Chapter Nine:

Confessions of a Sinner

Dmitri

Zachary spent most of Saturday dividing us up for some one-on-one meetings, where he discussed our strengths and weaknesses based on what he observed through our first week of training. He and I barely spoke for ten minutes, as I was his last for the day, and he himself was ready to get things over with. I took his notes to heart and spent much of my afternoon scrawling them in my battered notebook before I let myself, for the first time in a while, relax. The week had caught up to me in one foul swoop, and if I didn’t take a moment to clear my thoughts, I was going to crumble.

I was able to catch a couple hours of sleep before finding a book in the library that captured my attention well past dinner. Atticus was sent to find me at some point, and relayed a message and offered me my forgotten dinner plate, which I thanked him profusely for. To my surprise, Zachary wanted The Cavalry to meet him out on the shore down the cliffside around ten o’clock. I promised Atticus I would be there, and after eating my dinner and showering, I trudged down the cliffside towards the shores below.

I was thoroughly convinced he was going to have us do some weird late night swimming exercise or something, but when I came over the hillside and saw a bonfire glowing against the dark ocean waves, and bags of marshmallows and liquor surrounding it, I was stunned to say the least. Zachary popped up from the fire pit with a genuine smile and waved me on cheerfully. I stiffly crossed the cold sand and sat on one of the benches beside him, fronting a nervous smirk. “Hey, Snake, glad you came. The others should be here shortly.” He chimed, handing me a perfectly sharpened stick and a bag of marshmallows. His nickname for me had become much more lighthearted as the week had progressed, and by now, I was accustomed to it.

“What’s all this?” I lightly questioned as he set his own marshmallow into the flames.

“Well, considering we’ve all been working so hard this week, I thought we should take the chance to get to know one another on a more friendly basis. Believe it or not, I like to relax once in a while, too.” He blew the fire away from his burnt snack and sandwiched it between two graham crackers as Stefan and Martha came over the hillside. “Welcome, guys! Find a seat!”

“Are we making… s’mores?” Stefan teased as he plopped down beside me.

“Something like that…” Zachary waited for Gwenevere and Michael to join us as well before taking a swig of his whiskey bottle and coughing slightly at the burn. “I thought you’d all like to take the time to really introduce yourselves, and get to know not only each other, but me. We’re going to be working together quite a bit, and I want you to feel comfortable coming to me if and when you need to. I also need to form my opinions on you guys, and what better way to do so then a nice fire beside the ocean?”

“Agreed; pass me that bag if you aren’t going to use it.” Stefan chuckled, nudging me playfully so I would give him the marshmallows.

I watched him shove a few onto the stick Zachary gave him; Zachary eyed me carefully before clearing his throat. “I want to ask you all a few questions, and feel free to say pass if you don’t want to answer, but I’d like you to all answer each one I ask. We’ll start with Martha and make our way around the circle.” He tossed more kindling into the fire pit, and pushed it around aimlessly, “I’d like a more in-depth description of your training, as much as you’d like to provide. I’ve seen your preliminary videos, but they don’t tell nearly enough of your stories. It will help me get a grasp on what we need to work on before we start on missions. I’d also like to know how much field action you’ve had, if you’ve killed people before, or experienced battle really. Internships, caught in the action moments, etc. are important.”

Martha swung her stick in a circle as she spoke in an even tone, “I’ve been running around Adelaide’s castle ever since I can remember. Her son Alan and I are close friends and trained together for years. I attended the same academy he did up until high school, where Adelaide funded my tuition for The South Cavalry Academy. She wanted me to be a Calvary no matter the country, so long as I was one, and ensured I would have my chance.”

“How did you get involved with aerodynamics and archery?” Zachary beckoned.

Martha’s smile grew wider, “I’ve always focused on planes; I loved flying from the first time I was allowed to ride in a fighter jet, and it’s a passion I will die with. I took up archery because of Alan; he and I used to do competitions, and since it was a trade that a Calvary was needed in, the pieces fell into place. I’ve been flying with The South Airforce since I was sixteen officially, doing small missions such as reckon or providing overhead eyes in foreign countries, since we can’t fly in England right now. I’ve gone out with Serena a few times on small excursions to take out West soldiers that raid our factories and such, so I’ve killed a few times, and don’t shy away from a fight. I’ve seen real field action, but only taking on groups of a hundred or more.”

“Understood. Michael?”

Michael nibbled the edge of a graham cracker casually as he spoke, “Well, I didn’t really get exposed to true combat training until I enrolled in The North Calvary Academy, but I was an avid hunter as a kid, and that was where my interest peaked. My mom stuck me in self-defense classes my entire childhood, so when it came time to pick a trade, Combatives tied perfectly in what I had always done. I like to be hands on; I am an on the field, in the fire and the flames guy, and like to put my size to use. I’m not much of a technical fighter; brawns over brains you could say. I leave the fancy stuff to Stefan.” He added at the end, reaching over to ruffle Stefan’s hair.

“Not a bad thing, though. We need a balance, and you’re right to say you belong on the field. You’re the perfect soldier for main line defense.” Zachary said in between swigs of liquor.

Michael flushed red at Zachary’s comment before continuing, “I took up an internship under Josiah a few months back, and for the spring, was one of the men out in The Peace Zone doing border control.”

“You were on that team? I had no clue! You guys did phenomenal work out there.”

“Josiah was my sponsor for the academy, admittedly, after that point. He put in a letter of recommendation to Andrew, and that got me on his radar even more...” Michael hugged himself with a subtle grin, “It certainly solidified that this is where I belong, and being out there, in the heat of the moment, was exhilarating. I’ve only killed a handful of times, and wish I didn’t have to at all, but the feeling of accomplishment that comes with defending the front line is something I’ll never take for granted.” His words were slightly unsure, but I could tell he wanted to front as much confidence as he could to impress Zachary.

Zachary cheered Michael’s comment, “Couldn’t agree with you more. And you, Gwen?”

Gwen had been spacing out a bit for a while now, but recentered herself when Zachary called her name. She brushed her hair behind her ear and cleared her throat, “I’m self-taught in most of my training before the academy. My father and I tackled my introduction to magic, and after, I went to Italy for two years to study at their Arcane Arts Academy. I came back to England for The North Calvary Academy and put magic on the back burner to work on my Naval background. I grew up by the water, and always had a fascination. I didn’t want to be a run of the mill female soldier, one who sticks with lightweight skills to get a slot in the military. I was one of three women in the entire Naval program and am happy to be one that became a Calvary. I try and be a jack of all trades, especially since one of my nominations is pretty useless at the moment.”

Zachary tilted his head unsurely, “I wouldn’t say useless by any means; you’re our secret weapon. Ramah and Andrew are timing our incorporation of magic to the finest detail, and when it comes time for us to use it, you’ll be such a major player. Running our Navy is far from a pass time either, Gwen. Give yourself some credit; you have two incredibly precise and difficult nominations, and balancing them as well as you have is much more than many can say.”

Gwenevere pulled her stick from the fire and watch the embers break off one by one, floating away in the coming breeze that rolled off the ocean. Her eyes were distant as she processed Zachary’s words, as if she couldn’t quite accept his praise. “I… appreciate the compliment. I certainly am doing my best to be as useful as I can.” She paused to fumble with a graham cracker, “I spent most of my last year at the academy out on the water with Jeremy, trying to not only nail down every route that surrounds The North, but any kingdom I could traverse. I’ve memorized the maps and waterways of each country to a T, and we’ve had quite the time taking out West fleets.”

“You get scarier by the day, Gwenevere,” Zachary laughed, “How about you, Stefan?”

Stefan was somewhat in a trance at this point, and jumped slightly when he was called on. “Oh, yes. Um, well, I suppose I’ve always liked the scientific aspect of war. I’ve been messing with inventions and trinkets ever since I could remember; I was originally going to be a weapons technician, but once I learned how bomb defusal worked, I realized demolition was where I belonged. I don’t like to just blow shit up; I like the fine technicality and precision. Each bomb that gets released can wipe out dozens if not hundreds of civilians, and it takes true patience and craft to ensure each one is timed perfectly. Demolition is one of our biggest assets as it’s also one of the few ways to take out a big number of soldiers in one go, and up until recently, not taken advantage of enough.”

“He’s always been the mad scientist,” Michael added in between chewing, “He’s wickedly smart, and honestly, a pretty bad ass soldier.”

Stefan rolled his eyes with a soft chuckle, “It’s not all about bombs for me, though, as I’m always looking for ways to enhance our weaponry. By the day more and more rules are broken under the Common Weapon Law, and that means I have to keep up with the tides. I’m a strong fighter, sure, but my confidence definitely lies within attacking from afar. I would rather keep our soldiers out of the fight as much as I can by taking on the bulk with my weapons.”

“You teamed up with Cynthia last summer and made that new ship thing, right? That targeting system enhancement?” Zachary asked as he bit into his sixth s’more of the night.

Stefan perked up at the mention of his latest endeavor, “Yes; she and I worked tirelessly on perfecting our ship’s weapons systems since The West stepped up their game, too. Our new system can lock on through multiple layers of natural material, and cut through them too. Not only can they shoot above and below water, but they can pierce and see through land masses within certain depth to cut them off at the pass.”

“Wow, that’s bloody fascinating. The potential is astronomical here, and I can’t wait to see what you cook up next!” Zachary turned to me carefully, “How about you, Snake?”

My eyes had been focused on the flames the entire time everyone spoke, trying to find the words that would provide a sufficient answer, but not turn the crowd against me. The stick in my hands was trembling so violently that my marshmallow was barely hanging on, and everyone was watching it shake like this. “I think it’s obvious how I was trained.” I hesitantly answered.

Zachary leaned over and clasped a hand on my shoulder, gave it a gentle squeeze, then patted my back once. “By gones are by gones; it’s important for me to know, at least a little, about what you can do. I’m not here to judge you, and it won’t change my opinion, regardless of how much of a dick I’ve been. I swear on Andrew and Cerelia.”

I did not look at him as I spoke, “Joshua and Alexei… put me through some of the most, intense, training you can imagine until I was perfect, and then some. I can hold my own in almost any situation, any.” My voice shook so hard that some of my words were intangible, “I’m obviously best in field combat, but can get by in other trades as well. The Cavalry Academy was, mostly, a formality and an escape. I’ve always wanted to take what I learned and make use of it as a Calvary, and understand that by being here, I took the position from another deserving student; but I’ve worked just as hard, if not harder.”

Zachary poked my arm with his stick, “Yes, you did work just as hard… but why not just come here as a prince? Why go through the remedials, if I can ask?”

My throat was closed so tightly I could barely breathe, so my words came out in harsh little pants at some points, “I took the necessary steps because I do not believe in privilege. Andrew was not allowed to hire me because I asked, and I would have denied the offer had he. I have a lot to prove to not only the world, but myself…” I clenched my fist tightly, “I want people to know that I’m… that I’m not Alexei, and I won’t use influence or power to get me what I want. The academy was helpful in many ways, most importantly because it taught me restraint; I have been on the field since I was eleven, and needed the academy to remind me that not everyone is an enemy.”

“Eleven? You were out there at, eleven?” Stefan croaked.

I sighed deeply and clasped my hands together, “Joshua never let me leave his side, not in the castle, and certainly not in war. I have watched that man burn villages to the ground and could not do a thing to stop it. I have been present for many horrific things throughout my life, things that cannot be erased, undone, or atoned for. I wish I could have stopped him, truly I do. I’ve done things I regret, things that will haunt me the rest of my life…” I trailed off as the horror became too much to swallow, and subject them too.

“Like, what…?” Martha asked with wide eyes.

I was already knee deep in this, so there was no use holding back. “I have killed many soldiers from The West during my internship in Gerard’s castle, more than any other country, but it does not negate the fact that I killed from every country in England, including this one. My hands were forced many times, and as much as I showed restraint, lives were still stolen. I could kill a thousand men from The West, but it will never ease the guilt of killing men from other countries, men who were only at war because of my, family.” I winced as I said the word.

“How many, have you killed?” Zachary hesitantly pressed, not angrily, but curiously.

“Sixteen,” I answered immediately to their surprise. “Sixteen people from outside of The West. Two from The North, seven from The South, seven from The East. If Joshua had his way, I would have killed hundreds more, but I took a lot of beatings to keep as many soldiers alive as I could…” I accidentally whispered at the end. My words caused a ripple of worried gasps to echo through the crowd, enough that I flinched violently and tried to backtrack as fast as I could. “I, uh, let’s just move on, ok…?”

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“Beatings? You think we can just forget that you said that?” Michael snapped.

“Michael, please, just forget I said anything.” I whimpered through physically trembling lips, my breaths coming out in hurried puffs that I couldn’t seem to control.

“Hey, enough, guys. This is supposed to be a safe space, so let’s treat it that way.” Zachary barked to the other Calvary before turning back to me. His eyes were huge with a thousand questions, but he simply nodded. “We do not know your circumstances, nor do we have the right to press them out of you. I understand that, as a child, you had little to no control over what you were told to do. It pains me deeply that someone so young was forced to be on the field, and I do not blame you for what you had to do to survive.”

“Survive… I don’t like calling killing innocent people surviving…” I whispered.

Zachary frowned deeply, and scratched his arm as he thought of how to respond. “I appreciate that you’re here to help us at the very least. Having someone trained in The West is as close to Joshua as we’ll get, let alone one of the princes. I also realize you are fighting against your own people, and that in itself is heartbreaking for you. I hope we can get through this war with as little casualties as possible.” He tried to say as reassuringly as he could.

“Likewise,” was all I could offer before I set the stick down in the sand, “Can I go, please. I’d like to get a start on your notes from earlier.”

“Dmitri, we didn’t mean to…?”

“Go ahead; thank you for joining us tonight. See you Monday for practice.” Zachary cut off Martha, and nodded to the castle.

I stood without another word and hiked back up the hillside, my hands deep in my pockets and my head down. After I had rounded the corner, curiosity won the battle, and I stopped to hear Zachary say, “If I hear another person call him Joshua’s pet, I’ll have them fired faster than they can breathe the last syllable.”

An awkward silence enveloped the camp for a brief moment. Gwenevere picked her head up finally, “This is why I’ve been so nice to him. I knew there was more to the story…”

Zachary’s words were as cold as ice as he broke his stick up and tossed it into the rising flames, “I, too, am beginning to see that this situation isn’t as one-sided as I thought. I guess I fucked up more than expected. I probably erased all the progress we made just now.”

“Zachary…?” Stefan hiccuped in horror.

A darkness came over Zachary’s tone as he spoke, “Let me make myself very clear when I say this to you all; forget what was said tonight. If you want to be his friend, then forget what he said. Whatever that boy is holding back is more than any of us can begin to comprehend, and he will never trust us if we hang it over his head. I didn’t mean for the evening to take a turn like this, and was a fool to think this wouldn’t be too much for our first group talk.”

“I… don’t think he would hold it against you…?” Martha attempted.

“We know nothing, that much is obvious. I questioned Andrew’s decision from the start, but that single sentence alone has completely turned around every ill thought I had for that kid,” Zachary’s voice lowered a few octaves, “I really hope I didn’t fuck this up.”

╬

The room I was locked in was pitch black; the window had been boarded up years ago, sealing out any semblance of the sun that could possibly break through the crude iron bars. My breaths came out in sharp pants as I hugged myself, rocking back and forth on the frozen floor. “I don’t like the dark… I don’t like the dark…” I kept whimpering to myself, my frail voice filling the empty space like a noxious gas.

The doorknob clicked, all three locks were pulled loose, and a thin line of yellow light split the black around me. My eyes watered and burned from the harsh entrance of light; I had to rub them a few times to adjust before looking up at the figure in the doorway. “You have practice in an hour. Go to breakfast, then be on the field by eight sharp.” Joshua flatly demanded, pushing the door open further. I stiffly brought myself upright, my teeth clenched when I had to move by him to get to the stairs. He said nothing more to me, only watched as I took the steps painfully and headed to my bedroom to change.

All I could hear downstairs was yelling, but that was normal. Alexei and Riley screaming was how I started most of my days, and today was no different. When I entered the dining room, in a fresh training uniform with a sword at my waist, I winced at the violent crunch of a knife slamming into the dark oak dining table. “If I have to hear your bitching one more time, Riley…!”

“Fuck you, Alexei. Fuck you and everything you’ve ever fucking loved…!”

“Enough, you two.” Joshua came into the room behind me, his hand firmly placed against the middle of my back. A line of sweat slipped down my spine whenever he touched me, and this time was no different; I had to swallow the urge to throw up as he held me in place and spoke. “I’d like to have one breakfast without you two trying to eviscerate one another.”

Riley gasped in relief when he saw me, and darted across the room to take me in his arms and kiss my temple rapidly. He combed his hands over my blackened right eye with a violent glare at Joshua, “How many times have you been told to stop locking him in that fucking room?!”

“He failed to meet his goals in archery yesterday; it’s not my fault he doesn’t listen to save his life.” Joshua walked by us with a cigarette between his lips, and plucked a muffin out of the basket beside Alexei. “Really, Alexei, can you tame your dogs better?”

Riley buried his face into my hair and held me as tightly as he could, “I’m so sorry, buddy. I tried to get you out, I tried so hard…?”

I patted his arm with a zombie-like stare across the room, “I know,” was all I could say.

Alexei stiffly sat back down and ripped his knife from the table, laying it on the cloth napkin beside his dish carefully. His eyes were sunken in as he watched Riley hug me, and watched me stare emptily out of the dining room window. He looked from us to Joshua, who was completely unbothered to his right, and exhaled deeply. “Josh… let him sleep in his room tonight, ok?”

Joshua scoffed a laugh as he peeled back the wrapper of his muffin, “Tell him to act right and I will…”

“Joshua, I mean it. This is an order.” Alexei sternly attempted.

Joshua set his muffin down and let his legs slide off the table, his boots hitting the ground with a deafening thud. I shuddered at the sound; Riley hugged me tighter, and tried to hide my face from whatever argument was about to ensue. “You coddle that little brat far too much. I’m not asking him to perform a miracle, Alexei. He finishes his obstacle course, he gets to sleep in his room, plain and simple…”

Alexei slammed his fist down, hard enough that Joshua, too, jumped. “When I say something is an order, you listen to me, understand? I am the king, not you. Learn your place.”

Joshua let out a low, methodic laugh before clapping his hands clean and standing. He rounded the table and went for the main doors, but before he exited, he grabbed my hair and yanked me backwards from Riley’s arms. Riley cried my name; Joshua pulled me in a circle and lit another cigarette. “Fine, he can sleep in his room… after he finishes the obstacle course. If that takes him days, so be it.” He barked before slamming the dining room doors shut, and continuing to drag me down to the arena by my hair.

╬

I shot up in bed with a horrific gasp, clutching my head tightly. I could still feel Joshua’s fingers locked onto my hair, feel the tightness and pain from how hard he pulled, and it took me rapidly shaking my hair loose for it to finally let up. I hyperventilated for a good minute before finally catching my breath, and coughing once or twice on a sob I was forcing back. I luckily hadn’t woken my roommates up, but knew if I didn’t leave the room I would, so I forced myself out of bed and into the hallway. The castle was quite dark considering it was near four in the morning, but I welcomed that in relief no one would be around to bother me.

I was never good at bouncing back from my vivid nightmares; my coping mechanism was to run from my treacherous bed and find a place to breathe in some fresh air, air I no longer had to share with the men who haunted my dreams to begin with. I found one of the side doors in the west wing was still unlocked, mostly to let soldiers working the night shift in and out, and used it to escape the castle walls that were smothering me. Once outside, I let my legs go where they wanted, and ended up in the center of Cerelia’s garden. She religiously tended to the various species of flowers and fauna that inhabited the beautiful landscape, which let a wonderful scent linger in the air no matter the time of day. Daisies to tulips and everything in between covered the gorgeous landscape, as if the garden were taken straight from a child’s storybook.

I sat crisscross beside the fountain and let my head fall onto the edge of the cold concrete, which the moon had been casting it’s reflection over for some time. The sun was due to warm the garden with its muggy summer air soon, but for now, the cooling landscape was just the right medicine to calm the anxiety choking my mind. My fingertips gently glided across the water inside the fountain, doing small pirouettes as I inhaled the lavender infused air around me. The cold water was refreshing against my burning skin, and admittedly, I wished to dive into the fountain completely and let myself be gently consumed by it.

A set of footsteps broke my chaotic silence, but before I had a chance to shoot upright and explain myself, a delicate hand fell onto my shoulder. “It’s a bit early to be up and about, don’t you think?” A tender voice asked against the sound of the rippling waves beneath my cheek.

I stayed frozen in my current position, unsure of how to move, but not really wanting to either. “I suppose so. I just needed some air.” I offered, submerging my hand in the water completely to keep myself calm.

Gwenevere tightened the hand she had on my shoulder, “Was that you I heard, then?”

All the air in my body halted in a clump in my throat, though I refused to turn around and address her, “W-What do you mean…?” I stammered unsurely.

She stepped over my legs and sat in front of me so we could speak face to face, but when she saw my face head on, her eyes widened with worry. “I was running to our office to get my sketchpad, and heard someone frantically mumbling through the door.” She hesitantly brought a hand up and let it hover above my cheek, considering how to continue. “Dmitri… is it alright, if I touch you?” She asked abruptly.

I was completely taken aback by her request. No one had ever asked me such a thing, let alone a question so incredibly sincere and considerate. I was so used to people touching me without my permission, much like Joshua in my nightmare, that I never thought it possible to have a say in how I wanted others to interact with my body. Her question sent goosebumps down my arms, but after a few long seconds, I stiffly nodded. “Yes… You can…” my voice wavered a little, “Thank you, for asking me first.”

Her eyes were closer to all blue under the night sky, like two deep lakes that I wanted to swim in, “Considering what you said at the campfire tonight, I wanted to make sure that you were comfortable with physical contact. I don’t want to do anything that makes you uncomfortable.” She brushed the back of her hand over my cheek, incredibly careful in her movements, but still trying to be caring. “You look like you haven’t slept in weeks. Is everything ok?”

Her hand was incredibly soft as it glided over my burning cheeks and temple, such a gentle feeling compared to my horrid nightmare, and it honestly was more relaxing than the water I had my hand in. I did cast my eyes down so I wouldn’t have to see the worry in her own, my mouth turned to a cemented frown. “Um, well… yes, I’m fine.”

“Dmitri… you don’t have to lie to me.” She whispered seriously.

I looked up to her finally, and saw that her expression had nothing but honesty within it. My throat was still tightly shut, but I managed to force some words out carefully. “I… I have nightmares, very vivid nightmares. They’re… sometimes, they’re a bit too much to handle. I was just shaking it off is all.”

She let the hand she had on my cheek glide through my hair now, so she could brush some strands behind my ear carefully. She was cautious, doing everything possible to not overstep, but I think she realized I was enjoying her touch immensely. “Did our talk tonight trigger them?” She asked hesitantly, “I am so sorry if we upset you, especially to this degree…?”

I let a half smile play on my lips for her, “No, no… they happen almost every night. This one was just, really bad. It was nothing you guys did…” I assured before trailing off.

Gwenevere bit her lip hesitantly before lowering her head so she could lay on the fountain edge with me. Our faces were inches apart, a bit closer than I could handle in normal circumstances, but I was unbothered by it right now. She continued to play with my hair as she spoke, somewhat oblivious to the action at this point. “You know… sometimes, it really helps to talk about your nightmares. I don’t mean to push information from you if it’s a sensitive topic, but if you’d like someone to listen, I’m here for you.”

I hadn’t experienced anything like this moment before. I’d never had someone sincerely ask me to speak my mind, to offer a kind hand and reassuring word like this, and the feeling was jarring to say the least. I don’t know what compelled me to talk at that moment; either I felt truly safe in that little space she had created for us, or I was just that tired of fighting my battles alone… or maybe both. “Well… without going into too much detail…” I swallowed loudly, enough for her to hear, and cleared the lump in my throat, “I have nightmares about home, about… Joshua.”

She nodded patiently, her eyes still serious as stone, “About, things he’s done to you?”

“More or less,” I answered, closing my eyes briefly to create a veil of privacy for myself. I exhaled slowly before continuing, “I don’t want to burden you, Gwenevere, really. It’s just nonsense from my childhood. I appreciate you checking on me, but you should get some sleep…?”

I felt two fingers press against my lips, and that odd sensation made my eyes open again. Gwenevere was smiling softly, and let out a light, little chuckle, “Well, considering I’m an insomniac, I have a hard time with sleep myself. I’d rather keep you company then stare at the ceiling all night.” She brushed the two fingers on my lips over the corner of my mouth, watching her own hand as she did this, “Let me decide if I’m being burdened, alright?”

My heart thumped wildly at her words; a breathy laugh escaped me, and I nodded warmly, “I suppose I can do that.” I decided to test the waters a little, and raised my own hand so I could carefully twine my fingers around hers. She blinked in awe, but didn’t pull away; I gently pulled her hand from my face so I could completely entwine our hands. “You know, for such an immensely strong-willed woman, you have the gentlest of touches…” I whispered, focusing on the warmth of her hand in mine.

She gave my own a light squeeze as a rose red blush consumed her cheeks, “For such a hardened soldier, you have an incredibly beautiful smile…”

Another breathy laugh escaped me, and I shook my head, “Don’t go stealing my lines now, Ms. Lee…” I casually taunted before picking my head up slightly. “It’s nearly five; we both should try and sleep, especially if we plan to chase Andrew around all day.”

Gwenevere was lost in thought, though she did smile lovingly, “I suppose so…”

I hadn’t let go of her hand yet; she let me pull her upright, so we both could sit on the edge of the fountain together. I peered at her with a flirtatious smirk, “Since you so kindly cheered me up, can I walk you to your room, Ms. Lee?”

“That would be nice, as I tend to get a bit lost now and again.” She teased to lighten the mood. Her smile grew wider when I laughed loosely, and she made sure to keep our hands laced as we walked back up the path to the side door. Our footsteps echoed through the silent foyer as we took the grand steps back towards the third floor. The moon shone through the large windows and washed us in its crisp light; Gwenevere’s hair mimicked the dark sky under its glow, such a stunning sight that I missed a step staring at her. When we arrived at her door, she hesitantly unwound our hands and sighed loosely, “Here’s my stop, I suppose.”

“Yeah…” we stood there awkwardly for a beat before I summoned every ounce of courage and carefully leaned down to kiss her temple. Her eyes widened at my gesture; I pulled back ever so gently, and slid a lock of her hair behind her ear as I did. “Thank you, for being so kind to me, and for being so considerate. It’s incredibly foreign to me, but your gestures have truly made me feel much more at ease.” I whispered in her ear as I pulled back. With a gentle wave I went back into my own room, leaving her standing in the hall like a statue. She was smiling ear to ear, though, a beautiful smile that stayed with me for the remainder of the night.