How the Emperor trapped a Witch

Chapter Forty: Questions

Five days had passed when I finally woke up from the spells recoil.

I stretched, feeling soft fur and a human arm before freezing in place as my mind raced to catch up. I looked behind me and saw Suli encircling myself and Alaric who had clearly not released me at all while I was asleep.

I sighed a little in exasperation and humor enjoying the view, but I really needed to get up and move around a little. I had slept in one position for too long with Alaric's sword hilt digging into my side.

I started to wiggle around and a few minutes later, I had escaped Alaric's vice-like grip and carefully stood up as my joints protested at the sudden exercise. I rolled my head a little causing small pops to echo in the cave that we were in, then my shoulders, knees, and ankles.

Feeling a little better, I left the cave intending on finding something to drink when I was suddenly grabbed from behind, whirled around and found myself kabedon, recalling the last time this had happened a year ago. 

I looked up at Alaric who radiated hostility from my unexpected disappearance and opened my mouth to say something but was beat to it.

"Did you really think that it was going to be easy to get rid of me?" He raises an eyebrow as I was pushed against the wall. "There isn't anywhere you can go without me following you."

His eyes searched my face as he waited for a reaction.

Million of thoughts run through my head as I stared back, before a small sigh escapes my lips. I opened my mouth again but paused as I noticed that we had an audience that was watching with baited breath.

I cleared my throat and glanced over to the side to which he scowls and drags me behind him.

"I see that you are awake Witch Celestia." Falvin greets bowing his head to me. "I must thank you for your help with healing our clan and rescuing the missing Dragons."

"There is no need to thank me." I poked my head out from around Alaric and smiled before I was blocked; I was starting to think that there was a misunderstanding happening from Alaric's reactions.

"You may thank her later." Alaric shut down any further response from Falvin. "We need to talk. Alone."

I nodded as his face said that he would not accept any arguments from me at all. He kept ahold of my arm as he lead me up to the entrance of Falvin's cave, overlooking the hidden world beneath us. 

Lights glowed in the trees as the water sparkled in the moonlight and the trees rustled lightly in the breeze. It looked like something out of a painting by a master artist, so surreal and ethereal.

We sat down on a rock; which was big enough for the two of us, off to the side. I knew that I could no longer run away or avoid any questions that he had for me and braced myself for them.

However, he surprised me by only asking one question: "Why."

That one word threatened to unleash tears and stabbed my heart hard with a dull knife as I looked at the dejected expression on Alaric's face.

 I wanted to tell him everything. All of it, but I knew from previous experience that I couldn't talk about my past life at all. Suli was the rare exception to that rule since we were bound by the familiar contract but even he is affected as well if he tries to speak about it.

So I decided to tell him everything outside of my past life and the novel. I told him of my thoughts and feelings after we had met and the reality that as a Witch- I would inevitably live longer then him and I had tried to ignore then push away the feelings that grew inside my heart.

Alaric listened wordlessly as I continued, the sky growing lighter by the minute, rays of light chasing away the darkness leaving behind brilliant oranges, pinks, yellows and reds until the sun itself peaked over the tips of the surrounding mountains. 

I finally went silent as we watched the sky's performance, Alaric holding my hand and squeezing it every now and then. I found myself nervous, he hadn't given me a response or a change in expression while I spoke so I had no idea what he was thinking.

It's scary to admit your in love with someone; especially if you don't know if they will accept it or laugh in your face. I was really starting to understand why some people compare love to roller coasters- there's extreme highs and lows with random and unexpected drop offs with no end in sight.

The pit in my stomach grew heavier the longer I waited and I couldn't utter a single word at all.

"Tia." Alaric says my name and carefully lifts my chin to have me look at him. "Why didn't you say something sooner?"

"B-because." I was a little confused at his response and started talking fast. "I wasn't sure what you say and I didn't want to make you feel burdened at all. I was also afraid that you wouldn't want someone who's already lived much longer then you."

"Tia." He sighs and starts to chuckle. "There is no way that I would be burdened... Do you remember the first time we met?"

"Yes." I half smiled at the memory of the small twelve-year old boy looking up at me in the forest, covered in dirt and grime.

"I was wary of you at first, but I started to grow interested in you." His thumb starts to stroke my cheek. "Overtime, it grew into something more but I wasn't sure what it was until you were attacked. I realized then that I was in love with you."

I pulled away, finally noticing the tears that were falling down my cheeks and started wiping at them only to be stopped by strong calloused hands.

"Don't hide anything from me." Alaric kisses the corners of my eyes. "Whether it's tears." He kisses the corners of my lips. "Smiles." Next was my wrists. "Fear." And lastly, my finger tips. "Or anger. Only allow me to see all of your expressions."

I stare at him in a daze.

"Especially the ones that are enticing." Alaric sudden sweeps me up into another mind blowing kiss that sent off fireworks inside my head.

By the time he was finished, I could tell that my lips were completely swollen without touching them as Alaric gave a fully satisfied smirk at my disheveled look.