She was born Princess Gwenwyn Helena Anannet Egger, first-born child of the Great King Heralf, ruler of the Militant Kingdom of Rramnon. Shortly after her sixteenth birthday, Gwenwyn's father sent her to the Trade Kingdom, Terrafeuw, with a very spe...
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Chapter 12 _ Gaining Control
"Gwen. You can call me Gwen."
His smile widened, and elation coursed through her. But it only lasted the breath of a moment before something different caused his features to hardened. He backed away shaking his head. "I must go."
"Why?" She questioned, anger masking the ache of his sudden disapproval. "Why must you go?"
"I..." His words stopped abruptly, and he suddenly focused intently on the dark horizon. "That is to say, we... neither of us should..."
Movement from his hands caught her attention. As he struggled with speaking, his fists clenched by his side. They were closed so tightly that, even in the middle of the night, she could see his knuckles turn white. Then he released his pent up energy with a forced exhale, as his hands uncurled.
It was an immensely personal moment for her to witness, but she didn't look away. She watched as his hands curled into fists again, and then released. This time his shoulders relaxed a bit more, and after a third time, his composure returned completely.
"You should had back to the castle, Highness," he said in tone that was too controlled for her liking, "it is much too late for you to be outdoors."
Her eyes stung as she forced her glare to hold back the hurt that his statement had caused.
Gwenwyn tried to reassure herself . She had wanted to know how he would react once he knew. Now that she knew, she should be satisfied.
.
.
.
But she wasn't.
She was embarrassed. Embarrassed that he had so quickly accepted their positions as Palace Guard and Princess. Embarrassed that he had found composure before her. He did not appear to seek her consonance, nor did he appear keen to follow her demands about not being called a Princess. To add to her disappointment, it seemed that he also refused to look at her.
"You cannot do this." She stated harshly. Her words were filled with spite, but she hardly cared.
"Walking away is the best course of action, Highness." He stated towards the horizon.
Gwen barely heard it. She had become lost in her own confusion.
"You cannot just remind someone how to laugh, or how to smile- you cannot bring out emotions that they've been forced to hide their entire life." She could vaguely feel his eyes turn towards her, but it hardly registered through her own spite. "You say to walk away, just go back to the castle, forget about what happened. What if I cannot do that this time? I have watched, others emit emotions that I myself had not felt since you Marcus. ..Flint. Since whoever you are, reminded me-"
"Whoever I am?" His question cut through her rant, and she forced her eyes to stay on him. "What about who you are, Princess?"
