Charmed

Chapter Eighteen

Stopping for the night was one of the worst mistakes I had made in a while. I knew the horse needed rest, and so did I after all of the power I had used to escape, but I couldn't sleep. Every noise, every rustling leaf, I thought belonged to either Kane or Taylor. I managed to get about three hours of restless sleep before the sunrise was poking above the mountains. The horse didn't protest when I climbed onto his back once more. We began galloping over more familiar fields, and I knew we had made it to the edge of Glydale.

As we ran through the village, people jumped out of our way. My hair was flowing behind me, a tangled mess of brown, and fresh tears stained my cheeks as the castle came into view. All I wanted was Darius, and there was a stupid gate preventing me from running right into him.

"Rider approaching!" I heard a guard shout. I didn't even risk stopping for them to see who I was for fear that Taylor or Kane were right behind me. "It's Guinevere! Get the King!" A trumpet was blown, and the gate lifted before the horse and I had even come within five feet of it.

Yes, I thought. Go and get the man that I love. The horse's hooves collided with the familiar cobbles of the courtyard, and I spotted Darius sprinting down the stairs towards me. The Queen was close behind him, as were Claude and Lisa. Several other people from the castle were gathering to see what all of the commotion was about. 

Darius reached me before the horse had even come to a stop. I swung my leg off of him so that I was riding side-saddle before I leapt off, landing in Darius' arms. I fell to my knees and he fell with me. I felt the skin break as I landed, but I didn't care. Giant sobs were echoing around the courtyard as they escaped my mouth, and Darius held me closer than he ever had. I was fairly certain I felt tears of his own on my neck.

"Gwen," he mumbled, repeating me name over and over again. He kissed my neck, pulling back so he could kiss my face. I was covered in tears and snot, but he didn't seem to mind much. "You're okay." His eyes swept over me, and I shrugged one shoulder.

"I'm okay now," I whispered through the tears. I kissed him once more before we hugged each other again. 

I opened my eyes to look over his shoulder at the people behind us. Claude and Lisa were clinging to each other, tears falling down their cheeks. Nancy was sobbing into a handkerchief, while the Queen watched me embrace her son with her permanent stony expression. 

Darius stood up, taking me with him. I refused to remove my arms from around his neck, so my feet hung there while he held me. I felt him cover me with his cloak, and I remembered how little I was wearing. He started moving, and I buried my face into the crook of his neck, not wanting to open my eyes until I was once again along in his chambers with him.

~~

I was staring wordlessly into the fire, clutching Darius' cloak around me. He hadn't moved into the King's chamber yet, which I was grateful for. I wanted the familiar room, the smell, the feel of things. My red dress and cloak that I had been wearing when I was kidnapped were on Darius' bed. I guessed Kane had undressed me before he took me to the barn.

The Queen had reluctantly agreed to give me and Darius ten minutes alone with each other before she wanted to know exactly what had happened to me so that she could organise a solution. Darius had refused that offer and had confidently told his mother that I would talk when I was ready.

"I'm so sorry, Gwen," he mumbled, tracing circles over the back of my hand. I pulled it out of his grip, not because I didn't want him touching me, but because of the needle marks. 

I hadn't expected to see the hurt expression when I glanced up at his face. "Oh, no, Darius." I scooted forwards so that our knees were touching. "I want you to touch me. I really do. But they stuck needles in my hands." I showed him the marks and his mouth set into a grim line. "It just hurts a little is all."