Never Enough Time

Chapter Sixteen: Rika

Chapter Sixteen: Rika

“And I can see this unravelling

Your love is where I’m falling,

But please don’t catch me…”

-- Demi Lovato, Catch Me

            My first thought after waking up was Nathan. Initially, I was happy, but then I remembered that he was royalty and I shouldn’t want him. That sobered me up. My mood was not improved by the prospect of explaining to my father why I had spontaneously fled from the house. I couldn’t very well tell him I was running off to see a prince. He hated royalty and, until yesterday, I had too. From the way my father talked about the royal family, they seemed stuck-up and ignorant of their citizens’ lives. I realized now that his views may have been more than a little biased, because Nathan wasn’t like that at all. He was kind and good and compassionate. He was always the perfect gentleman, never breaching the boundaries set by society. Well, except for yesterday when he had kissed me without warning, but it had been a very tense moment, with emotions running high…a lapse in self-control wouldn’t be too uncommon, would it?

            As I got out of bed, I wondered if I was rationalizing. Was Nathan really that good, or did my subconscious simply want him to be? Either way, I was stuck – he was already perfect in my mind. I closed my eyes, remembering the vivid green colour of his eyes, the warmth of his arms around me, how soft his lips had felt against mine. I stopped, wrenching the traitorous thoughts to their place in the back of my mind. Don’t think about him like that, I scolded myself. I wanted to slap myself for becoming so weak that I had started to succumb to my own memories. I vowed to never let it happen again. It was a much too dangerous territory to cross into.

            I walked over to my wardrobe and dressed in my usual clothes, leggings and a shirt. I decided to don a hunting jacket as well; a thin layer of frost had decided to manifest itself on my windowsill. I took the time to brush out and plait my hair into a long braid, wanting to postpone meeting my father for as long as possible. I scanned the room for my bag, only to remember that I had dropped it in the kitchen in my hurry to tend to Nathan’s arm. I looked around for something else to do, but there was nothing. I sighed. I suspected that this was best, anyway. Why prolong the inevitable?

The kitchen was empty when I got there. This surprised me. My father was usually the one who woke earlier, since he almost always had one hunting event or another to attend. Most days he could be found sitting at the dining table, waxing his bow string or sharpening a knife. But today, he was nowhere to be seen. A brief look around the kitchen told me that nothing had changed since yesterday night when I had snuck in. I listened for the sound of his light snoring coming from his room, but there was only silence. I started to worry.

“Father?” I asked, peeking into his room. “Are you here?”

There was no one in the room.

I stepped over the threshold, my concern growing with every second that passed. Where was he? He never left without telling me in advance, ever. Was he angry with me for running out on him yesterday? I shook my head, dispelling that thought as quickly as it had come. My father wasn’t so petty, if at all. He wouldn’t do something as rash as that.

I let my gaze wander around the room to look for anything unusual; it fell on a piece of vellum lying on his bedside table. I went over to it and picked it up.

I recognized my father’s neat, steady handwriting immediately:

Rika:

I’m sorry I didn’t have time to tell you, but I have agreed to be a part of a hunting party that will be away for about a fortnight. We leave very early and I didn’t want to wake you up. Don’t worry about me - I’ll be absolutely fine. In the meantime, be good and take care of yourself. I’ll be back before you even have time to miss me.

Love, your father.

P.S.- Don’t forget to feed Tessa.

I sighed as I read the note, feeling guiltier than ever. I hadn’t even gotten a chance to say goodbye to him. His note had lied; I missed him already.

“You’re late,” I whispered, tucking the vellum into my pocket. With a heavy heart, I went outside to give Tessa her hay and oats.

After I took care of Tessa’s breakfast, I headed down to the stream where I knew Nathan would be waiting. I increased my pace when I heard the light, tinkling sound of water bubbling nearby. As I neared our meeting place, I realized that my mood was growing steadily better the closer I got. I searched myself for a speck of anger or dismay at this discovery, but I found only happy anticipation. Darn that Nathan, I cursed him, though without much conviction. He’s affecting what I’m feeling now, too.

I reached the stream in record time, trying to ignore the feeling of immense relief when I saw the thin ribbon of water flowing through the clearing. I looked around for Nathan’s familiar white-blond hair, but there was no sign of him. I frowned in confusion. Was I too early?

“Looking for me?” an amused voice asked behind me.

I whirled around, and there he was, standing with his hands behind his back and looking just as handsome as he always did.

“Nathan!” I exclaimed, going over to him. If I was relieved when I saw the stream, it was nothing compared to what I was feeling now. It was as if a huge load had just been lifted off my shoulders, as if I had been holding my breath and hadn’t let it out until now. The thought stopped me in my tracks. When did seeing Nathan gain so much significance that it made me feel like this? I didn’t know. I looked up at his face, looking for answers I knew were not there.

“Rika?” he said tentatively. “Are you okay?”

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. “I’m fine,” I answered, forcing a smile. For some reason, I didn’t want him to worry.

He grinned back, and the radiance of his smile took my breath away. He was too perfect, I realized. He couldn’t possibly be meant for me.

“Good,” he said, drawing me to him. “I want you to be happy.“ I resisted the urge to lay my head on his chest knowing that if I did, I would probably never move again. To avoid temptation, I stepped back a little but allowed him to hold me. I pretended not to see the hurt in his eyes as I moved away.

I reached out and smoothed down a wrinkle on his navy blue shirt. “So what have you been up to, your highness?” I asked playfully.

Nathan made a face at the title. “I hate that. It makes me feel uncomfortable,” he admitted.

I laughed.

“What?”

I was still chuckling. “I was just thinking…that’s exactly like you to be uncomfortable with people calling you ‘your highness,’” I told him.

He considered it for a moment. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” he asked warily.

I bit back a smile. “It’s a good thing,” I assured him.

“Hmm…” he said while staring intently at me. “That’s interesting.”

Now it was my turn to ask, “What?”

He was still looking at me oddly. “I’m trying to figure you out,” he said. After another long moment, he shook his head. “It’s not working.”

I grinned. “Good. I like being a mystery,” I said.

Nathan tightened his arms around me. “I’ll get it one day, you know,” he warned me, smiling.

“I‘m looking forward to it,” I replied.

"As am I," he said, and we both laughed.

Abruptly, I broke away from his arms and took his hand instead. “Come on,” I said, pulling him along. “I want to show you something.”

With an intrigued expression, Nathan followed my lead. “Where are we going?” he asked curiously.

I looked over my shoulder to smile at him. “You’ll see,” I answered.