Kevin Regnard had taken Sir Sinclair's youngest daughter out to town on his master's orders, the little girl holding his hand and smiling brightly as the two of them walked around. Kevin himself was smiling slightly, content with there being no imminent danger. Then something -no, someone caught his eye. A pale girl who looked about sixteen had snitched a few apples from the fruit vendor, the merchant manning the stand yelling angrily at her as she ran off with a light and lovely laugh. He supposed the two guards who had heard the commotion would catch her as an excuse to dutifully watch over the Sinclair child. As she flitted out of his sight behind some corner, he had the oddest feeling he would see her again.
"Kevin. Kevin, what are you staring at?" the young Sinclair girl asked, tugging at his sleeve. Kevin looked down at her and smiled reassuringly.
"Nothing. Are you ready to return home?" Kevin replied.
"Yes! I'd like to see Father again," the girl chirped.
The girl ran off as soon as she had taken six apples from the fruit vendor, laughing as the one manning it yelled at her to return the fruit immediately. Two guards had heard the commotion and shouted for her to stop as they started to chase after her. As she ran off, her silver eyes caught sight of a man with a little girl. He was looking at her differently from the other commoners, as if he would chase after her had he not been with the little girl by his side and was adamant in his duty. As she flitted out of his sight and lost sight of him in the process, she had the feeling she would see him again.
"Can't catch me! Can't catch me!~" she sang at the guards chasing her. She skirted round another corner and the two guards were baffled by her disappearance when they had seen she was not there. She gave a silent giggle in amusement as she stared down at them from the roof. When they'd left, she hopped down and made her merry way to her intended destination with the apples.
Kevin let a sigh slip past his lips. The image of that girl stealing the fruit was fresh in his mind still and he found that he didn't want to forget her. His lips now formed a thin line as he silently scolded himself; as a knight serving the Sinclair household, he shouldn't be thinking these things.
"Kevin, is something the matter? You seem occupied in thought," Sir Roman Sinclair, his master, said. He snapped out of his thoughts and looked to his master.
"No, Sir. Nothing is the matter," Kevin answered. A lie, he'd lied, but it was a half truth. Nothing was exactly the matter, as he'd said, but he was troubled that he could not stop thinking of that girl when he had a job to do. Besides, he tried to reason with himself, a knight should not take interest in a thief.
"Why don't you go take a walk. Relax a little," Roman ordered. Kevin's eyes widened.
"Sir, are you sure?" he asked. Roman nodded.
"Quite sure. You seem troubled, and I believe taking a walk on your own would do to relieve some stress," his master said.
"But will you and the family be all right without me? What if something happens while I'm gone?" Kevin argued. Roman chuckled.
"It's all right, Kevin. You needn't be so worried. Go, relax a little for once," he said.
"Yes, Sir," Kevin complied a bit reluctantly, bowing his head. He then left.
The girl had reached where she'd been headed and sighed happily. Her smile was contagious as she approached the five children. Their eyes brightened at the sight of her and they ran up to her. All five children resembled each other in appearance, all five were dirty with frayed clothes, all five were also orphaned. The white-haired, silver-eyed girl didn't like how others looked at such children. She felt this way because she knew what it was like to be judged without being known.
"You're back! You're really back!" the oldest child, a slight-framed boy about ten, chimed. The white-haired girl giggled at the boy's words.
"Of course I am. I made a promise, had I not?" she said.
"Don't mind him, miss. Georgie doesn't believe in promises," another boy, this child about seven, said.
"Well, he should. Promises are important to keep, after all," the girl replied. She handed the children the fruit she'd stolen. "I brought apples."
"Yay! You're so nice, bringing food to our sort, miss," the four-year-old boy of the group said.
"At least she's not like most people, always lookin' down on us with contempt or pity," Georgie grovelled.
"Yeah. Miss is really nice," a five-year-old girl chirped.
"She is! She is!" another girl, four years old, giggled.
"No need for such appraisal. Simply doing the act is good enough for me," the girl said to the children. "I should be going now. I'll be back again tomorrow morn with more food, promise."
"Bye, miss," the youngest two chirped.
"Goodbye, miss," Georgie and the five-year-old said. The seven-year-old simply nodded. The girl left them, her movements graceful and her laughter gentle. A few minutes later, she turned into an alleyway and took a bite out of the stolen apple she'd kept for herself.
Kevin sighed, still unable to stop thinking of that strange girl. He shook his head, about to turn back to return to his master when he heard a familiar laugh. His eyes wide, he looked to his right to see the girl he witnessed steal from the fruit vendor. He also spotted five orphaned children, the five whose parents had died the month before, but his attention was solely on the girl from before. One hand holding the sword at his belt so it wouldn't rattle, Kevin followed after her. He had trouble keeping his breathing quiet and let out a silent sigh in relief when she'd slowed her pace upon going down an alleyway. He felt his chest tighten when he heard the hum she gave as she bit into the stolen apple she had, the thought that he wanted to make her utter that sound himself crossing his mind.
"Who are you?" he asked, the words leaving his mouth before he could stop himself. She spun around and stared at him, her mouth still on the apple, and blinked once. Her silver eyes met his wine red ones and she tilted her head sideways like a puppy.
"I could ask the same of thee," she replied softly, her voice holding a strange accent. He found her voice enchanting, but forced himself to clear his mind of such a thought. His lips formed a thin line and he glowered at her.
"Kevin Regnard. Now, who are you?" Kevin spoke as placidly as he could. She gave the apple a lick before answering.
"Ariangwaed Silvershadow. Why didst thou follow me?" she said, taking a bite out of the apple after speaking.
"Why do you speak that way?" Kevin asked, avoiding her question. He didn't know the answer to that himself.
"'Tis the way I have always spoken. Need I any more of an answer?" Ariangwaed replied. Kevin closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, she was already halfway finished with the apple.
"You shouldn't steal, you know," he pointed out. She gave the apple another lick.
"I know that, but I would much prefer to be a thief than a beggar," she hummed. She hadn't bothered trying to deny her action.
"You took more than that one," he added.
"I gave the other apples to orphans I met this morn," Ariangwaed said with no hesitation. She tilted her head again. "Who was the little girl with thee earlier?"
"That is none of your concern," Kevin snapped, his sword swiftly unsheathed and pressed against the base of her throat as he shoved her roughly against the wall of a building. His hand tightly clenched around her arm just below her shoulder. Her docile demeanour vanished, replaced with a sharp glare. He'd made her drop her apple and now she was a little mad.
"Do not touch me in such a virulent comportment, knave," she snarled. Anger rose within him and his grip on her arm tightened.
"I am no knave, but a knight who does not hesitate to protect his master's family," he quipped.
"Then what of a knight's honour? Thy actions constitute more to a knave than a knight," she retorted. His anger flared up for less than a second, then he calmed down and lowered his sword slightly as he loosened his grip on her arm; she was right and he knew this.
"I am sorry. I instantly assumed you meant harm. I am very protective of my master and his family, you see. I would be by his side this moment if not for his orders," Kevin apologised. Alkanet's features softened. His sword was now back in its sheath and his hold on her arm was gentle.
"'Tis not always best to assume," she said. Kevin's chest tightened as it had when he heard her hum mere minutes before as her expression changed back to being gentle. An odd, unfamiliar desire coursed through him. No, he was familiar with this desire; he'd just never felt it so strongly. He wanted her, but he had to restrain himself.
"I believe you are right. Perhaps I am more used to taking action as quickly as possible when there is the slightest chance my master's family is in danger," he said.
"I can certainly understand such, the impulse to protect those one feels loyal towards," Alkanet said. He nodded, her words exactly what he felt for the Sinclair household.
"It is often hard to relax," he said.
"Is anyone ever truly relaxed at any given time?" she asked rhetorically with a small laugh, a small smile upon her lips.
That laugh lasted but a moment, but echoed through his mind ceaselessly; that smile of hers drew him in and he felt that pang in his chest, this time not resisting his desire as he leaned forward to press his lips to hers. She stiffened in surprise, a tiny gasp escaping her. He didn't give her time to react any further or to push him away, taking the chance to let his tongue explore the inside of her mouth. His hands held her wrists pinned to the wall and he pressed himself against her. She moaned, but squirmed to get away, unsure what to do or how she should feel in this situation. He left her mouth to kiss her chin, her neck. She moaned a little and shivered.
"St-stop," she gasped, heart racing. Her plea didn't register as his lips brushed against the skin just above her sternum, one of his hands letting go of her wrist to lift the skirt of her dress and slip under it. She couldn't hold back the low moan as she squirmed again. "Please! Hnn~ P-please, stop! Th-this...haah...This is rape!"
"Wha...?" Kevin stumbled back a few steps, eyes wide and confused, her words finally seeming to get through to him. "What am I doing? I...I'm sorry...I don't know what happened...I just...I'm so sorry..."
"I...am so unsure of what to think. I...I'm scared. It felt good, but I'm scared," Alkanet spoke absentmindedly, her voice and body trembling slightly. She kept her back firmly pressed to the wall behind her and her hands tightly grasped the skirt of her dress.
"I should leave," Kevin said just above a whisper.
"No..." Ariangwaed whimpered. He gave her an odd look. "I...don't want to be alone."
"Even though it's me?" he questioned.
"Because it is thee," she muttered.
"I don't understand. I almost raped you, but you want me to stay?"
"Almost, but didn't," she replied.
"The fact of the matter is I came close. There is no excuse for what I had done, especially as I am a knight," Kevin said sternly. Suddenly, she closed the distance between them, placing a hand on his chest right over his heart.
"Idiot," she said in such a soft voice that it might have been his imagination. She then turned around and walked away with a slight skip to her step and her hands behind her back. The last he saw of her was a small smile. He stood there for a few minutes in stunned silence before shaking his head and heading back to the Sinclair household.
"Ah, you're back, Kevin. Is something the matter? You seem more troubled than when you left," Roman Sinclair said upon Kevin's return.
"It's nothing. I'm fine, Sir," Kevin replied.
"Are you sure?" Roman prodded.
"Quite sure," Kevin responded.
"Kevin!" Roman's youngest daughter chirped as she ran up to him and wrapped her tiny arms around his side in a hug. He sighed as he looked down at her and gave a somewhat sad smile.
"Hello to you, Miss Sinclair," Kevin returned her greeting. She was in her nightclothes. She must have wanted to tell him goodnight before bed. Roman chuckled.
"Time to get you to bed, dear," he said, ruffling the girl's hair with a hand.
"Yes, Father. Goodnight, Kevin," she said, giving a little curtsy before heading off to her room with her maid.
"Goodnight, Miss," Kevin said with a nod of his head.
"Haah...With that, it is time for me to retire for the night as well. Try to get a good rest, Kevin," Roman said. He walked away, leaving Kevin to himself. He sighed and walked towards his chambers, his thoughts returning to Ariangwaed. He wanted to do something as an apology for his actions, even if she refused. Kevin wondered what he might do should he get the chance to give apology to that snow white girl.