Return to Glory

Explanations

The rest of the afternoon both were rather quiet with one another. Alex tried to make small talk of literally any other thing, but Aidan was still awkward, face turning red each time he even looked at her. Though at first she had found it cute to see his bashful reaction, as hours passed and he continued to act so timidly, it began to grow on the young girl’s nerves. They hadn’t even had s*x, in the end. Why was he acting so sheepishly?

Alex’s final straw was at dinner time, when Aidan was placing the cutlery and she was placing the dishes, and their hands touched for a second and the blond pulled his away as if it had been burnt, his face again blushing madly. He seemed like one of those virgin maidens that were bashfully throwing their handkerchiefs on the floor so some nobleman would pick it up for them.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Alex exclaimed angrily, stomping her fist against the table, making the young man jump, exalted.

"Nothing," he muttered, moving to continue serving their meal.

"You're acting more like a princess than a prince," the brunette insisted, feeling her own face blaze, but out of irritation.

Aidan avoided her gaze, but replied, "I still feel like I shouldn't be looking you in the eye."

Alex couldn't believe him. Not only had it just been a kiss, both of them had enjoyed it; she really couldn't understand what the big deal was. "Gods, please stop. Why can't you look me in the eye?" She pulled at his arm, forcing him to stay put in front of her.

"Because what I did was wrong," he responded, emerald eyes hard and set firmly on the floor instead of Alex's face.

"I've already told you it wasn't. Why do you insist on making a problem out of this?"

Aidan glanced up at her, face somber. "That is not how a nobleman should behave," his gaze now felt heavier than anything Alex had ever faced and she wondered what kind of cave she was venturing into. This seemed to be something very personal to the blond.

"What are you talking about?" she ended up asking, knowing this wasn't some general idea he must have, by the guilty look on his face. "Come on, tell me why you're taking this so seriously when I'm telling you that you didn't do anything."

She knew her insistence had to have some sort of effect on the other, especially now as they were both engaging in an intense staring contest.

"Noblemen are not supposed to impose themselves on maidens," he stated flatly, face now completely hardened; the refined features elegant and regal, showing his true grandeur.

"Okay…and you didn't do that to me," Alex insisted. She couldn't help but notice how warm his arm felt under her fingers as she accidentally touched his skin directly. She could still feel his hands pawing at her backside desperately, making her own body react again on its own. If he would just end his bashfulness, maybe they could see what would happen if they went a step or two further.

Aidan remained silent, watching her with stern eyes. The previous timidness was now completely covered by his need to remain firm in his position.

"Gods, it's irritating to not have an answer, you know?" Alex was about to give up on the matter and let the blond sulk alone.

"I wouldn't be the first nobleman I know who imposed himself onto a maiden, just because he knew he had the power to do so," Aidan finally confessed. Though still vague, the brunette could begin to imagine what he might be talking about.

"I understand," she stated truthfully, before adding, "I suppose you've heard of it first-hand or something, but you didn't do that now. I'm no maiden, you really don't have power over me, and I liked what happened," she insisted. Though the young man did have theoretical superiority over her, Alex knew well that she could physically subdue him and no one would ever find out, to punish her for doing such a thing to the prince.

"Not heard," Aidan responded and left Alex wondering how that was what he was choosing to hang onto.

She remained quiet for a few seconds, eyes intent on his as she calculated what that meant. "So you saw someone?" she finally was able to rationalize.

The emerald eyes were as somber as ever, seemingly even growing dark, as the blond nodded silently.

Now her interest had been truly sparked. Who could he possibly have seen, and what could they possibly have done, for the prince to now be so adamant on not repeating those actions?

"Okay, just tell me," she pleaded, her hands pressing harder around his arm now as she watched him with begging eyes.

The blond sighed and stated, "Let's eat while the food is warm and I'll tell you meanwhile."

It sounded like a good enough agreement to the brunette so she released him and took a seat at the table.

Aidan finished serving their meal and settled at the spot he had been using every day, at the head of the table, next to hers. She couldn't help but think that the place was suitable for the royal heir. Though Alex was already gulping down the contents of her dish, the blond remained formal, regal, sitting straight to give his narration.

"I think it is not right to talk ill of others. But there are acts that cannot be accepted and I have always wished to not have any contact with anyone who endorses these behaviors," he began, and Alex already knew what sort of acts he might be talking about. "A king is not supposed to abuse his power, nor allow his closest acquaintances to do so, either."

The pieces of the puzzle slowly began to come into place for the brunette and it suddenly became very obvious to her why the prince probably left his home. However, the story that had been told throughout the kingdom did not fully match his. What had been said was that the prince had become obsessed with a pagan religion that demanded he leave his royal position to become a low-life, and from there, there had been many different rumors that she truly never paid attention to, as she had more important matters to care for than boring folk gossip.

"My father and his close advisors had the guilty pleasure of enjoying beggar girls from time to time," he began, face distorted in disgust under the thick beard. His eyes fell on Alex's. "I discovered this at a young age and was offered to participate. As I refused, I was given the option to just remain silent, like an obedient heir, and allow everyone else to continue their own lives. But I didn't want that. I didn't want to continue condoning those actions. Since I protested, my father simply decided to ship me off, away from the kingdom, to live on my own, and not bother."

Though everything now made much more sense than the fantastic rumors she had heard, Alex could hardly believe the darkness of what she was now learning. The king had actually been a good ruler, as far as she knew, and the people in general seemed to be happy with how he led his lands. She had never heard any complaints regarding the man, but she had never had any direct contact with him, either. And now, as she was sent on this mission, she had been hired by one of the king's closest advisors; a man that seemed honorable and concerned over the kingdom's wellbeing. This new information made her wonder if he too might be of those perverse men that took advantage of ill-fated women.

"I never enjoyed the life of excesses and opulence, so I adapted and have lived comfortably here," the blond concluded. He had been just a teen when he was sent away. Alex knew well he could not have done anything back then, but couldn't help but wonder why he never considered returning.

"Why didn't you go back after you grew up, to see if you could change things?" she asked, but immediately knew the answer.

"It was me against all the Royal Council. I may be a prince, but they could stab me in the back whenever they wanted to, and my father would have let them."

Alex nodded; it all made sense.

"I will go back, as you say my kingdom needs me. But although more than ten years have passed, I do not know what I will encounter. My father did not send for me, as he was comfortable having me far from that. Who is requesting my presence now?"

The brunette calculated what he was saying; it was true, as far as she knew, no one had hired anyone to search for the prince until after the king had passed. But, on the other hand, couldn't that mean that things had now changed without him there?

"Sir Clemens was the one that hired my group of bounty hunters. I don't know if anyone else is also searching for you. I actually don't know anything about the mission in general," she confessed. She had only set out to find the prince and nothing more. All she was looking for originally was to make money. Now that she had had the chance of getting to know the heir, things were different.

Aidan seemed pensive. "I don't know if Sir Clemens was involved in this. I only recall my father and three of his advisors: Sir Farmin, Sir Hastings, and Sir Capell."

Alex couldn't help but notice Aidan's food now must have gone cold, as she finished her own dish, wiping it clean with a piece of bread. Throughout the entire conversation, the prince had remained sitting in his spot, upright, like a king on his throne. Yet, despite the regal appearance, he had left it clear more than once that he had no interest in ruling or going back to the luxuries of his former life.

"Well, I don't know any of them other than by name, but you can rest assured that you have not made bad use of your power over me." The brunette didn't know what else to say. The information she had just received had been much more than what she had expected, and things now had become more complicated than she had ever thought. It was one thing to have the prince leave because he had turned into a religious fanatic, and another completely different one to know he had been exiled by his own father in order to keep the dark secrets of his noblemen. She couldn't process so much at the same time, much less with the current state of emotional instability she had regarding her feelings towards the prince. She needed time to let everything sink in.

Aidan nodded in defeat, finally releasing his posture to grab his spoon and pick at his meal. "I'll trust your word," he mumbled and that was all Alex needed for the moment.