All Around You (Troyler AU)

Chapter 23: The Chase

Troye's  P.O.V

The halls of the castle were empty, and the only sound echoing off of the stone walls were that of mine and Tyler's feet as we ran. Every so often, Tyler would abruptly stop and I'd nearly run at full speed right into him. He pressed his back against the wall, and I curiously did the same, watching as he peered his head around the corridor with his brows furrowed in suspicion, before he threw himself off the wall and continued running, tugging me along with him. After hiding behind three separate walls with not a single person in sight, I began to wonder if he was messing around with me. Besides, he had basically just grabbed my hand and insisted I follow him. He didn't even tell me where we were going!

"Tyler, what's going o-"

"Hush!" Was all he said. Thinking that someone was coming, I stopped talking immediately. I tried to let go of his hand, but his grip was too strong. It turns out, there was no one there at all. I followed him in silence for a few more minutes.

"But Tyler, where are we-"

"Troye, shush!" said Tyler.

"But Tilly!" I whined.

Quickly, Tyler turned on his heel to face me. His face looked serious- almost intimidatingly so. I gulped under his gaze and he stepped closer and closer to me, until our faces were inches apart. I held my breath and didn't break eye contact with him, until the slight second my eyes were distracted by his lips that were so close to my own, and then I couldn't think of anything else. Suddenly, he leaped forward and pecked a quick kiss on my nose and looked back at me with a smug grin.

"Now hush!" He repeated.

I pouted like a child as he turned around. Without warning, I grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him to me again, and stole a kiss. Admittedly, it probably wasn't the smartest thing for me to kiss him in such a public area, but I wasn't about to accept a quick kiss on the nose after he pulled me down two flights of stairs and countless hallways.

When we pulled away, Tyler had the same smug grin as before.

"You're so impatient!" he said in a bemused tone. Tyler got on his tip-toes again and kissed my nose, much to my chagrin. "Now, hush!"

Having gotten what I wanted, I decided to play nice and keep quiet. The lower down we got onto the castle, the more stealthy Tyler attempted to be. All the while, I still had no idea what was going on. But, it was Tyler. I knew I had no reason to doubt him.

Finally, we were on the ground floor. The level of stealth Tyler was attempting was almost laughable. I watched in amusement as he ducked himself behind a vase on a podium, hiding from absolutely no one. He looked confused when I chuckled at him, as if he was blissfully unaware of how ridiculous he looked. Either way, he gave me a big smile. Further down the hall, a maid came out of one of the rooms, holding a stack of linens in her arms. I felt Tyler's hand quickly slide out of my grip, and for a split second, I frowned.

We took one final turn, and saw two knights pacing in full armor at the end of the hallway. Tyler grabbed my waist and pulled me back around the wall, hiding us from their view.

Tyler and I looked at each other for a moment. Who are they? I mouthed. Tyler shrugged, and motioned around his face, reminding me that the knights had their helmets on. I nodded understandingly and waited for his next move.

We could hear the loud clanking of the armor as the knights paced closer towards us. Tyler pulled me further away from the hall, and the two of us waited until we saw the knight pass us by. The second the knight was gone, Tyler and I bolted quietly across the corridor. He pulled open the door to the Great Hall and ran in with me, double checking to make sure we weren't seen or followed.