Color of Roses

Missing You

Chapter 18

I stare at the ceiling on night, my mind running in endless thoughts. I throw off the covers and peak outside my door. Sure enough, a guard rests against the wall, his gaze at the opposite wall. A small sound escapes his mouth and I realize he's snoring. I smile to myself and quietly exit my room. The halls are silent and dim with the occasional flickering of a candle.

I don't know where I'm going but my feet continue to patter down the tiled floor. Eventually, I find myself outside in the cool autumn air of the center courtyard. The flowers are closed up, sleeping in the moonlight. I sit on the cement bench and inhale the crisp air. I gaze up at the stars when a sound surprises me. I look around for anyone and hear the sound again coming from the guard barracks. Curious as always, I quietly sidle the wall and peak around the corner to see two men sword fighting in the training hall.

"Great work, Elias." I recognize the owner of that voice. Alyn. I fixate my eyes on the two and Alyn is holding a sword to a young man. Elias runs a hand through his dark hair and returns his sword to its casing. He nods at Alyn before speaking. "Thank you, Captain."

Alyn smiles softly. The two of them continue to talk and move out of sight. I stretch around the corner trying to keep them in focus but lose my footing and fall over. I rub my elbow mumbling profanities that I'm glad Giles can't hear right now.

"What are you doing out here?"

I look up to see Elias and Alyn glancing down at me. I search my mind for any viable excuse but sigh when I realize I've been caught. I give an apologetic smile and shrug. "I was just stargazing when I heard you two practicing," I admit. Alyn sighs and holds his hand out. I take it and he pulls me to my feet. "How did you get out of your room?" Alyn says with a serious tone.

I hold my elbow and stare at my feet. "The guard was asleep," I mumble. Alyn grumbles something and Elias chuckles quietly beside him. My eyes watch him and he smiles kindly at me. "Allow me to introduce myself, Your Highness. I'm Elias. I'll be your protector until Alyn recovers."

"You'll have to keep this one close. She tends to be a handful," Alyn says but his tone of voice is gentle, almost as though he's trying not to laugh. I playfully roll my eyes but don't argue. Alyn returns his gaze back to mine and I feel my heart begin to race. The moonlight dances across his features and I can't peel my eyes away.

"It's late. I'll escort you back to your room," he says. I blink and snap out of my trance and frown at his words. "But I can't sleep," I argue.

"Please give us a minute, Elias," Alyn says quietly to his subordinate. Elias bids us goodnight and paces off to the barracks. Alyn sighs softly, more so in a tired manner than frustration. "Why must you make things so complicated?"

"I do not!" I retort. "I'm just bored being cooped up in my room until someone escorts me for lessons which are also boring. I hate not being allowed to roam around freely like I used to."

"Well your safety is more important than your freedom right now," Alyn says sternly. I glance at him, my mouth open and ready to argue but his lips stop me in my tracks. He places his free hand behind my head and deepens the kiss. It lasts for several minutes and we part away leaving me breathless and light headed. "I wouldn't forgive myself if anything happened to you."

His hand remains resting against my head, his fingers playing with strands of my hair. I quickly forget what I was going to say and step closer to Alyn and press my palms against his uniform. I rest my forehead against his chest. A feint smell of spices fills my nose. "I miss you, Alyn," I mumble into his shirt. He places a soft kiss on my head. "I miss you too," he says quietly into my hair.

"I can't stand being away from you all the time."

"You're not the only one. I sort of miss your shenanigans," he chuckles and his chest vibrates beneath my cheek. I look at him, his eyes bright despite the darkness around us. "Can I stay with you tonight?" I whisper.

"Absolutely not," Alyn says immediately. His eyes never falter from mine. My chest tightens at his rejection and I pull away. "I mean, it's not that I wouldn't like it," he adds quickly then continues," It's just that if Giles or someone found your room empty, the whole castle would be frantic. If they knew you were with me, Giles would skin me alive."

As much as I wish he wasn't right, he was. I bite my lip and shake my head. "Alright, you can take me to my room now."

Alyn smiles softly and grabs my hand. I'm surprised by how soft it is despite using the cane and handling swords. We walk steadily back to my hall. Alyn releases my hand and pulls me in for a soft kiss. "Get some sleep," he murmurs before kissing me one more time. I look at him and nod, no longer feeling as sad.

I open my door and lean against the door frame as Alyn begins to walk away. I smile at his back and begin to close the door when he suddenly turns his head to look at me over his shoulder. "One more thing," he says, "Please don't give Elias a hard time. Leave your stubbornness for me."