Flora sat in the warm kitchen, a loaf of bread in the oven, and the wooden table was covered in scraps of white chiffon that was left over from Krystal's gown. It had been used to create the lining and structure of Krystal's blue gown, but it would have to do for the entirety of Flora's gown. She had less than three weeks to create a gown from scratch and from scraps. She should have never agreed to attend but how could she say no to the princess?
In the corner of the kitchen, back in his usual wooden chair, Helia was reading to Flora. She had missed the sound of his voice as he read aloud to her and something about a loaf of bread in the oven, the story filling her ears, and weaving a needle and thread through fabric reminded her so much of her past, before her life changed forever. Tonight, Helia had continued the story of the young woman who had fallen in love with the mysterious beast in the palace.
Flora smiled hearing about how while the beast was rough on the outside, deep down, he was just a prince who had been dealt a terrible hand. He was only a child when the enchantress came to the palace at night, what was he supposed to do? Even Flora's parents had taught her about the dangers of letting in strangers into their house, especially in the dead of night. Still, the beast found himself growing closer and closer to the young woman who had switched places with her father. Helia was now reading about the part where the beast had let the woman go to take care of her ailing father.
"He lets her go?" Flora raised her head and turned her attention to Helia. She sighed and replied to her own question before Helia had a chance to, "I do suppose that when someone loves another, they would be willing to sacrifice for the other. Belle needed to be with her father and the beast knew that she would be devastated if anything happened to her father."
Helia didn't answer and instead continued with the story.
He couldn't find it in himself to answer Flora's question or respond to the answer that she had created for herself. Helia had spent the day thinking about ways that he wouldn't have to let Flora go, much less to a man like Duncan. He spent longer than usual at the training arena and had merely picked at his food at dinner as he continued to think of the ways that he would be able to keep Flora to himself. But when he saw the serene look on her face, there was no way that he could bring up Duncan and the prospective marriage.
Helia read on about how the evil man from the village had found about the Beast and Belle's relationship with the beast. Flora stooped sewing and moved from her seat at the wooden to the wooden chair next to Helia's. Gripping the bottom of the seat underneath her, Flora moved the chair so that she was now seated right next to Helia, the fire, the smell of the baking bread, and the sound of Helia's voice lulled Flora into a state of calm and she placed her head on Helia's shoulder. Helia stopped reading and looked down at Flora's head on his shoulder.
"What are you doing?" Helia asked as he sat, frozen in place by Flora's sudden sign of affection.
"Listening, Your Highness." Flora sighed, "Please continue."
"And you are comfortable like that?"
"Are you not, Your Highness?" Flora lifted her head, "I am sorry, I can move-"
"No," Helia quickly replied, "I, um, I quite liked it. I just...I never..."
Flora returned her head to Helia's shoulder and pulled the ribbon from the end of her braid and began to run her fingers through her hair. Helia continued to read on about the men of the village storming the castle and the enchanted objects and furniture going on the defense. Her fingers ran through her long, brown hair; pulling her hair out of the woven braid and allowing for the hair to cascade down her shoulder. Helia could smell the familiar scent of peaches wafting from hair mixed with the sweet and earthy smell of yeast from when she had previously worked with the large ball of bread dough. Helia was beginning to find it hard to concentrate on the story.
"...'No!' Belle shouted as she looked up at the palace to see that Gaston was about to deliver the final blow to the Beast. The Beast looked down at Belle as Gaston hovered above him. She came back. She had come back, and he was worried about her. He had to fight back, for his castle and for her. The Beast conjured up his strength and pushed Gaston off of him. He fought back and soon the two men were engaged in a battle to the death. Gaston was certainly going to kill the Beast as he had promised, and the Beast knew that he had to get rid of Gaston...permanently. The Beast grabbed Gaston by the neck and threatened to throw him off of the roof of the palace but when Belle protested, he backed away. He set Gaston down, limp and gasping for air as the Beast made his way up to where Belle was standing on the upper turret waiting for him. As he reached up for Belle's hand, the Beast cried out in pain as Gaston had plunged a knife into his side..."
Flora let out a small gasp as she listened to Helia, hanging onto his every word. Helia laughed at Flora's reaction, but he continued to read.
"...As the Beast released his cry, Gaston had lost his footing and had fallen off the roof, plunging to his death. Belle pulled the Beast onto the roof where he lie panting and blood spilling out of his side onto the cold stone floor of the turret. 'You came back' the Beast remarked through shallow breaths. 'Of course I did. I couldn't leave you for them to...'' Belle replied. 'Maybe it is better this way.' Belle shook her head as tears began to flow from her eyes, wetting her cheeks, 'Don't talk like that,' Belle softly commanded through tears, 'you'll be okay, you'll see. We're together again.' The beast raised his hand and wiped a tear from Belle's cheek, 'At least I got to see you one last time.' With a final swipe of his hair-covered hand over Belle's cheek, the Beast closed his eyes and succumbed to his injuries."
Helia paused as he felt two slender arms wrap around his midsection. He looked down to see the Flora had pulled him into an embrace as she nuzzled her head further onto Helia's shoulder. She was so warm and Helia just wanted to stop the story and pull her into his arms as well and enjoy their company in front of the fire. She didn't even have to speak or do anything for Helia to feel so comfortable with him. Saladin surely would have something to say about that but Helia didn't care what that meant because he knew that it just meant that there was no way that he was ever letting Flora go.
Helia read on about how Belle had whispered her declaration of love for the dying beast and suddenly, the Beast levitated and began to change before her eyes in a whirlwind of smoke and lights. The Beast was slowly lowered onto the turret floor and instead of a beast, there was a well-built and handsome man. Belle approached the man who had proclaimed that he was the beast. When Belle looked into his eyes, she knew that it truly was him. Brushing a piece of hair away from his face, the Beast pulled Belle into a kiss, setting off the transformation of the rest of the palace into its former glory before the curse. Belle and the newly transformed beast were shortly wed and the two lived together in the palace, happily ever after.
"I loved that story. I can see why it was your mother's favorite." Flora sighed as her fingertips began to swirl absentmindedly on Helia's obliques. She stopped as she unwrapped her arms from around Helia and rose to her feet to check on the bread in the oven. Helia immediately missed her warmth and the feeling of her arms around him.
"When will you teach me to read?" Flora asked as she pulled out the hot loaf pan with the baked loaf of bread.
Helia rose to his feet and set the book on the chair behind him. He walked over to the large kitchen table, situated across from Flora as she folded the small linen tea towel that she had used to take out the bread.
"I thought that you enjoyed listening to me as you worked. Or have you grown tired of my voice?"
"Not at all," Flora giggled, "I do enjoy listening to you read, but I want to learn to read for myself. In case you aren't here to read to me."
"I'll always be here to read to you, Flora." Helia replied.
Flora smiled to herself as she looked down at her feet, lost in a memory.
"I just remember Eldora reading to the children in the palace and how even though I was older, I would sit and listen and for those moments, I almost forgot about all the bad things that had happened in my life. It was like I was home. And I feel the same way when I am with you. I want to learn to read so that maybe I can make someone else happy, the same way you and Eldora have made me happy."
Helia gave Flora a soft nod of understanding. When she had wrapped her arms around him as he read, Helia could understand what it was like to feel at home. When he read to Flora, he was brought back to his mother reading to him as a child. The way that she would stroke his hair as she read until he fell asleep and then kissed him on the cheek when she thought that he was asleep. He would always pretend to be asleep so that he would feel her kiss, though Helia always suspected that his mother knew that he was pretending. Helia would give Flora anything that she wanted and if she wanted to learn to read, he would spend his whole life teaching her so that she could be happy.
"When would you like to start?"
"I want to start now." Flora smiled, "Please, Your Highness?"
"Helia." Helia smiled as he placed his hands on the edge of the table and leaned forward.
"Please, Helia?" Flora asked again.
Helia chuckled as he returned to an upright position and folded his arms over his chest. Flora returned to sewing the dress that she was making for the ball; she could multitask if needed.
"What do you know?" Helia questioned, "Do you know the alphabet?"
"No." Flora blushed as she kept her eyes on the dress, "What's that?"
"You know, letters?"
Flora shook her head as she did her best to hide her embarrassed expression. If Helia didn't see her as some poor, dumb, village girl before, surely, he did now.
"I see," Helia reached forward across the table and brushed Flora's hair out of her face and placed his hand under her chin to lift her gaze to meet his. "No better place to start than at the beginning."
Flora gave Helia a shy smile as she set down her needle and thread and gave her full attention to the prince turned tutor. She would find the energy to multitask later. Helia walked over to a shelf where a small stack of papers and a metal canister of thin, lead, sticks were inside. Helia figured that they belonged to the head chef, most likely to form shopping lists for the market or to write down recipes. Stealing a piece of paper and a small lead stick, Helia made his way back to the table, ready to start the impromptu lesson.
"The alphabet is comprised of letters that make up all the words that you could ever learn or come up with. ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ, those are the letters in the alphabet."
"Does it matter what order the letters are in?"
Helia shrugged, "Well I supposed not."
"Then why did you list them that way?"
"Just the way I learned it. I think most people in Hademort learn it that way, but I suppose that is to make things easier. Sometimes we organize things based on letters so it would be nice for every organization system to be the same."
Flora nodded. She placed her arms on the large wooden table and leaned forward, a silent gesture for Helia to continue with his lesson. Helia looked into Flora's green eyes and found himself once again becoming lost in the vibrant color. But he quickly remembered his task.
"The first letter is A." Helia wrote an A on the sheet of paper slowly so that Flora could follow along with the movements of his hands as he formed the letters with the piece of lead in his hand, "Um, apple starts with A. Ant, after, alert, art..."
"Ash." Flora interjected as she looked over at the fireplace.
"Yes," Helia gave Flora a rare, sweet smile, "that is correct." Flora sat up in her seat, a large grin on her face that reminded Helia of how he expected he looked like a child when he had gotten an answer right when his tutor would teach him.
"The next letter is B. Burst, buckle, belt..."
"Bread."
"Good, next is C. Cat, card, cloak, chair..."
"Chair? But that doesn't sound like the others." Flora tilted her head.
"Some words sound different when certain letters are added after another. A Ch makes the sounds like chair, chance, chart. Sometimes C can make a soft sound like in circle, cycle-"
"Sunflower." Flora gave a proud smile that Helia felt bad to wipe away.
"No, that starts with an S."
Flora pouted, "Only on the third letter and this is already complicated."
"I'm sorry." Helia did his best to sound sympathetic.
"Does sorry start with an S or a C?"
"An S."
Flora inhaled and closed her eyes before nodding for Helia to continue.
"After C is D. Dog, door, Dearill, dress."
"Dark." Flora replied, "Daisy, dusk, dawn. This one is easier."
Helia wouldn't tell her about silent letters, not quite yet. He was also thankful that Flora's head hadn't gone to Duncan when thinking of D. It would have been an easy name to associate with D but Helia had more than enough alternative names for Duncan that started with D.
"E is next. Empty, entry, exit, emotion."
"End, egg."
"F is next. Forest, follow, forgotten, forward, Flora." Helia smiled at the last one. Flora's name always felt so good coming out of his mouth.
"Flower, fox, frost."
"G for glow, green, guess."
"Garden, grass, gold."
"You are a natural at this," Helia remarked before continuing. "Next is H. Hot, hard, heavy, hopeful."
"Happy, heart, Highness, Helia..." Flora said his name as a whisper.
Helia didn't realize how close he and Flora were to one another. She was only a breath away and he could kiss her. So he did.
Closing the gap between the two of them, Helia placed his lips gently on Flora's. She leaned forward across the table. Instead of whiskey, Flora could taste the sweet berries that Helia had eaten at dinner. She liked that a lot more.
Flora's arms left the table as she placed a hand on Helia's cheek. She willed herself not to get too carried away, but it was so easy when even the softest kiss across a kitchen table had her stomach filled with butterflies. Maybe she couldn't control her powers yet around Helia but maybe she could make it so that thorns didn't grow out of her hands. But she wouldn't risk it, not right now.
Backing away, Flora broke the kiss, her face stained a bright pink. Helia cleared his throat and gave Flora a serious nod. Back to business.
"I." Helia said," I is next. Ice, iron, innocence."
"Imagine, island."
"Yes," Helia smiled, the high of the soft kiss still floating in his head, "J. Jovial, job, jump."
"Um, giant, gem-"
"Those start with G."
"Really?" Flora let out a frustrated groan, "This is just like C and S."
"You're still doing great. This is a lot to learn and there are thousands of words to learn with so many strange sounds made with letters that don't make any sense of why they are there. Would you like to continue?"
Flora nodded.
"K. Kick, kin...kiss."
"Please?"
Helia smirked, "That starts with P. We aren't there yet."
Flora jumped up from her seat at the table and walked around the large, wooden surface to stand directly in front of Helia. She raised a hand and ran it through his long, dark hair.
"Keep, kind, king," Flora placed a kiss on Helia's cheek until another word that started with K caused Flora to slowly back away with a sad look on her face, "...Krystal's."
Helia gabbed Flora's hand and pulled her close to him, her body entering the space in between his legs.
"Flora's." Helia replied firmly. "I love you and only you, Flora."
"That doesn't matter when you are still set to marry Her Highness come the spring." Flora placed a hand on Helia's chest. She could feel his heartbeat and it only beckoned her closer to the prince.
"I know," Helia groaned, "I was set to talk to my father, but my grandfather reminded me what tends to happen when my father is given upsetting news."
"Am I upsetting news?" Flora giggled as she absentmindedly ran her fingers through Helia's hair. Helia melted under her touch, and he was brought back to the rare pleasant memories of the distant past.
"No, not at all," Helia smiled before his expression turned serious as he remembered his grandfather's warning that morning, "just that my father would not like the idea of me breaking a royal marriage contract that has been set for decades all because I fell in love with the princess's handmaiden and not the princess herself. But I can handle my father's rage and disappointment, I have been doing it for years. But Flora," Helia stood up and wrapped his arms around Flora's waist, "I wouldn't know what I would do with myself if I found out that my father took out his anger on you. Flora, I don't want anything awful to happen to you because I didn't have a proper plan to talk to my father. If we are going to properly be together, we have to be smart about it."
Flora inhaled and nodded her head, "I understand. But I can handle myself, Helia."
It was like she was talking to her mother and father again. Flora was always desperate to convey that she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself and her sister. But there were laws that her parents were more than right to be afraid of.
"I know you can, trust me," Helia pointed to his face filled with shallow cuts, "I know. My father is sneaky and ruthless. I just don't want you to get caught in his web of...awfulness."
"Alright," Flora reached up and wrapped her arms around Helia's neck, her fingers twirling the thin hairs at the back of his neck around her fingers, "we will have a plan. Luckily unlike you, I am not promised to anyone. That would really complicate the matter."
Helia struggled with whether he should tell Flora about his father's plan to marry her off to Duncan. But when his arms were around her and her arms were around his, he couldn't give her a reason to back away again. She had been through enough in the past twenty-four hours and she didn't need something as shocking as a marriage arrangement between her and the newly appointed general to add to her worries.
Instead, he took the opportunity to press another soft kiss on Flora's soft lips. He could dedicate the rest of his life to doing that. It certainly beat the dull meetings and training sessions that he was usually undertaking day to day.
Flora's fingers dug into his hair, her hand now resting on the back of his neck. She wanted more, needed more. Her body hungered for the prince in a way that it had never hungered for anyone else. Maybe she was just smelling the bread that was cooling on top of the oven and she was actually hungry. No. It was Helia. But as much as she wanted him, she felt herself becoming...overwhelmed...again.
"Sorry." Flora panted as she looked down at her feet, "I was about to...I was going to..."
"I don't mind it, Flora. I told you that if were to die by your hands, it would be an honorable and pleasant way to go."
"I'm serious," Flora looked up at Helia, "I don't want to hurt you and I don't know how I am going to be able to control myself when I am around you."
"We can always work on it together." Helia smiled as he ran a thumb over the high points of Flora's cheeks.
"No," Flora said, "you are already teaching me how to read and I don't think that would be a good idea. You're too...overwhelming."
Helia smirked, "I've never been described as overwhelming before. Dull and disappointing yes but never overwhelming."
"You have never been dull or disappointing to me, Helia." Flora sighed.
Helia ran his fingers through Flora's long, brown hair before kissing her forehead.
"We'll figure something out but, in the meantime, maybe just don't put your hands on my face if you start to find me too…overwhelming."
Flora nodded, "May we continue, Your High- oh, I mean, Helia?"
"Of course." Helia reached forward on the table to grab the lead in his hand and adjusted the paper in front of him. He was caught by surprise when Flora sat on his lap.
"Is this alright?" Flora asked sheepishly, "I just wanted to-"
"More than alright," Helia answered Flora as he wrapped his free arm around her waist, "The next letter is L. Lake, life, line."
"Lips, like, love."
"Exactly." Helia smiled as he placed a kiss on Flora's shoulder.
"M is after L. Miss, mountain, most, morning.
"Miracle, mirror...Miele." Flora looked down at her lap.
Helia nodded as he ran his hand that was wrapped around Flora down the curve of her side. His touch was comforting, and Flora automatically felt better. Helia was glad that she didn't say monster. He had made it his new life's mission to make sure that Flora never thought of herself in that way again. She was anything but a monster and there was no way she would ever belong to Duncan. Helia flexed his arm and squeezed Flora a little tighter, causing her to look down at him. He looked up at her and gave her a smile, but his blue eyes were hard and serious.
"Mine."
Flora turned in her bed, Helia having gone up hours ago after they had finished with the alphabet. Sure, it was a hard goodbye with plenty of moments of "one more kiss" but nevertheless, he had gone, and she had gone to bed. He had let her keep the sheet of paper that he had written on. It was now buried in the large wooden chest that held her clothes that she had saved for the winter in Hademort, though she supposed it was silly to save them as it was essentially winter all the time in the country and even the clothes that she had been able to bring from Linphea were not nearly warm enough.
She couldn't sleep, thoughts of the prince filling her head yet again. Flora sincerely hoped that she would one day be able to spend a night with Helia and not feel so overcome by his presence. Kissing him certainly did nothing to calm her fluttering heart or quell the heat that radiated throughout her body. She loved him and loving him felt so right, but she also felt so guilty.
Her father had always taught her that kindness begat kindness and she had done nothing to earn Helia's kindness. After everything terrible that she had done, how had life given her the love of such a wonderful and caring man? A prince much less. Sure, the nature of their relationship was...complicated but he was kinder than most of the people that she had met throughout her life. He was reassuring and he had even agreed to do such kind things with and for her. He was a prince; he didn't have to take the time to read to her or teach her to read. She was sure that he had more important princely things to do but instead, he spent his free time with her. She loved him so much, more than she had loved anyone before, but she was finding it hard to accept that he could possibly love her back.
Throwing her blankets off of her, Flora swung her legs over to the side of the bed and her feet hit the cold stone floor. She grabbed her thin robe and slid on her shoes before silently leaving her room. Maybe a nice cup of tea would help. Her mother was a firm believer that any problem could be mulled over a cup of tea. Flora had calmed many nerves over a cup of tea.
She made her way to the kitchen where she heard the faint sound of a crackling fire and the remaining smell of bread still lingered in the air. Flora wrapped her robe tight around her body to fight off the cold as she stepped foot in the kitchen. She nearly screamed as she spotted Saladin in the kitchen, cutting up fruit that would be served in the morning. Flora always thought that it was the chef who had done that. And just as Flora wondered why Helia would love her, she also wondered why she had always run into Saladin when she was in the middle of some personal dilemma. Maybe it just ran in the family; confusing men who caused Flora always to be on her toes.
"I'm sorry," Flora said, "I didn't know that anyone was in here."
"No need to apologize, my dear. The kitchen is for everyone. Is there anything I can help you with?"
Saladin set down the small knife on the cutting board, leaving an apple halfway cut. He turned to Flora and walked out of the way so that Flora might do what she set out to do. Flora gave Saladin a smile before she walked into the main kitchen and grabbed the metal teapot and took it to the water pump.
"Allow me." Saladin grabbed the pot and began to pump the water. Flora wasn't going to protest; her arms had been sore from sewing and kneading the dough from earlier. But she still walked over to the cupboard and grabbed a small teacup.
"Would you like some, Your Maj- I mean Saladin, sir?" Flora added on the sir for good measure.
"I would love a cup," Saladin replied with a smile as he set the pot on the lit stove. Flora pulled down another cup and a small tin canister of tea leaves that she had brought from Linphea. She thought that the tea would have been gone by now, she was hoping that she would find someone in Hademort to share with but the only people who had drunk any of her tea, well, the only people from Hademort who have spent any kind of time with her was Saladin and Helia. The canister was almost full, but if Saladin and she were to keep meeting like this, maybe it was a good thing that she had plenty of tea left.
Flora prepared the cups as she and Saladin waited for the water to boil.
"Something on your mind, my dear?" Saladin asked, "I remember telling my son and Helia that any problem could be worked out over a cup of tea." Flora smiled as she remembered her mother's same belief, the same belief that had brought her down to the kitchen in the first place.
"I just can't sleep. I just..."
"Yes?" Saladin urged as he clasped his hands behind him.
"I was just thinking about my 'special issue' and how His Highness seems to bring out those powers quite easily." Flora sighed, "And I just...I love him, and I don't want to hurt him because I don't know how to control myself around him. But when he kisses me and puts his hands on me I just…I'm sorry, you probably don't want to hear that. I didn't mean to get carried away like that. It was not proper."
Flora blushed as she did her best to convey her issue to the old man who had become her confidant in the cold castle. She didn't want to be too improper, and she wanted to keep some of the things that she had done with Helia to herself. It was nice having a secret. Miele had always known everything about her and then the princess but now, Flora had something that was hers, even if at the moment he really wasn't hers to claim.
"I see," Saladin nodded as the teapot started to whistle. Saladin pulled the pot off the stove and filled up the two small teacups and handed one to Flora.
"As a former king," Flora blew over the top of her cup as she looked at Saladin, "do you know if anyone in Hademort has the curse?"
"What?" Saladin asked, hoping that Flora would clarify. Not for his sake but for her own, he didn't like hearing Flora refer to what she had as a curse, Saladin certainly didn't see it that way and it appeared as if Helia didn't see her powers as a curse either.
"Do you know if anyone in Hademort has powers like me?" Flora asked.
Saladin took a sip of tea and shook his head, "No, at least nobody native but Hademort has taken in a few refugees of Linphea and other countries who live in the mountains. They don't practice for fear of possible persecution, forced servitude, or deportation but they do contain the gift. They are like you, my dear."
Flora smiled, "Really? There are people like me here? Do you think that they would help me?"
"Perhaps," Saladin shrugged, "but they live miles away and it would take days to reach their village and the journey through the mountains would be dangerous, especially with our coldest months on the horizon."
Flora was silent as she brought her lips back up to her cup. She took another sip and allowed for the hot tea to fall down her throat and settle in her stomach. What was she going to do now? She didn't want Helia to be in pain because she couldn't control herself, but she also wanted to give into Helia. Perhaps it was a good thing that she had her powers, it meant that she wouldn't get too carried away with the prince that she was not destined to be with. She couldn't do that to the princess who was finally starting to warm up to Helia. They had been more and more friendly with one another during their afternoon teas, Helia even replying to Krystal's questions and asking more questions of his own as she would talk about her adventures back in Linphea. But when Helia had his hands on her, Flora couldn't help but want more from him.
Saladin inhaled before taking another long sip of his tea, "Helia loves you and I have never seen him so happy. Not since his mother died. He might be a stubborn and conflicted young man, but he is also stubborn in his love for you. Helia doesn't speak to me much on the matter, maybe he just sees me as some old man who doesn't know what I am talking about. But I was in love once too and if he truly loves you in the way that I know he does, he understands that there are parts of you that you cannot control, just as he has parts of him that he has difficulty controlling. You have loved him despite his faults, do not worry too much, my dear. Helia loves you and your gift, I think that it is time for you to learn to see that what you have is a blessing, not a curse."
Flora sighed. How could she think of her curse as a gift? She had murdered a whole village, how was that a blessing? Sensing her apprehension to come to terms, Saladin continued.
"Your gift has allowed you to take life, but everything has balance. You can also create life through your powers. In your powers yes, there are dangers that have consequences but there is also a beauty that has benefits. I think I remember hearing from an old traveling mystic in the market that guilt and shame often breed turmoil within. You should not feel guilty for loving a man who loves you back. I know that there are obstacles that you two will face but for now, just be happy in the knowledge that there is a man that loves you, every part of you."
Taking another sip of her tea, Flora looked down at her hands and thought about the thorns that shot out of them when she kissed Helia. But she was also reminded of the petals that came out of her hands when she would play with Miele. She supposed that there was beauty with her powers. She loved Helia and loved kissing him, but she also felt guilty and shame. Guilty for kissing a man who did not belong to her and shame because there is no way that anyone should love her so openly and passionately. Maybe that was her issue. Maybe Saladin was right.
"Thank you," Flora said.
"For what, my dear?" Saladin smiled as he finished off his tea.
Flora didn't respond but instead, she finished off her tea and set it in the large sink. She walked over to Saladin and placed a kiss on his cheek.
"Goodnight, Saladin."
Saladin chuckled as he set his cup on the kitchen counter and picked up the small knife to resume cutting the apple.
"Goodnight, my dear."