So, here I am, only a few days later with an update. School starts in three weeks (bleh!). Augest 23rd is my dreaded day.
Okay, so, thanks to all who read. (None reviewed! I'm very disappointed!).
Enough lamenting. Onto the story!
Oh, and this.
WARNING! Extreme fluff!
Chapter 14: Gifts Among Gifts
Before I had even sent a message to my mother, she was here. Literally. I knew she used her gift to get herself here quickly. I gave Kyne a kiss on the cheek and left him to go to bed. I was then that my mother came to sneak up on me.
"Fria!" She squealed like a girl of twelve. I reminded myself that my mother was only forty. "Oh, I'm so happy!" She embraced me. I was in my nightgown, she still in royal garb.
"Mother…" I said through the hug. "I can't breathe…" He immediately let go. "Would you like to explain why you are here? For heaven's sake, I just got engaged two hours ago!"
"You forget the other part of our gift, daughter. The ability to sense extreme emotions." She said, calming down. "You would not believe how strong your excitement was to me." I stepped back.
"You little planner." I said, disbelieving her. "You set me up, like grandmother did you and Father!" I accused.
She didn't hesitate to blush. "Of course. You needed softening. That stable hand really ruined you, didn't he?" I nodded. "Well, Prince Kyne will be good for you." She patted my back.
"He's here, Favian." I said. This time, my heart didn't break from the sound of his name. It was indifferent. "Kyne hid him from me until I was ready." I said.
"Well, that's good, I suppose." She said. "You would not believe how happy your father was, that you have a fiancée and all." She stopped talking. My ears were happy to say the least. When she started talking, no one could stop her. "We'll have to have the wedding in a month or two to have the furthest nobles be able to come. Of course, it'll be a grand event-"
"Mother! The only reason I fell in love with Kyne was because a man named Perhin-"
"Perhin! My god! I have to go tell Tristan!" Before she escaped, I caught her arm, using my gift as a counter-balance so she couldn't leave.
"Mother. Tell me this, is he my uncle?" I asked, holding her in this room tightly.
"Yes, and insane. I'll tell you-"
"Now!" I said, interrupting her.
"Daughter now is-" She tried to leave, but my gift was strengthened by my father's gifts. I overcame her.
"The time! Explain!" I said.
"Perhin wanted to marry me. Tristan really was the Crown Prince. This drove him over the limits of sanity because he had gone mad with lust. He almost- almost-" My mother was shedding tears heavily now. "Let me go, Fria. I need to tell Tristan."
"Mother, did he try to-"
"Y- yes." She said, tears falling heavily. "Now if you'll just let-"
"More explanations. Passing that part, what next?" I dove deeper into my mother's past.
"He- he almost killed Tristan, you and I. Only my gift saved us." She said. "We recovered and sent out a search party, but he turned up missing. Now, you- you met him?"
"Yes." I replied, trying to relive my most feared moment. "He tried on me too, Mother." I said, my mind reverting to Kyne's calming aura.
"He what!" She screeched. "Did your precious prince send out search parties?"
"Yes. He was missing, again. Mother, what's wrong?" I asked, loosening my grip on her gift. She took this moment to disappear. I cursed silently. I ran to Kyne's room and knocked. He opened, looking angry that he had been drug out of bed.
"Fria?" His face immediately brightened. "What are you-"
"Shh. Can I come in?" I asked.
"The court ladies will hear about it-" He said, trying to shield me from the gossip of court ladies.
"Since when have I cared a whit what they thought?" I asked him. He smiled and let me in. "Okay, my mother came." I said.
"How? There were no trumpet no-"
"This is a secret between family, Kyne. Females posses the ability to teleport, you know, move things." I said. Somehow, he wasn't surprised. "Anyways, she appeared in my room. She was happy until I asked her about Perhin," My mind was changing to that fateful night. I was reliving it. I clutched my head. Kyne was there; ready to comfort me.
"Sweet, don't think on it." He whispered, drawing my head upwards. He placed his lips onto mine, caressing my body. It was wonderful. Immediately, my mind calmed and focused on the texture of his lips. Smooth, soft. When he released me from his kiss, my mind was completely devoid of anything but him.
"She explained her past. I won't speak of it. She was scared so much, it took all of my gift to hold her here until she distracted me." I said, rubbing my eyes. Gods, it was late. "She doesn't think I am safe. Or, at least, that's what I took from the conversation." I laid my head on his chest, feeling exhaustion overcome me. I was asleep within minutes. The last thing I remember was Kyne's arms wrapping around me, holding me close to him. I breathed in his calming scent and fell into a dreamless slumber.
-
She slept on my chest. She was tired. I didn't want to move. If I moved, she might wake from her angel-like state. So, I held her in my arms her reddish-gold hair all around her like a halo. I wished I could stay like this forever. Blissful. I put my head onto her halo of red. Her hair smelled like strawberries. I fell asleep, holding her to my chest and slowly breathing in her unique scent.
I awoke first. The butler had come in to check on me. He had found me in the same position as I had been before sleeping. He said nothing about the presence of the visiting princess in my quarters. I silently thanked him. He left. I let Fria awake on her own.
"Kyne? Why am I-" She looked around, then at me. "I remember." She whispered.
I brushed her lips with mine. It spiked passion, but I beat it down. "Good morning sunshine." I whispered to her. She closed her eyes and snuggled closer to my chest.
"Can we stay like this? Comfortable and content?" She asked me. I put my arms on her back, then I leaned down and kissed the top of her head.
"You know I wish we could, Fria." I said into her hair.
I felt her squeeze her eyes shut. "Mother said we have to wait a month."
"Then a month I will wait." I told her confidently.
"Don't you mean 'we'?" She asked, turning herself to I could see her face.
I pressed my lips onto hers. "We it will be." I whispered. She put her arms around my neck and curled up so she was practically on my lap. "You know that will be uncomfortable in a minute?" I asked.
"I can't be if you're the seat, sweet Kyne." She said, rubbing her nose into my chest. She put her head onto my shoulder and stayed there, perfectly still. Without warning, we disappeared.
We reappeared on the bank where we shared our first kiss. She was still in my lap; instead of a chair, I leaned on a tree. The same one I had before. "What- what was that?" I sputtered.
"Teleportation." She said, giggling. She closed her eyes and we reappeared two inches above a pool of water. Before I could grab her, she let me fall and teleported over to the tree. I was wet and she was dry! I got out of the water, before I could reach her, she teleported out of my reach. I threw up my arms in defeat.
"Fine, you win, little minx." I said. I leaned up against the tree and closed my eyes. I felt he weight appear on my lap. I grabbed her and stood. She was kicking and flailing, but I kept her steadily away. When I reached the edge of the pool, I jumped in before she could try and teleport us away from water. She came up sputtering. "I win!" I cheered.
"Watch it, Kyne, I could transport us during those kisses you give me." She teased.
"I wonder what would happen if you-" While talking I had slowly moved closer. Now I pushed her under the water. She came up again. "Were dunked under water." She smiled slyly. We were close. She lashed out a hand.
"Why don't we find out?" She teleported with me in tow. We appeared at the bottom of the pool, she let go and teleported to the surface. I pushed off the bottom, getting closer to the surface. When I was a few feet from the surface, I drew some water in my mouth. I appeared at the surface. I grabbed her hand and kissed her, repeating what she had done to me only a day ago. I released the kiss, leaving her sputtering.
"I guess we found out," I teased. I drew her into a real kiss this time that always left her breathless. I held her close to my chest. "Fria of Auszin and Guen, I love you."
She whispered softly. "Kyne of Auldn, I love you."