A Journey Of Lost Souls {Tom Holland}

Part 3

By the third day of walking, the silence had become painful, even for the ever so quiet princess.

She and Tom didn't make much of an effort to begin a conversation. For the princess, it was especially hard.

For one, she hadn't had a decent conversation with anyone in over three months now, and to be completely honest, she wasn't sure she remembered how to have a conversation. There was also the fact that she didn't really know Tom yet, and with her recent trauma, she wasn't entirely sure whether or not to trust him.

Tom, on the other hand, could easily tell the princess was not ready to talk. The silence was eating him alive, but he knew better than to rush a conversation. So, he tried to keep his mind level as they walked.

As the sky changed from its vibrant blue into its hazy orange, Tom and the princess began to search for a place that would be suitable to settle down at for the night. They quickly came across a clearing that they decided would make do and Tom got right to work on building a fire.

The princess gathered some sticks and then sat down on a log that had fallen into the middle of the clearing. She stared absentmindedly into nothingness as Tom sat on the ground, building the fire.

Tom, after getting the fire started and steady, took a look behind him at the princess, who was zoned completely out.

"Sam, are you okay?" He asked tentatively.

"Hm?" She said, eyes still gazed.

"Are you alright?" He asked again.

The princess shook her head and lifted herself out of her trance.

"What? Oh, right, sorry. I'm okay. Just...tired," She stuttered out.

Tom nodded and pulled out the blankets he had stuffed into the bag and laid them around the fire. The two took their respective places and tried to relax. It was already dark, but they were both illuminated by the orange glow of the fire.

The princess shut her eyes. She hadn't slept more than 8 hours in the last three days and the exhaustion was catching up to her. She decided, that tonight she would actually try to sleep.

She laid there for a few moments, waiting for sleep to consume her until her ears were alerted by the sound of a page turning. She shifted her head to see Tom with a book pulled above his head as he laid on the ground with his knees folded up.

"What are you reading?" She asked, shocking the boy.

He jumped a little, but then turned and looked at her.

"Shakespeare. Hamlet." He said simply.

The princess smiled ever so softly. "I love that one."

Tom's eyes widened as he also let a gentle smile spread across his face.

"Me too."

The two were quiet for a moment, only the crackling of the fire making any noise. Then suddenly, just as Tom thought the princess was going to sleep, she said, "Will you read aloud?"

Tom loved the atmosphere with the fire crackling, a book in his hands, and a tired girl, with her eyes closed asking him to read out loud.

So, he did.

The princess liked the way he read aloud. His voice lathering the words with a certain suave that would have only been manageable by him and him alone. She could have listened to him read for hours and never once get bored. Alas, the princess' eyes were beginning to unwillingly droop.

"Doubt thou the stars are fire; Doubt that the sun doth move; Doubt truth to be a liar; But never doubt I love," Tom read and shifted his eyes over to the princess.