Daughter of Shad

Another Encounter

     I ran into the forest. 

     I need to get out of here. 

     It was barely sunrise. I suddenly saw a figure in the distance. I pulled my sword out.

     "Aphmau..." I heard a familiar raspy deep voice.

     "A-Aaron, why are you here?" I asked, gripping my sword.

     "I could ask you the same thing. Shouldn't you be getting abused by your father instead of being treated like royalty?" He asked. I ran at him with my sword, and our swords clashed. With one move, he flung my sword five feet away. 

     "What is wrong with you?" I asked. 

     "You know I can change your life for the better. Come with me." He held his hand out to me.

     "Fine, if you hurt me I will kill everyone you know." I tensed up. I slowly took his hand.

     "Alright, deal. Come with me. I'll take care of you." He pulled me closer. I let go of his hand and went to pick up my sword. I slid it into its sheath. 

     "Fine, let's go." I shook my head. We began walking to his castle. As we were walking, the sun began to set. I looked up at him. His dark hair was illuminated by the late sunlight, making it look like fiery coals. His dark eyes showed no emotion. I felt as if he had no train of thought.

     "We're here." He gently pushed a branch out of the way to reveal a large wall. 

     "Woah, this wall is huge..." I gasped. He smirked down at me.

     "Do you have upper body strength?" He asked. 

     "Not really..." I looked down in embarrassment.

     "Alright, I've got this. Get on my back." He turned his back to me.

     "Are you insane? Is there no entrance for a normal person?" I asked. He shook his head.

     "Do you want to lose your head? We can't go through a heavily guarded area. Trust me." He stepped towards me. I sighed and got onto his back. He walked around and got to a long rope. He grabbed it and began pulling us up. We got to the top of the wall and he set me down before pulling the rope up.

     "You made that look easy." I elbowed him playfully.

     "Who said it wasn't?" He smirked. I smiled at him. He grabbed my hand and led me to a small tower on the wall. We snuck down and we snuck into the castle.

     "Woah..." I looked around in awe.

     "Yeah, it's pretty beautiful." He smiled down at me. 

     "C-Can I look around?" I asked.

     "Sure, I'll keep you hidden and safe." He put his arm around me. I smiled as he slowly stepped into the hallway. He nodded to show it was clear. I cautiously stepped out of the room we were in. It looked like something out of a book. It was beautiful. There were large archways carved of marble through each hallway. 

     "I didn't know places this beautiful truly existed." I looked at a portrait of Aaron hanging on the wall. He smiled.

     "You look so adorable when you're in awe." He chuckled.

     I blushed. "Th-Thank you. I've just never seen someplace like this." 

     "It's alright. Don't worry about it. Come with me." He held his hand out. I took it and led me through the halls, avoiding all guards possible. He brought me to a door that had 'Lady Irene' engraved in gold. He knocked.

     "Yes?" A soft voice responded.

     "May I come in?" Aaron asked.

     "Come in." She called. He slowly opened the door and smiled.

     "Hey, Mom, can I talk to you really quickly?" He asked.

     "Sure, what's wrong?" She smiled.

     "I got her." He glanced at me.

     "Is she with you?" Lady Irene asked. He nodded. "She can come in." 

     "Aphmau." He looked at me. I took a deep breath and walked in the door. I did a small bow.

     "Lady Aphmau, daughter of Shad. It's a pleasure." She stood up and shook my hand.

     "Thank you, ma'am. The pleasure is mine." I smiled.

     "Aaron, would you mind helping her get settled in the guest room next to your room. I'm very busy tonight." She sighed.

     "Yeah, I'll take care of it. I'll see you tomorrow." He hugged his mother. She smiled.

     "Thank you." She turned to me. "I'll be sure to let everything be dealt with tomorrow. Make yourself at home. Have a great night." I smiled and nodded. Aaron and I left.

     "She scares me," I said as Aaron and I began down the hallway. 

     "She can be intimidating, but she's lovely." He smiled. I nodded.

     "I trust you." I sighed. He opened the door to a large bedroom. It was an elegant white room. 

     "This is where you'll be staying. I can get you some clothes, but I'm afraid I can't do much tonight. I'll leave you be. Good night." He smiled. I hugged him.

     "Thank you for everything."