The Northern King

𝕏𝕍𝕀𝕀

chapter seventeen

          CHRISTIAN WAS FULL OF SURPRISES. It was something I quickly came to learn about him. It had been nearly a week since I arrived in Crescent and though the first few days were lonely, he had somehow managed to make it up to me. 

Every morning, I'd have a purple flower beside me. Cayden later told me that it was a cyclamen. Flowers didn't grow in Crescent, but these thrived in the cold as a delicate reminder that nothing was impossible in this kingdom.

In the evenings, Christian would tell me about his trips, every detail with enthusiasm as if he had never had the chance before. In retrospect, I guess he didn't. Then, at night, before we fell asleep, he'd teach me something new about Crescent. 

I learned about their cuisine, their culture, and the way they were more awake during the night than they were during the day. I learned about their history; how a kingdom that once stood so proud and tall was ruined by the fires of war. 

And I fell for his charms and wry sense of humour. 

He had a soft side to him, surprisingly. One that he never showed publically, but privately it caused butterflies in my stomach. I felt incredibly grateful to experience that version of him and I also greedily coveted that only I could see this side of him. 

Yet, the hardest part of staying in Crescent was sharing a room. I argued that it was unbecoming for a man and woman to share a room if they were unmarried. But, Christian refused to sleep in separate chambers, claiming that it was 'un-mately' to do so.  Therefore, I had to get used to the human furnace sleeping beside me and the sound of his rhythmic breathing lulling me to sleep.

Luckily, Christian always woke before me and I was good at keeping to my side, never gravitating towards his warmth. It was hard but necessary because I needed to set boundaries so that he was aware of my intentions. 

Then, one morning, I didn't. 

I woke up first, struggling to open my eyes and adjust to the bright sunlight. My body felt oddly comfortable and at ease, encased in a blanket of heat that made me feel so lethargic that I found myself falling back to sleep. My magic practically purred in satisfaction like a cat curling into their owner's arms.  I snuggled deeper into the blanket when I felt it tighten around my waist.

My eyes flung open and I stilled.

The air struggled to reach my lungs as I glanced down to see arms around my stomach and hips. Then, I became vividly aware of the breathing caressing the nape of my neck and the stubble scratching my shoulders. 

Panic had me glancing around the room, hoping to figure out a way to escape this cloud of warm serenity. Especially before he woke up. I must've subconsciously moved over to him during the course of the night. It was only a matter of time. I noticed how every night I gradually became closer to him like the moon gravitating to the sun.  Wincing, I slowly began to wiggle away from him and carefully untangled his arms from me.