Love and War

32: Jonah

Jonah's POV:
After Anastasia commanded everyone to get up and start getting ready to go home I ran to her and engulfed her in my arms.

She let out a low gasp of surprise but then wrapped her arms around me. We stood there in the field holding each other for what seemed like forever.

***
"Would you like some stew Your Hi- Your Majesty?" Anastasia's grandmother asked me gently.

I nodded. "Thank you."

I was sitting alone at my house silently eating stew. It all seemed unreal like a dream. I felt like I'd go to sleep and wake up tomorrow either in King Santiago's dungeons or at the field watching King Santiago marry Anastasia.

I shook my head.

This is real, this is real, this is real.

I sighed and continued eating the delicious warm stew she prepared for me.

Dimitri disappeared after the war, Serena and Landon were sleeping, Nicholas disappeared too but probably drowning himself in liquor and women and Anastasia was bathing.

After an hour I went to have a bath and finally get rid of all the blood and filth on me. I undressed but froze.

I heard footsteps behind me and I turned to see Anastasia standing there. Her hair was wet and her eyes were glassy like she was crying. She wore a simple white night gown and slippers.

She walked over to me and stood at my side my head only reaching to her belly. I looked up at her and I knew what she was trying to tell me through her eyes.

"I'm sorry."

She dipped a towel into the water and wiped my face then my shoulders and down my chest. Her brows furrowed and she bit her lip as she focused on taking off the blood on me. She went down each arm and cleaned each hand carefully.

I wrapped my arms around her waist and gently kissed her stomach. She ran her fingers soothingly through my hair as I continued to leave feather like kisses on her front.

I wasn't ready to confront the pain of losing my father, my soldiers and many other innocent lives.

I didn't want to confront the nightmares I was having about the trauma of being locked up in King Santiago's palace and beaten every day.

I wanted to delay it just one more day. One more day of denial.

She seemed to understand and she let me pick up her gown and lifted her arms to take it off her body completely.

"Are you sure?" She asked looking concerned. She ran her hands up my biceps softly.

I nodded and stood up. "Yes." I said. "Tomorrow we will do whatever we have to do. Tonight I need a distraction. So after I take a bath..." I played with the hem of her panties "I will fuck you."

***