She gaped incredulously at the paper clutched in her hands. Her breath was tight in her lungs, and her head floated as if she was higher in the atmosphere than she should have been. Her golden eyes shined brightly in the light from the lantern as she looked at her second in command. The girl bowed to her lowly before leaving the room quietly. Her long legs slowly carried her to the chair sitting in the center of the room. She pulled her cloak from the floor onto her lap as if to make herself warm; it was already too hot in the room. She had complained about the temperature to one of the officers already. She crumpled the letter in her hand and tossed it into the fire carelessly.
The door to her office opened, but she didn't need to move to know who it was. She could tell the reiatsu that it was just a friend coming to visit. Odd how he knew just when to show his blond head. He sat on the table in front of her with his hands clasped on his lap. The smile he gave her almost made her smile in turn, but she just stared at him with those golden eyes. He touched her nose with his index finger. She slid from her chair into his warm arms. Those arms had held her ever since they were both young children. How dare her father insult her oldest and most dear friend. Her eyes stared into his. The soft pulsing of her heart began to pound. His lips pressed into hers. How could her father want her to not be with someone she loved?