This is my contribution to the fact that it is Valentine’s Day today. I’m going to focus on three couples that are almost formative in my idea of what romance is.

1. The Classic: Faramir and Eowyn (The Lord of the Rings)
   There are so many romantic pairings in the Middle Earth: Aragorn and Arwen, Frodo and Sam, Legolas and Gimli, Thorin and Bilbo…and I’m sure there’s more! But the younger son of Gondor and the Shieldmaiden of Rohan are the two that stick out in my mind. They both held important roles in the battle of Minas Tirinth, but ultimately had to sit out the final stand-off with Sauron due to their injuries.  Nothing brings people together like redemption arcs and magical painkiller.
2. The Recent: Yennefer and Geralt (The Witcher)
   Many people in the U.S. know these two from the video game series, but I found their relationship that’s only alluded to in the video games more compelling. Geralt meets Yennefer when a genie runs wild and ultimately uses his last wish to save her. Then their relationship spirals into a dynamism that works well with the grim dark setting. The fact that these two are so incompatible makes their relationship engaging. Their dedication to working through their differences in order to save Temeria and their adopted daughter, Ciri, is pretty romantic.
3. The Friendship: Kirit and Nat (Updraft)
   Sometimes couples don’t have to be together in order to matter to a story. I loved Kirit’s devotion to her childhood best friend in this tale of bones, wings, and sky-squid. Wilde did an amazing job highlighting these two characters’ care for each other without a hint of “oh hey, they’re a boy and girl, they must be in love.” This friendship mattered and made more of an impact because of its lack of romance.

There are so many different types of relationships to explore. Quite honestly, I think that if you can write believe friendships, then believable relationships will come just as easily. But then again, what do I know? I’ve been dating the same guy for 3.5 years and we had the easiest courtship ever. Until next time.