A warm breath breathed down her neck, waking her. She rubbed her eyes with her free hand, clearing the haziness from her vision. Asher seemed to be sleeping, laying the same way when she had fallen asleep. She turned her head, a low groan coming from behind her. The hand around her waist curled under more and pulled her closer against a hard chest.
Lydia's lips curved up into a smile. It quickly wiped it off her face when she realized it was the first one she hadn't forced onto her face in days. She laid her head back on the pillow, shifting to get comfortable again. The hand under her moved, pushing against her ribs and sliding out from under her.
"I'm sorry," Theron apologized. His hand brushed against her skin, where her shirt rode up sometime in the night.
She pushed herself up against the headboard, turning to face him. "Thank you."
Those words didn't even reach half of how she felt.
"I'll let you get ready. Food will be brought in soon; I'm sure the kids want to see you. Then, we have a lot of discussions to get through about where to go from here."
"What?" Sliding to the edge of the bed, she stood up and walked toward Theron.
"We can't stay here long. What happened yesterday will have repercussions we haven't heard of yet. I doubt he'll let it go easily."
"But I'm sure the people were able to tell what happened. There can't be any way they'd believe him."
Theron stared back at her. His expression dropped. "Lydia, they only saw me holding you while you cried. The question is whether they viewed that in a way we want them to think or not."
She brought herself back to the moment when Theron arrived behind Kian. The feeling of relief took the weight off her chest. The tears streamed down her face while he held her. She tried to picture it from the viewpoint of those in the crowd fighting against those who came with Theron. A flood of tears appeared in her eyes. It was like watching a movie play out in front of her while she pictured herself as one of those people. A man's arms wrapped around someone who had walked down an aisle to marry another, tears in their eyes. It was easy to frame the man who whisked the woman away than think the man she was to marry was in the wrong-having someone being torn from under you in a glorious moment.
"Why can't we just tell them the truth?" She so desperately wanted it to be that easy. It never was. Life had a way of throwing curveballs when you least expected it. That was one of those moments, but she clung to the idea that it could have been.
"After what happened, there's bound to be more animosity than there would be civil talk. Sebastian found the prophecy. We can discuss what it says when you're ready."
"What it says? Ki-he already told me I was either the savior or damnation on whether the Kingdom still stands. It was why he couldn't let me wander freely. I don't even get how I am supposed to do either. I don't have that kind of power, but I'd love to strip them of their throne right now. The people don't deserve to suffer for their rulers' crimes. I know what it's like to be manipulated and think something because of the exterior mask he uses to hide his true personality. What they all wear to sit on that throne."
"You are astounding for your mercy," Theron mumbled.
"It's what makes her an amazing woman."
YOU ARE READING
Ash and Fire
Fantasy*Currently being heavily edited* Chapters 1-4 are edited as previews. Marked with * When Lydia's life is threatened, she seeks guidance from those who saved her in a world she doesn't know. Not one to leave something solely to people she didn't full...
