I was still slightly flustered after Iban and I's conversation but snapped out of it soon enough when I realized that nothing good would come out of my overthinking. However, I did pause on his statement about making up with Caiden. It wasn't that I didn't want to make up with Caiden, it was just that I knew the moment I tried to, I would be forced to watch over him again and I wouldn't be able to rest and be by myself. My desire to have time to myself was almost overpowering my desire to find Caiden and to make amends. Almost.
Well, that, and the thought that I would have to face him and have a heart to heart with him. It wasn't something that I was particularly accustomed to, but I knew it had to be done. Unfortunately, I was still learning that different people needed different things. In the past, I never spoke with anyone and moved out of my house at a very young age to just get away from the people who tormented me. However, through that experience, I realized that I could probably never be truthful and honest and express myself in front of people like everyone wanted. I didn't find this particularly all that sad. Mostly because I never really was interested in or loved anyone. Due to my family, I thought that anyone I got close to would end up hurting me in the end, and I was actually pretty satisfied just living by myself anyway, so I wasn't particularly disheartened at the thought. Now, I didn't really have my family to blame for my problems and poor communication skills, but instead, my own issues and actions which scared me more than my previous situation.
Despite all of that, I found myself standing before Caiden's room, my heart beating slightly erratic as I struggled to find the words to say. However, I didn't really need to say anything, as I heard Caiden's voice come through from the other side:
"Get in, Alan." It was rough and curt, probably indicating that he was still angry with me from our previous conversation. I found myself stuck, upset that he figured out that it was me despite how quiet I was being. However, I ultimately just chose to enter, nodding at the knights that stood beside his door.
Caiden's room was very lavish, fitting for a king. The room was probably the size of a single-story home, with a bed on the far left lofted up three steps on a wooden slab. And the bed itself was the size of two king beds put together, abnormally large considering Caiden hardly ever got any sleep. To the right were a couple of couches surrounding a coffee table, which had papers placed on it. Additionally, there were two bookshelves on the wall on either side of an unlit fireplace. Lastly, across from the door was a desk, where Caiden mostly sat to eat and relax, only occasionally doing work. For the most part, he never allowed himself to work in his bedroom, wanting the option to keep his "Caiden" and "King Caiden" sides apart as much as possible. So far, the only times he has had to work in his bedroom were with emergency calls and summons.
Right behind the desk were two glass doors that led outside to a balcony. The balcony was protected by magic (due to my insistence) and overlooked a forested area leading towards the Voutia Kingdom. You couldn't see the Kingdom from this distance, but whenever they held parties, you could hear their chatter and music carrying throughout the forest. Caiden said he liked to listen to them, which was why I couldn't fully convince him to stop hanging out on the balcony, despite it being dangerous not knowing what was lurking outside. That was why I had to place a spell on the balcony to ensure that if something came flying at him, he wouldn't be attacked right away, and instead would have to opportunity to run away.
That was where he stood now, dressed in a dark blue cotton pair of pants and a white button-up. His feet were bare and pale in the light and he had them crossed while he leaned against the right balcony door. His hair was down and a little damp on the ends, blowing lightly in the summer air. His back was turned towards me, but he looked lightly at me over his left shoulder, watching as I shut the doors behind me and stood before them. Once I was in, his head turned back to look outside, leaning against the door frame. I paused at the entrance, looking around at the clothes that littered the floor and the books that were scattered across the desk. He didn't like having maids around when he was here, but he did allow them in the room to clean while he was away, which was probably why he didn't really care to clean up.
After glancing around his semi-messy room, I walked over to him, my hands bundled up in the pockets beneath my robe. I listened to my boots slapped harshly on the ground as I made my way over and stood to his left, leaning against the left side of the frame, facing him, to stare out at the woods. I could lightly hear a party coming from the Voutia Kingdom, which was probably why Caiden stood out here.
After I came to a stop beside Caiden, a light chuckle came from his lips.
"You wouldn't be able to go hunting with feet like that," he murmured. I frowned at the comment and looked down at my boots.
"Well, I don't particularly have a liking to any meat, so that's fine with me." Caiden looked over at me at this, his head cocked in curiosity.
"I didn't know you were a vegetarian?" Thoughts of my past on Earth came flashing back to me; of my parents forcing me to eat raw and moldy meat as a way to show their dominance.
"Yeah, for a while now," I murmured back, blinking to get rid of those thoughts and shrugging in response. "Just not my taste." Caiden watched me for a while before nodding, turning back to look out at the forest. The lights from the stars twinkling in his eyes. And that's where we stood for a long time, scanning the forest and listening to the nightlife come alive. Then, Caiden opened his mouth:
"You know, I have trouble trusting people." I shifted my head from the forest to look at him. His own eyes were unfocused as he stared out at something beyond the scenery before him. "Which is why I don't like having maids or knights around they have..." he sighed and turned his head to look at the ground, wiggling his toes in response. "I just have bad memories from my past about them." His voice was a soft, a whisper that was lightly carried in the night air. He cleared his throat and turned to look just over my shoulder as if he couldn't quite make eye contact with me. "I don't want to pry in your information, but I have difficulties with people who keep things from me. Since you are my... bodyguard of sorts, I just thought that you should... I don't know. I guess I just thought that you shouldn't keep secrets from me." I opened my mouth, but Caiden shook his head in response to keep talking. "I know you are your own person, and it's none of my business what you want to tell me or what you don't want to tell me, I just... don't want to worry about my life like I've had to in the past." The last sentence was so soft, it was barely carried to my ears. Though I did hear it, and it caused my heart to go into a flutter, my lips and brains trying to form a sentence in response.
I was speechless.
Enough so, that I just opted to stand to the side with him, both of us lost in our own little worlds. Comprehending and trying to understand the other person who struggled with communication.
I know how hard it can be to trust someone who isn't completely honest with you, but I also know that not everything should be or can be said. The only reason I didn't want to tell this man what Romand told me was because I didn't want him to start to fret over something that shouldn't be his concern. On the other hand, why did it matter, and would he even care all that much about this problem?
But ultimately, why was I thinking so hard about it?
"Romand and I talked about the idea that... there is a traitor within the mage community." Caiden blinked his eyes twice before turning to me, a slightly shocked expression on his face. He opened his mouth to speak, then looked around us, as if someone else would be there. Then he ushered me inside hastily, shutting the balcony doors and standing there for a moment, trying to catch his thoughts. Then he spun around quickly, his face now incredulous as he stared at me.
"Should you even tell someone who isn't a mage that problem?" he asked harshly, running a hand through his hair. I frowned and furrowed my brows.
"You said you don't like secrets."
"Well of course –no one does! But shouldn't that be something you keep to yourself?" I shook my head and let out a slightly harsh sigh.
"You're confusing." He also sighed and ran a hand through his hair once more, causing it to stick up at a slightly different angle. Another moment passed as I watched him struggle to cope with the new piece of information. He then sighed once more, his index finger and thumb coming up to squeeze at his lips as he turned to make his way to his bed. He then made a gesture, indicating that I was to join him. I hesitated a moment before making my way over to him. I watched as he climbed the three steps and went straight to the left side of the bed. In one swoop, he sat down and flopped back against the pillows, his hands coming to rest on his stomach and a breath leaving slowly through his mouth. I walked up the three steps and went to the right side of the bed, gently sitting down and facing him. His eyes were closed as he waved his left hand.
"Lay down, just stay here tonight." I frowned.
"I'd rather not–" he turned his head and opened his eyes to glare at me, causing me to sigh and lean down to take off my shoes. Once off, I mirrored his position, laying down on my back, my hands folded across my stomach, and my eyes counting the number of black speckles that decorated his otherwise white ceiling.
Caiden yawned beside me before speaking. "Do you guys have any idea who it is?" I shrugged, then remembered he probably wasn't watching me and opened my mouth.
"We don't have a single clue," I admitted. He let out a slight laugh.
"Well, luckily for you, I may have an idea for what we can do to figure this person out."
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Hello everyone! Saph here! Thank you for your patience in this upload and I hope you have enjoyed the read! I wonder what Caiden has in store for us next??
As always, I hope you have enjoyed the story, and please don't hesitate to tell me what I should fix or how you are enjoying the story. Otherwise, I'll see you next time. Bye-bye!