looking for my daughter? I am the king of Cille! Was not it enough the shame you have brought to my home by ravishing my beloved child? To pester and chase after my daughter betrays your aggrieved ignorance of your proper place, which is six feet underground." The king's tone was cold, but angry.

"What? Where is Maia? I want to see her!" Rhys was completely anxious. He didn't even notice his companions arriving at the hall.

"You will never see her anymore! Leave now or prepare yourself to join Orakio in hell!" King Cille barked at Rhys.

He positioned himself to strike the opposing group. Rhys was still confused, but he was prepared to fight back; he would do anything just to see Maia once more. The air was filled with tension, but it was immediately dissipated by a woman's scream. Everybody turned his attentions to the direction of the scream and, in a few seconds, a woman came into the hall through the passage behind the throne. The thin and hollow-eyed girl leaned on the wall and tried to catch her breath. The king, however, just shook his head, lamenting that his guards were so stupid that they could not keep his daughter in her room.

Mieu, the female android, immediately detected through her sensor that there was something wrong with Rhys. His hands were shaking. He was deeply moved by the sight of the cyan-haired girl. Lena looked at Rhys and realized that all her effort was futile; by looking into Rhys eyes, she could see that he loved Maia more than ever.

"Rhys!" Maia screamed and started walking towards him. Her scream had such a deep impact on the blue haired prince that he dropped his sword. Maia was blocked by her father, who pushed her back, sending her down to the floor. The king himself realized that their love was over everything; it would be useless to try to stop them. Anyway, he had to put up some resistance; otherwise, he would be considered a traitor among his people because he agreed in handing the Princess of Cille to an Orakian.

"Stand back, Maia! I'll show them how we handle Orakian spies in our country."

The battle started, despite Maia's cries for to her father to stop. King Cille was a terrific fighter, but he was not powerful enough to defeat five strong opponents alone. Besides, Rhys was so motivated by the sight of his sweetheart that he instinctively fought much better than he was used to. Although she didn't look well, the light in her eyes was enough to assure him she still loved him and that was enough. Maia's love was something worthy to fight and die for. At first, King Cille managed to score some critical blows in his opponents, but he ended being overwhelmed both by Rhys' persistence and by his daughter's heart melting pleas for him to stop and let her be with the man she loved. Realizing that insisting on that pointless battle was worthless, the king eventually raised his arms and dropped his staff.

"You vanquished me, Rhys… Perhaps you are a man of the stature Lyle said you are… even though you are a damned Orakian. I know you have come for my daughter and I feel I can't oppose you anymore, but you have a difficult choice to make…"

His words fell on deaf ears. As soon as Maia realized the battle was over, she ran desperately towards Rhys, with tears in her eyes, and abandoned her weak body on his arms. He dropped his sword and carried her on his arms, smiling.

"Rhys, my love! Finally this nightmare came to an end!"

"Yes, my dear." Rhys was shaking, but now from intense emotion. Despite his appearance, he was living a blissful moment. "You can't imagine how many dangers and obstacles I had to face on my way, but I'd face them again and again just to see your smile once more."

"Oh, Rhys, my love for you is stronger than anything else. I… I just can't live without you…"

Maia was sobbing with the overflow of feelings, but she was at peace in the arms of the man she loved. Now she could forget her pains and woes, for she was reunited with the man she loved and it only depended on her and him to make their dream come true. King Cille was impatient, waiting for an answer from Rhys, but Lyle went to his uncle and explained him that Rhys had already taken his decision. The king frowned, sighed deeply in frustration, but there was no point in trying to deny his daughter the joy of marrying the man she loved. Though it was still painful for him to see Maia marrying an Orakian, he had to swallow his pride and accept it. After all, it was his daughter wish and there was nothing in the world he wanted more than to see his little girl happy.

"We have overcome so many obstacles, Maia, so much prejudice, so many temptations, so much opposition. But our love is stronger than that, my love. Now it is over and I'll be able to marry the love of my life." Rhys was crying tears of joy.

"It is not over… my love. It is… just the beginning… We will have to… harvest this love daily… we will face… opposition… prejudice… temptations… dangers… challenges… continuously, through our entire… lives… But my love… for you… is true… and I'll never, ever… leave you… I will never… fail you… Because the true love… never ends… It is infinite… and eternal… And no matter… what happens… I'll always be… by your side… my love… with you in my mind… and inside my heart…"

Maia's declaration came between sobs, but the words were so powerful that they touched everyone present in the hall. Even Wren, who was not programmed to feel anything, concluded the princess was logically right. One by one, the others left the hall, leaving Rhys and Maia alone. They all understood that, after all the pain and sorrow, they deserved to be alone, to enjoy that magic moment of their lives.

"You are right my love. Let's make it real from now on. Let's resume from where we have stopped." Rhys winked at his fiancée.

"Okay…" Maia wiped out some tears from her cheeks. "But now you will have to do it the Layan way, with a proper ceremony in the temple…"

Rhys interrupted Maia playfully. "Don't worry, I've already made bigger sacrifices for you."

Maia laughed briefly and then returned to a more serious tone. "What will you do about your family, Rhys? My father will wish that you stay here and become the King of Cille."

"Oh, Maia." Rhys sighed. "I'll stay here. I don't mean I'll abandon them for I love them, they are my family. But they abandoned me when I most needed them, so I will avoid intense contact with them until they accept my decision and treat you as you deserve, my love."

"I see. I don't want to put you against your family."

Rhys shook his head. "You are not doing anything wrong. We can't fight prejudice by obliging people to accept the others. It is a decision that must come from their hearts. But I know they will eventually accept you. We proved today that true love can break all the barriers, overcome every obstacle. If they really love me, they will accept you and love you as you deserve to be loved, as if you were their own daughter." Then, smiling again, he added. "Let's not think about that, let me taste the sweetness of your lips that I longed so much for tasting. You look prettier than ever today, Maia."

The princess blushed. She was aware of her battered appearance. She really looked sick. "Oh, Rhys, why do you say that? You know I'm not at my best…"

The prince interrupted her. "You are at your best, Maia."

"How so?" Maia looked confused.

"You are giving me all your love and receiving all my love back. That is the way you are at your best."

And then they kissed. That kiss would be the most emblematic kiss of their relationship, the one that would be imprinted in their hearts forever, as the sweetest kiss they ever had. After so much suffering and pain, woes and worries, fighting prejudice, hate, scorn and anger, fighting tremendous hardships to be able to live that love, the kiss was the symbol of their victory. The victory of love over hate, prejudice, anger, jealousy, and treachery. The triumph of the true love. The true love that should be the foundation of every human relationship.