Mercy & Fire

38. Passing Notes and Lavender

Roselena

We spent two days in the library in search of any map of the palace we could find, hoping there would be just one that had a a secret place hidden in plain sight. One map would do. One single map of the palace could tell us where the entrance to the caves hidden under the palace, but so far I'd only found old models of the palace that had since undergone changes and endless paragraphs about the history of the palace.

Despite the effort, all I had learned so far was that the books smelled different here. The same warm paper and ink but with a slightly salty accent wafted around me, leaving me reminiscing the stronger scent of  ink and paper I was so accustomed to in my own home. Sometimes, I closed my eyes and tried to imagine the hum of the magic printing press, the sound of the carriages rolling past outside the window, the sound of Adelia swinging the door open without a care...

Everytime, I was yanked back to reality by the sound of a page turning or the tap of a finger on the wooden table we worked on. This time was no different.

Sighing, I opened my eyes to the thousands of books lining the walls, towering as high as the glass ceiling. Small fire torches floated mid-air, lighting up the entire space with a warm glaze. I was sure anyone looking in from the dark night could see the King, and I hunched over our books.

After spending hours in silence, I was growing restless and hungry. Focusing was practically impossible for me when I was hungry, but the King seemed to have no issues. He merely kept going like some kind of automated creature. Sometimes I wondered if he actually was made of stone.

I flinched back as he stood up and walked back to the section he was perusing through, thumbing the spines studiously. Though his sudden movement cut through my daze, I found myself calming down just by the sight of him. His hair had grown slightly longer since I'd first met him, and it slid down over his forehead near his brows as he looked down.

I leaned forward, resting my elbow on the table, my chin in my hand.

Since we'd agreed to work together, there was a bit more peace, especially after I'd decided to put our differences aside for the time being. We still argued and bickered, but there wasn't the overt fear that he would grow angry or hurt me. Honestly, it gave me space to see him in a different light, and I'd since considered that perhaps he was never truly capable of hurting me. I felt it that day I helped him in the forest, and I felt it when he caught me sneaking out on the shoreline.

Admittedly, mouthing off to someone I felt threatened by wasn't the action of someone who truly believed that person was a true threat. Either that or I had a terrible sense of self preservation.

Whatever was the case, it didn't change the fact that my loneliness had subsided somewhat when I realized neither one of us had a choice. I still missed my home terribly, but it was bearable when I looked at him for reassurance that I wasn't alone.

Unfortunately, every time I did look at him, it became harder to deny  how attractive he was.

I tilted my head as he skimmed through the pages oblivious to my spaced-out stare. His right brow furrowed only slightly, which I had since learned happened only when he was concentrated on a reading task. My eyes trailed from his face to his neck and back, absentmindedly appraising each little detail.

His form-fitting shirt hugged the broad expanse of his back and shoulders all the way down to his waist, where I noted a bit of weight gain. As if he weren't already threatening, the weight made him look stronger and more menacing than before. Even the sword at his side looked like an accessory rather than the heavy weapon of death I knew it was.

My eyes settled on the blue ribbon tied around the hilt and followed it even as he returned to the table with a stack of books.

With the ribbon no longer in my line of sight, I glanced up only to meet his gaze. Warmth spread up my cheeks and I had the urge to reach up and rub it away; all I could do was convince myself that he hadn't caught me staring like a creeper. Any other alternative would be too embarrassing for me to cope with.