The Sword Bearer

Chapter 39

Chapter 39

I was going to fall on the floor with exhaustion, I decided. My legs felt like they were on fire with every step, the pain deliberately eating into me. It took all my strength not to ask Aiden to stop. I didn’t want him to think of me as weak. I wanted him to help me and he probably wouldn’t help someone who wasn’t even capable of walking a few miles. I could see that the only reason he was doing this is because he wanted to free the land and also free him. I didn’t think I could do it but I couldn’t bring myself to say it and destroy the lively spark he had in his eye. I didn’t think anything else could bring that to him. He was at his freedom now. He could run away and live without oppression and here he was going back to his captor. I could see he wanted to help and I really did all the help I could get so how could I refuse letting him come? If this didn’t work at least I know maybe some people would want to take over and finish what I started. I had Aiden and Daren to save the sword if something did happen to me.

My vision was blotched after all the activities from the all that had happened in these past few days. Even though I understood the wrath of the situation, I didn’t accept it as truth. It was like a vague idea in my brain. Like the boy walking in front of me was just an illusion from a dream I had. The grass eventually came to the end and the cave mouth was visible when there was no light left in the sky.
“You want to keep going?” Aiden asked quietly.
The land surrounding us was silent and flat which probably meant they would be visible from above if they started a fire. I shivered as I thought of the consequences of being caught so close to the cave. 
“I think we should move into the cave, but not to far inside,” I said, wrapping my arms around myself as if I could feel Niray’s gaze upon me already.
He nodded, surprising me since he didn’t argue.

After another hour of walking we had finally reached the inside of the cave. The outside was visible a few feet away. We had picked sticks during that time and we lay them down in a pile while I lit it with my powers. The meager flames created shadows against the wall and onto Aiden’s pale face which for the first time displayed signs of exhaustion and fear.
“Are you okay?” I asked as I sat opposite him.
He didn’t answer but averted his eyes from me.
“I’m sorry you are involved in this,” I mumbled.
“I was involved in this before I met you..” he started, “I was a guard remember.”
He smiled weakly but I could see the anxiety clearly marked on his face. His eyes pleaded for help.

In a spur of the moment, I stood up and moved to sit beside him. He looked at me for a second, then away, as he tried to process it as normal.
“Can I tell you something?” he said, his eyes shifted away from the captivation of the flames and toward me.
I smiled encouragingly, and after a short hesitation, he continued.
“You’re not like anyone I’ve ever met and that’s why I’m helping you.”
“I’m not from this world, well I didn’t grow up here at least,” I said wincing at my past.
“I didn’t mean in a bad way,” he chuckled.

We lapsed into a silence of shifting to get confortable in which our hands touched. He moved his away, probably remembering me yanking it away when Daren had glared at us. This time, I moved my hand closer to his and grabbed it. The dream like state from earlier seemed to get even more hazy and we touched each other without any eye contact. Everything seemed like it came from my imaginations including the light that cast shadows on Aiden’s sharp cheekbones and enhanced his bright eyes. We slowly moved closer to each other, not even making a conscious effort our knees touched and my head rested on his shoulder. There was nothing here to bring us back to reality.
Just the two of us sitting together.

Suddenly he was speaking again, “You’re so different, Erica.”
My breath caught in my chest as he said this. My name sounded graceful when he said it. He made it sound beautiful.
“You’ve mentioned that,” I whispered fervently.
“But you’re special to so many people and I can see that you’re perfect for it. You’re strong, willful, loyal… and beautiful,”

The last word rung in my ears as he lifted my face gently by my chin to face him. And then all at once his breath brushed my face lightly and his lips gently touched mine. Then he lifted his face up to look at me. I turned away as I realized I had felt something in that moment and though Daren didn’t like me back, it still felt like a betrayal.
“I’m sorry,” he said gasping.
His voice was hoarse like he had just realized what had happened.
“But I’m not,” I said.
I almost meant it but Daren kept trying to dig his way into the front of mind. I pushed him away. All that was a figment of my imagination. This was real.

He grinned hugely as he pulled me into his arms. It felt wonderful as his hand clasped onto mine. I pushed Daren far out of my thoughts as I enjoyed this moment where I actually had something I wouldn’t let go of.

wwwww

When morning came, I woke Aiden up with a soft touch. He immediately radiated with a happiness I hadn’t seen in him ever since I had met him, which considering everything seemed like forever. We quickly scattered the ashes from the night before. For some reason it seemed like I was freeing the memories of the realness but I convinced myself that I was being too sentimental.

The plan consisted of some use of my powers, which made me uneasy. Aiden had to pretend that he had been chasing me to bring me back, just to earn her trust for a little while. Niray would probably be a little suspicious of his motives for a while but the longer I stayed in her imprisonment; the more she would let her guard down. She would eventually bring me back to interrogate me, where the action would start and I would use my powers to create diversion facilitated my Aiden. This time we would have to be fast. All three of us had to keep up because I was more than sure that Niray would never stand being made a fool of more than twice. As the tunnels grew smaller and smaller, the knot in my stomach increased in size. Aiden didn’t let go of my hand once as we walked among the dirt. The feeling of his pulse calmed me as I gripped his hand tightly but he showed no sign of wanting to let go. I would catch myself looking at him and studying his angular but kind face. It was far from perfect with a few scars under his chin and the slight bump in his nose like he had broken it, but it seemed angel like to me. The calluses on his hands put me off either. They were a large protective barrier to protect me from all my troubles, which probably wasn’t true, but gladdened me all the same.

“I’m going to be with you every step of the way,” his breath tickled my ear, “Just remember that we’ll get out of this together.”
He grabbed my hands to make it feel like he was restraining me, but I could feel the looseness, intentional put there. I hid my expression of preempted triumph under a sullen look but couldn’t help but let out a small grin as I realized that his hands were still very close to mine. 

A/N:

I'm a terrible person.

I haven't updated this at all in the last few months because I've been so busy trying to recover from a knee injury and cope with high school. I also discovered that I several health problems that need fixing. 

I promise mext update will not nearly take as long.

This story is nearly at it's end and if you're still reading this, I thank you a thousand times over. I started this story about two years ago now and I will finish it. 

A rewrite will be started as soon as I'm done :)

Thank you Amazing, Dedicated Readers

Asfia :D