She awoke to find him gone from his makeshift bed, but that was not uncommon. He often left at early times to check their surroundings and keep a steady eye on whatever needed to be seen too. He was good at that and she didn't envy him of the job. Her black hair framed her face as she sat up and she ran a pale hand through the long strands working out any kinks that might have worked up in the night. She found a few and after smoothing down the dark tresses that fell to her waist she pulled it back into a low ponytail, her usual look. She had hair like her mother only dark like her father's. Thinking of her parents she sighed inwardly, knowing they were probably making a search party to find her.
This thought, made her look to her friend's empty bed and she stood, letting the blanket fall to the ground. She stepped out of her 'bed' and walked barefooted across the old palace floor. Their companions slept silently and she paused only to tuck a blanket more securely around the two smallest ones. She shivered a bit in the early morning air as she stepped from the ground floor and headed for the small staircase that led up to the balcony above. She stepped into the large room and spotted her guide, her friend, her hero. His back was to her, his arms straight against the railing. He wasn't tense, but he still looked wary from where she stood and it bothered her. He should have gotten more sleep, especially today.
She felt eyes on her and she shivered again, involuntarily. This made her angry and she frowned, folding her arms across her chest both from the cold and from her defiant stance. She wasn't going to be intimidated by anyone. Her friend's light brown hair blew a bit in the breeze and she could tell that he knew he was being watched as well. He was far too stiff to be otherwise. She continued walking, passing the seemingly empty room fairly quick and came to stand near his side.
Her friend wore the same clothing he always had when not at a party or royal gathering, though he was not royal himself, at least not in the most formal sense. His brown vest and white Arabian pants made him stand out in a crowd, but she loved it when he dressed that way. She could not see him in the stuffy clothing that her friends at home wore. Thinking of clothing she looked at her own and sighed. Her light pink dress had many holes and tatters, but it had at least survived the worst of their conditions.
He had risen early that morning, unable to sleep from what was to come. It didn't help that the one place that he could think was being watched, but he managed to pass through without much of a start. The fighting would come later he was sure. The room that he was in, held secrets that he was willing to give his life for and if he had to do so…Well those were the reasons for his sleepless night. At the moment, he wondered if he should have even bothered to stay here. Would the effort he was going to give get him anywhere? Would it even work? True, these unseen beings that were watching it had no clue why he was really here or why he had stayed, but what was the point? What was the point if he didn't even know what the outcome would be?
He had heard her approach, but he did not turn his head to look at her. He was afraid of what expression he might see on her face. He could not resist, however, and turned his head when she brushed against his side. What he saw through him off track.
The morning light cast an ethereal glow upon her fair skin and for a moment his breath was taken by her beauty. Her pink lips parted a bit as she smiled softly, her blue eyes much lighter than his, sparkled in the light of dawn. He reached a hand up and cupped her cheek once before letting his hand fall again. Her smile disappeared slowly as his face resumed looking at the land below them, but he never saw a frown upon her face. Hesitantly, she wrapped her arms around him instead, her face pressed into his back, and her arms threaded through his and she touched his shoulders. She briefly wondered if he would accept her. The feeling intensified and she stiffened as one of his hands came to rest on one of hers. She wondered if he was going to push her hand away or step out of her embrace. To her amazement, he intertwined their fingers.
He had felt her stiffen and she still was, so he lifted their hands to kiss her fingers lightly. She relaxed against him and he smiled briefly. He had been unsure as well and still was, but he wanted her to be near him. She tightened her grip and he smiled gratefully for her unknowing way of grounding him. She had always had the ability to calm him and he needed it now more than ever. They had never spoken about their feelings and treaded around it like a war zone. Tip-toeing through the mine fields as it were. He did love her; he would admit it to himself. He had ever since he had first laid his eyes upon her face. She had seemed so lonely then, but that was no longer the case now. He loved her, but he couldn't tell her. The hurt he still felt from the ball six months ago, lingered on his mind and therefore he could never speak the words that he wanted to say.
"Good morning beautiful." He breathed quietly; almost afraid to speak to her. He always greeted her this way, but he knew she would never know the true meaning behind it. He was sure that she still thought of it as his teasing. She heard his hesitation and bit her lip briefly before responding.
"Good morning." Her voice was as heavenly as he had always found it to be. She knew all too well what his meaning really meant and desperately wished that he would just tell her what she wanted to hear. Her vision swam as she remembered why he would never speak those words to her, the way his face had taken a drastic change when he had seen her…. A lone tear cascaded down her face rapidly and she had to blink to remove the rest. There was no reason to get upset now, he needed her to be the strong one and she would with all her heart.
"I'm with you." She whispered and he sighed. "I'll do whatever you need me to do." His heart skipped a beat, but he tightened his grip on her hand. "What do you plan to do?" He didn't answer. She sighed and tried to move away from him. He panicked from the loss of her touch and took her hand to prevent her from leaving.
"Don't go." He said and she heard the pleading in his voice. She only nodded and allowed him to pull her back. "I don't have an answer to that." He admitted and looked her in the face. "Guess that's stupid."
"No, it's not." She said with a slight reprimanding tone. He looked at her in amusement and the young princess hid a smile before glancing at the dark room behind them. He followed her gaze and gave the room a withering look. "I'm afraid." She whispered and he looked at her in sympathy.
"You don't have to be." He said seriously. "I may not know exactly what I'm going to do, but I promise you this: nothing will happen to you."
"It's not me, I'm worried about." She toned softly. "It's you." She blushed a bit under his gaze, but only grew more encouraged by his speechlessness. "I-I worry about you. I don't want anything to happen to you." She looked away from him then, her eyes brimming again from the raw emotions. "I couldn't bare it if it did…"
"Wha…."Alaric trailed off and put a lightly tanned hand under her chin, making her look at him. "What are you saying?" He asked and she pulled away, feeling awful that she had once again, brought back the painful memories.
"I'm," She said trying not to cry. "I'm sorry."
"No. Don't be sorry!" He groaned put a hand over his face. "I'm confused that's all."
"Confused about what?" She asked softly, when he looked at her she knew then what she'd have to do. She'd have to tell him how she really felt. From her best girlfriend's words "Stop beating around the bush and tell him already!" She sighed and looked him straight in the eye, but lost the courage to keep her gaze there and looked elsewhere. "I have to tell you something…I love you." This was met with silence, but she dared not look at him now. She instinctively steeled herself for the hard truth to come. She waited with bated breath for him to tell her off finally. She waited to hear the stinging words of his pain, but instead he sighed. She looked at him with worry now as he simply let go of her hands and faced the outside again. Trembling she took a step closer to him.
"I know what you told me. That you wouldn't, couldn't fall in love, but please listen to me." She grabbed his arm in a pitiful attempt to catch his gaze. "I know I hurt you, before but please believe me when I say that I…I didn't know if I'd ever see you again."
"I looked for you." He murmured. "I looked for you and would have waited to see you again." He turned to look at her then, looking for the first time, upset and vulnerable. "When I saw you come in…" He shook his head. "It doesn't matter now."
"No!" She said sharply pulling her hands back. "How dare you say that, after what I just told you?"
"I don't want to be the rebound guy!" He shouted back at her, looking more upset. "I love you okay! I always have! But I refuse to be that guy that swoops in right after the old one leaves." He turned from her then. She blinked at this news and tried to calm her rapidly beating heart.
"I never loved him. Not one day went by that I wasn't thinking of you. Of what happened to you. You disappeared and I didn't even get to see what you looked like!" She shrieked the last sentence looking quite peeved. "You are not a rebound guy." She said more softly touching his cheek and making him turn back to her. "You are the only one that I can love."
"How do you know that?"
"Because, I've been with you long enough to tell that no matter what I will always love you."
"I don't understand…"
"I-" she paused and sighed before continuing. "I know you don't have confidence when it comes to being around me, but I do love you. And that's all that matters to me." She took the first step and collided with his lips. He responded without hesitation and intertwined his hands in her hair holding her still. She melted against him and he released her lips, catching his breath and she looked halfway disappointed. He smiled at her. A real, genuine smile that practically glowed and she smiled back. Perhaps this day wouldn't be as bad as he had originally thought.