.........The promise given was a necessity of the past; the word broken is the necessity of the present_ Niccolo Machiavelli........
'Catch me if you can.', she taunted as she ran playfully around the garden under the pale crescent moon.
She held her dress up with both hands, her long blonde hair moved with rhythm with every step, the bright moonlight shone on them as though it was the huge bright grin that caused the moon to be that bright, her feet were bare and gentle against the ground.
Out here, she was like child; innocent at first sight, the joy in her heart formed an impenetrable aura around her which gradually envelope everything around her, the love in her eyes was inevitable and wholehearted.
But a child is bound to grow. The innocence will surely fade into knowledge.
'Are you afraid of a little challenge, Son of Tarre?', she challenged, still running round the bushes. She ran alone for a while longer before looking at him, wanting to challenge him again, instead she stop running and moved closer to where he stood.
'What's wrong, my prince?', she questioned, breathing deeply from running, when she saw the frown that had just formed on his face. 'Don't you want to play?', her grin reduced as she started to steady her breathes.
'I'm afraid...', he started.
'Of what, my prince?', she looked up to his green eyes. She's of angelic features, her blonde hair that always seemed to be perfectly in place, her clear forehead, her brown eyes that always shined even in darkness, her long pointed nose, her small child like lips, her flawless skin, her gently hands, her small body. Everything about her was overwhelming.
'I'm afraid if I start chasing after you, I won't be able to stop until I grip you in my arms and hold you tightly as though you were my life source.', he told her.
'Then, don't stop. I might not want you to.', she said softly, 'I want you to hold me tight and never let me go.', she took his hand in hers lightly.
'What if I lose you?', he gripped her hand tightly.
'You just have to hold me closer, my prince.',she moved closer to him, close enough for the fabric of the clothes and breathes to mingle. She led his other hand around her tiny waist, then smiled.
He did just as she had told him, he held her closer to him, chest in chest with one another. She could feel his breath on her face, he could see the rising and lowering of her breasts as she breathed. She could smell his fragrance; the morning dew and mint, he could smell her perfume; berries.
'I want to hold you close to me every day of my wandering life. I want you to be my home.', he whispered.
The smile on her face challenged him before she even spoke, 'You will have to catch me first.'. She pulled away from his embrace but still held his hand, started pulling him towards the maze in the garden.
'Come run with me, my prince.', she urged him.
'What if you slip away?', the fear in his voice was undeniable.
And then she smiled reassuringly to him, 'I promise I won't.'
When they took the first step into the maze, he knew he would lose her but every time he looked at her childish face, he denied himself the fact. Then she said, almost pleading, 'My prince, don't let me go, please. Hold me close.', he saw the sincerity in those joyful eyes.
'I promise, My lady. '
But the moment they started running through the maze, their hands no longer held each other, landing each of them in their own part of the maze. He was separated from her and her from him, forever as it seems.
Promises were made to be broken.
♪. ♪. ♪. ♪.
'Axel, Axel.', Maria called out to Axel as she came out of the shed with two large barrels in hand, Axel had found a boulder to sit on but his back was turned to her so she could not see his face but as she continued to call his name, he wouldn't answer. Maria moved closer to his side, she kept the barrels beside the baskets of clothes,he still didn't notice her presence.
She looked at his face, saw that his eyes were closed, his features were relaxed; his eyebrows were not pulled tightly over his face,deep furrow didn't appear on his forehead and his lips didn't pout as they usually did. He seemed to be in a state of bliss.
'Soldier?', Maria called once more.
Axel took a very deep breath, then he said softly, 'This is so peaceful, so serene, unlike all my living years.'. When she didn't say anything, he opened his eyes and looked at her only to find her smiling down at him.
'Why are you smiling?', his usual expression was back, impenetrable as a rock.
'You amuse me, soldier.', she knelt down beside the river bed to fetch some water into the barrels to wash.
'In what way?', he asked, perplexed.
'I don't know, you just do.', she put in some soap in one of the barrels, then dumped a few clothes in it to start washing.
'Such a girl you are, Maria.', he declared, his green eyes gazed on her, studying her every movement. The way he said her name was ancient to her, the words rolled off his tongue as if he'd known then all his years. He would speak so calmly, not rushing, and she feel so engrossed in what he said, even if it was just a syllable.
'You are not the first to say it.', Maria laughed as she scrubbed the wet clothes harshly.
'Who else says it?', Axel inquired curiously.
'The villagers.'
'Why do they declare such?'
'I don't relate.', she said, turning away to look at him,'I try to but I just can't possibly talk in their sense. Little village full of little people with little ways. Don't get me wrong, I love this village, no trouble, no war, just peaceful . But...I want so much more. More than those fields surrounded with borders I can't cross. And my brothers are too protective of me, they send any boy trying to get closer to me running away with just a glance.', she laughed. Axel only nodded, while she continued to scrub the clothes.
'Especially, the oldest brother?"
Maria looked at him, wondering how he knew, 'Abel? Yes...but how would you know?'
'He argues loudly, the walls try their best.', Axel answered, monotonic.
After a few minutes, Axel asked, 'How come you alone get to do all the chores? Have you no one to assist?'
'No. Everyone else is busy, my brothers are out hunting, mother has gone into village. Even if they were less busy, no one would help, the chores are mine to attend to.'
Shaking his head, Axel noted, 'Where I come from, there were loads of people to the chores, I never had anything too bothering to do.'
'I'm sure you were one lazy soldier to deal with.', Maria joked, smiling up at him, he didn't smile back, instead he just looked away from her to face the waterfall in front of them.
'You should learn to smile more, soldier, or else you start getting wrinkles', she told him, still smiling at him.
'Where I'm from, soldiers don't experience joy.', he said.
There were so many questions lingering on her mind, trying to roll out of her mouth but she didn't want to pry. To her, the soldier seemed more of a quiet person. She didn't know whether he would answer all the questions she had like where he was coming from, how did he get across the border in such condition, who he was, so instead, she tried to concentrate on the hip of clothes beside her.
'Your gaze is burning a hole in me, Maria.', he said without even looking at her. She had not even noticed she was staring.
'How rude of me.', Maria chuckled nervously as she immediately looked away.
Moments later, he spoke again, 'What do you want to ask, Maria?'
'I have nothing to ask.'
'Then why do you stare at me that way?', he turned to look at her. She hadn't noticed that she was staring yet again until his dull olive eyes landed on her wide blue ones. Maria quickly turned away, sweeping away stray hair behind her ear with her soapy hands and blushing deeply.
'I was just wondering...'
'What, Maria?', he urged her to continue.
She met his gaze again, then she asked, 'Where do you come from, soldier?'
Axel didn't look surprised at her question, maybe he knew her question even before she spoke, Maria thought. For a moment, it seemed like he wasn't going to answer, not surprised herself, she continued washing almost done with the one-third of the clothes.
Although his face was turned away from her and his long hair blocked her view, she knew he was staring into space as if he was trying to bring himself to put together the words to answer her with.
Suddenly he said, 'Tarre city. That's my birth place.'
Astonished, Maria asked, 'The King's city.'
'Yes.'
Maria had never met one before. A sinner. That's what the villagers call people from up north.
It was first rumoured that only royals lived there, however the royal families were too small for such large land. Tarre city was for the rich, those that could afford to buy acres of land and have housekeepers to do everything for them. The people were always escorted everywhere by guards, so they said. However, not all were welcomed there.
Tarre city was named after the ruling king therefore it was the king's city. Whoever wanted to enter the city must have received permission from the king or the crowned prince and it was difficult to meet either of them.
Tarre's kingdom was the largest out of all others within 6 to 7 leagues, it took a lot to control every part of the kingdom. The king's city held all the lands in the north, the other part of the Kingdom with rich folks was the east although they were not as wealthy as those living in the king's city but rich enough to be important in the society, however the west and the south were the peasant owned lands.
Maria of course lived in the west in a small village called....,with small people who have small ways of living. Siting beside Axel made her feel small, for all she knew, he was some rich man who spends his day strolling round his vast land, his head up confidently and shoulders high with pride. He was prideful enough to do that, Maria thought.
'You are a long way from home, soldier.', she remarked.
'It would seem so.', was his short emotionless reply.
'How did you get past the guards? No one comes in or out without the king's permission.', Maria wondered.
'I don't remember.', he said harshly. Maria continued with the washing, not pushing the conversation any further.
An hour later, none of them said any thing, Maria had finished washing, she started to hang them on the suspended ropes beside the shed. All the while, Axel still sat on the boulder, staring into space in deep thought.
She wondered if he wasn't cold because the blanket had been beside him the whole time. Maria knew that if he doesn't wrap the blanket around him any moment now, he would catch a cold. He was still recovering, a cold would make the situation worse.
After she was done spreading the clothes on the ropes, Maria wiped her wet hands on her skirt,then moved beside Axel and gently placed her hands on both his shoulders. For some minutes, his muscles were tensed beneath her hands.
"Rest, soldier. I won't hurt you.", Maria breathe out, clearly affected by him. She wondered how she had five hefty brothers and was still affected by the man in front of her.
She felt his skin timidly,up and down his shoulders to his back until she reached his neck, then he was more tensed. His shoulders and back were cold but his neck ran on a different temperature. Maria almost gasped as her hands wrapped around the hot skin of his neck.
Immediately, she removed her hands,drew the blanket up and around him and told him to stand up.
"I don't want to.", Axel argued.
"I was not asking, soldier.", Maria frowned wondering how much more stubborn the man could get even as he could catch a cold.
"Are we leaving?", His voice was still calm.
"Of course, we are."
"Then I'm going nowhere." If that was how he was going to be, she was more than willing to match his stubbornness.
"I will drag you then.", She declared as she moved to his front.
"You dare not.", His eyes widen in question.
"I may not look like I can lift a full barrel but I surely can lift a hefty man like yourself.", Maria said, "And the more I pull you up, the more your wounds will hurt. Now stay still.", She gripped his arms and pulled him halfway up even though he groaned and cried and his eyes were closed in pain.
"Alright... alright.", Axel growled out in pain, as he attempted to balance himself on his feet. Scoffing, Maria moved away to gather the barrels and baskets to put away.
When she turned back to him, he was holding his bandaged chest and looked distressed, not from the pain but from something else.
"Do you truly not want to leave?", Maria whispered.
"Yes, Maria.", He said like a child would answer after scolded.
"But you will get sick."
He turned his head away from her. And Maria felt as if she had disappointed him, denied him of a life long present, of this serene escape from reality.
Few moments after the silence between them, she gave in.
"Maybe we could stay for some moments more.", Maria said with a smile and he quickly turned his head to her, "But in the shed, it's warmer there."
Maybe she could give him a piece of what he lacked in his other years in that few moments. Maybe he would be at peace, at least.
.
.
.
.
.
Author's note.
Hey, everyone. How yall doing? Better than i , i hope. I want to apologise for this late update, things have been rough lately. I really hope you guys will forgive me when I double update. YAY!!, right?
I also wanted to let you guys know that I made some corrections, like changing the mother's name from Maia to Nira. And I want you guys to know that for the updates, I haven't really fixed a schedule for it and for that I am deeply sorry. However I will try my best to update as soon as possible.
If any error is detected, I wouldn't miss if they are pointed out. Thanks for your patience.
And also don't forget to vote and comment, they make the updates fast.