The Moon Dancer

Chapter 31

The chilling sea breeze ruffled Ruhya's hair, goosebumps freckled her skin as she slightly shivered. 

"Hey, are you hungry?" Judar asked from behind as he wrapped his arms around Ruhya. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled.

"I don't know, that depends on what's for lunch." 

"Well, there's fish, fruit platters, sweet bread, and some kind of stew."

"Hmmm..."

"Or, if none of those suit your appetite...you can have me." Judar whispered into Ruhya's ear. Hot pink spread over Ruhya's cheeks and she quickly pulled away from Judar.

"H-hey, don't tease me like that!" Ruhya protested with embarrassment. 

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" Judar laughed as he held his hands up. Ruhya clicked her tongue and smirked, grabbing Judar's hands and pulling him close.

"Don't tease me because I might just take you up on that offer." She whispered seductively.

Judar's eyes widened as heat surfaced from his face. He reached down and gently caressed Ruhya's face, his fingers leading down to her lips. His thumb softly brushed Ruhya's bottom lip, which caused her to slightly gasp. 

"Oh, will you?" Judar smirked as Ruhya stood up on her tiptoes to kiss him. He closed his eyes and waited for their lips to connect, and opened them with annoyance when his lips met Ruhya's finger.

"But you'll have to wait."

"What do you mean?"

"Well...I don't think I'm ready for all this...you know, after all that's happened." Ruhya admitted while nervously biting her lip. 

Judar nodded. It had only been a week since the incident at Balbadd, so he couldn't blame her for still being hesitant to fully invest in a relationship. 

"Ruhya, you can take all the time you need. I'm not going anywhere, so we have all the time in the world."

Ruhya frowned and nodded, burying her face in Judar's chest as she embraced him tightly. Judar stroked her hair, careful not to pull down her blindfold. He reached down and kissed the top of her head.

"I promised that I'd never abandon you, and I intend to keep that promise."

"Okay."

"Excuse me, High Priest." A voice from behind Judar called out.

"What?" Judar asks with annoyance.

"We are arriving at the dock soon, Empress Gyokuen is waiting for you in her private dining area, she has summoned you and wants to see you immediately." A man with a white cloth covering his face said. 

"Okay, yeah, whatever." Judar snarled, dismissing the man with a flick of his hand. 

"Is there something wrong?" Ruhya asked as the man walked away, leaving her and Judar alone once again.

"No, everything's fine. Hey, hold onto me." 

Ruhya quickly wrapped her arms around Judar tightly as he grabbed her securely by the waist. Their feet rose from the boat as Judar floated up into the air. The wind flipped Ruhya's hair around and Judar smiled as she giggled with delight.

Flying wasn't scary for her anymore, Ruhya knew that Judar would never let her fall, and she would never let go of him.

'''

"I'll be back soon, stay here in the garden. I have to go and give a report or something." Judar said as he landed on the ground, setting Ruhya down on a stone bench in the royal garden.  She nodded and hummed