Watty's Shortlist 2023
"I have been waiting a long time to meet you."
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When two warring kingdoms hear of a magical object that will end the conflict once and for all, two rival heirs embark on a quest to retrieve it and bring their...
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"Stars," Kaiden breathed. His eyes widened as his gaze held hers.
"Aila?" Cas asked, disbelief and hope in his voice.
Aila groaned as she moved in his arms, attempting to gauge her surroundings. They were in the middle of a field with an afternoon sun shining directly on them. Kallias was beneath her, carrying her, whilst Kaiden was holding her bridal style, preventing her from falling. Cas was walking beside them, scrutinising her as if he imagined he were hallucinating her movements.
Aila twisted in Kaiden's grip, which tightened as she wobbled. She eventually managed to get one leg on either side of the horse, and she spent a few minutes marvelling at the feeling of such a strong creature beneath her.
"How are you feeling?" Kaiden asked. Aila was sharply aware of the contact between her back and his front, a burning sensation that she rather liked. She didn't imagine she could feel the strength of his torso from where they were flushed together.
"I feel great," Aila replied. Her voice was gravelly, prompting Castor to hold up a water pouch which she took with gratitude.
"Really?" Surprise was evident in Castor's tone, and Aila turned to look at him.
"Yes," she confirmed. She felt Kaiden's thighs clench against the horse's flank, and Kallias stopped. Aila turned her gaze straight ahead so that the men wouldn't see her cheeks redden.
The heat against her back suddenly dissipated as Kaiden dismounted. He strode to the front of the horse and stroked Kallias' face, but his eyes were locked on her.
"We needed to keep moving," he explained. "And we still do. You are free to ride Kallias the rest of the way, if you wish to do so."
Aila nodded.
When the red stranger had placed his hand on her head, he had healed her completely. There was not even a trace of pain in her body, including her arm which had sported an arrow wound, and her legs which she had pushed for a few days now.
Though she didn't need to ride Kallias, being on his back exposed her to a type of freedom she hadn't known before. She wanted him to run, to gallop, to fly across the fields so that the wind could breeze through her hair more than it was already doing.
"Thank you," she replied, unable to properly meet his eyes after knowing that he had held her that way for most of the day.
"No worries," Kaiden cleared his throat, also uncomfortable with the evident shift in their dynamic. Aila looked at Castor, who was watching the whole exchange with amusement. At her raised eyebrow, he deigned to give her an explanation.
"I looked after you in the tent. Kaiden kept watch all night so he was tired and I suggested he ride Kallias. He stopped you from falling off." Her friend grinned with a teasing glint in his brown eyes; Aila made a mental note to punch him for that later.
