Calliope

Chapter 7 - The true past of Cole the sorcerer

    Waking up I felt a strong pair of arms around me. I was slowly being rocked back and forth. I opened my eyes and immediately felt dizzy. I saw that it was Cole who was holding me in his arms. He was riding one of the the horses holding me in front of him. I rested my head on his broad and hard chest. Just from laying on it I knew it contained strength far beyond my limits. My horse was tied to the other horse and was talking silently behind us.

    "What happened..?" I asked, slightly weakened.

    "You fainted." Cole said.

    "Oh.. I'm sorry." I said.

    I knew I must have been a burden on him.

    "Don't worry we haven't been slowed down. I used the forbidden spell to locate the crown. This time we are definitely on the right track."

    "Good. You can let me down now." I said with my red cheeks.

    "Yeah let's do that. I'd love to see you falling down from your own horse again." He said.

    "Again?"

    "Yeah, you don't remember?"

    "Not really.."

    "Well you woke up saying the exact same thing, then after mounting your horse you took a few steps then fell. Lucky for you I was there to catch you, before you actually touched the ground."

    "Thank you?"

    He sighed and met my golden eyes with his blue ones.

    "What are you doing out here when you can't even heal someone probably?" He stated more than asking.

    I stared into his eyes. I blushed lightly as I remembered back on the kiss. It had been my first..

    "Don't tell me that was your first kiss?" He asked, smirking.

"What!?" I exclaimed.

    My outcry seemed to have given him the answer he wanted because his smirk widened. Then he bursted out laughing.

    "What's so funny!?"

    "Your face." he answered, still lightly laughing.

    "N..No.. it's not." I said, growing unsure of myself.

    God this was so embarrassing... We continued like that with me in his arms.

    The third day passed with a whole lot of travelling. It was now three days since the crown had been stolen. With that remained only 18 days to go on. Needless to say I was nervous. I was now riding my own horse. We had reached the border of the Star realm, which meant we had reached the starry mountains. I looked up at the snow-covered mountains in front of us. Their peaks were high but I knew the roads through them was somewhat stable.

    "They left Star Realm?" I asked.

    "Yeah, If you stole the crown wouldn't you want to take it as far away as possible?"

    "Yeah."

    "I think we need to pick up our pace if we wish to reach them. How's your riding?"

    "I've been learning since I was little, so I would say quite good." I answered. 

    "Good, 'course we are pushing the horses to the limit."

    With that said he kicked his horse forward. The horse responded instantly and shot forward. I too kicked my horse into gallop and followed behind him closely. The horses breath that had been visible the whole time became more frequent. The forest's trees was beginning to thin out as we approached its end. Running out of the forest a strong gust of wind nearly tipped me off my horse. The wind drowned all sound around me leaving only a faint trace of horse hooves. The wind made my eyes tear up. Suddenly Cole turned around seeing my struggle. With a lifted hand he made a shield on our left side blocking the wind. I almost fell of the horse again as the strength I had put into staying on the horse threw me off balance.

    "Thank you." I said, wiping a few falling tears away.

    He didn't reply and continued riding forward. How strange. Did he know I was crying or was it all just a coincident? Reaching the mountains Cole banished the shield. It wasn't needed as trees towered over us on the side of the road. The rocky path was a little tricky for the horses to run on so we slowed down into a briskly trot. The road was steep so we gained height quickly. I enjoyed the view over the valley between the tree's trunks. Cole however had his eyes on the road. I glanced over at him. His black hair moved slightly in the wind. It softly stroked his cheeks and forehead.

    "If you don't mind me asking.." I started.

    He looked up at me as I broke the long silence.

    "Why did you wish to work for the queen? Was it really only for money?"

    A dark expression glided over his face.

    "The queen threatened something I held dear." He answered.

    Now I was confused. How many versions was there to his past?

    "You wished to kill the queen?"

    "While working for her I got a bounty on her. Although I would have killed her even if I didn't. The queen was a horribly ruler for the country. All she thought about was how she could prosper the country and nothing else. No offence." He said.

    "None taken."

    "Turns out no one is stronger than a queen." He said, clenching his fist.

    He wore a pained expression on his face. This must be the truth. Someone dear to him... Did the queen threaten Sarah? She lived the the Star Realm after all. Maybe Cole wasn't the villain he had been made out to be. He was strong beyond normality yes, but he didn't join the queens side willingly. Maybe he was forced. I knew my ancestor was ruthless in her days as ruler, but never had I thought she would go to these measures. She had completely destroyed Cole and Sarah's life. No queen in the whole world possessed authority enough to destroy a relationship like that. Shouldn't at least.

    "I'm sorry." I said.

    "Don't be. I don't need your sympathy."

    His eyes were hard and sharp. He really forced himself on this one. It was completely understandable that he hated queens. Their power was superior to anyone else's, even the king.