STOLEN HEART

Gaining a Small Slice of Home

Jeffrey (P.O.V)
The palace doors close behind Zane as he leaves the girl staring at him from the garden as he disappears into the building. I've forgiven Zane for yesterday, I should have known better to watch my tongue when he is cooling out of his Leviathan form. I join him at his side and he hands me his black leather gloves and we stride along to his chambers,
"Jeffory...about last night.." He doesn't look at me and keeps his face blank as usual but I can here the sincerity in his tone,
"You don't need to apologise to me, I shouldn't have said what I did about your mother".
"I thought she loved us...as a kid I didn't really understand what an affair meant; thank Irene". I put a friendly hand on his shoulder,
"She never meant to hurt you Zane..." I smile and he replies with no emotion. I can't help but think about what he told me that one night about Aphmau and how he said he thought he was coming down with a cold when he went to see her; finding her asleep. I just agreed with him that it was probably a cold but he was reder in the cheeks more than anywhere else on his face. I wonder..
"Zane? May I suggest giving Aphmau a gift?" He stops,
"Why? Why does she need a gift? She has a ring"
"I mean something to make her feel more comfortable here during the week when she can't walk around in the palace. I can't help but think it is lonely in a tower for hours." I smirk slightly and continue, "Come on Zane. I know you think about her, if you didn't you would have signed those papers last night without hesitation." He huffs and says nothing, having a slight realisation,
"There's nothing in the world I could give her to make her hate me less." I chuckle and finish with a simple,
"Leave it to me" I walk backwards with a stupid grin and a tip of an imaginary hat; making Zane laugh for a second or two.

Aphmau (P.O.V)
After returning to my room and reading a dusty book I found on the shelf I sit curled up on my bed with a woolen blanket draped over me instead of the covers. I sip the tea Beatrice left for me about ten minutes ago when she came to check on me. The book was small and black bordered with purple velvet, it's plot nor genre wasn't really clear, even after reading half the content but it helped time pass by a little easier so I kept flipping the pages automatically. A knock interupted me mid page turn and I sat up right on the bed looking at the door.
"..yes?" I say still propped up on the bed,
"Lady Aphmau?" Zane. "May I come in?"
I find myself opening the door only about 10cm wide, just wide enough to be sure it's Zane; unfortunately it is.
"There is something I want you to see. Will you meet me under the pavilion in ten minutes?" I don't know what to say,
"So you can remind me of the misery you've put me in?" I say coldly but something's different about Zane. His eyes are a piercing lighter blue than I remember and his mask isn't covering his face anymore, in fact it's nowhere to be seen. His expression is soft and almost looks sincere, he says,
"I'm hoping this may help with that," he starts to walk away and I open the door a little wider, "I leave the choice up to you..."

Somehow I find myself walking down the stairs as the ten minutes pass, I have to, I have to know if that look he gave me was..real. I curiously open the palace doors that leads out into the light creamy stone pathed garden and see Zane stood under the pavilion like he said he would be. I shut the door behind me slowly and cautiously walking up to the pavilion. The stone pavilion lies at the edge of a small lake canoppied by a few trees and as I near it I realise the figure isn't alone as I had first thought. As I shorten the distance between the canopy and me their silhouettes become much clearer, it's my dogs! They peek over the pavilion walls tails waging and climbing ontop of each other to get a glimpse of me. I break into a sprint as they begin the bark in my direction and I smile as I'm stopped about five metres away from the small building by a cluster of paws and tongues as each of the try to seize my attention. I rub each dog's muzzle as they come near me,
"Thorgi, Cookie, Pheonix, Jiggy, Puma; what are you doing here you raskles, how did you f...?" I look up remembering Zane is watching me, did Zane..? He steps down from the stone structure and comes closer to me joining me on the grass,
"I had them brought here." I look at him with complete amazement, I don't understand,
"Why?" I swear I catch a glimpse of pink creep onto his face,
"I thought you could use some company during the week." He reaches out for me ringed hand and touches the ring in a awkward and strange way, a flash of white comes from the ring as it slides off into Zane's hand with ease. He grips it in his hand and stands after petting Thorgi on the nose as he sniffs Zane, and starts to walk off.
"Wait!" Zane stops to face me, I stand up from the ground as well; the look he gave me earlier was real,
"I don't understand?" He stalks closer to me stroking a piece of raven hair behind his ear,
"If I'm being honest, I don't really understand either," he gives a light laugh.
As the dogs circle us I find my hand moving Zane's hair out of the way about to reveal his right eye until he stops me grabbing my fingers quickly yet softly,
"I'm...not ready to show that yet," I nod and we are frozen there, find ourselves gazing at each other.