The School for Good and Evil Prequel The Never Prince (fanfic)

Chapter 2

Garth brought Lilac up out of the water in the small cove he called home. Like a beaver's lodge, the only entrance was through the water. He believed the cove was somewhere underneath the graveyard. On the rocky floor, Garth checked to see if Lilac was breathing. She wasn't.

"Drats!" he cursed as he quickly performed CPR. He was going to kill himself if she didn't make it. Suddenly, Lilac was gasping for breath, eyes wild. Garth sighed with relief, almost having a heart attack.

"You ok?" he asked. "I only meant for you to pass out, but I waited too long." Lilac held up a hand to stop him as she caught her breath.

"I'm fine, Garth," she reassured him. He took a steady breath, trying to calm his nerves. Losing the only person who saw him as an actual person would have been like stabbing himself twenty times. If the others knew, he really would be stabbed twenty times. And burned to a crisp and eaten for dinner. 

"Where are we?" Lilac asked as she sat up.

"My place," he answered, standing up and offering her a hand. She took it and he pulled her up. She stumbled and leaned against his chest to steady herself. He cleared his throat and backed away. She was a good friend, yes, but he still had a reputation. Which is why he dragged her under the water.

"So this is where you sleep." Lilac looked around at the small area. A smooth outcropping of rock served as his bed, the blanket she had made him tossed on it. A crevice in the rock he had chipped away was a shelf, holding a knife and a small rock figurine he had chiseled. It was a woman in a long, intricate dress wearing a tiara, hands folded in front. Her hair was wavy, her skin smooth.

"Who is this?" Lilac asked, pointing at it. Garth glanced from the figurine to Lilac. He walked over to his bed and sat down. He took the satchel she had made for him off his shoulder and sat it on the ground. "Garth?" He pursed his lips.

"It's you," he muttered. Her boots echoed on the rock floor, even for only three steps. Lilac sat down beside him and put a hand on his knee. He brushed it off with the back of his hand. "Some may say you're a witch-"

"Mrs. Morgan, Louie, and Gertrude to be specific," she interrupted. He smiled at that.

"But to me, you're a true princess." He stared into her eyes after saying this. She seemed shocked, just staring right back into his eyes. Her emerald eyes were searching, yearning for something. He turned away. "The other baddies were watching so I couldn't tell you at the water's edge," he continued, trying to suppress the overwhelming feeling to stroke her hair. There was a moment of pure silence.

She stood up, muttering, "I had better go." She started to walk into the water.

"Lilac." She turned around. Garth stood up, took the figurine, and placed it into her hands. "I want you to have it," he said. She stared into his eyes, but he turned away. "Just in case." 

Lilac held the figurine tightly and walked farther into the water. Garth took a breath, grabbed her by the shoulders, and pulled her under. He wrapped his arm around her waist and started swimming toward the hill. When he reached his destination, he let go of her. He stayed under the water, watching her swim to shore, grab her cloak, and run. He surfaced with a breath to spare, and watched her disappear into the village. He reached the shore and grabbed his shirt.