The IRE of Winter

Chapter 25: HOW TO BE ME

'Who did this to you?' Aramis cleaned my bleeding knuckle as I sat on the bed, his hands gentle and steady. 'Safirah, tell me. Did Legolas mistreated you? I will not forgive him!'

No, he didn't, I wanted to say. But his question will only begot another one and I would have to tell him the truth, if he's not aware of it yet. Aramis took me in, just as I have hoped. I saw how disappointed Legolas was when Aramis hung his arm over my shoulder as we walked away.

Aramis is a good man, liking him isn't  difficult, loving him might be possible. He opened his father's palace for me, gave me a warm bed to sleep and took care of my wounds. How could he be more caring? I turned to him with tired smile. 'I'm keeping my promise,'

'And you got wounds and bloody knuckles on your way here? Legolas was chasing you, did you do something to upset the elf that much?'

'Everything I do upsets him.'

'Safirah, you can tell me your burdens, I will listen.' He paused to look at me with keen eyes. I know he's being sincere but I don't know if his sincerity is enough to accept my dark past, me, the black rider.

A dragon slayer trying to protect a dragonrider, how ironic. I may have used his feelings to get me a roof above my head but Aramis is a friend, I would do just the same even he doesn't love me. I darted my eyes to the window and he knelt to clean my wounded leg. The blade left a three inches cut but it wasn't deep enough to cause a trouble. I heal fast, the wound no longer hurt as much and my skin rapidly regrew a layer. Cold crawled to my exposed skin and I noticed his hands tremble slightly as he wiped my wound with moist towel.

I could have asked a girl clean it knowing he would be...very much uncomfortable seeing a woman's thigh, but I let him struggle anyway. I pretended not to see, staring at the dark hoping that time would stood still. Dawn was upon us. 'I am afraid that if I tell you the truth, you would be scared of me,' I sighed.

'Scared? I know you are a vaurg. That doesn't scare me.'

'What if I am something more than that?'

'What could be more terrifying than a vaurg?' he said without lifting his eyes.

I saw fear in their eyes when I mounted the dragon, they all saw a beast, a vaurg. If Aramis would've witnessed the same, he couldn't have reacted better. I frowned. By morning, it is certain Legolas would tell the others about me. It's inevitable, Aramis would know anytime soon. For a moment, I stared at him and said, 'Tell me, if I had the blood of the Northman, would that change how you feel? Aramis...I demand honesty.'

He stood and pulled the hem of my dress down, the corner of his lips lifted. 'My father's enemy is not my enemy.' He sat beside me and carefully wrapped a cloth around my knuckle. 'You had a fight, don't deny it.'

'Aramis...I ---'

'You owe me no explanation, Safirah. I've been dying to see you again and now, here you are,' he whispers. 'I promise noone will hurt you here. That elf is forbidden to come near you.'

'He is Legolas.'

'Yes, he is indeed a prince.'

'An elvish prince.'

'He is only a prince in his realm. You are in Dale, and in Dale, I am the prince. I shall send him away if you please.' Aramis gave me a hopeful glance, his brown eyes sparkled with joy. And when he was done, he sat beside, inched a little closer and sighed. 'Safirah, forgive me if I am being disrespectful, but I'd like to hear what your heart says about me. And if it's not yet singing the same song as mine, I'd be glad to teach it with all my patience.'