A Most Dangerous Weapon

Chapter 61: Going Home

The town of Massif was the closest place for us to take Rowan to see a physician. It was risky with hordes of Romallian soldiers running around in search of Diana, but I was afraid that the damage to Rowan's arm would worsen if we tried for a further Romallian town.

Evander and Camilla were left in charge of my brother and the horses. They were hidden along the forest edge to keep our bound prisoner out of sight; we weren't in any state to explain my brother's elaborate bindings to prying eyes. I was glad to be rid of him for the moment anyways. He spent the entirety of our journey to Massif staring at me with a mix of loathing and numbness. By beating him senseless myself after the first landslide and then later allowing Kilgorian to do the same after our rescue, I was basically saying to him that I chose Rowan and my cause over him, and that there would be very little chance of receiving my forgiveness for what he's done. He put me one step closer to the throne... a double beating was the least he deserved.

Arlo went into the small dwelling with Rowan to keep an eye on him as the physician worked. The rest of us remained scattered along the street with our heads hanging low, acting as inconspicuous as possible. Despite my instruction, Theo and Kilgorian couldn't seem to stay away from one another. They were subtle about it, much as they'd been throughout the journey through the forest. To someone who didn't know of their private encounter or who wasn't specifically looking for the signs, it would seem like nothing had changed between them; just two friends sharing a horse and a laugh. But I knew otherwise and I was looking for the signs. While they rode their horse with their backs pressed together as usual, every so often when they thought no one was looking they would perform a simple act to express themselves, unable to contain their feelings after such an emotional declaration. Kilgorian would tilt his head further back to rest on Theo's shoulder, whispering sweet words into the air that would put a faint smirk on Theo's face. Theo would turn his body slightly to discreetly plant a kiss on the back of Kilgorian's neck, and then he would crack a joke or say something random to cover his tracks for turning in the first place. Theo would pull apart some of his snack to feed Kilgorian as always since he was focused on controlling the reins, but now Theo's fingers would linger on Kilgorian's lips or Kilgorian would playfully lick or nip at Theo's fingers. And of course there was the hand holding! They made sure to ride to the far left of everyone else so that they could intertwine their fingers while using the horse's body as cover. I became curious once I noticed that Theo's right hand seemed to permanently fall aside while Kilgorian only used his right hand to hold the reins. I fell back from my place beside them as subtly as possible, and then took my place behind them to sneak a peek. I was rewarded with the confirmation that they were indeed holding hands.

It was much of the same now that we were in town. Upon my instruction to scatter along the street, Kilgorian and Theo kept looking over their shoulders at one another until they seemed to mentally agree to meander back together. Kilgorian sat on a bench as he pretended to inspect the laces of his sandal. Theo bought a ripe pear from a stall before taking a seat next to Kilgorian. He pulled out a small blade and began to slice it for them to share. I should have chastised them, but I could only smile.

An apple slice was suddenly blocking my line of vision. I looked at the mouth-watering piece and the familiar hand that held it. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction, but my grumbling stomach betrayed me. I grabbed the piece and stuffed it into my mouth.

"I'm glad you're alright." Arrian states while cutting his apple further.

I almost laugh aloud before retorting, "I thought you wanted me to die?"

He raises his brows in bewilderment.

I clarify, "As long as it happens before you do, right?"

Realization dawns on him as he recalls his previous conversation with my brother. "You heard all that, huh?"