veiled hearts

nine

"Take me with you," I spat out. Finding him in the hall. He didn't turn around to look at me, he just stopped where he stood, his hand closed into a fist, and his chest rose as if he breathed as deeply as he could to remain calm. "I have no idea of where I'm standing at, can't even return to the castle at this point without getting caught, I don't know my way back, I am also drunk and in danger."

He stomped his foot for a couple of seconds before he slowly turned around to look at me. His stare was deadly, he looked at me as if he owned me. His eyes were deep, a mix of hazel and amber colour, it depended.

"Just look at me, I can't handle this by myself. You're completely right. I'm stupid and don't even know how to live. I practically belong to that castle and cannot step anywhere else if it's not in those grounds. Please, help me." I took a deep breath, stepping forward, so I could observe him closely.

"I am looking at you, and it's visible —all of that you're saying—, but I obviously won't take you with me, precious." I rolled my eyes and my body began to stiffen. I began to feel stupid, my words were stupid themselves. Why would I ask this stranger to take me with him? But was he truly a stranger when he already knew my touch and the feeling of my lips against his? We shouldn't have kissed.

I couldn't be more naïve.

"You are naïve," I heard him mutter from afar, and suddenly everything clicked but was still as confusing as before. Could he hear my thoughts? I widened my eyes as I seriously felt the world fall to my feet and my stomach twist, or maybe the other way around.

"The kiss..." I breathed and nothing could stop me from walking up to him, I wanted to grab my dagger and stab his chest, maybe throw it at his face, do whatever to settle my rage down. This was violating. "You can sense my thoughts now,"

"No I can't,"

"Yes you can," I yelled, and everyone around turned to look at me.

"You're making such a scene, stop it, precious,"

"Don't you call me that!"

"You can't rule over me."

"You can't just read my thoughts without my permission." I argued, and my head began to burn, it hurt, it ached out of nowhere. I stepped back, placing my hand on top of my right eye over the mask.

I felt acid pain burn my skull.
He was doing this.

The words, stop this, danced over the tip of my tongue, but I couldn't speak them. I felt him draw himself closer to my body, then putting one hand over my waist and the other one on my hand which was the one I had placed over my eye. He was trying to put it away.

"I need you to calm down," He whispered, his lips brushing my ear. I wanted to push him away, but our bodies felt like magnet on metal. I breathed slowly, trying to do as he said, trying to calm down. Gods, how much I wished I had simply stayed in that damn castle.
Everything turned dark, I couldn't feel, nor move. I did nothing. I wasn't in possession of my own body. But this felt nice. It felt as if it was the nicest sleep I had ever had in my life.

"Allow yourself to feel. Not just think." Were the last words I heard before completely blacking out.

To feel... I felt. I could feel everything, and sense it all, maybe a little too much. Maybe I paid attention to the wrong feelings, the wrong thoughts... Oh. I was burdening.

...

"And well every single one of them died anyway, can't do much about it." I listened to Sadira speak, looking towards the guards' training yards, the arena. I know those words she spoke may sound unsettling and a bit sadistic, but she spoke of a fantasy book. "I can't truly understand how much a book makes one feel, this hasn't ever happened in actual life–"