VI.
"Time to get up!"
I was awakened early the next morning by Sasarai's cheery sing-song voice. It was almost pleasant to my ears, but I gave myself a pinch as a reminder of just who was in the room with me. I'd have to be more careful if I didn't want to get snuck up on in the middle of the night!
I stretched, keeping an eye on him as he went to open the drapes and let the sunshine in. Incidentally, my hand brushed against the headpiece Leknaat had given me. I sat up in the bed, holding the jewel in my hand. I wanted to say something to him, since I'd been unable to the night before, but... Well, the hell with it, I decided. If he's still out to get me, he can just have me! He'd been really nice up to this point, but this last act was crumbling that wall that I was struggling so futilely to build up against him.
Clearing my throat as Sasarai crossed the room, I murmured, "...Thanks."
He stopped in his tracks, spinning to face me. "For what?"
I grinned sheepishly. He wasn't making it easy for me, but I didn't deserve it so I had nothing to complain about. "Thank you, Sasarai, for getting this back for me," I said, a blush creeping to my face.
He smiled so sweetly I wanted to--ah! No! Stop! Don't think like that--!
"You're welcome," he said softly.
I slipped it back under my pillow. "Guess it'll have to stay here, though, huh?"
"Oh, not at all," he said. "I had a nice, long talk with Master Macoreth. You can wear this headpiece anywhere you like. But...I would avoid any more confrontations with him if I were you."
I nodded gratefully, and then reached again for the pillow.
"No," he interrupted, coming to my side. "Let me."
I stared at him with wide eyes, my heart racing. He wanted me to turn my back to him? Did I dare to trust him?
I can't keep getting scared every time he comes near me, I thought, or else I'll never get any studying done. Or sleeping, for that matter.
I took a deep breath and turned away from him. Sasarai stuck his hand under my pillow and pulled out the jeweled headband. He sat down on the bed just behind me, and draped his arms around my shoulders. Suddenly I began to feel a quite different sort of fear.
Sasarai placed the crystal on my forehead, but it was a little crooked. I reached up to straighten it to the center of my forehead, but he stopped me. "Let me," he said again. I dropped my hand back into my lap. Sasarai's finger brushed along the length of my nose as he got the stone lined up. Then he fastened it behind my head. "Let's go see," he said, climbing off of the bed. He held out his hands for me.
Gulping, I slowly reached out to him.
Sasarai took my hands, and I allowed the sheets to slip away as I stood in my nightclothes and let him lead me to the vanity. There he stood behind me before the mirror, his head to the side so we could look into each other's eyes through the glass; it almost looked as though his head was on my shoulder.
It's been said that Sasarai and I look very much alike. We both have shoulder-length brown hair and lavender eyes, we're both thin and somewhat pale. Looking at us now, though, I saw something else. We were looking at each other with a strange intensity, my jeweled headband nearly forgotten.
Sasarai looked away and slowly came closer, until his body was pressed to my back. He looked back into my eyes as though asking for permission to do this beautiful thing he was doing, this peace offering, and I was too dazed by then to give him a decent answer. So I just stood there and let him do it.
His head finally came to rest on my shoulder as his slender arms slipped around my waist. My arms suddenly felt very long and awkward; I didn't know what to do with them. He was there to guide me. His hand reached down for mine, and placed one over his, then held it there. I wasn't sure if I should bring my free arm up to hold his other hand or not, so I just left it where it was. He was studying my face in the mirror. His lips breathed the word I was thinking when he murmured, "Beautiful..."
My heart was beating so wildly I was sure he could feel it.
He was looking at my forehead. "Did Lady Leknaat give it to you?" he asked quietly.
"Whaaaat...?" Oh, headband. Right. "Y-yes. A good-luck charm," I said quickly.
He nodded against my neck, his hair in mine. He reached up with one free hand to brush some loose hair behind my ear. "It's lovely." He was looking back into my eyes in the mirror. "She's...a beautiful woman, the Seer," he said. "Or so I've heard."
It was a prompt. I've had little interaction with other people, but I'm no fool. He was asking if the lady was anything more than a teacher to me. "So I've heard," I echoed.
He let go of me suddenly, spinning me around to face him so quickly I was frightened. It was exciting, too, though, the way he suddenly grabbed hold of my shoulders so tightly, the way he gazed so intently into my eyes.
"Luc, you must tell me now or I'll never get through the day: do you have any...feelings, for any woman?"
I was shocked by his sudden question, one that mirrored my own. "...I've never felt anything...for any woman," I admitted at last.
He looked relieved. That shook me. I wasn't sure what kind of game he was playing, but I didn't want it to stop.
"Oh, Luc! Would you look at the time!" He thrust me away. "You've got to be in class this morning! You'd better bathe first. I've already had water drawn. Shoo!" He pushed me into the bathroom and slammed the door, and I could have sworn I heard him laughing.