Siege

The Masquerade

Akila hadn't wanted to go to the Masquerade until she remembered one thing Daemyn but she didn't even believe he would want to see her after what happened the other day. In her eyes though it was better to try and to fail than not try and never know if it would've succeeded. So here she was at the Masquerade wandering among all the people avoiding Daemyn at all costs but wishing that she would fail. She wanted to see him and dance with him. She wanted to laugh with him and smile with him. She wanted to feel his arms around her and she wanted to see his brilliant smile that she feared would never appear again if what he said was true that she was breaking him. She wanted so badly to be near him at least but still she feared that if she was if she went over she would end up shattering. What if questions raced and bounced around inside her head. What if he wanted nothing to do with her now? What if she had lost him? What if? What if? What if? and frankly she was too terrified to face the answer to those questions.

Elsewhere in the room Daemyn was wondering about looking for the elusive princess. At this moment he couldn't stand it anymore he was going to tell her and face the rejection. In all reality it would never work out anyways. How could it? But one could wish and hope and now it was all he really had. Hope that is. So here he wandered looking for the one girl that caught his eye. Suddenly he found her. She wore a beautiful blue dress that was tight at the chest and puffed out at the waist a bit. For once her hair was down and spiraled down past her shoulders ending just above her elbow. Her mask would've hid her identity but he would know those eyes anywhere. He would always recognize her. He walked forward half expecting her to turn and run but she noticed him to late. He was almost standing right next to her when she finally noticed and when she tried to quickly walk away he grabbed her hand softly and looked at her silently pleading her to stay. As she looked into his face all she saw was 'please-please-don't-walk-away' and so she obeyed. She stood her ground as he held her hand and pleaded. He felt the urge to just hold her in his arms. To wrap her up in a big hug it was as if he had just met her again after years of searching and missing her.

"May I have this dance?" He asked instead looking into her beautiful brown eyes. She nodded for once not trusting her voice. He lead her to the dance floor and they began to dance. They listened to the beautiful music and they danced perfectly together, perfectly in time, and perfectly on beat. Had this been some sort of competition they would have won immediately. His hand rested gently on her waist and the other gently held her hand. As they danced the rest of the world melted away. "Do you remember that time when Sinbad was sick and you ditched the ball to join him instead of being down there without him?" Daemyn asked. "You two danced and made fun of those in attendance and then ran when I caught you." He smiled a bit at the memory and she did to.

"Daemyn, I'm sorry." She said quietly looking down. "I'm sorry for shutting myself off and for ignoring you. It's just I broke and I didn't want to again I knew I needed to be strong but after having my walls break I didn't know how and so I shut down. I pushed away emotions and I started to push people away and I didn't realize how bad it was until you confronted me. I'm so sorry." She continued. Daemyn listened and realized how broken her voice had sounded. He had never seen these sides of Akila these vulnerable and scared sides of her. He had seen past her walls and into the sadness but never had he seen her this vulnerable.

"When I said you were destroying me because I couldn't help you I wasn't lying. It hurt so bad to think that you were hurting and there was nothing I could do. I wanted so badly to help you to reach out and comfort you to help you, but I couldn't because you wouldn't let me in. I also thought you were distancing yourself from me and that hurt to. You've always been my best friend but recently you've been something more that I don't know if I really understand. I feel sparks run throughout me every time we touch and butterflies fill my system whenever I'm near you. I have to constant urge to be near you and I miss you terribly when you're not near. I want you in my arms all the time and right now this is heaven to have you close and in my arms. I can't really pinpoint what exactly makes me feel this way but there's at least one thing that makes me feel like this that makes you the one who I've-who I've-who I've fallen for." He choked out the last part because although he had always understood that since it had happened it was finally the moment of truth. "I know this will never work you're a princess and I'm just a lowly knight but I love you. I love you so much and not in a brotherly way. I love you and I mean it but it will never work I understand that." He finished up. He looked towards the ground as she had earlier and became utterly silent. He understood but he couldn't handle it. He wanted to be the one who made her smile when she's about to cry. He wanted to hold her at night and during the day. He wanted to be her last first kiss. He couldn't care less how many guys she had kissed before he just wanted to be the last first kiss and he knew oh he knew it wouldn't work and it hurt him so badly that he would have to fight it and shove it away daily. She however was ecstatic. He felt the same way.

"We'll make it work. I don't care how hard it is but we will make it work. Screw the laws, ideas, and beliefs about this. We will make it work and we will make it through this." She said incredibly happy and this brought him back realizing that not only did this mean that she felt the same but that she was more than willing to fight for this love she felt.

They spent the rest of the night dancing like that together and happily. Her head rested on his shoulder and they were so comfortable and happy and free of care. These two at least knew that they would make it through this.

Sinbad watched this all unfold happily and then he walked over to Leala after Daemyn and Akila made up. He looked Leala in the eye and said with the utmost sincerity "I know you think I'm incapable of emotion but I will tell you now that I'm not. I feel like everyone else I've just been hiding it for so long that I don't even register it anymore and I just wanted to tell you that." Then he walked away not hearing the little whisper that slipped from Leala's mouth. He didn't catch her or her words.

"I know. I think I always have." Were the little things that escaped her lips so quietly that no one heard them at all and then she smiled a bit as she watched him walk away.