Layla's Point of View
I continued to run for quite a distance without a clue on where I was at or where I was going. So much betrayal had occurred within the first hour of my being awake and I just couldn't handle it. Clopin chased me for awhile until he even got tired out while my adrenaline kept me going. I was now alone and the sun was setting.
The temperature was rapidly declining and I was still in my white garments that only covered my private parts. I wished that I had just taken Camille's offer to change into some of her clothes yesterday. Swearing under my breath, I crossed my arms and continued forward until I was so chilled to the bone that I collapsed, trembling in the sand covered grass.
After a few more hours, the moon rose overhead and I was now trembling violently. I didn't care who was right or wrong in the fights I had with everyone but I did care about dying without anything to leave behind. I tucked my arms beneath me and, although I knew it is wrong to, I began to close my eyes and hope for sleep. If I successfully feel asleep, I would probably never wake up.
My eyelids began to flicker close but I jumped back as I saw a shadow hover over me. "Finally, I found you." Clopin's black gaze settled on my eyes which I knew were fighting to stay open. He came towards me, which I was cautious about. He seemed to sense my fear of him but he didn't stop coming towards me. I tensed automatically as he wrapped his arms around me. I slowly relaxed though, feeling the warmth of his body compared to my ice cold one. My eyes closed and I quickly fell asleep with my head rested on his chest.
Clopin's Point of View
Once I was sure she was asleep, I picked Layla up and began to walk back to the caravan. We had moved it toward where she ran to so if one of us found her, we could get her back to safety faster. My father, no surprise, was the first to spot me on my way back with Layla.
He smiled in relief and ran to me, his arms slightly opened, offering to take her. I shook my head and took her inside where Camille and Mihai were. Camille glanced up at me then immediately to Layla who was still shaking a little in my arms. I put her down on the small cot that Camille had been sleeping on before. She curled up a little, trying to stay warm. I reached into one of the trunks and pulled out one of our thicker blankets and draped it over her. Her shaking stopped after a few minutes as the blanket helped and she drifted off to a calmer sleep.
Mihai's Point of View
Clopin sat down to make a triangle between him, me, and Camille. He was rubbing the drowsiness from his eyes which I couldn't blame him for. He had been working furiously all day to try and find Layla. Our King blamed him for causing her to run away but we all knew that he truly blamed Porfirio but I suppose he was trying to get Clopin to think of this more seriously.
I jumped a little as Camille leaned on my shoulder, her eyes drifting shut. I could hear my heartbeat ringing in my ears and I looked to Clopin for hints on what to do. I had never been in any real relationship besides friendships and I knew Clopin had been in too many to count.
Clopin opened one of his eyes as he saw Camille lean on me. He smiled a little and stretched one of his arms out like he was wrapping it around an imaginary woman. I slowly mimicked his action on Camille's shoulders and soon she was resting on my chest. I was surprised she could rest with my breathing nearly becoming hyperventilating. I heard Clopin softly chuckle as he collapsed into sleep not too far from me.
Layla's Point of View
I woke up when the caravan began to move again. I kept my eyes closed and shifted a little bit to get more comfortable then fell asleep again. I woke again by myself and looked up from the blanket I was given to see who was awake.
Apparently I was the last to awake as I realized that mostly everyone was looking over at me as I sat up. Acelin was probably driving, Porfirio avoided eye contact with everyone in the caravan, Mihai and Camille both smiled at me when I woke up and Clopin's eyes were glued on me, seeming to see if I was all right.
I pulled the blanket toward me as I curled up so someone could sit beside me on the cot. Camille held onto Mihai's arm so Clopin was the only one to sit down beside me. I heard Camille and Mihai whispering back and forth and I looked over at Clopin. He smiled at me a little bit. "Are you feeling better?" I shrugged. I felt tired and cold but I was fine.
I looked back over at him. "How far are we from getting to Paris?"
He got up and looked outside. "We don't have that much longer to go. In a couple more miles we'll set sail across the Mediterranean and dock in Marseille. It's probably about a four day trip if our pace stays like this," he muttered before turning back around and sitting beside me.
In a couple more hours, we stopped to check the inventory and eat a little bit. Clopin excused himself from the small table we set up and wandered away in the direction of a river. I only found it odd that he only left with a small bottle that was filled with something and a bunch of clothes.
He disappeared and a few minutes later my curiosity got the better of me. Where was he going? What was he doing right now? Why didn't any follow him out? Was I the only one freaking out? I looked around at everyone who seemed to just be chatting nonchalantly.
I excused myself which, for some reason, got more attention than Clopin. No one said anything to object so I turned to leave. Out of the corner of my eye, I swear I saw Camille smirk. I knew what they were thinking, but I was saving that for the wedding night; maybe even later, if I could help it.
I heard Clopin singing not far off. Why was he singing? I approached a bush and ducked, ready to see Clopin singing and being embarrassed when I was able to hear him sing when he thought no one could hear him singing. Unfortunately, he wasn't as… clothed as I expected… a preview of our wedding night. I shuddered.
Thank God that his back was to me though! After a few minutes of staring at his backside, I realized his singing had stopped and he was beginning to wash more slowly. My eyes widened and I bolted. He wouldn't know I was there. There was no way he could've known! He was just done with his song. Yeah, that was it!
As I scrambled through my brain for any reason on why he stopped singing, I realized that I was lost again. I tried to find some source of light ahead of me to identify where a clearing was but the only light was the light coming through the tops of the trees. A hand suddenly grabbed my upper arm and I gasped and was about to scream when I heard a familiar chuckle. I turned to see Clopin, fully clothed now.
I hoped he only thought I was on a stroll and got lost. That is, until he said, "So… do you normally watch men bathe? I'm just curious." He gave me a teasing smile but I could feel my face heat up and blush. He just laughed and gave me a hug. For one of the first times though, I didn't feel I needed to pull away.
His laughter died quickly and he just held me there for awhile before finally backing up. "You want to head back or should I just leave you out here for the wolves?" I smiled at him but tugged his hand as he started to lead. He turned to me and I decided to be bold, circling my hand behind his head and tugging him down, meeting his lips with mine.