ALLIANCE

V

The air is cool and crisp as I step out into the garden.

Shades of orange and red colour the tips of leaves on overgrown shrubs and tall trees. Yellow and ripe leaves paint the cracked pathway in a beautiful manner.

A sharp gust of wind caresses my dress and pinches my exposed arms. I shiver, mentally cursing myself for not grabbing a shawl or cloak.

My feet carry me around the neverending garden and I take in its view. The garden is kissed with autumn's lips, shielding it from the other seasons. Here is my favourite place to be during this time of the year. All I need is a warm cup of tea to perfect the scene.

My thoughts are cut short when I hear a small crunch coming from by the fountains.

Cadmus.

I inhale sharply as there's no turning back from this after what I said. I'm not cruel—I just have a short temper that's all.

I turn and begin walking around the tall hedge maze that is adorned with cherry blossoms.

My father had built this garden for my mother when they got married. He made sure they were always here for when she'd take her afternoon stroll despite the season.

He'd call her "Cherry",

She always laughed at his cheekiness.

I inch closer and closer to the middle and stop when I see a familiar tall silhouette sitting on a bench across the fountain. His eyes are closed and his head is leaned back.

From what I can see... his face is troubled.

His thick eyebrows are knitted and his lips settled into a seemingly permanent scowl. Cadmus' shoulders are broad yet slumped against the hedge, crushing a few flowers beneath them. I had never seen someone look so deep in thought.

I take a few moments to inspect the way he bites the inside of his cheeks as he thinks. The way a strand of his hair curls on his forehead and how his jaw ticks at a thought he must be having. Any passerby may not recognize him as a king due to his disheveled look.

The new look of him makes my stomach stir and knot in a weird feeling. This entire scenario was out of place from what image I had of him in my mind. I thought him of stoic and void of emotion, not... whatever this was.

A bird chirps loudly from behind me and his eyes slowly open. I'm still staring.

Shit.

I move to act like I'm just walking in, but he sees me. He doesn't make it obvious but I caught the small movement of his eye towards me.

My cheeks burn in embarrassment as the man I despise caught me watching him for an awfully long time.

"Now or never Sloane..." I whisper to myself and begin walking over.

Cadmus remains quiet and looks straight ahead.

I feel slightly guilty when I take a seat beside him.

We both sit in silence while watching the way the water spurts out of the tips of the fingers and trickles down the porcelain figure in the middle fountain.

Cadmus gets up and without thinking, I grab his wrist. He looks back at me with the familiar look of nothing and down to where my hand encloses above his.

I let go with a quiet, "Sit," and add a small please a second later.

He settles back down with a straight back.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said the things I said."

He only nods, not once looking over at me.

I hate this. I hate being given the silent treatment, it reeks of immaturity. But it's not like I can comment on that based on what I did the last time we "spoke".

I would rather be punched in the face than someone staying silent as a way to express their anger or resentment towards me. It makes me feel like I am not worthy of words and—

"Who put the cherry blossoms here?" He suddenly blurts out, breaking my thoughts.

Okay... This is a weird way of moving on, but I can do with this.

"My father put built this garden for my mother when they got married," I respond.

He continues to look straight ahead and I continue hesitantly,

"Mum always adored everything he did for her and the ways he'd express his love for her. She never complained about anything—" I scratch my head "—the complete opposite of me may I add."

Cadmus snorts humourlessly at this.

I continue,

"She didn't even have the heart to tell him how she didn't even like cherry blossoms. Her favorite flowers were baby's breath." I whisper.

"My dad would call her Cherry because of it and she'd always laugh."

I realize I'm blabbering while Cadmus seems to be in his own world and I begin to get self-aware.

I stop talking.

From the corner of my eye, I see Cadmus slightly crane his head towards me and back forwards.

He looks at the ground and then up again.

He purses his lips, "Why?"

I turn to him.

"What?"

"Why did she laugh?"

I pause as I recall the treasured memory.

"Because her name was Blossom." I snicker.

I make the mistake of looking over to see his reaction.

I'm met with the image of him looking straight ahead with a small smile growing on his lips at my words.

The air and setting is completely still when my chest fills with an unfamiliar emotion and my knees feel unsteady.

I shiver. I suppose it's from the wind.

As quickly it happens, his smile fades when he looks over and catches me staring at him.

My eyebrows knit in confusion when he stands up. This time, I shiver harshly feeling every bit of cold I didn't feel the first time.

"Don't speak of my parents again."

He walks off without another word; leaving me and his jacket sprawled between my lap and the bench.

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Author's Note:

**

Hey readers!! I hope you guys liked this chapter. I have been quite inconsistent with this book and I plan on updating as often as I can, so stay tuned for more!

What are your thoughts on Sloane and Cadmus? *smirks* haha!

-a.l

**