Rhiella

Of course, I had to invent a human girl who would win Terence's heart when he became human. While Terence has encountered plenty of women as a unicorn (unicorns have always had a strange attraction to human females), something sets Rhiella apart from the others.

Being a princess, Rhiella has also met with a number of royal suitors, all of which turned out to be abysmal failures. But when she meets Terence, something just clicks.

Much as I love Disney and fairy tales, I don't believe in rushing a relationship. I don't believe in marrying someone you've only known for one day, or a few days, or even a month. This means that while Terence and Rhiella do notice each other at the first, they take their time to build up their relationship. Terence doesn't speak to Rhiella or give her a whole lot of thought; he just acknowledges her presence and moves on. After a few more meetings, when they do start talking and getting to know each other better, that's when he warms up to her and you can guess the rest of the story.

Some people may view Rhiella as one-dimensional, as another typical rebellious princess. That's not quite the case; at least, I'm working my hardest not to make it so. She does have a rebellious streak, a knack for doing things not considered fitting for a princess. She can ride a horse, shoot an arrow, and wield a sword as well as any man, and while she honestly needs help now and then, for the most part she can look after herself just fine. Half the time, she's saving Terence's life.

When she's not fighting or caught up in her royal duties, she loves to swim. She essentially taught herself to swim and takes to water like a fish; if she were living in our time, she would really get off on snorkeling and scuba diving. (So would Terence.)

While generally sweet and even-tempered, Rhiella can blast through the roof when she gets angry. She's not afraid to speak her mind and can get brutally frank even with Terence. While Terence adores Rhiella and would never lay a finger on her, he still has his moments when he lets her have it, too. It's a little joke of mine that you know you're an official couple when you argue like a couple. Despite the flowers, the candy, the hugs and kisses, and the overall goo-goo feelings, it's the first legitimate argument that seals the deal.

People view Twilight and Fifty Shades of Grey as legitimate love stories. Well, I'll show 'em! With Terence and Rhiella, I'll prove what real, honest-to-goodness love is. Just you wait, mates. Just you wait.

I'm half-tempted to say in my advertisement, "Everything that 'Twilight' and 'Fifty Shades' are NOT." But that probably wouldn't be a very good marketing strategy. Or would it?