( POV: RAZE AEDEN )
Laughing, singing, eating.
That's what everyone is doing. Even the usually grumpy and aggravated Laurent willingly joins in on the fun.
Not the singing of course. Only the eating and he graces us with an occasional smile. Well, his way of smiling is not looking at you like he wants to kill you.
I don't feel like a king. I don't feel the pressure of ruling millions of people. It feels good to have a moment of peace- at least something that resembles peace.
A few of Sorin's men and women are also sitting with us. They usually keep themselves pretty isolated but they seem to like the bonfire.
It lifts people's spirits. Corvina and the redhead also look pretty cozy to me. They laugh and stare at each other continuously.
Corvina meets my eyes while smiling and she shakes her head, "What?" She mouths.
I raise my hands in innocence as if haven't been watching the two of them enjoy their time together.
She smiles and points toward someone with her eyes. She's pointing toward her sister, urging me to do something. I roll my eyes at her and focus back on Madam Eira's story.
From the corner of my eyes, I see Fallon do the same. Her hands are holding her chin up while her elbows are on her knees and her lips are slightly pouted.
I turn to take her in fully. Her eyes are shining from curiosity, she's genuinely interested in Madam Eira's tales.
"Wait- She died?" Fal asks with pure surprise in her voice.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"I was getting there." Madam Eira laughs. Fallon smiles a little embarrassedly and eagerly nods for Madam Eira to continue.
The story proceeds. I only picked up on how the woman died, a snake bite. Fallon is not impressed by that at all. Her eyes light up as Madam Eira continues. She's excited to hear the end but when she finally does, she's disappointed.
"He looked back, didn't he?" She asks fully freed from the illusion of the story.
She hasn't noticed me staring at her. She is too immersed in the story.
"Sadly, he did. And with that, she disappeared. Forever."
Fallon honestly looks like she could cry. I have never seen her this, this- well herself actually. She's being herself.
"That's not fair. She shouldn't have died to begin with. Where's the justice in that? If I were him, I'd kill that man who chased her and caused her to die."
Sorin laughs, "I just wouldn't look back."
"Well, that's not easy. He wanted to make sure she was there. Some of us got trust issues." Zale argues.
Laurent mumbles and everyone's eyes turn to him, "Why not join her in death? Then they'd both never have to lose each other."
"That's so fucked up." Corvina laughs. "He had a chance to bring her back, why would he want to stay there when he loved his life so much?"
I see Madam Eira smile and lean back. She loves seeing everyone discuss this. But most of all she loves people listening to her.
"I need to know if that man died," Fal speaks again and I laugh. I can't help but laugh.
"Something funny?"
"I think it's funny that you're so stuck on him not dying."
She rolls her eyes, "I just think it's unfair and he should pay. He can't get away with ruining someone's life like that. He shouldn't."
I understand that her anger stems from prior experience. Deimos being the killer, her being the girl and well the lover part is undetermined.
She feels so strongly about this because she can relate to it. She wants Deimos to pay for the things he did.
And he will. I'm going to make sure of it.
"What would you do?" Fal asks me.
I think about it, "I think Sorin was on the right path. Don't look back. It doesn't matter how many doubts you have. If he truly loved her, he wouldn't risk losing her by behaving so selfishly."
"Why is that selfish? He wanted to make sure."
"He wasn't willing to risk his own happiness, he condemned her to eternal death because he couldn't risk losing her. That's selfish even I know that."
She doesn't respond to that but I can see her think deeply about it.
"I think love is worth it if you're able to risk your own happiness for theirs. The fear of losing that person makes it worth it. If you know they'll always be with you no matter what, that love will fade away."
She glances up at me and I see her golden eyes twinkle underneath the moonlight.
"Do you know something with perhaps a happy ending?" The sister- Corvina suddenly asks.
Madam Eira smiles, "A happy ending is subjective, my lady." Corvina corrects her to call her Cor or just anything else besides my lady. Madam Eira's eyes sweep over Fallon slowly darting towards me.
"I do know something that could brighten up your night." She beams.
Fallon jumps at the opportunity, "Please tell me he died."
She laughs, "No, child. This is something else."
Fallon has already told her not to address her with any kind of title. And Madam Eira listens to her.
We all focus on the old lady. This time I do too. She's quite entertaining.
"There's an old saying, a belief as you will. It is said that the birthmarks on your body are located at a certain place because of your past lover, your soulmate. See the places they used to kiss you are the birthmarks on your skin now."
I notice some people look down at their bodies while Laurent starts laughing out loud until almost tears fall from his eyes. "I don't have any birthmarks." He wheezes.
The way he says it makes it a hundred times funnier. I am the first to burst out in genuine laughter. "I don't think I have any either." I laugh.
"No, you have a few." Fallon confidently replies.
Her brother's eyes snap to hers and she still hasn't noticed anything wrong. She meets his eyes, "What?" She smiles innocently at him while turning to glance at me. She realizes what she did when she sees my smirk.
"Don't look at me like that! I noticed them when we danced, remember the ball?" Her eyes move from her brother to mine and I can't help myself.
"Where?" I softly ask, tilting my head to the side as I smile at her.
She doesn't hesitate to point out where one of them is, she points at the right top of her upper lip.
"It's really faint and small but it's there."
I smile at her and she quickly looks elsewhere. She reaches for some sweets and props them into her mouth. Laurent and Sorin have arranged all of this food.
"Was the dance in his mouth, sister?" Corvina asks.
Fallon quickly chews because she can't leave this unanswered, "No, but obviously his face was pretty close to mine."
Madam Eira interrupts the interrogation. "I think the king and future queen don't have to tell us about their romantic life, right?"
Oh fuck. Right.
She is one of the few here who still think we're truly together. She hasn't seen the whole jealousy thing I tried out today and she doesn't think anything besides modesty behind our separate tents.
"Sure." Zale agrees sounding extremely aggravated. When doesn't he sound pissed off?
"If only we could see the two of you next to each other as it should be." Sorin says earning a slap on his arm from Laurent.
One of Sorin's guards actually agrees. They have been very quiet just talking to each other but one of them- I think her name is Meraki screams, "Yes, show us some love!"
I know the guards don't necessarily like me but they care for Fallon.
"Mera, why don't you go cuddle with Kaan?"
The woman's eyes widen and she averts her gaze instantly. The man next to her smiles and nods to Fallon.
"Oh, seeing the two of you like that would be lovely." Madam Eira speaks and something in Fallon melts. I can see it happen.
She loves Madam Eira, it's clear. She wants that woman to be happy all the time.
So Fallon does that which Madam Eira would never ask. From politeness or fear. She gets up from her tree branch and saunters over to mine.
She seats herself next to me and I immediately feel her cold skin. She still isn't used to the cold, although I know The Ridge is a cold place. It makes you wonder why.
"Better?" She asks the people.
Madam Eira nods while I hear Mera whistle.
Fallon is rubbing her hands together now that she's sitting even further away from the fire.
I get up from my seat to go look for a blanket. Her eyes meet mine the minute I stand up, she looks like she wants to ask me where I'm going but decides against it.
I walk quickly to my tent and find a thin but warm-looking blanket. I take it with me and walk back to the rest.
When I seat myself next to her, I don't wait at all to throw the blanket over her. Her big eyes meet mine again and she seems surprised. Her eyes are an even lighter color because of the red hue of the fire.
"Thank you." She whispers. Her brows are furrowed and she's confused but she still manages to give me a weak smile.
I wrap my arm around her and pull her closer to my chest. Just so the people will believe our relationship of course. Not because I want to.
If I knew she wouldn't throw a tantrum I'd even pull her onto my lap. That way she wouldn't feel cold at all. I think she hears my irregular breathing sounds because she glances up at me, "You're still sick. Maybe you need to see another medic."
I press a kiss against her temple and whisper into her ear, "I'm okay, it's cute that you worry so much."
"I don't." She spits back.
Even though she says she doesn't care, she pulls the blanket over me too. So we're both underneath it.
Since I'm psychically much bigger than her, the blanket doesn't even cover her properly.
Suddenly another blanket is thrown at us. "Might come in handy, we wanted to see the king and queen together. Not whatever the two of you are doing now." Mera sasses.
Fallon reaches for the blanket and I decide it's now or never. Once she drapes the blanket around herself, I yank her to sit right in front of me.
She's now seated in front of me and on a lower level. I enjoy this way more since I can hold her much more comfortably now.
Surprisingly she doesn't seem to mind. She rests her arms on my knees, resembling some kind of throne, while her head is leaning on my abdomen. I loosely wrap my arms around her neck and relish this feeling.
Her hand comes up to my arm, just holding onto it. Slowly brushing her fingers over my forearm.
Zale doesn't seem pleased but Corvina does. She gives me a subtle thumbs-up.
I know Zale hates my guts. He specifically hates how comfortable I am with touching his sister.
Oh, well. Not really my problem.
As the evening continues, I don't hesitate to nuzzle into her neck. I even press a few kisses to her skin here and there.
Nobody sees it, of course, her giggles are the only thing giving it away. She can't help but get ticklish.
Of course, Fallon being Fallon finds a way to make me stop. She rests her head against my thigh, essentially using it as a pillow.
And after a while, it seems as though she's slowly falling asleep. Or she's just very very quiet.
I wrap her curls around my finger and play with them. Earning a few hardened glances from Zale.
Though Madam Eira is fully enjoying our- my display of affection.
I can't help but smile while looking down at her.
She's so fucking pretty.
Shit.
I shouldn't think this way.
"They're adorable." I hear the redhead say to Corvina.
"Tell that to my sister."
Fallon replies to her and that's when I notice she's still awake, "Don't make me come over there and-"
"Please," Madam Eira interrupts with a smile on her face. "No violence for just one night."
I feel Fallon nod as her cheek brushes against the fabric on my thigh, and I can't help but chuckle. She's awake and she isn't saying anything about me toying with her hair. That oddly excites me.
"Comfortable?" I whisper to her.
"I would be if you stopped touching me every few seconds." Ah, there she goes, I laugh to myself.
"You're the one who's resting her head on my thigh."
"And you're the one who likes it. So stop annoying me."
And then it's silent. I assume she's falling asleep because I suddenly hear Sorin scream her name.
She jumps up in fear, "What?!"
"Nothing."
"The one time I- you know what, never mind. Watch your back, Sorin."
His eyes widen and Fallon gives him a fake smile. She goes to sit back down but I close my legs making her fall onto my lap.
She's about to stand back up but I instantly wrap my arms around her.
Mera whistles, "Finally some action!"
"Who told her she could come here?" Fallon yells in annoyance but the girl just laughs.
Fallon has become quite friendly with her over the past few days. She's a decent soldier
"Me sitting on your lap never ends well does it?" She whispers to me.
"You and I remember things very differently, my love."
Her eyes light up but she swiftly looks away. "Don't say that."
I lean in closer and pull her hair away from her neck.
"My love?" I whisper against her skin.
She hums in response and I can see her breath hitch. She likes it when I call her that. Great, noted. I notice some people, for example, Sorin and one of his mates Caen are staring at us.
While Sorin is just watching us for the fun of it, that Caen person is purely watching Fallon.
He watches as Fal slips from my lap to sit beside me. His eyes are trained on her, watching her every movement. And not in an I'm-going-to-kidnap-and-bring-her-to-Deimos-way.
More in an I-want-to-take-her-to-my-bed kind of way.
"Is something wrong?" I hear her sweet voice ask me.
At the sound of her voice, I finally pull my eyes away from Caen. I look down at her worried eyes, "Did you see something hiding behind the trees?"
I smile, "No, darling. I didn't."
My eyes quickly glance at Caen again and he is still watching.
Something comes over me and I want to kiss Fallon in front of everyone. I want to kill him for even looking at her. I don't do it though. We're not there yet and she's far from comfortable right now.
"Then why do you have that murderous look on your face?"
"That's my natural expression."
"Sure." She smirks.
I cup her cheeks and I see how her eyes widen. I made a deal with her, enemies outside, whatever we want inside. But I am not acting like an enemy right now.
All I know is that I don't want to think about the things I do. I just want to do them.
Instead of kissing her lips as she had expected, I press a kiss on the tip of her nose. This causes her nose to scrunch up and I like seeing that. I won't go further than she's comfortable with her. I won't kiss her. Not right now.
"I hate this." Zale suddenly says.
I glance at Caen and he still hasn't fucking taken his eyes off of her.
Before I can attack him, I hear Madam Eira speak.
"I enjoyed this evening. Thank you for listening to my absurd stories. I would love to stay but I'm not turning any younger, therefore, I need my sleep. Excuse me, your majesty."
I give her a short nod and Fallon rapidly stands up, "I'll walk with you."
"I'll come too. For protection." That annoying Caen boy says.
Again, I'm cut off from attacking him since Fallon is quicker. "Thank you but I can handle myself."
"Of course, you can but it's just to be sure. To save you if anything does happen."
I think if looks could kill he'd be dead by now. Fallon tilts her head a bit to the side, "I don't remember asking for saving. As I said thank you but I got this." I see a flash of that ruthless Fallon jump out. The side of her she's having a hard time controlling.
"Are you sure? You never know-"
"Yes." She smiles at Madam Eira and walks away with her. Right before she does that her eyes briefly meet mine and she slightly widens them and then gives me a look that tells me that she's annoyed.
I focus on Caen when she leaves, "You know when a woman says no, it's no. Repeating yourself isn't going to work."
"Don't tell me you're going to-"
"Not now, Laurent." I dismiss him. Caen looks up at me and I see he has no respect for me. Not even an ounce. Maybe I should teach him to respect me.
"I was just offering some help."
"Yea, even after she made clear that she didn't need nor want your help. Do that shit again and it won't end well for you."
Some of the people tense up especially Caen himself. Sorin doesn't seem bothered, he clearly agrees.
"Tell me, your highness. What would happen?"
I chuckle and need a second to calm down. I swipe my tongue against my cheek something I often do when I get overwhelmed with this type of anger.
"I'll tell you," Zale continues.
"Your body will be at the bottom of the Kinidurn sea." I reply.
Caen smiles, "Your family is used to doing that, right? They did the same with our royal family."
"Caen, stop." Mera says. She's probably his friend, I don't care.
Even Sorin shushes him. But Caen ignores them and gets up, "No, are we forgetting who we're protecting here? A murderer! A fake king! This isn't okay."
"Caen, you know she-" Sorin warns his friend.
"Oh, come on! Her orders are irrelevant to me."
I stand up and approach the boy with such a daring big mouth. Zale steps in front of me, "I know. But don't. We got this."
He then motions to his sister and the redhead to go away, in case things get ugly. The sister can handle it but I don't think the ginger can.
I try to stay out of it. I try to keep my cool but that isn't easy at all.
"I don't see what's so special about them," Caen argues.
"I beg your pardon?" Zale asks, turning away from me.
"You heard me." Caen spits.
"He's the king and she'll be our queen. If you can't show respect, I'll have to force it out of you." Zale says. He looks angry as always but this time, there's more fury in his eyes.
Good. I like him angry.
"Can't the king speak for himself?" Caen challenges
"Oh, he certainly can." I move to attack him but Zale stops me yet again.
Right on time because I hear someone approach us. "Who are we sacrificing?" Fallon jokes. We're all standing around the fire so under other circumstances, I would've laughed. But right now all I want to do is kill that boy.
"I just don't see what's special about her. Do you know how many of us died just for saving her ass back at the castle?"
"If she isn't so special why the fuck were you staring at her all night long?"
He laughs, "She may not be special but she's a hot basta-"
In a flash, I find myself on top of him throwing multiple punches to his face. No one tries to stop me or they do but I can't feel it.
Blood colors his golden-brown skin and he tries to fight me back but he can't even move his arms. Not with the way I'm beating him.
His eyes close and he has a hard time keeping them open.
If I throw another punch I'm sure he'll die, and I was going to do it but sadly, I'm being yanked away by multiple people.
But before I let them drag me away, I manage to spit out a few words.
"Look at her again and you're dead."
Kaan, Sorin, and Laurent then drag me away. Zale surprisingly doesn't intervene. "Okay. You got it out of our system, now go." Laurent says in a low, hushed voice.
My body feels like it's on fire and it probably is. I start coughing and struggling with breathing.
Fuck, I hate being sick.
I begin to walk away when I notice Fallon sitting on the tree branch. She's staring at the fire and when I take another look at her, I see that she's yawning.
I walk up to Fallon, literally heave her over my shoulder, and start making my way toward my tent
She doesn't protest at all, all she says is, "What you're doing is a bit barbaric but then again I'd expect nothing else from you."
When we're near the river, I walk towards it. Gently putting her down. I proceed to rip my shirt off and jump into the river. I hastily clean the blood off of myself before walking out of the river.
Fallon doesn't say anything.
My pants are soaking wet and droplets of water fall from my hair onto my face. I stroll back over to her and she knows what I'm going to do so she starts complaining. "You're wet! Please-"
I throw her over my wet shoulder.
"Now this is just getting creepy, Raze."
We reach the tent and again I softly put her down.
I tug my wet pants off and pull another thinner dry pair on after drying myself with a towel. Since it's cold and I'm sick, I decide to also wear some kind of shirt.
Fallon continues watching me without saying much. I walk over to the bed and attempt to haul her in with me.
"Wait- no." With that being said she walks out of the tent as quickly as she can.
Okay. Well, this is awkward. Just when I was contemplating throwing myself into the river, she walks back in.
With a set of clean clothes in her hands and a much more comfortable outfit on her body.
She steps over to the bed after blowing out the candle that lit the place. She moves under the blanket and lays beside me.
"Are you going to say something now? It's creeping me out." She's laying on her back while I lay on my side facing her. I pull her closer to me and let my hand rest on her hip.
"Sleep," I whisper to her.
Fallon turns to lay on her side as well but I still let my hand clutch her side. She doesn't seem to mind.
"Did you lose brain cells while punching him? Is that it? Because that's the only logical explanation."
"No. I just assumed you'd be infuriated with me for attacking him."
"Why would I be? I don't know him, you could've killed him and I still wouldn't care."
"Your moral compass is seriously fucked up."
She smiles, "Yeah, you think?"
After a few moments of silence, she asks, "Why did you bring me here like a barbarian?"
"Well, I was angry so I couldn't find the words to speak. And I brought you here so you could sleep. I've noticed you don't that often but you need it."
"That's surprisingly thoughtful of you."
"I am full of surprises." I tell her and I notice that she's slightly leaning into me.
She doesn't touch me or hold onto me. She's still scared of doing so. It's dark but I can see her silhouette and I can hear her soft breaths too.
"What did he do to get you so worked up?"
"You didn't hear him?"
"I did but I want to hear it from you." I can basically hear the smile on her face.
I move closer to her until I can place my chin on top of her head. "He was looking at you like you were some kind of dessert."
She laughs and I can feel those vibrations against my chest. "And you don't?"
"Hmm. I needed to let him know that you don't need help. And that you're not his to worry about."
I feel her slowly push away from me until her forehead presses against mine. Her hand comes up and she hesitantly cups my cheek. Her body is warm and it feels like she's illuminating light. As if she's lighting up the place.
"Who do I belong to?" She asks with a subtle humorous tone in her voice.
"First of all, you belong to yourself. You're not something people can have. But the part of you that does belong to me is your heart, your mind, your soul."
"All the broken parts of me, huh?" She chuckles. "Why?"
"What's broken can be mended. I long to be the one who helps you with that. And who knows, along the way, maybe you can help me."
"You're quite the romantic, your majesty."
"It's you who makes me that way, darling."
She leans in and I know she wants to kiss me but she's holding back. My eyes are closing, I can't keep them open anymore. It's a mixture of feeling sick and her scent that makes me feel so oddly comfortable.
"I'm sorry I can't erase those memories you have. I would if I could."
"And I'm sorry I couldn't help you."
"What do you mean?" I implore.
Her thumb softly strokes my cheek, "I saw your back." She whispers ever so softly.
My heart drops to my stomach. I knew she would see it and I wasn't necessarily hiding it. But still, I somehow feel bad for letting her see it.
"I-" I start but I can't find the right words to explain this to her.
"You don't have to explain anything."
I pull her closer to me, leaning in to kiss her but she turns her face. Making me kiss her cheek instead. She chuckles at my irritation.
"I promise I'll protect you from him. You don't ever have to be afraid of him again."
"I don't need your protection you know that right?"
I smile even though she probably can't see that in the dark. "I know but I'm still promising you that I'll keep you safe."
"How about we make another deal?" She whispers.
"What do you have in mind, darling?"
"I'll allow you to protect me if you allow me to protect you."
God. This woman is something else. I've never had someone want to protect me like this. It's not the same as guards protecting you, those people are doing it for something. Usually money.
I don't need her protection but it's what she wants to give me. I can't deny her that. I'll take whatever she's willing to give me.
She will still try to kill me whenever she can and I'll do the same. Only now, we make sure no one else ever can get in the way of that.
"Sure, my love."
She inhales deeply, "Keep that up and I may stop plotting your murder and start liking you."
"As if you aren't already obsessed with me."
She lays her hand on my neck and pulls me to her, she kisses my cheek and turns to lay on her back again.
"When do I get to kiss you again? I miss your taste." I smirk.
"Never." She replies and now she turns her back to me entirely.
That doesn't stop me from hugging her though. I have my arm on her side and I leave small kisses over her neck, earning a few giggles from her.
"You just can't keep your hands to yourself. You're so-"
I kiss the sweet spot underneath her ear, she stops her rambling and leans more into me. Giving me more access.
"If you get me sick as well, I'll kill you."
"You'll be fine. I'm almost back to my healthy self again."
She smiles and after a while, her breathing slows and her eyes shut entirely.
She's asleep.
I close my eyes and fall asleep with her in my arms.
Throughout the entire night, I occasionally feel her palm on my forehead checking my temperature. I know she's checking up on me, and it feels way too good.
I'm peacefully asleep.
But when the sun comes up and the birds start chirping...
She's gone again.