Crown and Cloak

Chapter 7

Aoife

The dance hall was beautifully decorated. Garlands of flowers hung from the ceiling and were draped over the windows as makeshift curtains. When the wind blew through them, they flowed as if the wind were carrying them. The space was filled with the scent of lavender which brought the atmosphere in a full circle. Erik and I entered, my arm linked through his but his eyes straight forward. He hadn't looked at me once since we left my makeshift hiding spot. His head was craned to the left as if he was putting in physical effort to keep me out of peripheral vision. "You can have it,"

The music playing from the right muffled almost every sound, so I had to speak up. "The choker. I don't know why it's so important to you, but it's yours." His jaw worked, letting me know he heard me, but he still wouldn't look at me.

A pit formed in my stomach. Whatever progress we had or were making shattered the moment he presented that damned neckband at me as if I had betrayed him. We weren't friends. In fact, I had no idea what we were, but we were beginning to be something, and now it was gone. It shouldn't sting me the way it does or affect me as deeply as it does when he looks through me when speaking to me, but it does.

I can't shake the uneasiness in my chest when we reach the center of the room where everyone is dancing. Erik had told his father's knights to stay on high alert on account of a hunch. Not that they needed it but he had to show them that he was still on assignment.

The music slowed, and the people surrounding us began getting into pairs. Erik pulled away, and for a second, I thought he might leave me alone in the middle of the dancefloor, but his hand trailed down my arm until he held my hand in his. He kissed the top of it after bowing deeply. Everyone seemed to know the dance but me. I wouldn't even be here if I didn't need to get out of this fucking place, so I never learned the dances.

Teryn didn't know them either, and even though she gushed over attending in hopes of dancing with a cute boy, she promised she'd stay with me in the dorm and keep me company. "We don't need to dance."

I turned from him, planning on circling around the crowd of people and staying close to the open windows once I got to them. They were hard to miss. Even if weaving my way through the crowd slowed me down, I'd still be able to get there in time for Teryn to do her part. The tug on my hand shocked me. Erik's grip had tightened, and he had his head turned but didn't let go.

"They are watching." In the next second, he pulled me into him, my hands gripping his shoulders to steady myself. My eyes drifted to the knight that stood to the right of us, eyes trained on Erik. "Watching you, maybe," I say as he snakes his hand around my waist and slips his other into my hand. My hands slide down his shoulders until they reach his biceps. Erik steps back, practically dragging me along with him. Annoyance takes over his face.

"Don't be stubborn."

"I'm not."

"Then dance with me." This time, I avoid his gaze, embarrassment tinging my cheeks pink. I feel him watching me, waiting for an answer. Erik pulls me closer by my waist, which causes me to lift my gaze. "Follow my lead, Witchling."

Erik

I feel physically sick to my stomach. She looks so unlike herself. When she stepped out i that dress two day ago breathing in per presence was no longer an option. All of the air in my lungs was gone in an instant and my chest squeezed with an unfamiliar sensation. She looked beautiful. She was beautiful but i'd always known that. I never mattered before.

Nevertheless, the plan is proceeding just as strategized, but I can't stop thinking about Aoife. Her dress, however over the top, does nothing t,o compliment her, and her glamoured black hair doesn't match her personality like her vibrant red locs do. I recall the way they moved with her as if they were one being, always expressive. Always so her. I didn't even want to let myself entertain the realization that her hair reminded me of Leanora. If I wasnt under such strict watch or in the middle of an escape, I'd shiver at the thought.