My Princess

Chapter 13

My heart was beating out of my chest. As our lips danced together. I felt as though I was kissing an angel, for all I know it could be. I lost hope for her life. Maybe I am dead and she found me.
That doesn't matter, for this moment we were the only two things that mattered in the world. This could make me forget about all of the pain, and suffering I have witnessed. She made me feel whole again. I lost a piece of me when Clara went missing, but I have found it again. I found her again. My best friend, my other half, my princess.
I feel my self longing for more. Without thinking I pulled her closer to me, deepening the kiss. I feel all emotions; sadness because of the distance that has been between us for so many years, anger for what that evil man almost did to her in the tower, but I mostly feel peaceful. A word I thought would never fit me.
She was here in front of me, so pure and innocent... I pull away from her and she stares at me with confusion.
"Myra, what's the matter?" She asks gently placing her hands on my face.
I have always forced my self to be strong, to be brave. I have faced many horrors and stood triumphantly through all of them. But in a matter of seconds the shield that I held up to protect myself from everyone, shattered. I always held back my tears because I felt that if I started to cry I will never be able to stop. I didn't want to appear weak especially to the person I tried to be so strong for.
A single tear fell.
But it was not mine. I look into Clara's beautiful blue eyes and see that tears are slowly starting to flow down her face. This small stream turns into a river.
"I was so scared that no one would ever come for me. But you... oh thank you." She wails, I can hardly understand her. She throws her arms around me and sobs.
"It's okay, you're safe now. You're with me." I say. And I feel the warm tear slide down my face. It's all over. Tears keep coming. I feel a release in my heart. Like a weight has been lifted. I feel like I can be human, she can see my fear but still accepts me as brave. She fights past my hardcore and looks at the broken girl inside. And I can see her. She is the strongest person I have ever and will ever meet.
She suffered through years of torture and still has hope. I realize that I don't always have to be strong because for what I lack with my total strength she makes up for it with a strength of her own. I can be strong even in my weakest moments and I don't have to deny my own feelings to be brave. With Clara, I only have to be me.
"I love you," I mutter into her hair. I can hear a small gasp come from her, but she squeezes me tighter into our embrace.
"I love you too." She says and I smile bigger than I have ever known possible.
"What do we do now?" I ask, still holding her. "Your father has a bounty on my head. And he will marry you off to a knight as soon as you return."
"A bounty?" She pulls back a little to get a better look at my face. "What for?"
Well, he uh... kinda wants both of me, I guess." I only earn a very confused look.
I cave and tell her everything. From Cronus saving my life after I was stabbed, to living with Althea, becoming a well known thief, hearing that she was alive and where, the king asking for me, stabbing Cronus to create a diversion, those thugs that tried to kill me, the nice old people that saved my life, and eventually finding her.
She just watched me in awe. Watching me talk and hanging on my every word. Like she was a small child listening to a fairy tale. Her eyes wide in amazement.
"Well, it seems you have had a shit load to deal with since I left." I can't help but giggle a little for being so blunt, and un-ladylike. "I'm sorry, for what my father did. And I am sorry I wasn't there." She says sadly.
I take her fragile hands in my own. She looks up at me near tears.
"You should not be sorry for anything. I was the one who never went after you, who let you be taken be those evil soldiers." That dreadful day played over in my mind. I couldn't help but shudder. "What about you? Have any great adventures without me?"
"No." She says with great sadness. "I was locked in a tower with little food or water, no friends, perverted guards, and endless days of nothingness. Nothing close to the adventure you have had, I'm sure."
"Did those guards ever do anything to you?" I ask. She shakes her head and I sigh in relief.
"What about you?" She asks curiously. "Any lovers I have to compete against to win your love?"
"Nope, just a shitty kiss a few years back. But it doesn't count since I never kissed back." I reply "With who?" She asks
I reluctantly tell her, "Uh... Cronus."
"Really? How is he? Is he okay... is he still alive?" She asks eagerly.
"Yes, Cronus is too dumb to die I'm afraid. He is still an arrogant ass. But he has some good qualities, I guess." I say. "He most likely hates me though. Because of what I did."
"I think he is in love with you." She says. A laugh at the thought. "No, I am serious. He saved you, went behind the kings back just to protect you. I guess I have competition after all."
"No, you are the only thing in this world that matters to me," I say.
We continue talking, and eventually, we managed to fall asleep. I wake up to the sound of horses stomping and breathing heavily. I open my eyes and see we are surrounded by men on their horses. I get up and pull a half-asleep Clara with me. I place her behind me.
A man wearing his knight gear gets off his black horse. He walks over to me and I draw my sword preparing to fight all of them for the princess.
"Get back," I tell Clara and she runs behind further behind me.
"I am not here to fight you, Myra." The voice says. Catching me off guard he skillfully manages to send my sword flying out of my hand. I look at him, eye wide with fear as the stranger walks closer.
He removes his helmet to reveal his face. And now the stranger is someone I know. Because now I can clearly see Cronus's smug face. A smirk planted on his lips.
"Miss me, bitch." He says.
And with one swift blow, the hilt of his sword makes contact with my temple and everything turns to black.