I Followed Fires

XXIX. Adèle

No, she said to herself. Stop thinking about it too much, Adèle.

On her lap, Cyril began to fall asleep, and so she could not move at all, or she would wake up her sleeping dragon. Theo kept practicing until he began to grow tired, which didn't take much long. He sat with his legs crossed and began to eat his bread, out of boredom, it seems. There was a silence between the three of them, but in this silence they did not feel a sense of awkwardness, for they were grateful they had time to spend with each other in court, within the midst of their hectic lives.

"You ought to take them back to their bedchambers," a familiar voice rung in her ears. "It looks like it's going to rain soon."

Adèle averted her gaze from the lake to the man that stood before her, who was not sitting, cross-legged, near Theo. This man was none other than Bash himself, who thought it funny to come interrupting Adèle's only time of relaxation.

"It's not going to rain," states Adèle. "What do you want, anyway?" she asked, with a grave expression on her face.

"Nothing," Bash smirked. "A piece of bread, if you don't mind." He took a small chunk off the bread that Theo ate, and ate it quickly.

Theo squealed, and rose from the ground, ran up to him, and exclaimed, "Bash!" He then proceeded to wrap his little arms around him and lay on his lap, mirroring Adèle and Cyril.

"Look at us," Bash said to Adèle. "We're like a little family."

"Isn't Kenna looking for you? You must return to the castle soon, or your betrothed is going to be very disappointed in you as soon as she sees us," Adèle warned him.

"Don't fret too much about Kenna. I told her I was going for a ride to the woods,"

Adèle forced herself to smile, turned away from his face and rolled her eyes. She avoided starting any conversation with him, and instead caressed Cyril's hair as he slept quietly under the sun. Theo, too, was falling asleep on Bash's lap, which meant that Bash and Adèle were left to speak to each other on their own. Why did her only distractions fall asleep, she asked herself. She and Bash exchanged a few small smiled now and then, during their terribly awkward silence. His smiles were more authentic, whilst hers were a bit more forced.

"Have you set a date for your wedding yet?" As the question slipped out of her mouth, Adèle soon realized her mistake and tried to hide her embarrassment as well as she could.

"Not yet," Bash replied, and sipped on a cup of milk and honey. "I leave all the wedding plans to Kenna, you see. How are your brothers? How are their find your stay in French court?"

"They're fine, I'm sure. Mary and Francis take them out on trips often, and with them gone, I am left on my own. Being alone has its advantages, I suppose, but I am here to spend more time with Theo and Cyril as much as possible, before they go on another trip with the king and queen of France. Forgive me, I should not be telling you such personal matters,"

"It's nothing to worry about," said Bash with a warm smile on his face. "Besides, we were once betrothed, weren't we?"

Charismatic prick, Adèle muttered to herself, as she tried not to let a chuckle escape her mouth.

Bash and Adèle shared their silence by drinking silver cups of milk and honey, a favourite of hers. The sounds that filled this silence were merely the chirping of birds in the early afternoon, or the sounds of winds blowing through the locks of their hair. Apart from that, they did not speak a word to one another. Adèle was almost eager to break this silence by asking a question or two, but she realized that it would make her seem a bit too excited that she and Bash were left alone with each other, and this would leave a few misunderstandings. Bash's thoughts, however, Adèle was still unaware of. She caught a few small smiles here and there, these smiles she responded with a forced smile and then quickly averted her gaze from his face.

The situation could not have worsened, she thought, but she grunted when several drops of rain fell on to her shoulders. Bash had already stood up and carried Theo in his arms, with his small head resting on his shoulder and remained fast asleep. Adèle mirrored his response and carried Cyril in her arms as well. A light drizzle soon turned into a sudden downpour, much to Adèle's dislike.

The two scurried back to the castle, on the wet, rain-stained grass in soaked clothing, with two boys in their arms. Bash reached a small entrance that led to the kitchens, and fetched a large tattered cloth hanging on the wall of the kitchens. He blanketed Theo with this cloth, and quickly grabbed another one for Cyril as well. In their sleep, Theo and Cyril were heard chattering due to the frigid weather of the rain, and so was Adèle. "We must return them to my chambers, Bash. Their chambers are too far from the kitchen," suggested Adèle. Bash nodded in reply, and they both walked as quietly as possible, to her bedchambers, and avoided being heard by guards or members of court.

As soon as they reached her bedchambers without anyone seeing, Bash and Adèle sighed in relief.