Vainglory

Chapter Thirty Two: Journey

"We need to find shelter soon. If we don't...It could result in one of us if not both being swallowed by the impending storm..." Hans rode with Annabelle until they came across a small village that you would not notice unless you came upon it by accident which is what they had done. Luckily, they beat the storm before discovering a duo of very nice people who allowed them to sleep in an empty room they had.

"How do you feel?" Hans asked Annabelle as he emerged from the washroom with a damp bare chest. Taking a cloth from the table, he came beside her and caressed her cheek. She closed her eyes to his touch before a tear escaped her eye. "What is it?"

"I never thought we would ever get away from there....Breathing the fresh air, seeing something aside from stone walls...Being next to you...It is all a dream. Please do not allow me to wake up..."

"I promised you that I would get you away from that place. I promised to love you forever. I promise to protect you through anything encounter."

"Promise me we will never be apart from one another again. I do not think that I could bare it..."

Tears fell down her cheeks as he wiped them away.

"I love you so much there are no words that can comprehend it. There are no signs that I was ever going to get such a chance, and that is why I am never letting you go." He arched his brow before pulling her into him. She winced from the pain of the days prior filled with torture. "I missed you." He said as a tear moved down his cheek.

"Not nearly as much as I missed you." She said as she pulled his collar down and kissed him. He whined and moaned as the kiss was long as passionate. He moved his hand behind her neck as she tightened her grip around his waist with her legs. He moved from her before going down to her feet.

"I do not want to hurt you..." He kissed from her toes to her ankle before she looked to him.

"I trust you."

They both smiled at one another before he moved his lips up her leg while moving up her dress and gently tearing it from her body. He watched her reaction with every move he made. But as he kissed her body, he saw the markings caused by him not saving her and although he desired her more than anything, he was unable to forgive himself. He shot up from the bed and ran his fingers through his hair before looking away from her. She rose as she collected her corset to cover herself.

"Are you alright? What is it?"

"I do not deserve this..."

"Why would you say that? Of course you do..." She paused. "You risked your life for me. On more occasions than one...

"I could not save you from Ficzko forcing himself on you. I could not save you from the torture she put on you..." She nodded as she understood why he was upset. Elizabeth stood up and dropped her dress before him.

"Look at me." His gaze was to the side before she forced him to look at her by grabbing his jaw. "Look at me." His eyes finally moved to her as she had tears in her eyes. "I am not a doll, not something that can be broken by touching it. Not before the torture and not after."

"I just wish I knew what she did..."

"So you can feel worse? No...The only good thing about this is that we got to leave. I am able to be with you now and I do not care if the world were to end tomorrow because I got to spend that one last day with you..."

"Come here."

"No." She said wiping her tears. "I have a point to make." She moved around so he saw her full body. Scars covered her skin and lacerations that appeared mostly healed. One wound, on her neck had been the worst one-was scabbing over. Her hands were red from being bound as well as her ankles.

"I am standing here like this so you can see every vulnerability I have. You can see each scar and know that each time they happened, thinking of you was the only thing that made me not give up. I have no home, the one place I thought was has been a lie. And everyone knew but me...I finally found somebody in my life that has never lied to me..." She walked closer to him as he placed his hand on the back of her leg. "I am not going to let you think this was your fault. You prolonged my safety as long as you could. I know you, you tried everything to save me. And you did. Please, just look at that."

"Knowing that right now I did not save you from those things kills me. Seeing your body scarred, seeing it wounded because I could not be there...because I was spending my time plotting against Bathory. When I thought you died, which was the night they took you...I lost everything. I saw only visions of her dying and nothing else. When Dorothea came to me and told me of your existence, I could not believe it. When I saw you, and even now...it feels like a giant dream." He stood up before placing his hands upon her waist. "I will never understand why you do what you do. How you can make me so happy and forgetful yet determined and steady..."

He placed his hands on her cheeks. "But for now, I cannot forgive myself until I know you are fully okay." He paused as he gave her a gentle kiss. "That is why I am taking you back home."

"What?"

"This will never end if Bathory does not have one of us..."

"You cannot leave me."

"You will be safe there...IvyLynn will not anything happen."

"You said we would never be apart again."

"I will return-I promise."

"The journey is a day's ride from here. We need to rest tonight because tomorrow will be long..."

She nodded before closing her eyes and turning from him in bed. He wrapped his arms around her but her eyes remained open.