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Mate. I still scoff at that word, before the feelings of remorse set in. I’ve been gone for weeks now and wonder what she must think of me.
How soft I’ve become. A human has plagued my mind, which should be focused on strategies to defeat our enemies in the dark forest. I came here to clear my head, cast out the memories of her, to no avail.
I regain my focus on my footwork. Soft and quiet was the only way to walk the boundaries of the dark forest. The King needs information about the boundaries and sent out five volunteers to look for weak points. We were not to return until we found a weak point. Of course, I was chosen as lead.
Being away from the palace is the only thing I knew to do. Being near her, feeling that magnetic attraction to everything about her. It isn’t a physical pull I feel, it is a call to know her soul. The tethers that seem to be forming between us weaken the longer I am away, but I still haven’t been able to eradicate them.
The sticks creak softly beneath my steps. It was rare for the monsters to traverse near the city lines, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t if they sense danger. I crouch to examine an opening through the trees. A clear path into the forest, a worthy report for the King.
The King. The throne I must take to rule this city. The only thing I’ve wanted since I was a child, until I met her. My life path seemed to be shifting, and discord raged in my chest. I have always been well-prepared for battle, but not against myself.
I hear rustling leaves deep within the forest. Now is not the time for a battle. I back up quietly, retreating from the forest line. We had an answer for the King, which meant I would be returning to my palace.
I think of prepared food and my bed, luxuries we were not provided on this mission to the boundary. While my creature comforts sound glorious in this moment, the ties I feel to her make me reluctant to return. To be close to her, hear her, touch her could mean defeat for my hopeful reign.
A twig snaps beneath my feet. My heart pounds as I hold my breath. I furrow my brow as I focus my gaze deep into the forest. My head clears, and ears open for any sign of danger.
I hear a low grumble for a second about a mile ahead of me. All is silent but the breeze. Between the wind, I listen intently. Silence is broken by a shriek shaking the trees.
“Retreat!” I yell to my fellow warriors fiercely.
Running far from the boundary, we do not look back for the monster. The miles separating the city and the boundary are long, and I hear my warriors struggling to keep up. I feel my armor pounding against my chest as we sprint far from danger. My legs carry me far, and I feel my chest begin to drip with sweat.
Behind the walls. That was the only safe place to rest.
“Head for the walls!” I yell to my warriors.
Sprinting through the gate, I watch my warriors rest their hands on their knees, panting. I scoff and wonder if they have undergone thorough training. If they couldn’t handle that, they were surely not ready for battle.
The guards close the gates behind us as I watch my warriors recover. I see the panic in their eyes and exhaustion on their bodies. We had been looking for answers for weeks now, and they were malnourished.
“I found an opening,” I say to them as they recover. “We have the information the King has requested.”
“Does that mean we can go back?” One of the warriors asks me with hopeful eyes. I roll mine before responding.
“Yes, we can go back,” I say, leading them on the road back to the palace.
The King was pleased with my report. Another step in my plan to gain his approval. Proving myself not only as a warrior, but a confidant, was paramount to gain his endorsement.
I arrive at the mansion and look at the doors with skepticism. The slanted roofs are illuminated by the sunrise, giving my home an eerie appearance. I feel a tingling in my gut, the same I get on the rare occasion when I am about to face a worthy opponent. Shoving the tingling down and clearing my mind with a shake of my head, I enter the mansion.
I walk to the bedroom we shared weeks ago, slowly opening the door. The bed was made perfectly. I felt a spike of panic in my chest. Where had she gone?
Walking through each room the panic strikes more and overcomes my logic. Each bed is made, every room is cleaned thoroughly with no sight of her. Thoughts of her escaping, or worse, getting caught by some monster shot through my mind.
With the servants and butler still asleep, I hurry downstairs to check more rooms. Had they been so stupid as to let her wander the city at dawn with no supervision? I would have the butler’s head if they had.
Making my rounds in the rooms, I enter the library. My heart stops, and the panic fades. There she is.
Sleeping soundly in a chair by the window, wearing a gorgeous gold satin gown. She couldn’t hide her beauty in this moment even if she tried. Her dirty blonde hair was wrapped in a bun, with light strands hanging around her face.
I approach her and watch her chest rise and fall, her bosom peering slightly above the gown’s deep neckline. I thought of the feel of her breasts on my hands, the taste of her skin as she gripped my biceps. The memory that caught me most was her eyes. While the physicality of that night had been incredible, there was something deeper to her than a body.
I peer down at the book in her lap and smile. What a little minx, reading romance novels in her free time. I pick up the book slowly and place it on the table, looking back down at her face. Her features couldn’t be any more perfect.
She stirs slightly and wraps her hands around her arms. She could be cold. Winter was coming, and the winds of fall chilled the mansion.
I take off my jacket and lay it on her, my hands brushing against her collarbones. Even a slight touch was enough to send my heart pounding. I look through the window at the sun rising. She would wake with the light soon, and I needed sleep to regain my strength.
