The Damsel and her Knight

12th ☾ The Forbidden Room

The falling stars will tell you,

How often I wish for the unthinkable.

12th ☾

The Forbidden Room

Something fell into the fountain behind us.

Lost and dazed in the moment, it made both of us jump on our feet. I turned around and saw a boulder underneath the clear water. No wonder the water from the fountain splashed on both of us, fairly drenching our clothes, particularly mine.

I placed a hand over my wildly beating heart, clenching it into a fist. What had I done?

From the corner of my eyes, I saw Anthony hiding behind a marble statue. He had seen everything, and I felt ashamed of myself. This was not how the plan was supposed to carry out.

Lancelot gently pulled my head to his chest. His lips were right beside my ear, and I heard him whisper, "That was a huge rock."

"Yeah," I stammered.

"That friend of yours?" he asked. I couldn't take him for a fool. Lancelot knew what had happened, and perhaps, he was also aware that the person who came with me was a sorcerer. Even if people like us, who didn't posses the gift, could readily conclude that the rock was lifted from the ground using magic, and thrown as well.

And it was clearly not Wilson, which could have been my next option, lifting a huge rock and hurling it from a distance. Not with that kind of precision and lesser destructible aftermath. And if it were Wilson, he would have been here, right where we were standing, and would pull me away from Lancelot without even thinking twice.

"He's probably scolding me," I said in a whisper, pertaining to what had happened.

Lancelot asked after a moment, "Is he your lover?"

Inadvertently, I blushed. "No, he's not. He's more like an older brother to me, even if we hardly agreed on anything. The thing is, this is not what I'm supposed to do. He was only reminding me of it."

"Should I talk to him?"

Confused, I asked, "Why?"

Lancelot shrugged his shoulders. And underneath the moonlight, I saw that his cheeks were red. "I don't know. To explain? Have I gotten you in trouble?"

"I'm always the trouble maker for him. And he already left. There's no need for it," I said, dismissing his offer. For some inexplicable reason, I trusted Lancelot, but that didn't mean I expected Bryce and the others to feel the same. Lancelot would always be the enemy to them. He should also be to me, but I kept on sidetracking and altering sides. And I didn't like it. I didn't want to like it.

"Alright, if that's what you say." Lancelot took a seat on the fountain, motioning for me to do the same. "What is it like? Being raised up by the bandits?"

"A complete nightmare," I admitted, smiling faintly.

"But you seemed to be at ease with them," he said.

"Eventually, I got used to it. They took care of me after my parents' death. I was nothing but a stranger, and they offered a helping hand," I said, leaving a space between us when I sat down.

"Are you an orphan?"

I nodded.

He didn't answer for a while. I thought he would ask me more about it, but he let the topic drop. Instead, I heard him ask, "So why are you really here? Will you finally tell me about it? There's no need for you to dress up like that and fool me. In many ways, as you can see, I am already attracted to you."