"Don't move it is only me," Killian's rough voice whispers in my ear, stopping me mid way from raising my leg and kicking him in his jewels. "I am going to let you go but don't run or make any noise, there are knights outside."
Slowly he lets me go and I spin round to face him at last, eyes narrowed and definitely not prepared for the wave of emotions that hit me when I finally see him. He is just as I remember, dark tousled brown hair although a little longer, still frames his face and his lips are drawn into a classic Killian hard line without any sign of the playful smile I had grown to love.
"Follow me," he mouths and I do, because in this moment, I trust him.
He leads me down into a small, windowless room that I have yet to explore, the walls are covered in moss and a damp smell emits from one corner.
"Stay here." He whispers before returning back outside plunging the room into darkness.
I walk over to the door, illuminated by little cracks of light around the outside and strain my ears against it. I hear his footsteps walking away and then voices.
"I just checked inside, she isn't here,"
"Are your certain?"
"Are you doubting me Alexander?" I hear Killian reply in a dangerous voice.
"No, I am sorry,"
"Our best plan now is to split up, you and Godfrey are to go down stream until you reach the track, if she isn't there return back to the manor and wait for me there," Killian commands, "I shall go up stream and search there, understood."
"Yes."
A few minutes go by and then Killian appears at the door, "They are gone."
"Why did you lie to them?" I walk back outside.
"Because they were going to hurt you," he says in a monotone voice.
My gaze softens slightly, "Thank you."
Killian remains silent for a moment or two and then suddenly becomes alive, "Ell, we thought you were dead. You left in the middle of a snow storm, on foot without any warning! You did not even tell Sage that you were leaving! Do you know how worried both of us have been?"
"Killian...I—"
"Sage and I searched the entire countryside looking for you!" He begins to pace with his voice rising, "We rode to Sanlowe and found that the entire village was on lockdown, no one could go in or out meaning that you certainly had not made it there! Eventually we stopped looking for signs of life and instead we started searching for your body because we thought you were dead!" I stand there helpless, watching him let out the torrent of emotions trapped inside of him, "Now imagine the shock I got earlier today, when I see you, the girl I thought to be dead, rush out of the hall at full sprint, very much alive."
The pain in his gaze is agonising when he finally turns to face me.
"Killian, I am so, so, sorry that I put you through that," I slowly go over to him and put my arms around him. For a moment his stays rigid in my arms before relaxing and leaning down, wrapping his own arms around me in a long tight embrace.
"Chérie I thought I had lost you forever." He whispers into my hair, the anger all gone leaving behind only pain and relief, "How did you survive?"
"I got lucky, really lucky, two women found me in the snow and brought me here with them."
"Bless those two women," he hugs me even tighter, "why did you run then?"
I take a step back and see him wipe away a tear, "I over heard your conversation with Lord Ulric, you found out who I actually am,"
"Novella," he says quietly and I nod, "I had my suspicions already, after I found out that the runaway girl's name was Novella and yours was Ell, the connection was there and your elaborate tales only added to my suspicion, however I wasn't entirely sure because all your reasons did sound very legitimate. Lord Ulric however confirmed my theory yes."
So he had suspected us, suspected me.
"I won't go back to Lord Golding, I know that he has ordered every knight to bring me to him and I know that you cannot disobey a lord, but I will fight you if I need to and then I will run." I blurt out what has been weighing on my mind since the beginning.
Instead of pointing out that he could easily win against me, he instead asks, "Why do you so desperately not want to marry his son?"
"Because I do not want to be trapped in a life that I hate, I do not want my sole purpose to be popping out heirs," my voice drops to a whisper, "I just want to be free,"
He gently holds my hands, "Ell you cannot keep running they will find and torture you if you do not come back now, you have greatly insulted a lord."
I look into his eyes, "I will run till my legs can carry me no further and I will fight for my freedom until my body breathes its last breath. Freedom, even if that means pain, is better than being trapped."
"Would you consider staying if I can offer you freedom?"
"How can you do that? You said it yourself that you wouldn't go against a lord."
"For you I now would," my stomach does a flip, "but in this instance I wouldn't have to," he says.
"What are you saying? A lord has specifically asked you to bring me to him so I can be married off to his son. How can you say you won't go against him! What solution can you offer that I would possibly take?"
Slowly he begins to get down on one knee, "Marry me."
I stare at him in shock, "What?"
He looks up into my eyes, "I love you Ell. My heart is yours a thousand times over and has been ever since the mountains. You have made me feel things that I never thought I wanted until you came into my life and showed me them. I have already lost you once, I do not wish to lose you again and so if you will have me, if you love me back, say yes."
A tear begins rolling down my cheek, "Even if I do love you, you are already engaged!"
He chuckles, "I am engaged to you chérie,"
Time seems to stop as the dots suddenly become connected, "You are Lord Golding's son?"
"Yes."
I take a step back and Killian stands up.
"Do you know what your father told me when he saw me,"
Killian shakes his head.
"He looked me over and said 'she'll do,'"
"Chérie I am sorry,"
"And your mother, she told me that my only purpose would be to produce your children and tend to them,"
"I am not like my parents," Killian slips in.
"I know," I say slowly, "you are in fact the complete opposite of them but that does not change the situation because they will still be around expecting me to become a doormat."
Killian goes over to a step and sits down, "Do you know why I was so insistent to join you and Sage on your journey?"
"Because you are a rare kind hearted knight who wants to help people?"
Killian laughs, "Well of course," a small smile breaks out on my face, "but aside from that, my main reason was because I did not want to go home."
"Why not?"
"Because I did not want to be married to a stranger, I did not want to start having children and running the manor,"
"So you also ran away," I laugh, "we are quite alike,"
"I postponed the inevitable." He says with a grin, "But now the inevitable is here and it turns out that I got lucky and my wife-to-be also doesn't want to start pumping out children yet either."
"Killian it isn't just that," I say coming and joining him on the ground, "I do not want to become someone who I despise."
"You won't have to, I promise."
"If I were to say yes, we would have to do things differently. I will not become part of a system that treats the bottom people like dirt."
"Of course, I also want change."
"Enough to go against your parents?"
"Yes. I shall not let them do anything to you. Instead I shall support and protect you, treat you as my equal. What is mine shall be yours, you have my word."
I look for a few seconds at his face and see only honesty and openness, he is prepared to change his entire life and go against his parents for me.
"I am going to be fighting for people's rights and not sitting around." I say with determination, standing up.
Killian stands up, "Is that a yes then?"
A few tears leak from my eyes and he gently wipes them away. Somehow the one person I had vowed not to love was the one that had snuck into my heart and filled it up, bringing me joy. He is the one that I truth my life with, trust that he will protect and love me till the end of his days just like I will do the same for him.
"Yes."
And with that, he kisses me.
A kiss filled with passion and love, sending heat spiralling to my core.
"I love you Killian," I breathe when I pull away for air.
His face breaks out into the biggest smile that I have seen, "Say that again,"
"I love you Killian." I lean up and press another kiss to his mouth.
He smiles against my lips, "I love you too, Ell."
~ The End ~
A/N:
Wow. I'm speechless. We are at the end!
AHHHHHH!
*Does a happy dance*
I cannot stop smiling!
Epilogue is still to come though!
SouthernAlps over and out...