>>Hael
"You did well," The king said, "Thanks to you, the city was safe."
I stood in front of him, on the red carpet that extended from the door, leading to his throne, in his throne room, "I know," I replied, "You should get the core fixed if you don't' want another casualty, Your Highness,"
"That has already been approved and in process." The king stared at me,
...
I stared back at him, "Is something the matter, Your Highness?"
"I'm just wondering," He said, "Do you want something as a reward?"
A reward?
I thought about it.
Hmmm
"As a matter of fact, I do," I replied
"Oh ho," The king was pleased, "What do you want?"
"There's this knight in the royal guard." I would have killed him. The moment he proposed to 'My' Lady, he was on my hit list and I was ready to burn him to ashes. What is a mere commoner, after all? But then there's this weird feeling of dismay inside of me when I think about Amber finding it out.
That's the sole reason for not doing it. Something inside my brain stopped me. Told me I would end up in a worse place.
"A royal guard?" The king raised his brow at me.
"Yes," I smiled, "I want you to take care of him for me."
So, I'll leave his disposal to someone else.
***
I came back to the magic tower, taking slow steps as I approached my bed. Amber was still asleep there. I stood by her side, looking, trying to understand something.
There are too many things I don't understand.
Like how I feel strange when she's with me. When's she closer, or when she's far away. I sat down on the edge of the bed with my eyes still on her.
Like how odd it felt when she touched me. It was a foreign feeling but something my mind liked.
I gently grabbed a lock of her hair.
Hers is a touch I seemed to crave.
Slowly, I brought her hair that I held between my fingers to my lips.
Why do I crave a person? For what? For sex?
No,
That act has meant nothing to me ever since I was young. Forget craving it, it was disgusting.
Why did sleeping with her make it different? Why did being with her, make me feel a little bit-
I touched my chest.
-Full
She's the only person whose touch I didn't hate. The only person who attached skin with me and I didn't feel disgusted. The only person who I like close to me.
I want to feel her warmth again.
Strange...
The texture of her skin. I kissed the lock. Those black eyes staring into mine.
I couldn't stop watching her
The mole on her belly. The feeling of skin locked together
I crave it. I want to see it again and I want it and I don't want anyone else to have her.
Ever,
***
>>Amber
I stirred awake from my sleep and groggily sat up
"You're up," Hael's voice made me look at him. He was standing on the balcony, the pleasant wind was fluttering the curtains, hiding and revealing him.
"Yea..." I couldn't take my eyes off of him as he stared at the ever blue sky. He had his hair tied up in a ponytail, few loose locks in the front which made him look so beautiful my heart beat rose a little.
Just how the hell does he look like that?
He looked at me
!!!
I felt like I got caught staring at him and looked away guiltily. He walked in, "Your food is here." He said and walked towards the big table he had on the other side of his room and grabbed the food tray.
I spent the day with him, practicing, but then I passed out as soon as night came.
As I sat at the edge of the bed, Hael approached with a plate of food in hand, his eyes seemed a little soft, and it looked like he had something on his mind, "I made you something to eat," he said gently, offering me the plate.
"You made it?"
He chuckled at my question, "You're asking as if I didn't use to do this for you before."
I swallowed nervously, feeling a flush of embarrassment creeping into my cheeks. "Oh, um, that, wasn't it you just delivering the food for me?" I replied, accepting the plate with a hesitantly,
"There were times I cooked," He replied, "When the food tasted bad."
There were times the food tasted bad? The food I ate always tasted fine. Nothing was too bad- wait... He used to do poison testing.
My heart did a flip. Did he cook for me at times where he felt like something was wrong in the food?? My ears started getting red when the realization started setting in. I looked down, avoiding his gaze. I grabbed the fork and kept my eyes on the plate.
Hael's smile widened as he watched me take the first bite. "How is it?" He asked, his tone laced with anticipation.
I chewed thoughtfully, "It's... it's really good," I admitted, feeling a shy smile tug at the corners of my lips.
His smile grew even wider at my words. "I'm glad you like it," He said warmly, and I glanced at him.
!!!
But the moment I saw him staring I looked away.
This is bad... Staying here is so bad...
As I finished the last morsel of food on the plate, I felt a sense of warmth and contentment wash over me, "Thank you," I said softly, my voice barely above a whisper as I returned the plate to him.
His eyes softened with affection as he reached out to gently tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "You never thanked me for food before"
"Well," I tried to keep my shy side hidden, "I never knew then that you cooked for me." Didn't he hate me then? He even killed me in my first life. So why?
"I used to do it before you started using the heart stone on me." He got off the bed with the tray in his hands.
Ah...
Right. That must be where he truly started hating me.
"You should get ready," He said as he placed the tray on the table, "Then we're going to the forest."
"The forest?" I looked at him, my heart feeling heavy because of our conversation, "For what?"
"To start practicing on miasma."
"What?" I got out of the bed, "But, I'm just going to pass out!" I walked over to where he stood.
"That's why," He pointed at the plate, "I made sure you ate right,"
"Still!" I protested
"Shh!" He placed his finger on my lips, making my heart jump, "I need to see if working on miasma works faster with your training or not." He removed his index finger and I slowly pursed my lips.
"Ok," I said softly
"Good girl," He smiled again, "Shall we go then?"
***
We had found small areas of corrupted plants or dead animals to practice on. But I barely managed to heal one dead rabbit and I got tired out. But I didn't faint, so I guess that's progress.
I turned my head to look at Hael who was sitting in the air as if he was sitting on a chair. One of his legs was crossed and he had his arms folded as he analyzed the things.
"What do you think?" I asked
"It does certainly work better-" He suddenly stopped talking and went still for a second. Right then next moment he was on the ground. He came in front of me and took a protective stance as he stared sharply at the thick bushes.
"Hael?" I was shocked to see this. He was calm just a moment ago.
"Someone's here," He said, "And I didn't notice their presence till this point." So, that's why he's wary.
I moved a little so I could pop my head from behind him and look at the bushes as well.
The leaves moved
!!??!
Someone is there.
"You really are strong," A woman's voice reached us, "I had concealment magic on," I leg came out of the bushes, "Yet you noticed me." And then the woman revealed herself.
My mouth hung open.
OH MY GOD!
It was an elf. I couldn't believe my eyes. She was tall with fair smooth skin like milk. Platinum blonde hair and of course, those unmistakable pointy ears. She had an ethereal look to her, like she came out of a painting.
"What do you want?" Hael didn't move, "For an elf to come all the way to human territory," In fact he only got more wary, "It can only mean something bad."
I glanced at him. Why is he being so hostile? I can sense the hostility from him. I also caught his hand, he had it positioned in a way which was ready for attack.
The pretty lady shook her head, "It's nothing bad," She didn't move from her place. I got the feeling that she knew if she tried anything, Hael would burn her to crisp immediately.
His power was pretty destructive after all. Elves have stronger magical powers than human but I don't think she'll be able to win against Hael.
She pointed at me, "I'm here to take her,"
Wait
I pointed at myself
ME?!?!?