"So do you want to tell me the real reason you decided to come along?" she asked him.
"I figured you could use the company," he grinned back at her.
"I don't buy it."
"I'm sorry, what?"
Ben was caught completely off guard by her remark. She had seemed a bit off back in Aurora. But he hadn't expected her to snap at him like this.
"I've been alone for two years. Two! No one ever wants to just sit down and talk to me about the weather anymore. Everybody wants something. And I seem to be the only who can get it for them. So what do you want?"
"Elle," he said stopping for a moment. He thought about telling her the truth. And he wondered if it would be a wise decision. It would make her angry. But the truth would eventually been discovered. Knowing that would probably only make things worse, he braced himself for impact. "Collins sent me. And the old man with twitchy hands."
"Fools," she sighed. "Well now that you've found me, what do you intend to do?"
"I'm here, aren't I?"
Eleanor laughed, turning to face where he stood behind her. "Right."
"I don't understand, Elle. You have everything you ever wanted. You're a brilliant person. And there are men just lining up in waiting to see when, and by that I mean if, you decide to marry."
"I had a choice," she said, slamming her stick into the sand. "And I already made it. Long ago."
He thought about the day he went to her before he left. She was giving him the same look.
"I know you're lonely but you can't -"
"Let make it simple…" she interrupted, bringing her hand to forehead. "I waited for you. One day at a time."
She was quiet just rubbing her hand back and forth on her head trying to either rid of the sweat or the headache that had suddenly sprung upon her. The other was on her hip and she shifted her weight under his pressure. He honestly thought she had just been lonely. It was more than just that. She felt betrayed. At one point and time, she was that adorable new puppy everyone in the family wanted. And when she had grown old and couldn't play or run anymore, they dumped her on the street next to the garbage. People would walk by and pat her on the head. They always felt sorry for her. But no one ever scooped her up to take her home. She felt used.
"I was courted a few times, it's true. I had men with fancy hats and nice ties. But do you know how many fools bought me a bouquet of roses and gems wrapped in a pretty box? Do you know how many tea times at sunset I've had? Do you know how many times I had to fake a smile to tolerate a boring story that had something to do with money? All I ever wanted was a daisy picked off the side of the road, a cold pint of beer, and someone to share adventures with. And I had that once."
Eleanor waited a few moments for Ben to reply. But he didn't. He couldn't even make eye contact with her at that point. So with that being said, she dug her stick from the ground and continued to walk forward. The last time Ben had seen Elle, she was sitting behind a desk full papers. Her crown sat delicately upon her hair, fashioned into a braid on the back of her head. She was wearing her royal blue robes. And now, she was walking in front of him with light brown pants fastened tightly with cloth around the bottoms only revealed by the hem of her boots. She wore a red sash around her waist and her tunic was Auroran.
"How long have you been here?" Ben asked, trying to break the awkward silence.
Elle shot him a glance from over her shoulder.
"You don't want to talk, now?"
"You shouldn't be so noisy. The sand furies will hear you."
"To hell with the sand furies."
"Seriously, Ben," she turned around on such short notice that Ben almost fell backward down the dune. "Unless you want to get ambushed by about twenty of the most dangerous inhabitants of this desert, you need to shut it. We aren't far from shelter."
They walked silently until Eleanor had found the spot she was looking for. Ben was quite intrigued that she had managed to find a place like it. It looked like it had been a building at some point. There was a stone floor and a few pillars still stood around them. There were stairs leading down against a rock wall but they had been broken for some time. The pieces of its remains were covered in mounds of sand.
"It sticks out a bit, don't you think?"
Eleanor tapped her foot on the ground. "They can't surprise you under stone. We'll be fine. If they want to ambush us, they'll have to pop out over there. And we'll see them coming."
Ben looked up. Around one of the columns was a tattered red sash waving in the sunlight.
"This where you do your shopping," he gestured to her belt.
"That's one of the markers. We're still in their territory. But once we get closer to the temple, they won't touch us. It's cursed ground."
"Cursed?"
"The beasties are religious and superstitious. And they're smart. So just watch where your step out there when you decide to take a bathroom break. We'll rotate watches when the sun goes down."
"Can you make a fire?"
"I don't need a fire. The stars are bright enough out here."
"It gets cold though, from what I remember."
"That it does," she nodded as she crouched next to her pack.
He watched as she rummaged through it, remembering he hadn't brought anything for the journey. He had a small bag around his shoulder with a few pieces of bread and some flint. Eleanor quietly handed him a small blanket. Upon observing it, he realized it was a shawl.
"It's not really my color," he jested.
"It's all I have. I wasn't expecting company."
Never had he felt so defeated. There were plenty of times he had angered a woman. It usually ended in a slap to the face. And he really was used to the silence. But the sharp tone in Elle's voice stung worse than even the most painful of slaps. He touched the side of his face in thought.
"Look, Elle, I know-"
"I would rather just drop it," she sighed, throwing her arms to her side. "I'm really sorry. I really am. And I know I'm angry. But it's already happened. We can't change it."
"But I would like to," Ben said quietly.
Eleanor flopped on her make shift bed of various colored blankets. She leaned her back against the wall with an unbelieving look on her face. Her eyes shimmered from the tears trying to force their way through. She turned her head and looked at the sun. Over the horizon was the temple. Being alone would have been optimum. However, her situation had drastically changed. She would just have to deal with it.
"You had a choice, too. Just as much as I did," she said looking off into the distance. "And you know what I'm sorry about the most… is that I made the wrong one."
The hand across his face turned into a dagger in his heart. He hung his head as he felt his heart sink. He never would have thought Elle would speak to him this way and he wondered what exactly it was that triggered her anger. After an awkward silence and many thoughts, Ben decided it would be better just to leave well enough alone. There was no point in trying to ask for forgiveness while she was so bitter.
"Why did you do it?" she finally asked as the sun began to set.
Ben lifted his head. "What?"
"Why did you kiss me?"
He rubbed his hand down his face with a slight chuckle. "I don't know, Elle."
Eleanor could never understand what happened that night. To make things worse, his actions toward her throughout the last few years had complicated things even more. Their friendship, or what she thought might have been more, was awkward between them once she sat on the throne. She had wanted to ask him that question for so long. And his answer was not what she wanted to hear. In fact, she wasn't even really certain what it was the she wanted.
"Just…" he started to say. He paused and bit the top of his bottom lip. "I'm not good at this kind of thing. But I can't just sit here and let you treat me like this. At least let me try, Elle. At least until this over."
What he had meant to say didn't quite come out the way he would have liked. But it was a start, at the least, and it was enough for Elle to feel a tinge of guilt. She really did wait for him. And every day she spent waiting, her sadness had gotten worse until the day she just wasn't sad any more. When she thought she would be perfectly fine alone in the world to do as she pleased, there was Ben. It was like he happened to fall out of the sky. It made her angry. That all this time she needed him and he was never there. And then poof…
"Alright," Elle finally said.
"Alright?" Ben repeated inquisitively.
"Alright," she said again, nodding. "Why don't you start by making a fire? It will get cold soon."
Ben could almost make out that defying smirk on her face she was always so famous for. If it were any other situation, he would normally retort with some smart-alecky remark. But he wouldn't dare tread down that rocky road right now. It was good enough just to hear her cheerful voice, again. With a sigh of great relief, he dug in his small pack for his flint. Before the sun fell beneath the horizon, he had a small fire blazing between them. The two companions made awkward eye contact and would smile before looking away. They remained quiet until Eleanor pulled a bottle of wine from her pack.
"Now that's more like it," Ben grinned, taking the bottle from her to pop the cork.
"I can actually enjoy the silence out here. For now, anyway," she shrugged.
"Have you ever fought sand furies?"
"A handful of times," she said, taking a drink. "I infiltrated a temple once."
"I think I recall that tale. What are they like?"
"Imagine fighting smaller balverines. Only they don't have claws. They have swords."
"So I take it a rifle wouldn't be of much use."
"Avo, no," she laughed. "Getting any kind of range on them is impossible. You better hope I can handle anything that comes our way."
"My sword play isn't that bad. I've been known to hold my weapon well from time to time."
He smirked coyly and watched as Eleanor tried to suppress her smile.
"I will leave you here. I'll have none of that," she shook her head.
"I beg your pardon, my lady," he gestured with his hand as if he were bowing. "How rude of me."
"You should be ashamed of yourself," she pointed at him, bottle still in hand.
"Shame is one word for it."
The bottle passed back and forth between the two of them. It emptied fast with them talking amongst each other. She had another bottle in her pack and wondered if it was wise to open it. Taking it out carefully, she examined it for a while in her hand, rolling it back and forth.
"Eh, why not?" Ben said on the other side of the fire.
"I don't sleep very well without it," she admitted.
Ben scooted closer in her direction to avoid the fire when he held out his hand. "Give it here, then."
She looked up at him in disbelief, not sure if he was helping her out of pity or encouragement for his own enjoyment. Nevertheless, she handed him the bottle. He popped the cork quickly and took the first drink. What was two bottles of wine to him, after all?
"I'll take the first watch."
"It hasn't been dark that long," she claimed defensively.
"With another bottle open for us to share, I certainly hope not."
Finally, Elle felt as if she belonged somewhere. Though, she always knew sitting next to a camp fire in the wilderness (any kind of wilderness) was the right place for her to be. A comfortable bed in a decorated room was nice. But she felt like a bird in cage, always looking at the fancy mirror on the bars, wondering who the person was reflecting back at her. No one was there to tell her to get some sleep, to take away her books, or to catch her from sneaking out. She began to laugh at the thought.
"What?" Ben said, laughing along with her for no reason at all.
"Just the look on Hobson's face when I made it to that portal."
Eleanor was quiet after that, not really sure if there were any more comments to be made. "Ben," she finally said. "It's not safe in there. You know that?"
"If I didn't, do you think it would change my mind to know?"
"Of course not," she looked down. "It's just… you've never been in there. You don't know what we'll find."
"And you do?"
"Yes… well… sort of."
"What if the place is empty? No one home. What if you completely wiped them out for good?"
"Then we can celebrate later. But I still need to know the whole thing is… is gone."