make me stay.

thirty

"he?" i cut him off, leaning my head to the side.

"mercer," harvey met my eyes for a moment that seemed longer than possible, breathing for the first time since entering the room. "the king," he corrected in a whisper, his eyes rounding.

"oh," my lips formed an oval. "right,"

"wesley was just supposed to keep you safe, but he's always had a weak spot for you. he couldn't keep his act up once he laid eyes on mercer." belle shook his head, glancing out the window. "knowing how he had torn you apart, he couldn't resist."

wesley davis had always been my shield. i couldn't even attempt to deny it. he was large, had more muscles than the entire group combined and he surely knew how to use them. he had always had a soft spot for me, whatever his reason may be, and had always been there to protect me. he had saved me from broken bones and dangers my entire life as i had grown up with him, but with mercer, he hadn't been able to protect my heart. he seemed to blame himself for it, and i had always hated that knowledge.

it had been my own decisions and choices, my own feelings even, that had led me here. i had gone against the rules and the consequences, which were written before we ever even met.

love was not optional, it never had been and it never would be. not in this world, at least.

"belle," i finally spoke up, directing harvey's attention back towards me. as his eyes met mine i stepped forward, closing the gap between us before wrapping my arms around him. my heart ached alongside the rest of my body, and it was all so unbelievably heavy to carry around.

"you shouldn't have come," i say, starring out of the window behind him. i couldn't bring myself to tell him i had missed them. he already knew, hopefully, and they were both risking their lives by being here. they could both be banished if the king decided they had committed treason by working here with other intentions than to purely serve their kingdom.

"i believe we're already at the point of no return, grey." he mumbled back, his voice mostly being muffled by my shoulder.
i sighed, tightening my grip on him as i relaxed, leaning into his body. he felt so familiar, so safe and comfortable. like we fit together.

snow flakes were spreading everywhere like confetti slowly making their way to the ground beneath. hopefully, they would only result in snow covered woods and buildings and nothing even remotely close to another storm.

"where's wesley?" i question, taking a step back to face him. if anything had happened to wesley there was no doubt that belle would try to hide the truth.

he looks up, meeting my eyes. his expression changes, a frown digging into his forehead creating a deep wrinkle.

"tell me, belle."

"he's being held in isolation until a hearing is set up." harvey sighs, glancing behind me for a short moment. i twist my upper body, but finds nothing to catch his attention in the space around us.

"a hearing to determine.." i pause, hoping that my mind is a completely different place than reality.

"the consequences for his actions, grey. he challenged and disrespected our king," belle replies, correcting his sleeve.

"does he recognize you?" i question.

"no. i've been assigned your protection service. four men in total, two you'll never notice if they do their job correctly."

suddenly, he catches my attention. "you are supposed to be by my side at all times to ensure my safety?"

"indeed," a faint smile spreads on his lips, and i resist the urge to bury my face in his chest.

it suddenly dawned how sole i had felt inside the walls of the castle for the past few weeks. i had shared nothing but either hurtful or shallow conversations with anyone i had come into contact with since arriving here.

knowing belle was here, and that if he could control himself enough to keep his identity hidden, he would be staying, made the knot in my stomach loosen, even if only a bit.

"thank you," i mumble, stepping closer to him. he opens his arms as if on cue, and i fit perfectly in between them.

"for?" he questions, running a few fingers through my hair.

"coming back for me," my words are muffled by his shirt, my nose flat against his chest. i move my head downwards until my forehead is resting against the same spot my nose had been before, taking in a deep breath.

"never even considered another option," he whispers, before i slowly pull back. "besides, lily would have killed me if i had,"

i laugh slightly, making my way back to the window i had spend most of the night sitting in. 

"we have a lot on our schedule, belle." i say, glancing out over the woods that are slowly gaining back color from the darkness of the previous night. "firstly, get wesley back home."