Return to Glory

Unexpected Kiss

The days passed quicker than Alex had expected and, before she knew it, it had been nearly a fortnight since she had arrived. She quickly fell into the blond's routine and became accustomed to the easy-going way of life the other had been enjoying. And she had to admit that she truly liked it.

She couldn't even remember when she had carried out such a calm lifestyle. Even when she was a child, she had lived with the passed-on stress from her mother's constant worry over how they'd get by. After her father passed away when she was six-years-old, her mother had had to scramble to make ends meet and ensure at least a daily meal for her.

They had been lucky to have been just the two of them. Though the girl would have enjoyed having a sibling, especially now that she was older and had the full responsibility of ensuring her mother's wellbeing on her own, she knew well that things would have been much rougher if there had been another mouth to feed.

However, despite it just being two of them, things had been rough, and there had been occasions in which her mother had had to spend a day on little more than a piece of bread. Things became more stable when she was employed as one of the castle’s maids, but even then, the nerves from having been so poor before, seemed to seep into their lives.

Alex grew quicker than she would have liked, and as soon as she was old enough, she began to do small tasks that began as errands and slowly escalated to the point in which she found herself working as a bounty hunter. She was thin and lithe, which came in handy for this job, and the money it provided was more than enough to be sure that she and her mother would never go hungry while she was employed.

But, it didn’t come without its downsides. Aside from not being well looked at, and knowing this was already hurting her possibilities of finding a husband - not that she cared about that, but it was necessary in her society -, she lived with her heart racing. She loved the thrill of the work, but had to admit that it was a constant stress; nothing like these sort of vacations she was now enjoying along with Aidan.

Aidan. She glanced over at him as he hung the clothes he had just finished wringing. So far, his company had been the most pleasant she had ever had. Though it had only been two weeks since they basically met, considering that their childhood encounters hadn’t truly added to the evolution of their relationship, she had to admit that there was something that tugged at her heart now that she was with him.

She had never felt something like this before and it was both warm and terrifying. Despite knowing that she had no interest in finding a spouse, she couldn't help but feel saddened to know that once they arrived at the castle, it would be the end of their interactions, as the prince would have to return to his royal duties, and she’d go back to her peasant life. And all this oasis of calmness and just basic responsibilities would vanish.

She’d go back to her next mission as soon as possible, even though she knew the bounty for this would be enough for her to be able to take at least a full year off. But the fear of running out of money would always be at the back of her mind, and in the kingdom, far from this small, secluded paradise, she didn’t have the possibility of being as self-sufficient as here.

Alex wondered for a moment if she’d be able to get a cabin like this one, in the woods, as well, and convince her mother of moving there and living this way. She frowned alone; her mother would never agree to that. The woman was much more social than she was, and would miss her neighbors and acquaintances too much.

“Why the sour face?” Aidan asked cheerily, noticing the way Alex’s brow had furrowed.

Shaking her head unconsciously, the young brunette replied, “Just thinking about stuff at home.”

The blond’s face changed quickly, growing serious. “I understand…” he muttered quietly, continuing with his tasks, and Alex knew well he did. She could completely understand now how the other would never want to go back to the life full of responsibilities that awaited him. And for a people that would never be able to know the sacrifice he had made for them.

“I don’t want to go back…” she confessed and saw how the blond’s eyes brightened up just as quickly as they had gone dark before.

Aidan seemed to doubt himself, but finally muttered, “Would you like to stay a bit longer?” before continuing to hang the many garments each of them wore to keep warm as the biting cold of winter was wrapping them more with each day that passed.

Alex thought about it. She truly didn’t want her mother to continue suffering the many uprisings the kingdom had gone through these last years, but on the other hand, she had never been as happy or at ease as these last weeks. Her heart shrank at the thought of making a choice. When she left home, the riots had all been towards the nobles, which meant that her home was safe, but at the same time, it could also mean that her mother might end up losing her employment, and she had to know if the woman was well or not.

However, she had been away for almost ten months now, and a week or two more might not hurt, she supposed. It would be her only treat in life, and she had never been complacent with herself.

Glancing over at the handsome blond timidly, she replied, “I would.”

Aidan’s face became brighter, if at all possible, and he nodded happily. “We can stay as long as you’d like,” he began, seemingly hoping it would be a long time.

Alex shook her head somberly, “No, not as long as I’d like. Just a few more days, please. I need to make sure my mother is well, and we don’t know if things back in the Citadel might not be worse now. I’m sorry…” she ended up mumbling. She hated to have this responsibility, but her mother had sacrificed too much for her to now be considering just abandoning the woman to live a carefree life.

“I see…” the blond’s face was expressionless. She knew she had toyed with him again, and it hadn’t been her intention. She felt horrible knowing she was making him leave all this, for a life he didn’t even want. Even though she wasn’t exactly sure what caused his aversion towards the life he held as a nobleman, she now understood the comfort of this life, and could see it was easy to want to continue living it.

Impulsively, she reached out and grabbed his hand with both of hers, her heart racing madly as soon as she noticed what she had done. “I’m truly sorry for making you do this,” she insisted, face blazing red as she met his emerald eyes with her own brown ones. The intensity in his stare burned through her and she wasn’t sure if he was angry or as agitated as she was.

Before she could even think of it a second longer, Aidan had closed the distance between them and crushed his lips to hers, tongue quickly slipping into her mouth. Breathless, her mind fought to understand what was happening. Nothing of their conversation had led to this; why had he felt the need to kiss her? And why was she responding by wrapping her arms around him and pulling his hard chest against hers?