Kiss of Death

Part 8

Tyson leads me through the twisting and turning halls of the palace. Eventually he leads me to a grass maze. I look up at the tall wall of grass. A small ball of fear begins to form in my stomach but I push it down.

"Well, the king is waiting in the middle. The maze is a lot easier to traverse than it looks. Good luck Ms.Smith." Tyson walks away.

"Wa- " But he was gone. I step towards the entrance and begin to walk around. After about ten minutes I'm turned around and the shaking in my hands has become too hard to control.

I turn and turn through the maze and my breath becomes shorter and shorter. The green walls begin to close in and spin. I sit down on the ground and close my eyes.

As I sit there, trying to calm myself I have flashbacks back to a festival that I went to when I was little.

•flashback•
*tw- attempted kidnapping*

I had gone to a festival with my father when I was 6, and we went to the corn maze. I wanted to play hide and seek. My father was reluctant but he agreed. He began to count and I ran off. After a few minutes, I noticed a shadow following me around. I thought it was my dad so I decided to run away. As I ran through the maze the man continued to chase me. My little legs could barely go fast enough. I looked behind me and realized that the man was not behind me. I continued to run and then slammed into something. I was flung to the ground and slowly tried to sit up. As I was getting up and hand grabbed the back of my neck and yanked me up. I looked into the eyes of a man with a sinister grin on his face.

"Papa!" I tried to cry out but he put a hand over my mouth. I tried to claw and wiggle myself out of his grasp but he pinned my arms to my sides. He began to carry me out of the maze. There seemed to be no one in the maze. As he reached the entrance we were hit and fell to the ground. I rolled out of his grasp and spring up. My father ran towards me and I sprinted towards him. I jumped into his arms and he scooped me up and held me close.

"Papa, I was so scared." I sobbed into his arms.

"It's ok Roo. I've got you now." He held me close. I felt safe and warm in his arms.

•end of flashback•

We went home and he began training me the next day. Ever since that day I couldn't stand mazes. They terrified me.

And now, I was stuck in a maze all alone, without my dad to come save me. The shaking spread to the rest of my body. Sobs began to escape from my lips. I sat there, a shaking, sobbing mess. My sobs have subsided to large gasps. The shaking is just getting worse.

"Runella! Where are you?" I hear Nolan's voice and a flood of relief washes over me.

"Nolan!" My voice is hoarse and it barely makes a sound.

Nolan rounds the corner and sees me. He rushes towards me and I try to stand up. My legs are too weak and I fall into his arms. He catches me and I bury my face into his neck. Sobs rack my body and Nolan just holds me.

"It's ok Runella. It's ok. I've got you." He picks me up and begins to walk with me somewhere.

When he gets where he's going, he sets me down. He holds me from a distance and looks at me, his big brown eyes full of concern.

"I don't know what happened back there, but know that I'll always be here." He smirks, "You're kinda stuck with me."

I try and smile at him and his brow furrows. He picks me up and puts me in his lap as he wraps me in his arms. He rests his head on my shoulder.

"I never thought I'd do this with someone after" His voice trails off into a light chuckle.

We just sit in comfortable silence for a while.

A maid brings in a platter with sandwiches and lemonade. She places it on a small table bows and walks away.

"Come, let's eat." He leads me to the table and we sit. The food is delicious. Maybe I was just hungry.

After we finish, Nolan stands and gestures for me to follow him. He walks towards the maze and I get nervous. He sees that and comes and takes my hand. We walk through the maze hand in hand. When we step out of the entrance it's like a giant weight was lifted off of my shoulders. I turned towards Nolan with a giant smile on my face.

"I did it! I did it I did it I did it!!" I hug him around his neck.

"Good job Runella" Nolan smiles at me. We walk through the halls of the castle back to my room. When we get to my door he coughs. I turn around and he blushes. He hugs me and pulls me in. He sighs and whispers in my ear.

"You looked absolutely stunning today Runella. Sleep tight." I feel my cheeks flush and I go inside my room. I get ready for bed and climb in. I lay awake thinking about those words. A fluttering feeling erupts in my stomach.

Am I catching feelings for Nolan?