Five Months Later

Jesika watched women, men and children of all different types of backgrounds dance jovially in their large ballroom to live music. It had been five months since that fateful battle throughout Querencia. Her injuries were becoming less noticeable slowly, though still giving her a hard time sometimes.

Grumor had yet to strike again, fear of Jesika's new beast keeping them at bay. As for Audric, though the royal council had encouraged her to sentence him to death, she had refused. She knew all too well what a desperate need for revenge could cause. Besides, she still had too many questions to ask him. There had to be a reason behind all of this. She had yet to visit him, needing some time to heal from his betrayal, but her hopes for closure had not let up. So, instead he stayed locked up in Querencia's deepest and most secure prison.

Darryn had gone back to being her personal guard, but unfortunately Aquila had to take leave from her knighthood for a while, still dealing with the trauma she had endured, staying with her parents back home. As for Rowan? Well, he was ever the same. He was glad his parents were safely back in their manor and went back to studying beasts in the library every day. His newest beast of study was Audric's very own dragon. He had yet to report his findings to any of the three, wanting to know everything possible before opening up about it.

As for the two of them? They grew in their friendship, getting to know each other rather slowly. He helped Darryn guide Jesika through physical therapy and read to her boring information from his beast encyclopedia when she couldn't fall asleep. Their raincheck hadn't been cashed in yet, their friendship remaining simply that. A friendship. Yet, whenever Jesika saw him, she had to fight to keep the raincheck out of her mind.

And of course, the most important question. How was Chilly? Chilly was safely in the castle, happy to be back with her owner. The maids were able to hide Chilly away while Audric was in power.

Darryn approached Jesika where she sat in her throne, watching the civilians dancing in the ballroom. He sat beside her on the floor, looking up at her.

"Why aren't you dancing?" Darryn asked.

Jesika shrugged. "No one to dance with," she said simply.

He chuckled, standing once again. He stood before her, his hand outstretched. "Now you do have someone to dance with. No more excuses. You have more of a right to celebrate than anyone else in this room."

She smiled, her cheeks coloring slightly. She took his hand, allowing him to gently tug her to her feet and pull her towards the center.

He wrapped one arm around her waist, holding her close, and held her other hand in the air. They danced slowly through the room to the soft music, going in gentle, rhythmic circles. Jesika studied his handsome gaze, his soft, caring eyes contrasting with the strength of his jaw.

She slowly laid her head on his shoulder, sighing contentedly as they continued to dance.

***

"So, then I explained to him how Cerberuses would obviously beat manticores in a fight. He still didn't believe me though and I had to—" Rowan paused, realizing Aquila wasn't listening, her gaze transfixed on something. He waved his hand in front of her face, saying: "Hello? Aquila?"

She jumped, turning to him. "What?" she asked, confused and a little dazed.

Rowan frowned. He knew Aquila wouldn't answer if he asked what she was looking at, so he looked in the direction she had been to see if he could figure out what she had been staring at. His eyes caught Jesika dancing with Darryn, her head on his shoulder, his arm tight around her. Rowan sighed, lowering his head. Of course, he thought. He had started to notice Aquila's feelings towards Darryn. She, of course, thought Jesika and Darryn were back together.

"You know they're not together, right? They don't have feelings for each other that way," he said quietly.

Aquila blushed. "What makes you feel the need to tell me that?"

He rolled his eyes. "It's obvious you have it bad for him, Aqui. I could tell from the moment you came back from getting water with him on the trip to the mountains."

Aquila's blush deepened as she leaned against the wall. "Alright, fine. You got me. But what makes you think they don't have feelings for each other? I mean, they're dancing together, and her head is on his shoulder."

It was Rowan's turn to blush as he considered her question, his mind going back to the kisses he had given her in the mountain. The raincheck had never stopped coming to his mind, though he fought the thought with everything in him. He averted his gaze, saying quietly:

"Trust me. I just know. Besides, Darryn said so himself that he doesn't have feelings for her anyways."

There was a moment of silence from Aquila before she broke it. "What about Jesika? Doesn't she still have feelings for him?" she asked shyly, sounding like she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer.

Not able to tell her why he knew Jesika wasn't into him, he shook his head. "If you want to know, just go ask her. Though I'm telling you, the answer is no. She doesn't have feelings for him." Aquila gulped, looking at Darryn and Jesika as they started to split up. He looked at Aquila once more, giving her a small, encouraging smile. He patted her shoulder. "Go, Aqui. You'll regret it if you don't ask."

She nodded slightly, trying to garner up determination. She left his side, approaching Jesika slowly and hesitantly. Rowan sighed heavily as he watched them. That raincheck was a raincheck that could never be allowed to be cashed in.

***

Aquila felt butterflies swarming her stomach as she neared Jesika. Jesika smiled at her with all of the grace and beauty of a true queen. She had started to grow out the right side of her hair again, and it had already grown past her shoulders, usually pinned with the rest of her hair. Aquila felt her throat get clogged as she tried to speak, suddenly trembling. Jesika's smile disappeared, replaced with a concerned frown.

"Aqui, what's going on?" Jesika asked worriedly.

Aquila shook her head. "Nothing's wrong... I just wanted to ask..." Aquila's voice trailed off as she continued to fight to say the words just on the tip of her tongue.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Jesika arched one brow, tilting her head. "Ask me what? Aqui, you know you can ask me anything. We're best friends."

Aquila closed her eyes, holding on tight to Jesika's words. We're best friends. No man could change that. She took a deep breath like she did when she had a panic attack, then opened her eyes once again, her determination back.

"Do you and Darryn have feelings for each other?" she blurted.

Jesika paled, her eyes widening. As the shock wore off, her shoulders sank, a sympathetic look coming to her face as she placed her hand on Aquila's shoulder.

"Oh, Aqui. How long have you been wanting to ask that? Of course, we don't. Sure, Darryn and I courted one another in the past, but those feelings are long gone. He's like a brother to me. And I know he feels the same."

Relief filled Aquila and she rested her head on Jesika's shoulder as she sighed. "I was so terrified to ask you. I've liked him almost since the day I met him," she admitted.

"Oh, Aqui. I'm sorry it took me so long to notice. I've been so blind towards your feelings for him," Jesika said softly, caressing Aquila's hair.

"It's not your fault. I should've told you sooner. There was just so much going on that it never felt like the right time. I just kind of put my feelings for him to the back burner."

Jesika grunted and lifted Aquila's head with one finger. "Well, it's been quite long enough. Go tell Darryn how you feel, sweetie."

Aquila felt the butterflies return to her stomach at the thought. "But what if he doesn't feel the same way? It could ruin our friendship."

Jesika scowled. "Give the man some credit. He's more mature than that. He wouldn't want you to keep your feelings to yourself either way. He cares far too much about you for that. Besides, we don't know what the future holds. Darryn could die tomorrow, heaven forbid, and you would've never told him how you feel. Could you really live with that?" Aquila swallowed at her words. She knew the answer inside. She would be miserable with regret if that happened. She took a deep breath and stepped away, straightening with resolve. She knew what she had to do.

Turning on her heel, she gazed over the crowd until she spotted Darryn talking to Rowan. She approached him, tapping his shoulder. He turned and yet again, she was hit in the gut with nervousness.

"Yes?" he asked gently.

She could feel Rowan's encouraging eyes on her, silently motivating her. She rolled her shoulders, maintaining eye contact with Darryn.

"Can I talk to you a minute? Alone?" she asked, fighting to keep shyness out of her voice.

Darryn quirked one brow but nodded. "Of course. I hope nothing's wrong," he said.

She shook her head. "Everything's fine. Don't worry." She outstretched her hand, and he took it, intertwining his fingers with hers, sending a jolt of pleasure through her veins.

They walked away from the crowd, going to stand on the balcony. The balcony was empty, the air brisk and cold like it always was, the starry night sky creating the perfect atmosphere. It was as if God was on her side.

She turned to him, not letting go of his hand. She took his not letting go either as a sign of encouragement.

"What's going on, Aqui?" he asked softly.

Aquila smiled at her nickname coming from his mouth. Something about the way he said it seemed special. She stepped closer, caressing the back of his hand with her thumb. She looked into his eyes, eyes the color of the icicles hanging in the caves of the mountains.

"We've always been close friends, right?"

He nodded. "You're my best friend, Aquila," he said lowly.

Her heart skipped a beat at the earnest tone. "And you're mine... Well, second to Jesika, maybe," she added sheepishly. He chuckled, easing up the nerves a little. She tilted her head, continuing: "And we make a really good team, don't we?"

He smiled. "The best," he agreed, gently squeezing her hand.

Suddenly the cold air felt a bit warmer as his gaze deepened with an expression she couldn't decode. She stepped closer, preparing herself for the question that bothered her every waking hour. She gazed at his chest, unable to look him in the eyes as she spoke her next words.

"But I can't help wondering... What it would be like if we were more..."

Darryn didn't respond for a long moment. When he finally did, he tilted her chin up, forcing her gently to look him in the eyes. They were only a breath away from each other. "More...more than what, Aquila?" he whispered huskily.

She searched his eyes, seeing them in a way she had never seen them before. "More than friends... I'm in love with you, Darryn." His eyes widened, and he blushed but Aquila didn't stop talking: "I've never been in love with anyone before and I'm not even really sure what it is, but I know that it's how I feel about you," she paused, her gaze falling back to his chest again. "And I know that it's how I've felt for a long time," she finished quietly.

"Look at me, Aqui," he said sternly.

She jumped a little at the sudden turn in his tone, looking up at him like he ordered. Before she could take another breath, he had wrapped her up tight, kissing her firmly. Aquila responded after a moment of surprise, slowly trailing her arms around his neck, trying to slow his passion to meet her hesitance. He seemed to remember her inexperience, slowing the kiss like she silently asked him to, loosening his tight grip on her.

He guided her through the kiss gently, his mouth softly moving against hers. He didn't break away until they both could no longer breathe. They rested their heads against each other, the feeling of euphoria still clutching Aquila's body. She sighed contentedly, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.

"That... was everything I have... ever imagined..." she said between breaths, her eyes still closed.

Darryn's chest rumbled against hers with a slow chuckle. "You imagined this?" he teased.

She huffed, not bothering to be embarrassed. "I would slap you if I wasn't so out of breath," she said quietly.

Suddenly his lips were against hers again, tugging at hers gently before pulling away. "I imagined this too, Aqui," he said once he broke away. She opened her eyes, looking up at him. He swallowed as he looked down into her eyes. "I love you too Aquila. I've loved you for a while."

She whimpered and pulled him close, hugging him tight as she laid her head on his shoulder. He held her in a gentle embrace, keeping her warm and protected from the wintry air.

***

Jesika sat in her throne yet again, watching the couples dance. Rowan approached her for the first time tonight, standing before her with a small smile on his face that contrasted starkly with his usual smug smirk.

"How do you think it's going?" he asked, nudging her foot with his.

She tilted her head and grinned. "Considering they still haven't returned, I'm assuming it's going pretty well," Jesika replied, matching his amused tone.

His smile grew a little. "Good. They deserve it after everything they've been through."

Jesika nodded. "They do."

Rowan scratched the back of his neck, his smile becoming sheepish. "Would you maybe like to dance with me for a song?" he asked, having a rare moment of awkwardness.

Jesika chuckled and nodded. She took his outstretched hand and followed him closer to the center just as she had with Darryn. Yet, this time it felt different.

She fought the blush wanting to come to her face as he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her against him, his other hand holding hers. They danced for a while, and she fought to ignore the heady feeling she got being close to him. No one had ever had this effect on her. Even Darryn, she had easily been able to ignore her attraction to. What was it about Rowan that made it so difficult?

As the song neared the end, he grinned, and she questioned him with a quirk of a brow. He spun her out and pulled her back in so that her back was to him, his head right above her neck. She felt tingles travel from her neck down her spine with his warm breath on her skin. She wasn't ignorant to the way he gazed at the graceful line of her neck and shoulders, and it made her stomach twist in a good way.

He glanced into her eyes as if asking permission but lowered his head before she could make any type of response. His lips brushed her skin and she inhaled sharply, going rigid against him. This seemed to snap him out of whatever trance he was under, making his head rise as he looked at her with an apologetic look.

He then let her go, stepping back. Jesika absentmindedly felt the spot on her neck he had kissed, feeling a deep disappointment inside her. He scratched his neck sheepishly yet again.

"Sorry about that. I don't know why I did that. Take it as a goodbye kiss, I guess," he said quietly.

She frowned. "Goodbye? As in, you're leaving?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I think I've had enough partying for a while. I'll see you around, Your Majesty," he said, doing a quick bow, before promptly leaving her.

Jesika dropped her hand, totally aghast and confused. Feeling an odd sort of dejection, she returned to her throne, trying to ignore the burning spot on her neck.