This chapter is from Panic! At The Disco - When the Day Met the Night. I don't think I'll ever find a more perfect song to fit a chapter ever again.

Riftan was starting to understand why Maximilian was so agitated. He hadn't felt this nervous in years.

He had tried to find a way to wrap the gift, but the merchant didn't have anything that he deemed good enough and all of Riftan's clothes still smell like horses despite being washed. It left him just holding it, fiddling with the thick chain as he made his way towards the garden.

He could almost feel his stepfather's words creeping into his mind as a little part of him wished she wasn't there. It would give him the chance to chuck the damn thing deep into the woods where no one would find it and leave it at that. But he shook it off. Riftan swore to himself he would give her something and so he would. Who knows, maybe she would like it.

I can afford to keep looking up, even for just a little while.

Riftan's pace slowed down a little as he heard a familiar giggle coming from the garden. The sweet sound of her laughter made him forget about his worries and he softly smiled while making his way around the annex.

When he saw her in the garden he started to chuckle. lady Maximilian, daughter of a powerful duke, was currently sitting on the ground and using a long piece of grass to play with that same large cat. Whenever she brought the 'toy' up in the air the cat jumped to bat at it causing the lady to burst into giggles. It completely contrasts the vision of her as a child, with a melancholy face as she hugged the hunting hound.

He was tempted to just sit down and watch the joyful scene from afar, but he knew better. Soon the bell would ring out again. It may call out throughout the day but during these moments between them it was his enemy, calling her back to the castle where he would have to wait yet again to have some time alone with her.

Before he could even get a chance to announce his presence, Maximilian looked up from playing and spotted him. At first, she looked panicked, but it quickly turned into a smile. It was unbelievable and the thought of her smiling every time they met made him so damn happy.

Maximilian quickly abandoned the 'toy' and made her way towards him with the cat quickly chasing after her. Both nearly forgot their formalities as they clumsily greeted each other.

"Forgive me my lady, I didn't mean to interrupt." Riftan said with a smirk while looking down at the cat pawing at the hem of her dress.

"Oh, we h-have been...p-playing for a-a wh-while...now." His smirk turned into a smile as Maximilian started to gently sway, causing the hem of her dress to move much to the cat's delight.

"What time do you normally come out here?"

"Oh." Her movements stopped as she began to play with some of her hair. "W-well...it d-depends."

"On?"

She stayed quiet for a moment, making Riftan more than a little curious.

"On wh-when m-my...ha-handmaids leave me on...m-my own." She looked away while answering, but he could clearly see the frustrated look on her face.

Her answer didn't make much sense, why on earth would a lady follow her maid's orders?

"You can't just order them away? You're their lady."

She gave a small shrug as her messing with her hair became a little more flustered causing the curls to poof up a little.

"Th-they...th-they're v-very...pr-protective of...me."

Riftan's thoughts from the other night of her health came back in force, causing that knife in his heart to twist even further.

How ill is she?

"D-do y-you...you come h-here every day?"

Her innocent question cut him off before he could ask about her health. When his mind processed what she had asked Riftan could feel his face get warm and he coughed into his fist. Suddenly he regretted his earlier question.

Seeming to figure it out for herself, the lady started to blush herself and put her hands up in defense.

"I'm...I'm...s-so s-sorry S-sir Riftan. I... did I... I w-wanted to f-finish your g-gift before-

"It's okay." he quickly said, hand twitching to reach out and hug her to calm her down. But he shook off the impulse. "I... enjoy walking."

Both stood in silence at that comment, and he felt the blush coming back.

That sounded fucking stupid.

"I have an idea." Riftan shifted his feet before taking a step closer to her. "You don't want your maids to know of this, right?" He tried not to cringe at his wording, it made him sound like a creep. But if his idea worked it would mean more time with her.

Maximilian looked back at the castle, as if all the talking of her maids would make them magically appear in the garden. Seeing that the coast was clear she turned back towards him she nodded.

"We see each other nearly every day in the halls."

She blushed and nodded again, making him smile.

"Then why don't we do this." He took another step closer to her and watched her hands as she started to play with her hair again. "When I ask you how you are, mention the weather if you're going to be in the gardens. I'll come here around this...no." he shook his head; the bell was bound to ring out soon. "I'll be here earlier than I was today. How's that?"

She seemed to think it over, making him nervous all over again until she smiled and nodded.

"I'd...l-like th-that."

Relief settled over Riftan until he remembered the necklace in his hand. Clearing his throat, he shifted a bit where he stood.

"I got you something."

The smile on her face turned into surprise and she shook her head, causing her hair to be freed from her hands.

"Y-you d-didn't...need to-to-"

"I wanted to." Riftan quickly interjected; it felt weird to say that, but it was the truth. He moved to hand the necklace to her but stopped as he remembered something.

"Turn around."

Most Ladies would admonish him for ordering her in such a way, but Maximilian only gave him a questioning look before doing as he said. It made him feel oddly warm.

He had to swallow a few times before reaching out a shaking hand to brush the red curls over her shoulder. It was incredibly soft and surprisingly light. He loved how there seemed to be different types of curls hidden in her hair, some wavy while others in tiny coils that perfectly wrapped around his finger.

Riftan nearly forgot what he had wanted to do until Maximilian looked over her shoulder at him.

"Sir Riftan?"

Quickly, Riftan cleared his throat and moved to place the necklace around her slender neck. He was thankful for how easy the chain was to hook considering how badly his hands shook. When he deemed it secure Riftan lowered his hands back to his side and waited in anticipation. He couldn't see her face but was able to watch as she reached up to touch the stone, rubbing her thumb over it just as he did.

I wonder if she noticed it too.

The thought made him smirk until he heard a little hiccup from her.

Shit! Did I offend her? Does she hate it that much?

He felt panicked and the warmth he once had turned to ice. Of course, she wouldn't, what lady would want such a tacky-

"Th-thank you."

His thoughts grinded to a halt at the sound of her voice. Slowly, the lady turned around to face him and she was smiling, truly genuinely smiling despite having tears in her eyes.

How in the hells could a cheap necklace make her that happy? He couldn't wrap his head around it and started to rub the back of his neck, keeping his hand busy instead of reaching out to brush the tears off her cheek.

"My apologies, it's not-"

She quickly shook her head while wiping away her tears, as if she could tell it was tempting him.

"No, I... l-love it. Th-"

Her words were cut off by the chiming of that damn bell, but Riftan was a little happy to see she looked as disappointed as him for the interruption.

Feeling a little more selfish than normal, Riftan held onto her hand a little longer after kissing it, running his thumb over her knuckles. He watched as she smiled up at him before lowering his eyes to look at the necklace. It was strange how nice it looked on her. Its rough texture and dark colors contrasted against her alabaster skin beautifully.

Riftan slowly released her hand and began to turn away until he noticed her taking a step forward then stopping with a frustrated look. She was actually starting to pout while fiddling with the pendent.

Fuck, she's adorable.

"My lady?" He was trying his best not to laugh at her behavior but ended up chuckling at her next comment making her blush.

"Y-you're too...t-tall."

"I'm sorry?"

"W-would...S-sir Riftan, p-please um..." she kept fumbling with her words as her blush deepened until she huffed and shyly motioned for Riftan to lower himself.

If any other noble were to ask him that he would tell them no in a way that would leave Triton smacking him on the back of the head, but this was her, so he does.

Giving Maximilian a curious look, Riftan moved to kneel in front of the lady now causing him to have to look up at her. Her free-flowing hair fell over her shoulders as she looked down, her hands going from playing with the necklace to pulling on her sleeves again as she took a step towards him.

The whole world around Riftan seemed to freeze as her face came closer to his. He couldn't think or dare to move. All he could do was close his eyes and focus on the feeling of her hair ticking his face. Normally, he would hate the touch of some women's hair against his cheek, that had been ruined years ago. However, any bitter memories of that feeling were quickly erased by the smell of Maximilian's perfume surrounding him and the warm brush of her lips against his cheek.

Riftan wasn't sure if the lady quickly took a step back out of embarrassment or due to him shooting back up to his feet. All he was sure of was that he stupidly thanked her while watching the damn cat rubbing against his boot.

If she had said anything back it was drowned out by the sound of his own heartbeat and when she quickly left him alone Riftan took some steps back until he hit a tree. Slowly, the stunned knight slid down until he hit the ground. Someone could come by and tell him his castle had crumbled, his lands salted, and his sword stolen, and it still wouldn't be able to distract him from the fact that lady Maximilian Croyso had just kissed him.

Riftan sat there in silence as he covered his eyes with his hands. His face was starting to hurt with how much she was making him smile.3

The next morning as Riftan passed by lady Maximilian in the halls she made sure to comment on how windy it was.

He felt rather satisfied with the idea working. Allowing him to enjoy the cool breeze with Maximilian close beside him as they sat behind the tree line on his cloak. Smiling, Riftan looked over at the lady holding that cat again like it was an infant while wearing the necklace he gave her. He could die right then and there and feel content with life.

"I don't think I've ever seen a cat being held like that before."

"H-he's a t-terrible...mouser. Poor th-thing would s-starve if I... didn't f-feed him." she said while cooing at the cat before rubbing her cheek against the top of its fuzzy head. The lady was rewarded with a loud purr.

"Perhaps feeding him is the reason why he won't do his job."

"No... maybe, b-but just l-look at h-him." Maximilian held up the loudly purring cat for Riftan to see. As if witnessing the thing being fawned over by the lady would garner any sympathy from him. If anything, her doting on the cat only made Riftan feel like an idiot for being jealous of the damn thing.

"From how he fawns over you, I see that saying is true for cats as well." he grumbled

"Wh-what saying?"

Shrugging, Riftan leaned farther back against the tree while stretching out his long legs.

"Way to a man's heart is through his stomach, guess it's true for cats."

Maximilian glanced down at the purring fluff, looking to be deep in thought before speaking up.

"Is th-that true?"

"Most of the time." he said with a light chuckle.

They sat in a calm silence as the wind started to pick up, causing the light peeking through the leaves above to shift and dance around them. Riftan contentedly watched as the lady brushed her windblown hair out of her face before braiding it. The movement of the red curls seemed to perk the cat up as it started to paw at the strands.

Damn cat doesn't know how good he has it.

His eyes travel from her slender fingers moving the curls in a rhythmic pattern up to where the necklace sat perfectly above the neckline of her dress. He couldn't help but notice that the fabric she was wearing matched some of the bronze hues in the metal. It made him want to buy her more jewelry...which reminded him.

"What do you like?"

"P-pardon?"

"I'm assuming you don't just wander around the castle or sit in the garden all day. What do you like to do?"

"I... like...e-embroidering and r-reading."

He didn't know shit about embroidering so any gift related to that was out of the question. Books, however, that he could work with.

"What do you like to read?"

Maximilian gave a small shrug while struggling with her curls. "A-anything...mostly h-history." She stopped messing with her hair and looked up at the rustling leaves. "I... e-enjoy p-poems and... l-literature from th-the R-Roemian Empire." She smiled softly while stealing a quick glance from him before looking back at the cat. "I a-also enjoy l-learning about...places I-I've never b-been...before."

Riftan got the sudden urge to take Maximilian to Anatol, if only to go riding with her to show off his lands when the wildflowers were in full bloom. He was also pleasantly surprised by what she liked to read. He tried to think back to the collection of books he had back home. The library had old books that were once owned by the Roemian knight who had ruled Anatol and Ruth had been spending any money he could on either his tower or building up the library. So, there was a good chance there could be books she would enjoy. The more he thought of her coming to Anatol the more his shoulders dropped. It would be a cold day in all the hells before the duke would allow that.

I might never see her again after this.

Swallowing down the lump in his throat, Riftan tried to think of something more pleasant.

"Here I thought most noble ladies read those frilly romance books."

Her soft smile shifted into a look of embarrassment and her cheeks turned a light shade of pink.

"I-I s-s-suppose...y-yes."

He quickly noticed the sudden increased stuttering and blush. He wondered how much fun it would be to tease her. Leaning closer to the lady Riftan smirked, he could swear she leaned in as well.

"Read any of those?" he asked in a low voice which caused Maximilian to quickly scoot away from him.

"Y-you sh-shouldn't ask a l-lady such th-th-things!"

Riftan barked out a laugh, he'd never seen someone turn so red so fast before.

"Forgive me, my lady." God, he loved making her flustered and noticed she didn't deny it. Riftan no longer wondered what fun teasing her would be, now he wanted to know what books the lady had been reading to make her blush such a pretty shade of red.

God she's adorable when she pouts.

Feeling some pity for Maximilian, Riftan decided to save the question for a later date.

"What have you read lately?"

The more innocent question seemed to calm her down a little, though there was still a tint of pink to her face.

"Oh...w-well...I s-started to r-read about...w-wyverns."

Well, he didn't expect that.

"My lady, don't tell me you're planning on hunting more sub-dragons."

She smiled and shifted a little where she sat, petting the cat who slowly crept back onto her lap, having previously jumped out of it due to Riftan's laughter.

"N-no... I was..c-curious because...I o-overheard lady D-Duranne talking about h-how...you f-fought eighteen on y-your own."

"Eight." Riftan quickly corrected. He wasn't that surprised the number had risen to eighteen, he figured Ruth had made sure it retold with some outrageous numbers. Instead, he was surprised that she had even heard the story in the first place. Ruth had only spread that story around in order for them to gain more employment.

"Wh-what?"

"It was only eight."

She blinked a few times before her eyes grew wide with shock. It made him feel a little uncomfortable.

"What?"

"I... I k-knew it...m-must be e-exaggerated...b-but eight?" Slowly, Maximilian turned to better face Riftan. "I-is it...true th-they are twelve m-meters t-tall?" (40ft)

That uncomfortable feeling started to grow as Riftan felt self-conscious again, running a hand over his hair while looking away before shrugging. "It varies, but that's their average height."

"H-how...old were y-you?"

He wasn't quite sure why that mattered but after thinking back for a moment he answered.

"Sixteen?"

Maximilian quickly shifted to sit even closer to him, her knees now touching the side of his leg. It almost distracted him from her outburst.

"Y-you s-survived against eight at s-s-sixteen?!"

Riftan felt his stomach start to twist. He wanted to tell her it was possibly different from what she was picturing but when he looked over at her he she look awestruck. Most heard this story and saw him as a type of monster, a profitable one, but a monster, nonetheless. Yet, here she was, looking up at her 'Knight in shining armor' as if he had just performed some grand act just for her.

Slowly, he nodded, not trusting his voice at the moment.

At his silent answer, the lady settled herself back a little all while still looking up at him.

"Y-you're...amazing." The affirmation was said in a soft whisper, but they struck his heart in a way he wasn't used to.

"It wasn't just by myself. I had help from a mage."

"C-could you t-tell me more? Wh-what was...the m-mage's n-name?" As if she suddenly realized she was a lady, all manners seemed to come flooding back. Maximilian gently moved to sit in a more dignified way before calmly adding a soft. "P-please?"

Riftan hated the small bit of jealousy he had towards her excitement for Ruth, but he swallowed it down. He had no right to be jealous of anyone. Riftan knew she would never be his, to just be grateful for the friendship developing between them. This was more than he could ever ask for. He had dreamed of getting this close to Maximilian, of hearing her voice and having her smile up at him. However, now that it was happening, he wasn't sure how to handle it. The emotions she was bringing out were so intense, sometimes even unpleasant. Still, he knew he didn't want this to end.

Clearing his throat, Riftan began to tell her the story of when he was a mercenary and was convinced to take on a job from some insufferable nobleman. Riftan paused for a moment, waiting for her reaction to finding out he was once a common sell sword, but she didn't seem phased by it, so he continued. Normally he didn't like talking about past fights, for better or worse that was Ruth's job, but Maximilian seemed so hooked on every word that he couldn't help but find some enjoyment from it. He didn't tell it in some grand way like Gabel would, just blunt facts of the battle and his frustration with the failed magic. He did leave out a few details, not sure if telling the lady how he threw a hook into the wyvern's eye would be a good idea. The lack of gore or flair didn't seem to make her enjoy the story any less. Whenever he mentioned magic, her eyes lit up and when he was describing the spell Ruth had used to catch him, she had moved closer to Riftan again, no longer sitting next to him but now face to face.

Just as he got to the point of what happened with the payment with the nobleman the bells rang out causing both to let out a disappointed sigh.

"W-will...would y-you be so k-kind to tell...m-me more s-stories? It f-feels as if...y-you've l-lived such a... a r-rich l-life." It was an innocent question, but all Riftan could think about was the less than pleasant moments in his life. That close call with that drake, the pathetic moments of him using her during those illusions, the blatant hatred he experienced in Balto or even when his room was frequently broken into by some naked woman failing to force herself on him. Riftan resisted a shiver at those memories. He'd have to really think it over on what to tell her next time.

Taking her hand in his, Riftan gently helped the lady stand on her feet before slowly kissing it. The warmth of her hand and the soft blush she gave him was already melting away the unpleasant memories that surfaced. It was also making it all too tempting to tease her again.

"I would be honored to tell you more, my lady." She smiled brightly at that but faltered a little as Riftan brought her hand back to his lips. "But only if you tell me about those books you've been reading." Riftan had kept the back of her hand against his lips as he spoke in a lowered voice. It had a pleasant effect of making the lady blush brightly yet again. It was to the point where her ears and neck looked as if she had been burned by the sun.

"Th-th-that w-would be in-in-appropriate!"

Letting her hand slip from his, Riftan cocked his head to the side and smiled down at her. "So, you have read them."

He could only imagine how hot her face must have felt at that moment. Maximilian was unable to say a single word to him as she puffed out her cheeks in defiance before quickly spinning around and running back towards the castle with the cat chasing after her.

All Riftan could do at that moment was laugh.