The Mouse and The Monarch

6

König?

She was sitting on top of her Colonel, threatening him with a knife.

He could kill her.

He didn't.

Just stared up at her with wide blue eyes that seemed to express both shock, humour and confusion.

A strange mix considering she had just tackled him to the ground.

His lean chest rose and fell underneath her hips as he breathed calmly. As if not at all worried she would hurt him.

"Ow," a voice uttered softly in a cold accent, the sound resonating in the tense atmosphere.

Ophelia's mouth dropped open as she realised he had spoken. Her mind whirled as she tried to figure out what the hell was going on.

His voice was clearly accented. It sounded a lot like a German accent but was much softer yet somehow rough at the same time.

The adrenaline that had fueled her attack now dissipated, replaced by a surreal sense of confusion and disbelief.

"I just attacked you," she whispered in disbelief as she stared into the dark blue eyes in front of her.

To her bewilderment, his eyes seemed to crinkle at the sides, as if he were smiling.

Smiling? Why would he be smiling?

Her eyes moved to where she was still brandishing the knife above her head, his fingers wrapped around her wrist, down to where her left hand was splayed across his chest, holding him down.

"Putain de merde!" she swore as she looked back up to his face.

It dawned on her how close they were. Their faces were only separated by his height as he loomed taller than her even now.

She'd attacked him.

He'd been standing over her bed.

Why on earth had he been standing over her while she slept!

"Tu étais au-dessus de moi," You were above me. Ophelia breathed, the French escaping her lips as her brain tried to catch up with her.

She always reverted to French when she panicked. It was her mother tongue and the only thing that made sense when nothing else did.

"I don't speak French," he said softly as he still held her arm above her head.

It was as if he was trying not to move. Trying not to panic her by moving.

"I panicked," she replied softly as the pain in her back and the taste of blood in her mouth started to fade slowly.

Her eyes were still wide and hazy and she could feel him staring at them as the panic slowly started fading.

He could see it. See her fear.

His hand, firm, slowly began to unwrap from around her wrist.

His blue eyes were uneasy as he slowly let go, hands raised as if sure she would attack again.

For a fleeting moment, Ophelia remained motionless, her mind caught in a surreal vortex of conflicting emotions.

Realization dawned on her as she blinked, the haze of confusion slowly leaving her mind.

Quickly she gingerly rolled off the Colonel, her movements measured and cautious.

Despite the shift in their positions, König remained on the floor, slowly sitting up as she sat on the cold concrete next to his legs.