Forgotten Monsters

Chapter 27- Butterflies

            “Oh, definitely.” Resa giggled before following him. “That was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen!”

            “You cheated! You must have paid her or something!” He said indignantly as they followed the hallway up to their room.

            “Nope,” Resa dodged around him, snagging the key and slipping into the lock. “That was all you, face it, if you weren’t so uptight all the time you’d have all the girls chasing after you.” The door gave way under her weight and swung open into their room. She slumped into an armchair next to the fire grate and pulled out her knives.

            “Aydrus used to call me uptight.” Matthew murmured. Resa pulled out her sharpening stone and began to drag it down the edge of one of the weapons, testing it as she went.

            “It doesn’t ever go away.” She said, not looking up. Matthew sat down opposite her and began to sort through the contents of their packs.

            “What?”

            “The feeling of something missing; it doesn’t go away.” She finished with one knife and moved on to another.

            Matthew stopped what he was doing and let the packs fall to the ground, his hands raking through his hair as he shuddered back tears.     “She’s gone. Sometimes I forget and for a moment I feel as if she’s still here, right around the corner, but then it hits me.” Resa stopped sharpening her knives and stared at him. “She’s never coming back.” Resa carefully set her dagger aside and walked over to him, kneeling in front of him and stroking his hair as he sobbed into his hands, braced against his knees.

            “My mother used to sing a song about a world after ours, a place where our souls travel when our mortal bodies die.” Matthew looked at her his eyes searching hers.

            “Do you believe that it’s real?” He asked, eyes red from tears.

            “I don’t know.” She admitted, “But it gives me hope.” She suddenly realized how close their faces were to each other.

            “Hope’s all I have left.” He whispered, and then he was cupping her face in his hands and pushing his lips to hers.

            Resa rose up to meet him wrapping her arms around his neck. She wasn’t sure when it had happened, but somewhere along the way she realized that she had fallen in love. The feeling bloomed in her chest and spread warm fingers all the way to her fingertips. Then she pulled away, breathless.

            “I’m sorry.” Matthew stuttered, “That was inappropriate of me.” Resa got to her feet and looked down at him. Everyone she had ever loved had left her, she thought. Everyone had died. If she could rid herself of these feelings she would, but it was too late for that. Instead she took the risk.

            “Do you feel anything for me?” she asked, not unkindly.

            “I… yes,” He looked up at her bleakly, “But I would never assume, I mean, if you don’t then I…” She swooped down and stopped him with a kiss.

            “I feel it too.” He grinned,

            “Really?” She smiled.

            “Really.”

            “We have about a day’s ride until we reach the mountains.” Resa said. They were seated at a table, Empty plates that once contained food shoved aside to make room for a map of the border. “The crossing should only take a week and from there we have a clear ride to…” She trailed off, “Are you listening to me.” Matthew shook his head and grinned.

            He’d been staring at her stupidly for almost the entire time. “I know where we’re going, but what we really need.” A man pulled up a seat and sat down. Matthew and Resa stopped talking and looked at the intruder.

            The man had to be about twenty-six, but with his lopsided grin and lanky build, he looked younger. Running a hand through his unruly mop of hair he revealed a small loop of gold in one ear and rings adorning his fingers.

            “What you really need,” The man said, “Is a guide through the mountains. If you don’t have one you’ll be dead before you can pitch your tent.”

            “Who are you?” Resa demanded, letting an edge of hostility colour her words.

            The man grinned. “My name is Jonathan Gregory Ross, but most people just call me Ross.” Matthew opened his mouth to speak, but Ross held up one hand and continued, “Don’t bother introducing yourself, I already know who you are. Resa and Matthew, traveling from the capitol to Terracendia on an errand for His Majesty, Prince of Terracendia because you want to kill the queen.”  

            Resa grabbed her knife out of her boot and had it under Ross’s chin before Matthew could draw his sword.

            “Who sent you, what do you want from us?” She said, putting pressure on the knife to ensure his cooperation. To her disappointment he didn’t even flinch.

            “Calm down, nobody sent me, I want in.” He smiled.

            “You want in on what?” Matthew asked.

            “I want to help you kill the queen.” He seemed completely sincere about the whole thing.

            “What makes you think we need any help?” Resa growled.

            Ross scoffed, “Those Mountains you so flippantly wrote off, they’re going to be the most dangerous part of your journey. You need me,” He pointed to himself, “to guide you through them.  

            “How do we know we can trust you?” Resa asked.

            He opened his fingers wide, raising them beside his head,

“I’m a lover, not a fighter. If you don’t trust me, kill me now.” Resa hesitated for a moment, and then drew her knife away.

            “But don’t believe for a second that you’re safe. If I so much as suspect you of betraying us, You’re a dead man.” She stood up as Matthew rolled up the map and they left Ross sitting at an empty table.

            “I wouldn’t dream of it.” He murmured, rolling a ring around his finger.

So do you trust Ross? Sorry about the horrendously slow update, I've been out of town for a week and didn't have a chance to write anything.

I know some of you will hate me for the whole Matthew Resa thing, oh well.

Please vote and comment! Thanks.