Forbidden [1]

One

Angelica was asleep, but awoke to the sound of tapping at her window.

"How could anything reach my window?" She thought, as her window was stories above the ground. "Unless it's him..."

She took the blanket off and stood up, immediately being surrounded by the chill of the room. Her bare feet were cold on the hardwood floor. She looked over at the window, trying to see through the darkness of the cold night. Outside the window she could see something sitting on the sill.

The only sound in the room was her feet pattering against the floor as she walked over to the window. She stared at the thing sitting on the sill, making it out to be a small griffin with the help of the moonlight.

"Blaise?" She said softly, worrying that she could be heard by one of the palace guards.

The griffin nodded, looking up at her with the bright blue eyes that she knew so well.

Angelica opened the window, as quietly as possible. She watched as the griffin squeezed through the bars then jumped down from the sill, making a small thud against the hardwood.

The griffin then morphed back into his actual form: Blaise. Angelica looked at him and memories flooded through her head. She remembered the last time she'd seen him, and all the times he'd held her so close.

"Blaise!" Angelica said, as softly as she could in her joyous state. She sprang over to him in a single bound and threw her arms around his neck. She felt his embrace around her waist. He was warm.

"Angelica..." he said, sounding happier than she'd heard him sound in a long time.

Angelica was so happy she was almost in tears. She tried to keep it in, sniffing a little as she buried her face in his neck.

"You came..." she said, her voice cracking with emotion.

"Of course I did," he said, running his fingers through her hair like he always did.

She sniffed again, then looked up at him.

"You can't be here..." she said, as much as she didn't want to, "they'll kill you if they find you here..."

"I know," he said, hugging her close to him again, "but I had to see you."

Angelica smiled. She knew that he'd risked his life by seeing her. She looked up at him again.

"I'm glad you came," she said, smiling and looking into his eyes.

He smiled back at her. "I am too," he said, running his fingers through her hair again.

Angelica heard a noise from the hall and looked toward the door. She looked back up at Blaise, who had apparently heard it too, as he was looking at the door as well.

"You have to get out of here!" She hissed, "They're going to kill you!"

He smiled a little and looked back at her. "Don't worry," he said with a wink. He morphed back into a griffin and scampered under the bed, his claws making a small clacking sound on the floor.

Just as he disappeared under the bed, she heard the door unlock and saw the knob turning, reflecting the light of the moon from the window. She quickly closed the window before the door opened completely.

A guard stood there, tall and brawny looking. He looked at her, a little surprised to see her out of bed. Angelica forced a smile and waved a little.

"Sorry for the noise," she said, "The window latch must be broken, the window swung open."

The guard looked at the latch, still standing in the doorway.

"Alright," he said. His voice was deep and intimidating. "We'll get that checked out tomorrow."