Bad Temptations

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We arrive to the kitchen on a lower note than we left my room in. Didn't think that was possible.

Alex leads me to the pantry, making me wonder how long I've really been asleep for.

"What'd ya want? You know what—never mind. I'll surprise you." He guides me to chair at the small dinner table and goes back to the kitchen and grabs bread and other miscellaneous items out.

I unfocus my eyes and begin to think of nothing out of pure exhaustion. I hear Alex pulling out pots and pans and the sound of them clicking together, but I don't register any of it.

Before I know it, a plate is being set in front of me. I look down lazily and view the food. It smells of some various meat, and cooked vegetables line the side. I look up at Alex to see he's already putting the clean kitchen ware away. How long have I been staring at my plate?

I look back down and start cutting the meat into smaller pieces and place them on my fork. The flavors burst on my tongue, but my face remains emotionless.

All these late nights and traveling have not been kind on my body—not to mention the mental damage of it all. For days on end, the only thing I would do would be; ride on a horse in complete silence, stop to rest and eat, then ride some more until the sun went down. After that we would sleep on rock hard ground and wake up early to get a head start.

I soundlessly eat the food when I remember I'm not alone. I look back up at Alex to see him put the last large spoon away. I drop my fork onto my almost empty plate, making it clatter and catch the attention of my bodyguard.

He turns around sharply, looking at my face.

"Sorry." I say, picking it back up, only to set it down gently this time. He doesn't say anything, but doesn't stop staring. I guess this is as good a time as ever.

"How are you?" Alex waits a moment before cracking into a side smile.

"What? Where did this come from?" I shrug my shoulders.

"I was just wondering. This trip has become something more rigorous than I had initially planned."

Alex crosses his arms and leans against the counter.

"I'm fine. I've been through worse." He squints his eyes and runs his gaze up and down my face.

"How are you? I figure you've never really done anything like this before." I just shake my head, keeping the tense eye contact.

A silence fills the large room and I shift in my chair, not wanting to say anything but I don't want to be here anymore.

"Your friend was here. Before you woke up. We talked." I lift my gaze back up to him and wait for him to continue.

"Not anything bad. Just that he's known you since forever and he was glad you had gotten his letter."

My head perks up at this.

"Letter? What letter?" Alex shrugs, but burrows his brows at my expression.

"He said he had sent a letter asking you to visit him because he had some things he wanted to talk about in person. Seemed important. Don't worry, he left a while ago so he should be back by now."

I let my face fill with confusion. What letter? And what did he need to talk about that had to be said face-to-face?

I stand up and grab my empty plate, putting it in the large sink basin.

I let the questions brew in my mind, almost too tired to speak them out loud. I'm sure I can just ask Jesus.

I return to the bedroom I awoke in and close the door after Alex steps in. I walk over to the closet doors and see a mirror in the inside. I haven't seen myself since we left the castle. That was almost a month ago.

I'm almost too afraid to look at my reflection, scared I won't like what I see. I start at my hair. Longer and lighter than I'm used to, from it getting all the sun and such. Then my face. My skin has turned more tan and freckles appear just enough to remind me of when I had them as a child. I notice a new scar on my jawline, barely noticeable, but makes me wonder if it makes me look as badass as I thought I looked.

I glance over to Alex to see him laying in his back on the bed with his arm over his eyes. If I didn't see his chest moving up and down, I could have bet money on him that he was actually dead.

I look back at the mirror and trace my eyes down the rest of my body. Nothing else has really changed. I peer down to my exposed arms and notice the same tan on them, if not darker. Then I hold my hands in front of my face. I regard the calluses and toughness they now have from holding the reins of the horse and other various tasks.

I sigh and brush the now long bangs out of my eyes and look back at Alex. He looks so peaceful. I want to sleep just like he is right now.

Unfortunately I have a meeting with an old friend. I contemplate on whether or not to wake him up, but I worry about him more than it seems. He's always looking out for me, I'm going to look out for him for once.

And with that thought, I pull out a piece of paper and sign a quick note.

Boy, does this bring back memories.

I leave it on the nightstand, hoping when or if he wakes up before I'm back, he can read the chicken scratch and understand where I am located in case of emergencies.

I walk to the door, opening it slowly so it doesn't squeak and ruin the quiet mission I'm on. I step out and make my way to the throne room.

Hopefully I can find some answers.