Evermore

IV

LAYING IN BED, a thousand things on my mind, sleep doesn't come easily to me, even with the pills I requested from Ana.

Usually they work wonders, but with so many decisions I have to make, and so many deadlines, I'm not sure anything would help me.

Clambering out of bed, nothing protecting me from the cold but my thin nightdress, I slip my feet into a pair of soft leather flats.

I walk over to my door, opening it and taking a step out, jumping out of my skin when I hear, "What are you doing?"

Turning to my left I see Forrest giving me a funny look, his eyebrows furrowed, and I hold a hand to my heart.

"You scared me!"

"I asked you a question," he says, and after a quick scan of my outfit, adds, "You probably shouldn't be wearing that outside of your bedchambers."

"And what's wrong with it?" I cross my arms over my chest, my face suddenly warm, and he just lets out a breath.

"The guards here are disgusting pigs, show them an inch of skin and they'll come up with a hundred dirty fantasies." He tells me, and I frown, staring up at him.

"That isn't my fault, why should I have to deal with the repercussions?"

He raises his eyebrows, biting the inside of his cheek. "Fair point."

I try to take a step forward, but he catches me, his fingers wrapping around my wrist. I stop, turning to him again, and he repeats, "May I ask where you're going?"

I pull back my hand and continue walking down the hall, "No you may not."

"I was being polite, Princess, you have to tell me where you're going," he follows me quickly, barking out a laugh. He grabs my forearm, spinning me around.

"If you must know," I tease, making him roll his eyes, "I can't sleep and I wanted to go for a walk."

He shakes his head, smiling a little. "Remember that whole 'I decide if it's safe' thing? Yeah, this isn't,"

My mouth falls open and I sputter for a second, getting frustrated so easily like only he could bring out in me, before saying, "You can't just do that! It's harmless,"

He watches me amusedly, his eyebrows raised. "I can, actually,"

"Just let me stand on the balcony for a moment. I want fresh air." I insist, and he thinks for a second, brushing his tongue over his bottom lip.

"Fine, but go put a robe on." He finally relents, and before I can remind him of my previous statement, he adds, "It's nearly to the point of freezing, I'm not having it over my head if you get sick."

I just purse my lips, nodding as I walk back to my room. I quickly grab my warm robe from over the back of my vanity chair, wrapping it around my self, and step back out of the room.

"Why do you have so much energy?" He asks as we walk down the hall, towards the closest balcony to my bedchambers.

"I'm stressed." I admit, tilting my head back to look up at him, and he furrows his brows.

"About what?"

I shrug, my chest deflating. "My father is giving me more responsibilities so that when I become Queen it won't be such a harsh transition, but he's given me a task that I just don't know how to properly tackle. And not only that, even though I know you won't sympathize with me on this one, I'm worried about sending one of the men home. What if I choose the wrong one?"

Instead of having some cocky remark immediately, he's quiet for a second, the sound of his heavy boots hitting the floor filling the hall.

I flit my eyes away from the tapestry on the wall beside me and back to my guard.