The king

25

I also could not forget that he was a criminal of some sorts. He was hiding from the guards of the palace and that could only mean one thing. He must have made the king angry- something I would have loved to see.

"Shall we head home?" He tilts his head in question. He opens his arm for me to hook mine around and I take it pleasingly.

"We shall," I answer. We head down the rocky path to my home, I pick up my dress a little to keep it from getting dirty and smile at the people who I pass along the way.

Facing Oden beside me, he looks deep in thought. Like something was troubling him.

"Why the long face? Something troubling you?" I question him.

"I have some news to share with you," he starts.

I frown. "Alright." It could not be any good news of sort with the way he was frowning back at my form. My heart thutters against my chest, my ears ring, my chest heaves up and down quickly as I try to catch my breath.

"I have to take my leave soon," he mumbles and we stop at the walkway to my home. My hand leaves his arm, I'm facing him now fully, and a hurtful gaze meets his. "I have been gone for too long."

"What about working for my family?" I make haste with an excuse for him to stay. I was too selfish to see him leave.

"I am afraid my time is due, your family has been a blessing to get me through this." His eyebrows quirk into a confused state and my chest heaves once more.

"You are leaving just like that? When-when..." I try to tell him. Shout to the world that I love him dearly and would fall to the face of the earth for him, but nothing escapes me. I was like a broken record.

"When what?" He repeats in question.

I could not believe he was acting as if we were nothing. Like we did not start something that I wanted to finish until our end of times. He was planning to leave me high and mighty and never return again. I had to process this.

"When will you leave?" I ask of him.

"Soon," is all he answers.

He could not even give me the date. He was planning to leave like a thief in the night. My heart was slowly cracking, running its course into bursting into flames.

My reaction showed him that he had stunned me, fully hurting me by his words. I enter my home with him calling from behind, he follows me, but stops when he finds my back to him and I am facing the living room.

My mother is on the couch, speaking to a gentleman who is sipping on a cup of tea. When I attained her attention, she stands firmly and the man follows behind her and slides off his hat.

My mother smiles. "Arabella."

"Hello, what is going on?" I eye my mother and the gentleman behind her and he comes to stand beside her.

"This is Lord channings, he has come to us with an offer," my mother introduces the mystery man.

Lord Channings approaches me, holding his hand out. "It is a honor to meet you, Lady Houstings."

"You as well..." I speak awkwardly, holding my hand out thinking he would shake my hand but kisses the top of it, meeting my eyes as he does so. Oh.

"Arabella, Lord Channings would love to take you for a stroll or perhaps, a lovely brunch if you must." My mother was thrilled when sharing the news, but all I can hear from that point on is ringing.

This gentleman was interested in I, he was staring at me as if I was some sort of meat, but the only meat I wished for was the one behind me. Oden rounds from behind me, settling next to me, and I can already feel his anger brewing within him.