Following Hearts

A Hundred Silent Words

"Princess Rose?" Rose barely looked up from the ground and couldn't manage to make any kind of sound. "Is that you?" She looked up and recognized Ambrose towering over her.

Rose opened her mouth to speak, but found that no noise came out. She nodded.

Ambrose knelt down beside Rose, unsure how to proceed. He laid a hand on her back and brushed her hair out of her face. She looked completely helpless sprawled there on the dirt path.

"What happened?" Rose simply shook her head. She couldn't bear to say it aloud. "How long have you been here?" She shrugged. It seemed like hours had passed, but for all she knew, it could have only been a few minutes. She glanced up towards the sky and saw that the sun had begun to set. The sun was still blazing in the sky when she went to the stables for the second time that day. It had definitely been longer than a few minutes.  "Do you want me to get help?" He waited for an answer. Rose had no answers to give. "I'll go get help." Ambrose began to stand up to get help. He turned towards the palace before hearing a small sound on the ground below him.

"No," Rose managed to croak out. "Please... please don't go. Don't leave me alone."

Her voice was so soft Ambrose barely heard her speak. She lifted her head slightly off the ground and Ambrose finally saw her face. Her cheeks glistened with tears and her bright green eyes were overshadowed by the red puffiness surrounding them.

"As you wish, Princess." Ambrose kneeled beside Rose. He pulled a handkerchief out of his uniform coat and offered it to her. She took the cloth and gently dabbed at her eyes.

"Better?" The tears were gone, but Rose's eyes were still bloodshot, and nothing could mask the overwhelming sadness overtaking her face.

"Slightly." Ambrose smiled hesitantly, scouching closer to the fallen Princess. He opened his mouth as if he was going to ask her something but she stopped him.

"Don't." Rose made fierce eye contact with the guard. "Just don't." His eyes fixed on her like he wanted to say something, but he decided against it and simply nodded his head.

"Is there anything I can do?" He asked, after a few minutes of sitting next to the broken Princess.

"No," Rose looked down at her hands; they were still scratched up from the fall she had taken earlier that day. "Just... hold me?"

If Ambrose was surprised by her request, he didn't show it. He gazed into her virescent irises for a moment. Then, he wrapped one of his broad arms around Rose's shoulder and the other around her waist, pulling her limp body into his own. She leaned against his chest, feeling the rise and fall of his breaths. In the quiet of the setting sun, she could faintly hear his heartbeat. His scent was intoxicating. He smelled of cinnamon and smoke, nothing like Felix, who smelled of hay and earth.

Rose felt yet another round of tears build up in her eyes and willed them to stay put. Her head pounded as she held back a river of tears from spilling onto her cheeks. Ambrose tilted his head down towards Rose and pulled away from her slightly so he could look her in the face.

"You don't need to do that." Ambrose cupped the side of Rose's hand with his hand, lightly brushing her cheek with his strong fingertips. "You don't need to hold back like that. Cry if you need to, scream if you need to. Let it all out." Rose leaned her forehead against Ambrose's, taking a deep breath. Then, she let herself cry.

Her body was exhausted and drained and she collapsed into Ambrose's arms. She wasn't sure how long they laid there, Rose's figure crumpled in the arms of Ambrose. She wasn't sure when exactly she fell asleep either, but when she opened her eyes, her arms were wrapped behind Ambrose's neck and he was carrying her in the direction of the palace. He adjusted his grip and saw that Rose's eyes had fluttered open.