Heart desired

//chapter 8//

8.

We stood awkwardly, facing each other as Savin left us there, all alone in that little chamber.

"You know what, let's just sleep first." Daniel said. "Look at us. We can't do anything if we are this exhausted and injured. I bet we are not even thinking straight."

I nodded. I appreciated him so much for trying to make things less awkward. This situation was utterly alien to me. I never thought of marriage because I've spent my entire my life either learning to take up the throne or rescuing some people from physical torture or in exile. I figured I would have to worry about it when I'm older. Not when I was just twenty four. I had left that matter completely up to my father.

Apparently, right now was a good time to get married.

"Do you think there is somewhere I can wash up?" I wondered out loud, looking around.

"Try thay door." Daniel pointed to the corner. There was door so small only to fit in a small person. Curious, I opened it and squeezed myself in.

Unlike the door, the inside was not small at all. There was a shower, a bath tub and a naturally formed little pool. I found two clean bath robes. I washed myself without taking much time and wore a bath robe before coming out.

Daniel was sitting on the bed, looking through our supplies. He looked up when I emerged. His eyes darted from my exposed shoulders to my calves, and something like a wave of heat went down my back.

We have seen each other like this ever since we were young, but I had never felt this much self conscious around him. I gathered the fighting gear I was wearing and put it down on the table before sitting beside him. "What are you looking at?"

"If any emergency came up, I wanted to make sure we have enough first aid supplies and healing potions. " he said, putting the pack on his lap on the bed. "We have eight potions and ten rolls of bandages and four jars of salve. Assuming that we won't ever be going to Rawen or our apartment ever again, we have to do with these for the rest of our lives."

"Don't assume that." I said. "Sure, the apartment must be ashes now. But we can go to Rawen. It's our home."

"Can we?" He asked, looking at me directly in the eye. "Even now, my blood is getting colder and colder by seconds. The king wants to know where we are. I'll be able to hold on for only about five or six ours before my entire blood circulation system fails and I die on the spot. But I can't ask you to marry and perform bed time activities just because of that. I don't know if I can trust your friend- or is he your boyfriend? Was he the one going to be your Chosen One? What will happen now? Why did that elf attack us? His attack burned right through my tissues! Right now, I'm so weak I can't even protect you-"

"Daniel." I took him by shoulders and turned him towards me. He was panicking, his breath heavy and voice shaky. I gently rubbed his shoulders careful not to touch his wound, trying my best to calm him down. "It's alright. Everything is alright."

He stared at me. His eyes were wide, but his breath was calming down little by little. I continued to rub his shoulders. "His name is Savin. He and I are not even friends. I just met him today. Oh, no, not today. Yesterday."

He just nodded, still looking directly in to my eyes. I continued. "I have being kind of afraid my entire life, not knowing who my father would choose for me to marry. All the texts in history said about bulky, brutal warriors. I did not want that."

His breath was normal now, and was looking down at his palms. "When I heared earlier that you were my Chosen One, I was so relieved. Yes, I was panicking at first, but you being the one for me eased that panic in just seconds. I want you to be my Chosen One, Daniel. But right now, I hate to break it to you but you stink and you are dying. Let's fix that first."

"Okay, I got your point." He stood up.

"Need some help bathing, sweet heart?" I asked, teasing him.

He blushed and I laughed. "No thanks." He disappeared in seconds.

I put away the stuff on the table and lied on the bed. Even though I had just reassured Daniel that everything was fine, I was panicking more than him. This all reminded me of my last day at Warren's Den before everything went wrong.

"Sylvie, you came! I knew you would come!" The person in front of me happily exclaimed. "How did you break in?"

He was under an illusion. Right now, he saw me as his sister, who was supposed to rescue him. "You know I have my own ways." I said.

The illusion continued. We escaped, went back to our lair, and started to discuss the next mission. After I got all the information about their partners faces, names, places, and deals, I let the illusion fall back. He was knocked out, and I also closed my eyes from exhaustion.

Tomorrow, we would break in to his place and would place him there, after Cara wiped his memory. Nobody would know about me being there.

I was woken up by Cara the next moment. "They are here. We are doomed." She said. How many hours passed before I woke up? There had been a fight, and we had lost.

Soldiers barged into the room. They stared at me with wide eyes. "Sobek was right. The Princess is really a torturer." They whispered.

Cara reached out for me, but the soldiers were faster. She died right in front of me, still trying to reach my side.

I jolted awake. Sweat trickled down my neck. When did I fall asleep? How long was I out for?

Someone stirred beside me. I looked down. Daniel had been sleeping beside me, and I had woken him up. He sleepily looked at me and yawned. "What time is it?"

"I don't know." I replied. We didn't have a clock on the wall to see the time. "I just had a nightmare."

He reached out and hugged me. "Was it about Cara again?" He asked to my shoulder. I nodded. Judging from the fact that he was still awake, I guessed that we had slept less than five hours.

Daniel withdrew from his hug just an inch. Our faces were so close together that I could see his eyes searching over mine. I spoke without looking away. "Daniel, are you in love with me?"

His eyes went wide. He began to draw back, but I put my arms around him and stopped him. I have never been this close to anyone before aside from sparring. But, he was to marry me, so it didn't matter anymore.

He swallowed. "If I say yes... would you be angry with me?"

I smiled. "If you say yes, then I would say me too."

His eyes widened from shock, and I bit my bottom lip to stop myself from smiling.

"You are kidding."

"Well, it's not actually love, but more like a crush." I said. "When you spar with me, my mind go to all the possibilities that could happen if I wasn't the princess of Rawen. When you chill around the house, I like to watch you secretly. When you-"

I couldn't say more, because the next second his lips were on mine, cutting off my words. I closed my eyes. I had imagined kissing him perhaps hundred or so times before, but reality was always better.

He drew back, lacing his fingers through my hair. "You have no idea how much I wanted you." His thumb hovered over my bottom lip. "Please tell me to stop this if you don't want it, Nasha. I don't think I'll be able to stop myself if I lose control." He was begging.

I tightened my arms around him. "If your control get in the way, I'll deal with it."

Then I kissed him again.