CHAPTER VI #4
“-It’s fine,” I give him a small smile and try to hide my disappointment.
I break his gaze and turn to find Cal again, but my big friend is farther away, laughing and drinking as he collects his coin.
“Alexis,” Keane’s hand grabs and pulls on my wrist, bringing me back to him. I look into his brown eyes in small anger, not appreciating his hold though noticing that my body still embraces his touch.
“That’s not what I meant,” he says seriously.
“Then what do you mean?”
The Prince takes a step forward so that our bodies are nearly touching, his brown eyes looking into mine and commanding that I listen to him carefully.
“When I first met you, you were awake during the early hours before dawn and saddling your horse for a walk around Moonsbay Lake. Ancients knows why, but you were living, Alexis, taking the day for your own as you saw fit...”
Keane tugs my wrist again and makes me take a step towards him, my chest brushing against his.
“And when you arrived in Gaumond for the first time in your life, you immediately visited the first place that showed signs of humans and Discerni enjoying each other’s company. That’s living…”
My heart nearly stills at the words.
“And when you dared me to watch you enjoy yourself in that tavern, to watch you relish in what a new city had to offer…”
His rests his lips just above my ear, not caring that his court can see.
“That’s living. And Ancients, Alexis, I couldn’t take my fucking eyes off you the whole night.”
Fuck me.
Keane grips my hand even tighter, everything about him and his words lighting my body to fire.
“You meet everything that the Court of Warriors has to offer you with an open mind and an open heart…”
My eyes close with a heavy exhale.
“You’re determined to embrace this court, and you have the desire to not just talk about life, but live it as well. What you’re still doing in Knowledge is beyond me…”
I feel his sigh against my ear, as if he’s genuinely disappointed.
“But I can see the curiosity behind your eyes, Alexis. You’re wondering why more Discerni and humans don’t embrace eachother as we do here. You’re wondering why you’ve accepted the sentiment that Discerni can be cold and indifferent to you just because of their lifespans. You’re wondering…”
Keane pauses for a brief moment.
“…Open your eyes, Alexis.”
Ancients.
I can’t.
I don’t want to.
Because I know if I see his brown gaze looking back at me right now, I’ll let him lead me away so I can show him just how much I’d like to experience living with him.
I think Keane sees how his words have affected me, and instead of pressing the subject, he gently releases my wrist and takes a small step back.
“Enjoy the rest of your night, Alex…”
I let out another heavy breath when I no longer feel him near, my eyes opening to the sky above as my body begins to tremble.
I rush out of court following Keane’s words, not saying goodbye to anyone.
My full body is flushed and heated as if he purposely etched those words into my skin as a fiery caress.
I didn’t give a damn about the etiquette of the night or that the moons weren’t even at their apex, only that I needed to get far, far away.
My walk is hurried and takes me down the many halls and up the countless staircases of Castle Gaumond.
I hear Golem’s padded footsteps join me from the shadows when I turn down a new hall, the two of us walking in silence until we reach my door.
I push through swiftly and head straight for the bathing room, leaving the gold dress in a pile on the floor before dipping into the hot tub.
I wash as I do every night before I know I’ll be on the road for a while, silently scrubbing away the sight of the Prince’s heated gaze and the feel of his lips so close to mine.
How does he know?
How can he see those part of me?
Ever since I arrived in Gaumond, there’s been a yearning curiosity that has pulled me into all sorts of different directions.
There’s just something about the Warrior capitol and the way the people live here that has me abandoning every notion of what I thought it meant to truly live.
The people here don’t settle for easy days of reading and mundane chats on the weather.
They approach everything in life with a fire and tenacity befit of their name.
Keane sees that. Sees that I’ve felt more alive in Gaumond then I ever have in any other city we’ve traveled to. He wants me to live, to continue on this adventure and flourish the spark that has me second-guessing my content life in Knowledge.
But is that what I truly want? Sure it’s fun to consider, but there’s a calm simplicity to the life I live that makes me happy as well.
Golem is waiting for me in the room when I finish my bath, his impartial features giving no indication that he knows of the anxiety that is routing inside me.
I quickly change into warmer clothes for the night and clasp my new cloak around my body, willing it to lend a calm under its thick layer of comfort that I don’t feel on my own.
The bags at my door are ready and waiting, as if they were a forewarning I should have caught earlier. I grab the lot of them and hold open the door for Golem, the two of us not saying a word as we make our way back down the dark halls.
I finally begin to calm when the cool air from outside surrounds me, my breath steadying against my chest as Golem and I head to the stables.
Millie waits patiently for me as I tack on her saddle and throw my travel packs over her sides, the gentle mare not making a noise as if she knows it’s time for silence.
“I’m going to take Millie at a gallop, Golem,” I adjust the bag at my hip and hop up, “I can let you out once we get to the Shadow Oak.”
He eyes me with concern. I nod in assurance and watch him walk away into the shadows of the stables, feeling his jar vibrate in my bag to let me know he’s home.
Millie and I ride hard for the oak, slowing only when we pass through the first rise.
It takes some careful weaving through the busy city, but once we reach the gate leading down to the training fields, I kick Millie back into a gallop and ride past the archery stations and dirt arenas, slowing only when we reach the barracks to the woods beyond.
I bring her to a stop at the edge of the trees and hoist myself down, grabbing her reins in one hand before opening Golem’s home as promised.
The magical creature greets me from the woods at my left and casts another concerning look in my direction, otherwise remaining silent as I lead Millie towards the mass of black that awaits me for the rest of the night.
We reach the Shadow Oak quickly, my eyes widening in a never-ending awe at its enormous roots and trunk. The full of it shines beautifully under the moonslight above, the branches swaying in greeting as the leaves cut across the sky in sharp hello.
Ancients.
The oak is everything I envisioned it would look like at night, darker and more daunting under the black sky.
I move to the base of the tree and find the same large section of flat ground as I did yesterday.
I unpack my bedroll and take my packs off Millie’s sides, then lead her a bit farther away to tie her reins around a large root.
The area will give her enough room to roam, but also keep her nearby should any animal happen to stumble into our camping spot.
“I wish you could talk, Golem,” I sigh and head back to the trunk, “I have so many questions about the Prince.”
Golem turns from his spot between me and Millie, his features remaining silent.
“I should have brought a bottle of moonslight,” I sigh again, fiddling with the clasp on my bedroll.
Golem reaches into his robes and pulls out a small lantern, his clay fingers moving over the front as moonslight appears within.
My eyes widen when the light quickly illuminates our small encampment, the magical creature walking towards me with a small smile before placing the lantern on the ground.
“Thank you.”
He catches my gaze and then looks to the tree surrounding us.
“Are you uncomfortable here?” I ask.
He shakes his head.
“Are you wondering why we’re camped here?”
No again.
“Then I’m not sure what to ask, Golem,” I frown, returning to my bedroll.
Golem takes another step forward before glancing again at the tree, then to earth beneath his feet.
“Do you want to leave?” I ask curiously, “go back to the castle?”
The shake of his head is stronger this time.
“I’m sorry, Golem, but I just don’t understand.”
He folds his hands over his chest in frustration, turning back to walk towards Millie. The fact that he would prefer a horse’s company over mine speaks volume. I don’t even know what to make of it.
“Golem…” I glance at him softly.
The magical creature turns my way in silence.
“I’m sorry for not understanding what you’re trying to tell me, but thank you for the moonslight.”
He bows from afar and then slinks back into the shadows.
I sigh and take off my cloak before getting situated in the bedroll, then blow out the lantern and greet the darkness once again.
I toss around for a few moments until I finally find a comfortable position on my back, bringing my hands behind my head as I peer up at the dark branches swaying around me.
I’m not sure how long I lay under the tree or if I actually fall asleep, but at some point in the night I’m awakened by the soft crunching of a twig out past the roots. I quickly open my eyes and spot Millie still tethered and Golem nowhere in sight.
Another crunch has me slowly and silently reaching for the dagger in my boot.
Odds are there’s an animal in the woods who is smelling our group in curiosity, but I don’t want to take the risk that it may be something bigger or harmful to Millie.
I stand up quietly and grip the hilt in my hand, my eyes darting out towards the dark woods as I search for the newcomer.