Lost Love [~Toffee~] ((COMPLETED))

Chapter 3

Elara's heart leaped as Toffee spoke to her, only to her. It made the blush on her cheeks worsen, but it also increased her uneasiness considerably. She didn't know whether to be frightened of the attractive Septarian, or be excited he was speaking to her. She was so confused.

Her confusion was obvious to Toffee, with her trembling body and the tears welling up in her big brown eyes. He so enjoyed his effect on her, but he didn't quite understand her effect on him just yet. He felt sorry for her among other things, something he hadn't felt for anyone in a very long time.

Toffee began to move towards the princess, hand held out in silent sympathy before he could even register what he was trying to do. She looked up at him, her eyes wide, and made the cutest squealing noise he had ever heard, before she leaped about half a foot away from him.

"Wh-what are you... you doing..?!" Elara was almost hyperventilating, her breaths were so short and painful, but she didn't know if it was because she wanted him to touch her so bad, or if it was because his sharp claws could tear into her skin and kill her very quickly. Seeing her reaction to his advances, he came back to earth and stopped abruptly. She was afraid of him and rightfully so. He shook his head and frowned at himself.

"Forgive me.." He had prepared himself to walk away and create an even greater distance between them. But Elara turned, not wanting him to leave, and stopped his movements once again.

"Wait... Were you going to hurt me..?" She tilted her head to the side and looked up at him in a way he loved so very much. Her innocence drew him in and made his knees weak. He didn't know why though, he had seen so much innocence before, from many Mewmen and many monsters alike, but he had never been drawn to it like he was now. It made his mind hazy like a dense fog after a warm rain.

"No, never." Toffee was evil inside, but he would never harm the princess in any way. He didn't want to.

Elara watched as the cogitations went through Toffee's mind. She could see all the emotion in his golden eyes, rather than seeing it in his expression. But his exact emotion was still a mystery  to her. She believed him, when he said he wouldn't harm her, like she believed him before.

"I was only.. Going to take you somewhere quieter, to calm your nerves, Princess."

The way he kept saying princess had Elara's toes curling. And the consideration of being alone with Toffee had her cheeks burning for the millionth time that day. He could still want to brutally murder her, she kept in mind, but she did believe him when he said he wouldn't harm her. She was trembling out of excitement instead of fear, this time.

"I.. I would like that..." Elara murmured, giving the Septarian a look through the tops of her eyes. She grasped her hands together and pulled on them, scratched at them and held them still. Toffee gave a gentle, but bored-looking smile, and gestured towards the dirt path behind the king's tent.

"This way then," He led the way, much like he did before, Elara behind him and watching him intensively. She loved how he walked, with his hands behind his back and a certain professionalism in his step. But she especially loved the way he held his blue-colored tail just above the ground. Never to touch, but to almost do so constantly as  it swung back and forth.

Elara shook her head. She was thinking such nonsense, but she literally could not stop. Toffee had emblazoned himself into her mind. He was there forever. She even believed that when she had returned to the castle and couldn't see him anymore, she would still see him in the back of her mind. Or in the front, depending on how alone she would be at times.

"Ugh..." She groaned. She was in so much trouble when her mother returned.

"I hope you don't mind joining me in my tent."

And there she went again. Daydreaming images of Toffee flew through Elara's mind all at once, and she instinctively brought her hands up to cover her flaming pink cheeks. How lucky was she to go inside Toffee's tent? Lucky to hasten her own death? Or lucky to have her daydreams come true? Her mind was in shambles, thanks to Toffee and his indifferently handsome self. Her body didn't know if she should shake or heat up.

Toffee looked back at Elara, internally chuckling at how submissive she could be. Her cheeks were bright pink, her hands shook mercilessly, but she continued following close behind him. God he loved it. He loved seeing her so nervous, throwing instinct away like it never existed. She would likely do whatever he wanted, no matter what it was. But he had no intention of taking advantage of her.

"If it's a problem we-"

"No! I mean-! Um... It's alright."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! Yes, I am."

Toffee led her around the backside of the other tents being used as barracks, until they reached another large one. This one wasn't quite as large as the kings, but it was bigger than it should be for one man. The tent was burgundy in color, and had skulls everywhere. Even the entrance, which should have been woven cloth, was a tapestry of tiny skulls.

This is when Elara noticed the occurrence of skulls, especially the ones that were made into Toffee's pauldrons. They were large skulls, that were brandished with Butterfly insignias. One had diamonds, like Moon's, and the other had spades, like Eclipsa's.

Why hadn't she noticed them before?

"Uh... Um..."

Toffee paused and turned to look at the princess. Her shyness and submission had faded away and was replaced with rapid breathing and widened eyes. A single hand reached up to touch the mark on her cheek, which were shaped like... Spades.

Why hadn't he noticed that before? But he wondered: why hadn't she noticed his pauldrons before now?

"Ah," Damn, "If you would please excuse me," He almost tripped over his own tail as he practically sprinted into his tent. He ripped off the skull pauldrons and tossed them into a box. He should have known she would be afraid of him if she saw her own face markings on his skull pauldrons. He looked around his tent to be sure there was no other trophies of his in plain sight. Once he had scouted the whole area for his trophies of war, he slowly pulled open the woven skull entrance. He half expected Elara to turn tail and run, but there she stood, still wide eyed and touching the light purple spade embedded in her cheek.

Even still, she was frightened of him.

"I apologize. I can escort you back, if you wish."

This time Elara didn't automatically say no. She was still very, very shaken by the realization that he was wearing the skulls of past Butterfly queens, still donning their marks, which resembled her own and Moonie's. But, she decided that if he wished harm on her, he would have already mauled her like a hungry animal. She was anything but brave, but she wanted to do this, to willingly walk into the lair of the beast.

She sighed all the bad thoughts away, "I'm fine.." Her voice shook timidly, "May I... May I enter..?"

Her response took Toffee way off guard. His eyes widened and his mouth gaped some. His first showing of any emotion on his normally stoic demeanor. He shook his head quickly, noticing the way she looked at him through the tops of her eyes, in the shy way he found so interesting.

"Yes. You may."

*Oh my gosh I'm loving this story so much! :) a lot more than any of the other stories I've tried to write. This chapter is only partially one-shotted; but it isn't completely edited either - I would still LOVE any advice and (constructive) criticism, because that helps me become a stronger writer and that's my ultimate goal! :D thanks for reading, Lovlies!*