Falling For His Charms

CHAPTER 45

Sophie and Fitz sprinted through the halls of the shaking castle; every few minutes, there would be a loud rumble, and the whole castle would shake aggressively. Sophie was absolutely terrified, but she knew that she needed to help Fitz find his mother and sister, and help save the castle. If not... Well, it would be the end of Evertalia.

"We're almost there, Soph, nearly there..." Fitz said, holding her hand as they ran up a long, steep staircase. She only just realized now how out of shape she was; her breath was coming short, and she wheezed with every step.

Finally, the two of them reached the top of the staircase; Sophie was exhausted. She leaned against the cold stone wall for moment, closing her eyes, trying to slow down her heart... She would need to get up soon... But it just felt so relaxing... And now she felt so tired...

Her little moment of calm was interrupted by yet another shake of the castle. Being so off guard, she nearly fell to the ground; thankfully, Fitz caught her arm before she could face plant the marble floor. This was why she kept him around.

To Sophie's dismay, they continued running once more, but only for a short while, since the Queen's room was at the end of the hall. As soon as they reached her door, Fitz knocked hurriedly.

"Mother! It's me! Please let me in," He said, rushing. As soon as he said that, his mother flung open the door. She looked absolutely terrified, yet thankful to see her son.

"Oh, Fitz, I was so worried! What is happening? Are we under attack?" Queen Della fretted, as Fitz pulled her out of the room and towards his sister's. Fitz explained what was happening, and why no guards were stationed to guard her: they had all been ordered to help defend the castle.

What seemed to take less time than earlier, they arrived at Biana's door, and his time, Sophie knocked.

The Princess was slightly hesitant to open the door; she wasn't sure if there was an imposter there, so it took quite a bit of convincing to make her come out. Eventually, however, she opened the door fully, and launched herself into her mother's and brother's arms. But there was no more time to waste: the castle was shaking much more than before.

Fitz lead Sophie, Queen Della, and Biana down to the safe room, where he assured them that there was an emergency exit that lead to a field a couple kilometers away. Sophie felt much better with that information; if the castle collapsed while there were in the safe room, they would have a way out.

The four of them finally made their way to the safe room, and... You could definitely tell that it was made to keep people away from danger. There were many great big locks on the inner side of the door, made of steel, and huge boards that could go in front of the door for extra protection. It looked even more protected than a full-on army bunker.

Fitz pushed his mother, sister, and Sophie inside, but didn't enter himself. Instead, he walked over to one of the guards that were stationed to help the population of the castle. Curious of what he was doing, Sophie watched.

His conversation with the guard ended, and the guards moved to close the giant doors of the safe room. Sophie waited for Fitz to come back, but... He was walking away? Why was he walking away?!

"Fitz! Where are you going?!" Sophie called frantically. He couldn't be thinking of fighting...

Fitz turned around, and told the guards to stop closing the doors for a moment. He walked back up to her, eyes on the ground, running a hand through his hair.

He stopped when he was right in front of her, and he met her eyes. She adored those eyes... She really did. The shining teal, the way they always shone when he was happy. They seemed to shine brighter than the sun, except Sophie could stare at them all day.

Fitz reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. Sophie wanted to close her eyes at his touch, but resisted. It wasn't the right time.

"You... You won't enjoy what I am about to say, Sophie," Fitz said, dropping his gaze to his feet. Sophie's heart dropped. "I am going to fight. I will fight for my kingdom, for my family, for you. I want to at least rid of these terrible people, so that you don't have to live in fear."

"I can't let you," Sophie choked out. She felt the tears welling up in her eyes. "I can't let you go."

"I have to, love," He said, meeting her eyes once more. "I need to."

"Then let me fight too! I am perfectly capable of doing so. I... I can help you!"

At those words, she saw tears come up to his eyes as well. She could tell he was holding them back, just as she was. "You cannot fight, Soph. They are here for you, and will do absolutely anything to hurt you. I will not let that happen. Luckily, they do not know where the safe room is, and will have a hell hard time attempting to find it. But I must go now. I love you."

Tears were now streaming down both their faces. Sophie leapt into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. He wrapped his around his waist, and they stood there, holding each other tight. "I love you too," She whispered.

Then they needed to pull apart. She watched him walk away, past the doors, down the hall, all while resisting to run after him. The safe room doors closed, and... He was gone.