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A Musical Allusion
"Could you find a different tree to do that under?" I snapped finally, shooting a glare at the aggravating man across from me.
Angelo looked up at me from where he lounged against an upraised root a few feet away. A barely concealed smirk found his lips as his fingers paused on the fretboard of the guitar, "Am I really so awful at it?"
I grit my teeth.
In all honesty, he wasn't awful at all. He was actually surprisingly skilled, and I had been finding myself subconsciously leaning into the music before I caught it and pulled fully away. His skill was exactly the problem.
He was the enemy, and I couldn't afford to find any redeemable qualities in him, even something as small as musical talent. Not when every fiber of my body seemed to be screaming at me to close the distance between us, plop myself down in his lap in the space his guitar was currently occupying and never let him go again. I shook the intrusive thought from my head for what felt like the millionth time that hour.
It was bad enough that I had finally caved in and broken my resolution to avoid visiting the willow tree, but could I really be blamed? The Midwinter Ball had been an entire week ago, and the last of our esteemed guests, had only just finally packed their things and returned to their own respective homes yesterday evening. On top of having my every move monitored by even more busybodies than usual, the daily council meetings I attended were growing increasingly disheartening with each passing day. We had been stuck on the same question for a while: how can the Blood Fangs move such a large group of foreign men all over the kingdom without attracting any notice? When the meeting had ended that morning, it was all I could do not to immediately sprint from the room.
I hurried to the Grand Library after a quick stop in my rooms to change from my formal clothes. There, I perused the aisles until I found what I was looking for: a book of maps. It was the most accurate one we had of the geography of the region after the devastation of the Last Human War. I had tucked the book into my pack, and decided to take my chances with the willow tree.
It may have been a mistake.
"If you aren't going to help me in any way, then I would appreciate it if you didn't distract me from my research." I looked pointedly back down to the book in my hand and continued the mind-numbing task of trying to find a viable path the Blood Fangs could have used inconspicuously. I did not miss the irony of having a member of that very group sitting beside me while I searched.
"Research, is it?" He set the guitar down against another root, and rose, sauntering over to where I was sitting, propped against the trunk of the willow. He crouched down beside me, causing me to have to lean away to avoid his knee brushing against my side. He reached out a hand and gently pried the book from my grasp. For some reason, I let him do it, studying his expression as he flipped through the pages. After a few moments, he simply let out a low hum, deep in his chest, and placed the book back in my hands.
"That's it?" I asked, raising a brow.
The smirk on his face grew. "I'm sorry, princess," he tilted his head in curiosity, "were you expecting something from me?"
I narrowed my eyes, "Am I at least on the right track?"
He began rising from his crouch, "On the right track for what?" But from his knowing smile, I could tell he already knew.
"You know what I mean," I said, exasperated, "now help me, damn you."
He chuckled, "Such a wicked mouth for a princess." He crouched back down to look me in the eye, a bit of a challenge swimming in the blue depths of his, "Help you, or what?"
"Help me, or the next time you visit this tree, you will be met by a patrol of armed men," I threatened, meeting his gaze evenly.
Those enthralling eyes left mine to study my face, "Would you have them torture me then, little mate?" his head tilted again as he brought his gaze back to mine, the smirk returning, "I don't think you would."
I scoffed, indignantly, "Don't presume to know anything about me."
"Don't I though?" he asked, and I was suddenly hyper-aware of the mere inches separating us as he leaned in closer, his breath fanning across my ear, "At least a little bit? Enough to know that if you intended to turn me in, you would have done it by now."
I glared daggers at him, but he didn't seem to mind one bit, rising to his feet and waltzing back to his spot against the root, victorious from calling my bluff. I knew the moment I had that first nightmare that he was the one being tortured beneath the castle, that regardless of my feelings regarding his line of work, or my disinterest in pursuing a romantic relationship with him, that I would do anything to keep him from that fate. I had just hoped that he wouldn't have caught on to that little weakness. So much for that.
At least with some distance between us, I could breathe again.
He placed his guitar back on his lap, and brought his fingers back up to the fretboard, but this time, instead of strumming out a melody, as he had been before, the fingers of his right hand plucked at individual strings. They moved quickly along the chords, creating a sound that somehow brought to mind the tinkling of a creek. He caught me staring, and I quickly returned my attention to my book.
He continued to play that strange tune for several minutes, while I attempted to focus on the various maps of the kingdom, tracking routes through mountain ranges and forest, through cities and villages. None of it added up. There were too many crossroads, too many potential witnesses, how could so many people cross so much distance without a trace? Clearly, from Angelo's presence in the capital, I could surmise that they had pockets of men spread throughout the kingdom, but there was too much damage done in the attacked villages to be the work of only a handful of people stationed nearby. They had to be camping a larger force somewhere. But where was it? And how were they moving them?
After a while, Angelo switched to a new song, strumming through the melody a few times before humming along in place of the lyrics in a silky tenor. While I tried to keep my attention focused solely on the book in my lap, my gaze kept wandering back to where he lazed, strumming and humming to the song. He looked so at ease while he played, not the cocky-swagger-and-confidence kind of ease that he usually exuded, this was more genuine, like I was getting a glimpse into the real him that he hides behind the overconfident facade. There was a kind of glow about him that made him even more heart-wrenchingly handsome than he already was, and I found myself once again fighting the urge to close the distance between us. His electric blue eyes were sparkling when they met mine, and I had to quickly look away, in case my thoughts were written on my face.
I fought to keep my eyes on my page, but soon found myself leaning my head back against the rough park of the willow, eyes closed, listening. When the song came to an end, I remained where I was while the final chords echoed out over the water. His velvety chuckle met my ears, "No complaints about that one, beautiful?"
I tried to squash the butterflies that fluttered in my belly at the compliment, opening my eyes slowly and glancing at him, "What is it called?"
"Riverbed," he replied, a wry smile forming on his full lips.
While he began playing another song, my head was reeling. Two water related songs back to back? Maybe he really was going to help me, just not outright. I looked at the map, running my finger along the rivers large enough for travel. Soon, I was frustrated. The only viable rivers were heavily trafficked and policed and I couldn't think of a way they could get around it.
He was halfway through his song, but I didn't care. I was almost afraid of the answer when I asked, "What is this one called?"
He didn't look mad at the interruption, but instead he looked at me expectantly, like I was supposed to be understanding something he wasn't saying, "Cavern."
I glanced back at my book, feeling stupid for believing for even a moment that he would help me, "Do you know any songs that aren't named after nature?" I snapped, frustrated at my own idiocy.
Amusement twinkled in his eyes, "Yes."
"Good," I turned my attention back to my research, "then play one of those."
"Hmm," he hummed thoughtfully, then asked with a cheeky smile, "If I say no, will you threaten to have me arrested again?"
I groaned, "You are the most insufferable man I have ever met."
Smooth laughter was his only response.
~*~*~
What do you guys think of Angelo so far?
Do you think he's going to end up helping her? Or is she gonna solve this one on her own?
Next update will be Wednesday, June 3rd
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Thanks for reading!
Xx Ren