The Exiled Gem

Attractions

Watching him, Alexandra had a strange desire to put her head on his shoulder and feel comforted. She helplessly wanted him to be protective about her. She wanted be the reason he smiled. Alexandra wanted to see tenderness and love for her in his shining, golden eyes.

She felt herself flush, for the umpteenth time, but this was more intense than ever. She wondered what it would be like, if he wedded somebody other than her. Alexandra wondered if she would be able to stomach that - endure watching him on the independence day march with an unknown beauty. She would never let that happen.

Watch it! Her mind snarled.

'I know!' Alexandra snarled back, a little too loud. Liam looked back-

'Why are you so... red in the face?' He asked, sounding concerned.

For a second, Alexandra gazed into his Amber eyes - they were deep as mountain lakes. And just as clear, striking - rare. She couldn't believe that just two days ago, she'd said she hated him. She could not hate this man.

'Huh? Uh- from crying, maybe,' Alexandra replied, breaking the eye-contact. She no longer wanted to cry. She wanted to laugh and talk and live with Liam. It felt heartless. But Alexandra was heartless. A golden-eyed man had stolen her heart.

Liam looked at for half a minute more. Alexandra knew a lot of things were going on in his mind.

'Okay...' He then said. But she got the message underneath: I know you are lying, but I'm not going to push you.

Well, thank you! Alexandra wanted to say, because she wouldn't have entertained a lot of pushing right now. First it had only been grief and pain. A little bit of anger, perhaps. Now she was also confused. She was a warrior, a hardened spy. But the matters of the heart were still new to Alexandra.

'Do you have any plans of,' she began, even though it seemed the worst time to ask of it, 'matrimony?'

It was Liam's turn to colour. And he did, growing a little discomposed. 'This wouldn't be the best time to talk of that.' He then said, straightening up.

'I don't want to think of this.' Alexandra replied, not ready to give up. She was amazed at her own stubbornness. 'But if I poked your privacy...'

'I do not.' He clarified, and looked like he would answer in monosyllables, if possible.

'Me neither.'

And it was so silly a thing to say that they looked at each other for a whole minute, trying to figure out what was going through the other's mind. But when nothing came out of it, Alexandra looked down, 'Sorry.'

'AGENTS...' Kane began, in the distance. 'It's time for us to give a final farewell to our Master. I - I'd request you to rise.'

There was no need to say any further, chairs were pushed back, crunching on the dry soil as a mass of dark colors rose. Kane dropped to his knees on the ground, bowed his head, balled his right fist and put it on the left side of his chest- right where the heart lay.

Everybody followed suit. Even Liam, kneeling down and paying their respect to the man whose voice they would no longer hear, who would no longer walk the length of the campus, his hands behind his back- calling out random members and assigning them duties.

But Alexandra was done with crying and sobbing and wailing. Alexandra was done with holding on stubbornly. She had let go- now, they had to focus on what they'd do next.

After a couple of minutes, everybody began rising and mingling once again. Alexandra looked in Fannel's direction, he was saying something to Diana - who was looking reluctant and touching the hilt of her dagger. She had just begun moving towards him that Liam grabbed her arm, 'Just a minute - this is important,' he clarified.