Floorboards creaked underfoot as Gigi made her way down the hall. She was lost in what she would say to Drake and did not notice where she was walking. The wind was nearly knocked out of her as something hard collided with her chest.
“Watch it!” came an angry high-pitched voice.
Gigi rubbed her aching chest and cast her eyes downward. Her sister Gerinna was in front of her. The petite goblin’s ears flickered with irritation. A frown played on Gigi’s lips. She had hoped to go undetected. The thought of explaining herself, least of all to her eighteen-year-old sister, was deeply unappealing. She had enough on her plate without her sister’s endless thoughts and opinions on her life.
Gerinna looked her sister up and down, crossed her arms, and obstructed Gigi’s path. “I heard you and Mom had some kind of blowup, and we had to close the store even,” she laughed.
“We did,” Gigi admitted. “But I think that will be the last time,” she sighed.
“Seven hells are you moving out?” Gerinna asked excitedly. “Can I have your room?” She was practically bouncing.
“Nope, Mom and I just came to an understanding is all,” Gigi shook her head.
“What does that mean?” her younger sister asked with confusion.
“It means it’s none of your business!” Gigi snapped. She was over the prying.
Gerinna pouted. “It’s so unfair. I hate that you are clearly her favorite.”
Anger at the accusation of favoritism coursed through her. What did she know? Being the eldest was horrible. You were constantly being made an example of. You had to be the stick against which all your siblings were measured. “You are so immature. Is that why she screams at me so much?” Gigi shot back.
“No, that’s because you’re so irresponsible and grouchy,” Gerinna said, wagging her finger. “But it is why she lets you keep a loser human in our attic,” her sister said smugly. “I even got kicked off deliveries so you two could flirt all day.”
“Drake is not a loser,” Gigi seethed.
“Gigi, he sleeps in our attic because he has nowhere else to go.”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about. He’s been through more than you can imagine.” The need to tell off her sister was strong. To rub it in her face that Drake was a damn legendary warrior, not some drifter. However, discretion held her tongue firm.
“That’s what he told you anyway. Men never lie, right?”
“He’s not like that,” Gigi said dismissively.
“How are you so naive? All men are like that. You just can’t see it because you think he’s hot and want to have his little goblins,” Gerinna said, rolling her eyes.
“Shut up. Drake is different, and I don’t want his little goblins.”
“That’s why you’re sneaking around to his room in the middle of the night? Just gonna talk, right? I’m surprised Mom even bothered putting you two in separate rooms. You’re both so old.”
“I’m only twenty-three! And Drake is…” she trailed off as she realized she didn’t know how old he was. Her sister cackled.
“You don’t even know how old he is?” Gerinna shook her head, laughing. “Didn’t you, like, find him in the river? Admit it, you don’t know a thing about him.”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
“I think I’m done with this conversation,” Gigi said, putting her hand on her hip.
“Come on, don’t be like that. You know how much I love you!” Gerinna implored.
“Do you?!”
“Of course, I love my big sister. You dislocated that stalker’s arm for me. Only family would do that.” Gerinna stepped in and hugged an annoyed Gigi. She did not return the hug. Gerinna stepped back. “I just don’t want to see your heart broken by a guy you, no offense, barely know.”
Gigi sighed. She loved Gerinna, hells she loved most of her sisters most of the time. Her concern was appreciated. She knew her sister wasn’t wrong, but that didn’t mean Gigi would admit she was right. It was a hard truth to bear, but his age was one of many things she didn’t know about the man she planned to spend the night with.
“I love you too,” Gigi grumbled. “Can you do me a favor?”
“Anything,” Gerinna replied.
“Just give him a chance.”
“Deal, If you give me your room when you two elope,” she smiled and winked.
***
Drake blew the excess charcoal dust from the parchment and looked at his latest creation. He had depicted Gigi in the pit, with the title raised victoriously above her head. A small smile played on his lips, and a pang of pride came with it. Since coming to Poppy, he had fed his addiction to drawing. Even in a short time, he felt like he had improved noticeably.
He looked at the candle flickering on the desk and wondered if Gigi was still awake. The attic had no window to see the hour, but he was sure it was late. It had been truly a strange night, or day, whatever it had been, but he was grateful all the same. As tired as he felt, restlessness kept his eyes open and hands moving.
Drake had tried to submit to sleep many times but had found something missing. What was absent, or rather who, was not a mystery to him. The target of his longing was staring back at him from the page.
It was then that he heard muffled words coming up from the floor. The attic had a tendency to soak up and amplify the noises in the spaces below it. Earlier, he had heard a ferocious scrape between Gigi’s youngest siblings. He wasn’t sure what the fight had been over. Despite his privileged position, he tried not to listen in on the lives of others.
“Drake is not a loser!” echoed through the attic. However, there were exceptions to this rule. He set down his charcoal. That had been Gigi’s voice. He sat and listened to her defend him against her sister’s barbs. The soldier smiled weakly. He couldn’t recall the last time someone had defended him. It made him so happy that someone as incredible as her was doing it, too.
However, he knew what her sister said was true. Gigi didn’t know him; if she did, he was positive she would have already seen how unworthy of her time he was. What did he have to offer her? He had no wealth or lands, and his only title, Sword of Paxia, was not his to share. Nor was it one he would ever curse anyone with, let alone Gigi.
Drake couldn’t even promise her a long, simple life full of humble pleasures, for he didn’t know how much of his shadow was left to give. He often chased the question from his mind. How long do I have? How much did I spend today? He never questioned if it was worth the price. Not when it came to making Gigi happy.
However, he knew deep inside himself that his time was short. She was a flame that would burn bright, and he hoped he got to see her do it, no matter how brief their time together may be. He was certain there was nothing more important he could do with whatever time remained than make her dreams come true, even if making her shine snuffed out his light.
He couldn’t say if he had ever been in love before waking up in Poppy. It was an altogether unfamiliar emotion. Sure, he had known the love of his brother, but this was wholly different. He wasn’t sure when exactly it happened, but he was starting to think that maybe what he felt for Gigi was love. Drake didn’t know what to do with that knowledge. It felt wrong to burden her with his feelings, at least not yet. She had enough troubles to contend with, even without adding his emotions.
It was then that Drake heard three gentle knocks at the attic door. He stood from the desk, his hopes rising. Was it her? Taking the stairs two at a time, he hurried to the door. Before he opened it, he took a deep breath to steady his nerves. With a quick turn of the handle, he opened it inward to reveal Gigi mid-knock.
“It’s you!” Drake grinned.
“You’re awake!” Gigi exclaimed, surprise and joy illuminating her face.
“Is everything okay?” concern bleeding into his voice.
“Oh, yeah, everything’s fine,” she was anxiously playing with her hair. “I just couldn’t sleep. I was hoping maybe we could talk?” She gestured at the stairs behind him. Drake stood for a moment, unsure what to do next. Gigi took him by the hand and gently tugged at him to come with her. He may not have deserved Gigi, but in front of the King and all the Gods, he would spend the rest of his days with her. He would never be another man’s tool again.