Apollo

Chapter Twenty-Six

A/N Hello everyone! Happy Friday! Twenty-Six, punctual, as promised :) I hope you enjoy it!

UPON HIS RETURN FROM THE STABLES, EMMETT SAT DOWN BESIDE HER again. He watched her rest, completely silent for fear of waking her. Many moments later he could not resist it any longer and reached his hand out to touch her cheek gently. She was beautiful, she would always be beautiful to him, though she did look so sickly, and it broke his heart to see her this way. She stirred, and immediately he retracted his hand from her, a sheepish look overtaking his face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. Pray go back to sleep, you need the rest."

    "No, no, there is...there is something I want – need to tell you." She coughed slightly, her throat dry. Without a second thought, Emmett helped to prop her up against some pillows and offered her a glass of water.

    "Whatever it is can wait till after you drink this," he said, and she complied. The warm liquid felt thick in her throat, but she drank as much as she could. As she did so he informed her of what had happened.

    "I went to look for Prince Javier at the stables – Emmeline told me he would be there with Alexander," he said. "By the time I arrived, however, they had both gone to the wood. I waited for them for some time, but when they did not return after a half hour or so I decided to leave my message with the stable boy and come back to look after you instead."

    She held the now-empty cup in her lap. "Princess Emmeline?—Has she forgiven you, finally?"

    "I cannot be sure," he replied, "but I do think she is beginning to accept the situation as it is. She pointed me to Prince Javier...but more than that I saw something in her eyes change. She did not look so cold."

    "Truly? Oh, that is wonderful." A faint smile surfaced upon her lips.

    "Well, it matters not. Soon you will be wed to Prince Javier and her anger is sure to fully subside then anyway."

    Her heart sank.

    "Then...Then I am sorry," she replied, "for what...for what I am about to say."

    He cocked his head ever so slightly, brows furrowing just a fraction, as he waited for her to tell him whatever she had to tell him.

    "I...I love you," she blurted out. "I am growing fond of you, more than I would like to admit, and I want to marry you." The exertion of saying the entire sentence in one breath caused her to cough, and Emmett was on his feet instantly, rubbing her back in an attempt to soothe her.

    When she was still again, he resumed his seat beside her. "But I thought..."

    "Javier...he is selfish. He does not love me. Perhaps he thinks he does...but he takes me for granted," she explained. "He assumes – he does not think of my position. He only thinks of his own. It is...very disappointing." She swallowed. "But you are so kind to me. You love me... You truly do. You do not just claim to. You put me before yourself." She laughed, for the first time in days, weakly but with no less shine in her tired brown eyes. "It is...It is hard not to fall in love with a man like you."

    "Are you serious? Oh, do you mean it?" he cried. "Surely you are jesting?"

    "Not at all." She smiled at him, a warmth in her eyes directed at him that he had craved for for so long. She meant it – he could feel it in his bones. He remembered something then; something Emmeline had said to him once about her suitor, his best friend. I am unable to explain this, but I can feel it in the marrow of my bones – he will not hurt me. He'd called her silly then, said that one could not feel such a thing. But now he knew exactly what she meant. He knew, because now he too was in love with someone, as he had never been before in all his years.