King's Den

Chapter Fifteen: Sorry

A sigh parted his lips, and his calm round eyes captured mine. They seemed so kind. Like he would never hurt me. Like his soul was as innocent as the fawns prancing in the meadow.

We were sitting at the edge of the meadow in a peaceful silence. The sun cascaded its rays onto the startling yellows of the field. Wheat, daisies, and weeds popped up from the earth in dense pockets. Sometimes, the fawns would peek in and out of the patches of high grass, playing hide and seek with one another.

"I don't know you very well. I know your thoughts and general personality, but I don't really know you, yet. And I'm sorry for that. I'm sorry everything happened so fast. I'm sorry about your family. And...I'm sorry about Anna." Elias voice was sincere, his eyebrows were raised in emotion.

The man beside me was genuine. He tried to be a good person, that much I could see.

"It's fine," I looked back at the field. My wavering voice betraying the happy facade I had created.

"No," His fingers softly pulled my chin back to his direction. The touch sent tingles from my neck to my stomach. Rule number one? Broken. "It's not fine. It's not okay. If all that was dumped on me, I would not be okay. And that's alright, Elaya."

The way my name rolled off of his tongue made me smile in content. If the situation was different, and my life still felt normal, perhaps I would've hummed at him saying my name.

"I know you don't know me. And I'm partly to blame, but, please don't do this right now. Don't try to ease your way into my heart, because my heart is in pieces." I kept my tone caring, but my eyes were hard.

"I-" Elias lips pulled into a frown, and he's eyes looked like those of a puppy.

"It isn't your job to glue me back together, Elias. It's my own responsibility," I whispered, hoping desperately that the conversation would end.

He must've sensed how adamant I was about not letting him in, because he turned his sad eyes back to the grazing does.

After a few moments of silence, Elias whispered, "I'm their king too, you know. They depend on me to keep them safe."

My eyes crawled back to his figure, and I curiously watched him.

"Some of them are aendigos. But most of them are just deer. Even the aendigos are scared of humans. They know about hunters in-depth. They lead the herd when I'm gone." His eyes didn't leave the meadow.

"They care about me, and I care about each of them. Every animal bond is unique in its own way. Wolves are fierce, yet sociable. Relying on one another to survive. Deer are flighty, but they never forget who and what matters to them." The king finally peered into my eyes.

"You are like nothing I've seen before. I have transformed into every animal on this earth, but I still don't know what makes you tick. I know you are stubborn, loyal, and independent. Yet, in brief moments, you are warm like the sun. You can make anyone smile." I felt unnerved, hearing his deciphering of me.

"I am yours, now." His voice was solemn, but in his irises I could see joy. "I may not know you as well as I'd like to, but as both king and kare to you, it is my duty to keep you safe. And I promise I will never let anything hurt you."

My heart melted for a split second, and tears clouded my eyes. No one had ever shown such undeniable loyalty to me. Anna did.

The moment was ruined. I forgot about her, if just for a second. I'm a monster.

Reality leaked into me. No one normal just said stuff like that right after meeting. I eyed him suspiciously, acting like tears weren't threatening to drip out of my eyes. But that's just it, he's not normal. And neither am I.

I couldn't find the heart to respond, and I could sense Elias' chest-caving feelings of rejection.

 I marked you. You're mine now. I can't deny you, so you don't have to feel that way. I pushed into his mind.

You marked me because you had to, not because you wanted to. Through his mind-link, I could tell he was trying to make his words seem like a statement. But, in reality, his statement was a question. He was hoping I would tell him I wanted to mark him.

My throat got tight and my mouth dried. I didn't want to hurt him. I stayed silent, but it spoke volumes.

Elias physically pulled away from me, leaving five feet between our bodies. 

His voice was different when he spoke. More removed. "But just as I have to leave the deer alone, I will have to leave you alone. You need to learn how to become like me; how to become an anier. So, when I leave you, you can protect all of them."

He had such a care for all of the creatures in the world. I could tell by the way he said "them". He really loved them. Every. Single. One.

My stomach dropped when I realized the weight of his words. I had to learn how to shift into every animal in existence, and I had to protect all  of them.

Elias stood. "Come. You have much to learn."

"Elias?" He froze, his back turned to me. My voice became softer than I intended, "I'm sorry."

He nodded once, before wading into the undergrowth.

A/N:

Hey, all! I'm sorry this chapter was short, but at least I posted!

Discussion Time:

Do you think Elias has a hidden agenda, or is he just a really devoted king?

Could you tell what an anier was by using context clues?

Will Elaya be able to handle all of her stress?

Do you think Huck is a wolf, or an anier?

Don't forget to vote, COMMENT, and wait patiently for Saturday's update :)

~ Paige