Royal Renegade

Chapter 42: This is Love

Princess Axelia

Waiting at the edge of the Crescent Woods, I remain seated upon Aries while cradling the baby bat and feeding it a peach.

I never thought I would find a bat cute before, but as its little fingers clutch the fruit and its beady eyes occasionally glance up at me I almost regret bringing it along to return.

I'm so caught up feeding it that I don't notice Leonidas' arrival until Aries steps forward to bump his muzzle against Leonidas' shoulder as he stands leaned against the trunk of an oak tree. He is wearing a thick brown sweater knitted cardigan with a collar, a pair of pitch black trousers, and short brown boots. 

Excited, I hop from the saddle and rush up to him with the bat.

"Last night went better than we hoped," I grin as I settle against the tree as well, making our arms touch as I lean over to show him the bat. "This little guy stayed with me the whole time. At first, I didn't think he would after the Prince left but--," I trail off as bubbles of joy cause my heart to flutter. "Do you want to hold him?" I ask, tempted to shove it into a hand he is leisurely raising to hurry him along. 

It's not until the bat crawls into his palm with its peach that I finally exhale a breath. Watching him interact with baby animals has a kind of lulling effect on me. So, I remain silent as he holds the bat while it finishes eating. 

Leonidas' lack of responses doesn't cross my mind as something to be worried about until the bat flies from his hand to the chest of his sweater, clinging to him as it looks to his face. 

Shifting my own gaze, I notice that Leonidas' eyes are distant and hollow. He pets the top of the bat's head with one of his fingers but emotion is void. 

It's almost as though he is here, but his mind is elsewhere. 

"Leonidas?" I whisper in concern. 

His petting motion stops, but he doesn't look at me or even hum in acknowledgement like he's done before. 

Anxious, I want to assume I've upset him about something, but every time I've thought so I've always been wrong. 

What could be troubling him?

In thought, my gaze lowers to my twiddling fingers and I recall the scars that have faded from my skin. He saw them last night when he was connected to the bat. Does he no longer find me attractive because of them? That seems so shallow of a thought, but what else could it be? 

Goosebumps rise on my arms as insecure thoughts begin to attack my mind. I hear the words of Miss Isadora body shaming me, and my mood plummets. Hurt, I hesitantly step away from him and the tree as I return to Aries only for Leonidas to catch one of my wrists in his hand. 

To my surprise, he then lifts me onto Aries saddle before setting the bat in my lap and then mounting behind me. Still, he says nothing as he takes the reigns and has us ride through the forest of cascading snow until we reach the waterfall north of Rerimas. 

Once we stop, he gets off before helping me down and allows the bat to ride on his shoulder as we walk over to the berry bushes. 

I watch as he returns the bat to its colony, and they take flight in a massive swarm around us before taking off where the sun is tucking itself away beneath the tree-line. By the time they're out of sight, I feel an absence beside me. 

Frowning, I glance over my shoulder to find Leonidas sitting on a boulder watching the waterfall. It takes me a few minutes to build up the courage to join his side but I'm proud of my choice to do so when his lips part with a soft sigh.