Sleeping Handsome

Chapter 2

Step by step she tried to observe the inside of the castle. Everything was covered with thick layer of dust. The only sources of light were dirty windows, but they didn't help too much, that's why Luna used her electric torch to make her way easier.

Not finding anything interesting on the ground floor, she went upstairs. To her great surprise the castle consisted of 4 floors. It was exhausting to discover every room, not mentioning that every object was dirty and dusty that brought the feeling of total disgust.

Sometimes it was hard to breathe. But what really made Luna mad was a freezing coldness. Her light summer dress with shoulder-straps didn't warm her body at all. She was shivering. As far as the girl knew, old types of such buildings were very hard to heat, but she couldn't understand why it was so deserted here. She remembered the scary dragon outside and it made her stomach flip. Something was really wrong with this place. It reminded her of those haunting houses that she had seed in the horror movies. The memory made her feel even colder than before.

The girl brought back the memory of the true intention why she was here. She had been sent to collect the information about a place where the terrorists could hide, that's why she was observing the castle for the last hour. But if to be honest, it felt like there had been nobody here for who knows how long.

Luna griped all her courage and opened the last door on the 4th floor that she hadn't checked yet.

She stepped inside, entering the brightest room, filled with light from three windows. From the shapes of the room, the girl understood that it must be a tower.

Luna felt easier somehow. She looked around. The first thing that caught her eyes was a large bed with half-transparent red curtains, framed with golden fabric, fixed on 4 wooden columns. The curtains hid the surface of the bed, so Hawke decided to take a look inside. She didn't know why, but something was drawing her. Carefully, her hand took aside one of the curtains.

Her eyes widened in outer surprise when she comprehended what she saw, or even…who…

Right there on a large royal-sized bed laid a handsome young man. His face looked like it was made of pure beeswax. With his eyes closed, Luna guessed that he was sleeping peacefully. His raven hair was a mess, but a narrow golden crown that was worn around his head, made it stay in a right place. That crown…She carried her gaze to the young man's outfit. It looked expensive and…medieval? Well, it wasn't an outfit of a king, but still it resembled more like a prince's. A shining hauberk, a long deep-red cloak with golden clips on the shoulders, a belt with precious stones, black tight leather pants, high brown jack-boots and...a sword in its owner's hands that were lying on his stomach.

This person…he looked so gorgeous. The girl felt a pleasant warmth appearing on her cheeks. She unconsciously sat on the edge of the bed and looked carefully at the sleeping boy once more.

Yes, a boy was a right word to describe him. He looked so young, maybe the same age as her. What could happen to him? Why was he in a such scary place all alone? The expression on his face could be called as a total peace.

She felt an unbearable feeling to touch him, even if her actions waked him up. Lunamaria gently brushed some strands away from his forehead with her fingers. He had thick and silky hair, she noted.

"Why isn't he awaking?" she thought curiously.

Luna laid her gaze on his chest, which…wasn't moving? Was he dead?

Without a second thought she pressed her ear to his unmoving chest. A contact of her skin with a cold metal of a hauberk sent shivers down her body, but she didn't notice that. She tried to hear the main sound of person's life—the sound of a heartbeat. To her disbelieve his heart wasn't beating at all.

Lunamaria Hawke, the captain of the military forces, panicked. She quickly placed her hands on his shoulders and began to shake, but nothing happened.

"What should I do?!!! Ok, girl, breathe,"she tried to calm herself. "You're a military woman, you must have a cool mind. Let's think. If he is dead, then he must be pale and cold, right?"

With those words she laid her palm on his cheek.

"No" she swallowed hard "he is not cold" was an uneasy confirmation. "His body's as warm as mine. He even has a flush on his face".

She tried to find the main sign of life in his body once more. This time she pressed her ear to the metallic surface tightly, ignoring its coldness, closed her eyes and began to listen very carefully.

She spent some minutes in that position, but nothing changed. And on the 3rd minute she heard a plain but very silent sound. It was his heart beating. Her eyes opened in shock, but she didn't move from the place. In the next 3 minutes the sound repeated. After hearing that, she sat beside the body of a mysterious boy, not believing in what she had just learnt.

"It can't be…His heart beats once in 3 minutes. How is it possible?"

Only now she felt the cold air on her skin. Luna wrapped herself in her arms, trying to get warmer. Oh, if she only knew that she was going to observe such a cold building when the weather is boiling hot outside, she would have worn a fur-coat instead of a light summer-dress. Then she thought that the boy must be lucky for being sleeping and not feeling cold. But she regretted those thoughts. How could he be lucky if he was still alive and couldn't awake? She felt sorry for him.

In order to wake up the boy and not to go insane, she bent her lips closer to his ear and shouted with all strength she had.

"WAKE UP!!!!!!!"

The result was the same. He lay still without moving or breathing.

"What should I do?? I can't leave him here. Who knows how long he will be sleeping here until someone finds him again".

She bit her lower lip, absorbed in her own deep thoughts.

Determination was the main characteristic of her character. She really wanted to help the strange boy to awake.

A bright idea came to Luna, as she saw her back-bag on the floor. In a minute she was holding a bottle of water, in a second the content of the bottle was pouring on boy's face, wetting his dark hair.

Lunamaria was smiling while doing her reanimation process but her smile began to fade away slowly as she saw that her intentions didn't help.

The next thing she had done was acupuncture. But this method didn't bring any result too.

"Why? I tried to activate all the energy-points on his hands, ears and nose, why does it not working? It always helps me when I'm dead tired or even unconscious".

Her hands fell down from despondency. Oh, how she wanted to bring him to life, to look in his beautiful eyes. Luna knew that he had gorgeous eyes, because the handsome person as he was, couldn't have any other eyes but gorgeous. She wanted to hear his voice. Interesting, was it deep and husky or sweet and soft? The girl could only wonder.

"It's just like in "The Sleeping Beauty". Everyone tried to wake up the Princess Aurora, but she didn't leave the world of her dreams. Only a Prince could save the Princess from that state. He kissed her with a kiss of true, eternal love. But what should I do to wake him up?"

She looked at boy's face sympathetically.

"Maybe…" the girl thought "just maybe…if I do this, there is still hope?"

An uncertainty and concern could be read in her lavender orbs.

"But…do I have a right?" Hesitation filled all her mind for a moment. She once again glanced at the sleeping figure beside her. "If I do this, will you awake?"

She whispered her question in a pleading voice.

It was very hard for her to bring all her courage together. The price was very high. If she did it, she would give the life back to a certain person. She needed to do it in order to save him. Even if she didn't know who he was. Even if it was the first time she met him….she just couldn't resist doing her job: to protect lives. Yes, it wasn't one of those military methods of protecting people from danger but her heart was telling that her intentions were worthwhile.

If only it would awake him…

Closing the distance between their faces, she remembered all her love to the Prince-Charming that she believed would appear some day in her life and would give his heart to her; who would save her from the terrible dragons named "Loneliness" and "Misery"; who would see a beautiful and fragile Princess and not a soldier in her; who would love her and care for her till the very last day of his life. And she would do the same for him: to share her life with him, helping him in every business of his, be his support and a loyal and reliable friend, and of course love him till the day she closes her eyes forever only to be together with him in the whole Eternity.

And when her lips were only in some millimeters from handsome and mysterious boy's mouth, she whispered with determination:

"Please, open your eyes".

When those words left her tongue, she gently pressed her lips to his.

Luna didn't remember when her eyes closed. She didn't remember when her hands placed themselves on his chest. All she remembered was a fastened race of her heartbeat and a whirlpool of butterflies inside her rib cage, when she touched the boy's cashmere and soft lips.

The sensation was so new to her that she didn't notice for how long she stayed in that position. She felt as warmth started spreading through all her body. The feeling was so pleasant. She wasn't cold anymore. She was warmed up by the pure bliss of a magic kiss.

Her eyes opened slowly to look at the boy's face. To her regret, his eyes were closed. It was a face of a sleeping handsome.

Luna broke the contact of their lips gently and backed away. She sat on the bed straightly with her back to him. Her gaze fell on her knees.

"He hasn't awakened…it didn't help. Why am I so helpless? Why can't I wake him up? I'm so stupid".

Hot tears filled her beautiful lavender orbs.

"I have sacrificed my first kiss, believing that it would help. My heart has never felt so miserable in my whole life. I'm so childish. Rey is right, I'm too naïve believing those fairy-tales and dreaming about true and eternal love, the Prince-Charming and happy life. I'm so hopeless…I became a military-woman to have opportunity to save people's lives, but look at me! I can't even help one single boy! Why am I so weak? And why did I give my first kiss to a total stranger, if it didn't help anyway? Father, if only you were here!!! I'm sure you would deal with this situation and find the right answer…"

She was crying and babbling at the same time.

Little did she know that while she was distracted by her thought of regret, the certain person's eyes flew open like a butterfly's.

He stared at the ceiling of the bed, trying hard to understand where he was. His right hand let go of the sword's handle and reached for his face to rub the dream from each eye away. Only now he noticed that his face and hair were all wet. Why? He didn't remember swimming in a lake that day. And why were his ears, nose and hands burning and pricking occasionally? What could happen to him? He remembered riding a horse in the evening and then a lady came out from the forest and asked him for help. He agreed and took her on the horse and then…she…what did she do? She did something, that's for sure but what exactly? The next thing he remembered was opening his eyes and being at this place. Something was missing between his memories and it felt like a huge dark gap.

Alright, he could think about the details later. Now it was important to find out why he was here and how to get out of this place.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone's sniffs and babblings. He turned his head to the side where the source of the sounds came from and…and…was shocked to see a woman sitting beside him and showing her almost nude body. It WAS a woman…but her hair…it was short and magenta??? Never in his life had he met such colour of hair before. She wasn't the lady from earlier. Who was she? Maybe a spy or a bandit? She looked like one of them. Only bandit women could wear such revealing clothes. If she was a bandit, than he had to stop her from harming innocent people! Wasn't he a Prince after all?

With one fast movement he rolled to his right and grabbed the girl by the shoulders, pushing her fragile form beneath himself. Her tearful eyes widened in total shock when she understood what had just happened. Meanwhile, the strange boy pressed a sword to her throat and looked sharply in her glittering orbs.

Luna couldn't move or speak. She still couldn't believe what was happening. How did he wake up? When did he awaken? Why didn't she senesced his presence? All those questions were running through her mind when she felt herself pressed to the very spot where he was lying before. The cold metal on her throat sent shivers down her spine, not because of its coldness but of its sharpness.

She swallowed hard. Was it her end? Was it the way she was going to die? But what about her mission? Didn't she swear to protect people from violence? She couldn't let herself to die! She was on duty! If she was going to be killed but not here and not under current circumstances!

The girl summoned all her braveness and willpower to stare right at the boy's ruby eyes. Unfortunately, she couldn't move. He managed to block her hands under her head and clutched her legs between his. He looked like a wild cat that caught its victim.

When she understood in what position he made her lie, her blood began to boil with anger.

The next moment she heard his irritated voice.

"Who are you and what did you want to do to me?"

"Huh? Why did he ask such stupid questions?"

"If you don't answer, I have nothing left but to kill you!"

"WHAT??? Was he insane???"

In order to skip a premature death, Luna licked her suddenly dried lips, and said:

"I…"

The boy showed interest. He arched an elegant raven brow and nodded slightly, ordering her to continue.

"I…" she swallowed "my name is Lunamaria. I'm a tourist and I was just passing by and found this abandoned castle where I found you….umm…sleeping in this room. So, I tried to wake you up and…" she felt really uneasy under his sharp gaze, filled with negative emotions.

"And?"

He asked her, pressing the sword deeper in her tender skin.

"…and…you awakened. That's all. Now, can you please let me go?" she tried to look all innocent and smiled a little bit sheepishly.

"No!"

"No?"

"Who do you think I am to believe in your nonsense? You said you are a "turist" but there is no such occupation!"

"Huh?" she looked at him in disbelieve, "you don't know what a tourist means? Oh" the girl thought for a moment. Perhaps, he had been sleeping for too long to be aware of new popular words. "You see, in the country where I came from, people call wanderers—tourists. I wanted to visit this place so I came here and…well, you know the rest".

"A wanderer?" he grinned haughtily "don't try kidding me. Since when did wanderers travel half-naked? You look more like a wench, who seduces men for money".

"WHAT???" She was unspeakable from what she heard.

"How could you fell so low?" he continued "I despise people like you".

That was the last drop to her calm temper. He was humiliating her despitefully! He called her a wench! How could he? She saved his life and that was his gratitude?

"Let me go, you maniac! How can you treat a girl like this? Where were you behaved? In a wild forest?" she was shouting at his face that expressed total surprise from her sudden outburst. "Just get away from me! You hurt me with that thing!" she pointed at the sword with her gaze. "Take your dirty hands away from me or you'll regret that was born, perverted bandit!"

His eyes widened in shock as he listened to everything the girl was shouting. He immediately let go of her hands, took the sharp edge away from her throat, and slowly stood up from the bed, never leaving his eyes from her.

As she sat up quickly, smoothing her dress and narrowing her eyes at him, he said:

"You don't know who I am, as I can see. I'm Prince Shinn of Zaft, and only dare to compare me with those barbarians once more, and you will never see the next day".

"What's the difference, anyway?" Luna thought rolling her eyes, standing up from the soft surface of the bed. She picked up her back-bag that had fallen on the floor because of the 'fight' earlier, and wore it on her shoulders when suddenly she comprehended the meaning of his words.

"You're…you're a PRINCE??? A real Prince???"

He heard a total surprise in her intonation.

"Where did you come from, woman? Haven't you heard of a Zaft Kingdom? My father is the King of that Kingdom".

"I…I" she tried to make up some cheap lie, but she wasn't good in that sphere "I really came from far-far away. But may I ask you a question?"

He crossed his arms on the chest and arched a brow.

"Yes, you may".

She smiled.

"If you're a Prince, than why don't you call me a 'lady' or something else in that style? You must have good manners, if you're a royal blooded".

He smirked.

"Because I can't call a half-naked wench in front of me 'a lady'".

Her jaw fell and eyes widened in astonishment.

"How…how dare you call me such low names?" she greeted her teeth. "Never in my whole life had I been so humiliated!"

Luna inhaled and exhaled slowly to calm herself down. She went passed him and before exiting the room, said:

"Farewell, Your Highness. I hope we will never meet again".

She walked away and left him standing all alone in the empty room.

"Let it be! I'm not interested, anyway! Whatever!"

He whispered in irritation and looked at the picture, hanging on the wall. It was a portrait of the lady from the day he lost his memory. He was deeply absorbed with his own thoughts.

"What happened the day I met you?"

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This is the end of the 2nd chapter. Please, read and review.

Thank you for reading! Your reviews help me to continue. ^_^