The Revered Stone

Chapter 2

Giselle curled up in the bed and thought. After excusing Sunlight ("She doesn't really like strangers and travelers all that much.") they had been given rooms to stay in for the night. Tomorrow they would begin their... journey? Mission? Quest?

Moonlight hadn't told them anything that might prove particularly useful, and Giselle didn't already know anything that might help either, aside from the fact that they needed to get home. Their families would probably be searching for them, and she felt guilty about not even knowing where they were exactly or what day it was. For all she knew, they had been magically transported to the past or something ridiculous like that.

Right then, Giselle heard a creak. She bolted upright and saw the door slowly open, inch by inch, as though the person on the other side was trying to stay hidden. Oh no! What if they're dangerous and want to hurt me? Giselle thought. She grabbed the closest thing-a lampshade, it turned out to be- and got ready to fight. Just then, the person stepped in and shut the door behind them. She squinted her eyes and saw that it was Liam.

"Oh, Liam! It's you. I thought that..." Giselle left her sentence unfinished.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Liam softly replied. He dropped his sword and bag on the floor next to her bag. Suddenly, he ripped his jacket off and threw it at the wall.

"Liam!" Giselle scolded. "Whyever would you do that?" He sighed instead of replying and fell backward on the bed. Putting his arms around her, he gently drew her towards him. His eyes shone in the moonlight and he seemed kto glow from the inside. Giselle drew in a soft breath. In the dim lighting, he looked almost unearthly. He ducked his head to her ear and whispered.

"You know... I love you, Giselle."

She cuddled up against him and replied, "I know, Liam... I know." Slowly her eyes closed and she fell asleep snuggled against him. He stared down at her for a second before putting his head down and shutting his eyes too.

✵✵✵

The next day, Giselle woke with a start in Liam's arms. She quietly slipped out of bed, not wanting to wake him, but he still turned and cracked one eye open.

"Going somewhere?" he inquired in a silly, high-pitched voice. Giselle put a hand to her mouth and giggled, then swept toward him and brushed his dark locks off his forehead. She moved to draw her hand away, but he caught it and enveloped it between both of his.

"Giselle," he breathed, "come here." Unhesitantly, she closed the gap between them and perched on the edge of the bed. He cradled her face in his hands and brought his head to meet hers just as she brought her head down. Their lips met and Giselle heard Liam gasp and draw her closer to him.

There was no fire, just a sweet, soft kiss that tasted like Liam and made Giselle think of soft summer nights and running through the meadows of her old home-Stop. She drew away from Liam, gasping. You mustn't think about that, you have to calm down and focus on positive thoughts. Breathe in, breathe out.

"I'm... sorry, did I..." Liam trailed off, looking flustered and at a loss for words.

"No, you're fine. It's nothing." Giselle forced out with a strained smile.

"Okay then..." Liam replied and arched his eyebrows in a way that implied that he didn't believe her. Giselle rolled off the bed and went into the bathroom, grabbing her clothes from yesterday. When she came out, Liam was standing in the middle of the room, looking bemused.

"I can't find my clothes," he said mildly. Just then, there came a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Giselle called. The door opened and a nervous-looking girl stepped in, tossed a bundle to Liam, and ran out, closing the door behind her on the way. He carefully opened it and gasped. Inside was grand armor, designed for battle, complete with helmet and underclothes to shield the body further.