Ever After

☾Chapter Eighteen ☽

Ever and Wyll laid in bed, a gap the size of an ocean between them.

Quickly, Ever rolled over and laid her head on Wyll's chest, closing the space. Wyll stiffened for a moment before relaxing.

"I'm sorry that I've been so..." She began.

"Troublesome?" Wyll laughed.

"I guess." Ever tilted her head up to look at Wyll. He smiled at her, brushing aside a loose white strand of her hair. "Can I ask you something?"

"What?" Wyll questioned, his face turning to stone.

"Why do you even care?"

"About what?" Wyll raised a brow in confusion.

"Me." Ever sighed. "I'm a witch. Do you know what could happen if that got out? Think about it, a witch is with the prince. Oh! Of course, that must mean that she put some spell on him! We must get rid of her, just like we did the rest of- "A shudder went through Ever's entire body. Making her tuck her head closer to Wyll's chest. "Them...."

"Ever."

"I just... I don't know how well this is going to work out, if at all." Ever sighed. "Everyone already thinks of me as the future Queen of Siral, even your father, and I know very much so that I am no-" Wyll grabbed Ever's hand and laced his fingers between hers, getting her to stop rambling. He then brought her hand to his mouth and gently laid a kiss on it.

"I'm going to make sure it will, ok? Or, I'll try my hardest."

"Well, at least I know you're not lying." Ever joked.

Ever then pushed herself onto her stomach and pulled herself up to meet Wyll's face.

"I have another question." She stated.

"What is it?"

"It's a difficult one." She laughed. "Why do you like me?" Ever asked.

"Because, there's more to you than meets the eye."

"That's it?" Ever teased.

"Because," Wyll continued, "You're daring and charming, and even though you try to keep up that stone-cold exterior of yours- "

"Rude!" Ever laughed.

"I can see right through it." Wyll continued.

Ever sighed and looked off to the side of the room.

"Is everything okay? Did I say something wrong?"

"No. What you said..." Ever paused and turned back to Wyll, "It reminded me of something someone used to say to me." Ever chuckled, brushing off the memories that surged.

"Then I guess that means I'm not the only person to watch the mask you put on slip." Wyll's smile faded.

"No, you're not, but you are the only one who's ever told me not to put it back on." Ever smiled, running her thumb down the side of Wyll's cheek. "And I love you for that." Ever bent her head down to rest her forehead on his. Wyll then cupped her chin in his hand and brought her face down to meet his lips.

They let the world fade away around them. For a moment there was nothing. No monsters, no magic, no problems or worries. It was just them. Ever pulled her face away and took a deep breath. What has she gotten herself into? Maybe Haven was right, she didn't know anything. She was a horrible person, who did not deserve a second chance. She pushed herself backwards into a sitting position and ran a hand through her hair.

"Is everything okay?" Wyll asked, propping himself up with his elbows.

"Yah." Ever shook off the thought.

"I know that face, what's the matter?" Ever shook her head and got up from the bed. "Ever? You shouldn't let anything get to you."

"What if- "Ever took a deep breath, "What if I did some bad things in my time as a witch?" Ever questioned facing away from Wyll. She heard the mattress shift as Wyll placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Like what? Besides dark magic, of course." Wyll chuckled.

"Like... I don't know, anything and everything possible to make people fear me- us."

"Us?"

"My... Coven." Ever lied. The Coven had long since been separated by that point. She couldn't bring herself to tell Wyll the truth.

"And what would those things be?"

Ever turned and wrapped her arms around Wyll, burying her face in his chest.

"I'm a terrible human being." She sobbed.

"No, you're not." Wyll stroked Ever's hair to try and calm her down.

Wyll helped her sit down on the edge of the bed. She still held tightly to his night shirt like a lost and scared child.

"Haven knows it, and I do too."

"Is that what she said to you? That you were a terrible person?" Wyll questioned.

"No. Not exactly." Ever mumbled. "What if she's right though?"

"You know, everyone out there has done something they regret. Most of them are staying in the rooms next door." Wyll chuckled. "When the great war happened, it took a toll on everyone. Especially, my father. Him and the King of the Elledens were basically brothers. When my father heard King Irving's plans to take down Ione Grove and kill every last Elleden. My father did something he would regret."

Ever pulled her face away to look at Wyll.

"I'm not really supposed to say anything, but-"

"What did he do?" Ever questioned.

"He warned them, the Elledens. He tried to arrange as many transportation's off the island as he could, but when Irving caught wind of what he was doing, he ordered the attack to be executed early. Causing most of the Elledens to be slaughtered on the shoreline, scrambling for the boats and airships. Those who weren't killed there were dead under the rubble of their houses."

"He tried to help."

"All it did was create a big mess. The original plan was to take Ione down quietly, but instead it was a mass genocide that went public."

"Quietly? You can't just kill a race quietly?!" Ever scoffed.

"Exactly what my father tried to argue. He believed that the Elledens were innocent in their 'crimes'." Wyll replied.

Ever sighed. "I don't think the Elledens did anything wrong. Everyone was just scared of them, and what they could do. Just like the witches, and black magic." Wyll pressed Ever's hand in his and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles.

"Human's are scared of anything that can do something they can't."

"I guess." Ever thought for a second, "Did King Irving ever find out what your father did?"

"Yes, a couple years ago. It... cost my father, dearly." Wyll's face turned to a look of anguish, and Ever decided to drop the subject.

She placed a kiss on his cheek and smiled.

"Thank you."

"I didn't really cheer you up, did I?" Wyll scratched the back of his head.

"Not really, but you tried." Ever laughed.

She then glanced over at the night table, the holographic clock showing the time. It was later than she thought, and they both had to be awake early.

"We should hit the hay." Ever added.

"You mean sleep?" Wyll joked, and Ever rolled her eyes.

They both laid back down, Ever resting on Wyll's chest.

"At time's like this, do you miss your hut?"

"No, I slept on a cot, and besides, I like the company." Ever grinned snuggling closer to Wyll before shutting her eyes.

*** I hope you guys had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Thank you so much for reading! If you enjoyed feel free to leave a comment or vote! I hope you guys have a lovely day!!! ❤️😘😊***