44 — farewell

What was she even talking about? Nicolas made a face that screamed 'No!' but she beat him to it
"You can't say no, someone has to protect you from all the evils that lurks out there" she cocked her brows, he laughed at this but he knew she was serious so to let matters be, he closed his eyes and nodded a yes not like he had any choice about what was going to happen, she had her mind made up and he made his made up on leaving.
****
Laura couldn't believe why anybody would want to go through these forests, to be fair, she was frightened about what may or may not be lurking in this path, she might as well face her death here, she would die for love, how romantic but how utterly foolish of how now that she reasoned it, she was the heir to her kingdom but he was left in their care and he had been misplaced and soon, alot of things would jumble up and form a huge mess, it was her job as heirress to solve that problem.
****
Lily walked hand in hand with Nicolas on the bush path back to the border where they'd first met. Had it really been just two weeks? It felt like another lifetime, like a distant memory, fragile and tender in the mind.
"What are you thinking so deeply about?" Nicolas softly asked, his sack had been strapped by Lily herself across his back and now, instead of him carrying it slung across one shoulder, both shoulders held the burden and his hands were free. It was a brilliant idea though because now, her hand was encased in his and she was feeling the most secure she'd ever felt in her life.
She shrugged, tilting her head to look up at his cold grey eyes. Her face felt warm.
"The first time we met," she said, and Nicolas gave a bark of laughter as he fondly stared at her.
"I remember that," he said, swinging their clasped hands in the space between them. He was oddly carefree today.
"Really now? What was the first thing I did?" She teased, smiling up at him and she audibly heard the way his breath caught in his chest as she stared up at him. Blushingly, she looked away for a second. The look on his face was like she was the most perfect thing he'd ever seen and she was far from that.
"I do remember you pulling out your staff and threatening to kill me if I didn't fight you," he reminisced, staring off into a distance and remembering that faithful day. Lily giggled at that and gave him a sly smile.
"Did I do that?" She innocently asked, before breaking into peals if laughter that sounded too heavenly to be true.
"Yes, you did. You also called me a Papa's boy," Nicolas laughed at the name now, remembering how angry it had made him that day. Now that he thought about it, he must have looked like a Papa's boy to the world when in reality, he was far from it.
"Sorry about that. That was bait and you fell for it," Lily said apologetically. Nicolas shrugged.
"And then, we fought and you swept me off my feet, literally," he said, evoking a blush from Lily. It was cheesy but it was still worthy of a blush.
"Sorry about that too. What can I say?" She nonchalantly shrugged, hiding a smile, " I have a big ego and wanted to feed it," she stated.
" By sweeping a helpless stranger off his feet with your staff and sweet fighting moves?" Nicolas asked, his brow raised in question. It was playful banter, he knew it. He was also well aware that it was just to pass time and to forget the fact that they may not see each other for quite some time.
He was a vampire, she was a kayaan. He was a prince, she was a commander. He was to be married, she had her duties as well. This was no fairytale. He was not the prince that came to sweep a maiden off her feet and marry her. It had been the other way around, only that he wouldn't, couldn't marry her.
"That made me look bad," she whined, drawing a laugh from Nicolas at how cute she was being.
"I was defending my kingdom and you were trespassing," she said, gesticulating with her free hand as she spoke.
"Really now?" He teased and a blush grew on her face once again.
"You stabbed me in the thigh," she defended and Nicolas laughed again. That was true, he remembered doing that.
"I'm sorry about that. It was plain self defense. Has it healed?" He asked, looking down at her leg and she shrugged again.
"I added something there to stop the bleeding that day. I heal fast so, I didn't bother," she said, smiling up at him.
Nicolas smiled back and stared ahead of the path. They'd been chatting so, they hadn't been aware that they'd covered quite a great distance. Nicolas didn't know if this was a good thing or a bad thing but given how Lily grew tense at his side, he was guessing it was the latter.
The once jovial journey was dulled by the realization that they would soon part ways. This was a very sad thing to both of them. Nicolas couldn't imagine not seeing Lily for even a day. How would he manage with his soon-to-be wife Laura? He was starting to resent her but he knew it wasn't her fault. His heart was taken by another.
"How will I cope without you?" Lily shakily asked, staring straight ahead. She was scared to meet his eyes and afraid he would see the vulnerability and hurt peeking through her irises.
Nicolas, startled, turned to look at her and saw her head was averted so he wouldn't see her expression. He knew she was embarrassed, he just didn't know why. If she hadn't asked that question, he would have voiced it sooner than later.
"I.. I don't know, Lily. I'm finding that case scenario very impossible as well," Nicolas truthfully said. Shocked, Lily faced him as well. All he did was fondly smile at her and shakily, she smiled back.
Things would be alright, he thought as he drew her closer and together, they walked farther into the bush path. Their time together was already thin.
****
Laura tore deeper into the bush path. She was already getting tired from all the walking and all she saw was more and more expanse of bush. Who even knew if she was going the right way? She herself didn't even know why she was wandering in foreign territory, looking for a man who was supposed to be married to her by now if he hadn't run off to gods knew where.
Panting and crouching with her hands on her knees, she looked around for some place where she could sit down because she was almost dead on her feet.
Sighting a rock near by, she walked to it and plopped on it, looking around. Her clothes were disheveled, the peach-rose dress she was wearing was streaked with mud and pollen from all the tenacious branches she'd wormed her way through.
She decided to not even check the state of her shoes, deciding she could spare herself some heartbreak. If her clothes were in this condition, she didn't want to know the state of her shoes.
The water in her leather flask had been reduced to half, now that she checked her necessities. She was only having a loaf of bread, some cheese which would go mouldy if she didn't eat it soon, some berries and a bowl containing broth from Elaine.
She slowly ate the broth, wondering how it came to this. A princess like her was seated on a rock, an uncomfortable rock for that matter, her clothes were in disarray, her shoes were an eye sore and her face was filled with multiple scratches and smudges of gods knew what. This was horrible. All over some man!
She thought about the palace and the people. Her father would be asleep by now, the palace bustle would've died down until all the maids were asleep and every food item was documented. The guards would stay on their posts and watch over the kingdom while it slumbered, they themselves fighting sleep in order to carry out their duties. It was routine, every one did the same thing every day. It was just that now, her father had a personal nurse, that was the only disruption in the pattern.
The only person she didn't even know about, despite being raised by him was Banks. He and her had never seen eye to eye because he always had some sharp, well angled blow to deflate her ego, to obliterate her morale and to make her seem foolish. She hadn't really known him like the way he knew her and yet he had somehow been able to make sure that this marriage was going to happen except right now she was the princess in search of the very man who was supposed to be by her side.
She started to feel her eyes sting at how ridiculous this was getting, what if he had left? What if he found her replusive but the idea that he felt the same way towards her like she did to him hunted her memories. No amount of affection could be faked to accuracy, right?
She was utterly confused and somehow alone, how had it come to this really? Her soldiers were split up, the vampire soldiers and hers were working together and believe it or not, how she came about sitting on a rock was no more due to how she had been feeling choked up and needed space, she ordered them to let her be and assured them that she would be alright, they had begrudgingly agreed because she had added some threats to it to make it worth it and now she was fast realizing that, that was a somewhat stupid plan.
She was low on fighting experience, she had never fought a fly in her life and she had shooed the guards and the soldiers away from her like a spoilt brat that she was.
She began to cry because it was hitting her like a whirlwind, she was a spoiled brat who didn't have any fighting experience or any experience in anything. Banks was right with all his smugness, she was totally a good target for all that out of character that he displayed from time to time.
She began to cry and sob, the more she thought of everything the higher the tempo of her cries.
****
Nicolas and Lily had not exactly run out of things to say, they walked as slowly as they could trying to ignore the fact that the inevitable bwas upon them.
They kept a silent walk towards the border, each wanting to savour the taste of their company if only a bit longer than the time they already had.
They walked a bit, hands joined and ears pricked for any sounds in an effort to draw out their weapons and attack or defend, these bushes were not all favourable. That was until they started to hear a cry.
They stopped in their tracks, each of them realizing how much they were inclined to each other and for the first time, they unhooked their hands and drew out their weapons of attack, Nicolas - a knife and Lily - a staff. Each looked at each other and gave a smile.
"Reminds you of something?" Lily asked with a chuckle, Nicolas nodded.
The tempo of the cry increased and they both went towards the sound, not knowing what could bring such a cry, they stayed alert.
As they moved closer, they started to see an outline of a person sitting on a rock, back hunched and shoulders shaking and cries emitting from a mouth that was well hidden. Nicolas got a sight of the torn and worn out clothes that this lady was wearing and his mouth spoke before his mind processed it.
"Laura?" Her head snapped up in surprise.