A/N: So, second chapter! Hope you like it :D

Chapter 2

Her face flushed in embarrassment, and Elissa shut her eyes involuntarily. She wasn't expecting him to have come to the door dressed in so little. "I know."

"You also need to put on more clothes," Nathaniel noted soberly, and nudged a bundle of something at her unoccupied hands. Elissa couldn't help it and decided to sneak a peek, getting an eyeful of his bare back—as he pulled on a shirt. All things considered, and though he was a lot less bulkier than her father's knights, it was still a very pleasant sight.

But he caught her looking again, and grinned that knowing smile as Chance snorted disapprovingly. Great, now even her dog was judging her.

"I'm flattered, Elissa—but you need to put on those pants."

xOxOx

"So, where exactly are we going?" They were appropriately dressed now—and their feet were covered in soft-soled leather shoes; they clung to the side of the walls, cloaked in the deepest shadow. Elissa was leading them both, after bringing Chance back to the kennels—determined that she should share her newest favourite spot with him.

"Away from all this," she whispered back, before realizing her folly. She could have bitten her tongue, having said something this clichéd—something only heard of in bad romance novels. Nathaniel was chuckling, she was sure of it.

"Very well, my lady—lead on." The laughter in his voice was faint, but it was there.

And they found it quick, that single ledge on that abandoned tower on the far end of the town—behind the chantry. Nathaniel matched her speed in scaling the stone wall, though Elissa suspected that he did this on purpose, the strength in that impressive physique would have made him quite a bit faster. The crescent moon was high, but its faint light did not overpower the myriad dots that were her ultimate goal.

"Is this the reason that you've approached me in such a manner—luring me away from the propriety of your father's castle this late in the evening?" He feigned outrage, but could barely keep from laughing—gazing out into the endless sky. The streamers and festive decorations fluttered in the wind below, and even the chantry was being outfitted with a tent that glowed a gleaming white in the dim. Oriana's family had insisted on paying for most of these lovely additions, and Elissa was quite glad that Mother wasn't in charge of this part of the wedding.

To be perfectly truthful, just being near Nathaniel almost made Elissa forget the reason she was awake, and very unwilling to go back to bed—to that horrible dream. But looking at him made her not want to talk about it, content in the moment, even quite happy.

And yet somehow, he knew. She had seen concern, hidden in his dark eyes— but she wasn't ready. She wanted something else from him entirely —his company.

Nathaniel sat on the very edge, scooting to the left—motioning her over next to him. "It's nice, up here."

"That's the only word you can think of? Nice?" She giggled, gently. Nathaniel was usually one with the words; he always knew the things to say. The last she remembered, he had a large vocabulary.

His voice began bright, before trailing off, "Alright, challenge accepted. It's also stunning, splendid, alluring, spectacular, and magnificent and…" He turned, and Elissa realized how close their faces were—so much so that his next word mirrored on hers. "Romantic."

They kissed.

It was everything that she expected, and yet, also nothing she could have imagined—a tender caress of his lips, the tentative brush of tongue and it was gone, leaving her dazed—though admittedly, quite disappointed that it ended quite so fast.

He coughed, pulling away abruptly—looking all at once, quite sheepish. "I… I'm sorry." Her heart sank. So it—had been a mistake? Of course, this made everything incredibly awkward, so she tried lightening the mood with an appreciative grin.

"Why apologise? It was nice, I think." Nathaniel was probably regretting his actions, and Elissa knew it. He didn't like her that way.

"Just nice? I'm hurt." He affected a grimace, and she smiled in return.

They were friends, still—and there was no real reason to hide anything from him. "And how would I know whether that was any good? You're the only one I've ever kissed."

"I am? Anyone would have thought that you—a beautiful young maiden like yourself, would have dozens of boys chasing after your hand." The surprise in his voice was plain, and yet, Nathaniel sounded hopeful, though hesitantly so.

Elissa found his words thoroughly confusing; many nobles were turned away, and commoners knew better than to try. She scarcely had any playmates beyond the serfs training for their knighthood—and they kept their distance too—leaving her rather bereft of suitors. "And my affections are my own—I see no reason to go about kissing everyone just because I lack experience."

That earned a hard-won laugh. "Fair enough, Lissa."

They remained side-by-side for a long while—not saying anything. The little lights winked continuously, but even these grew faint—blurry, through the moisture gathering at the corners of her eyes. She rubbed at these as naturally as she could, blaming the sudden bout of tears on the gusts of wind—praying to the Maker that Nathaniel did not notice.

His voice was unexpectedly low, "Lissa—there's— something I need to tell you."

"Hmm?" She glanced at his profile through the corner of her eyes, noting that he had grown to be quite...handsome.

There was long pause as she waited; Nathaniel seemed to be at a loss for words.

"It really has been awhile—you know, since we last spoke. I had so many things to tell you, but…" Elissa felt like an idi—no—a fool. He was going to say that he met someone, that he didn't like her that way, that they were just friends. Of course they were just friends, and it all made sense to her now; why the Howes only brought Thomas along during their last visit and why her mother introduced nice young boys to her with an increasing frequency. Nathaniel was already taken.