Melody of Blood and Night

Eleven

He had stood on the balcony overlooking Ghislaine's herb garden, trying to reckon how he would sort out the mess his feelings had made. He had been a self-absorbed fool.

A coward, looking for someone to blame for his sorrows. That moment of anger had protected him from the pain. Though only briefly, before it had crashed into him again with a greater magnitude than before.

Regret washed over him like the foaming waves of the sea that swept over sweltering pebbles. He had failed her. After all that she had done for him, he had let her down.

He wished more than anything, to take back his harsh words, which had pushed away the only person who had ever mattered after Meria died. He had wanted to give his sister the world, so he would toil all day doing whatever work he could find.

That was before Ghislaine had found him and made him an irresistible offer. After Meria had died, Aedlyn was the one who had pulled him out of his grief, taught him to live with it.

So, he stayed for her, as she had for him, but in his moment of weakness, he had hurt her, the only being who could see beyond his smile, into his soul and soothe his heart; in the worst way possible. He could say that he had felt betrayed, angry and deeply wounded. But all of it would be just another excuse.

He was just an insecure, lonely orphan in love with a Queen. In his mind, he took back all the hurtful things he had out of spite, after all, they were never meant for her. His words had merely been a reflection of his own demons. His chest tightened as his lips twisted into a bittersweet smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, remembering the first time he had laid eyes on her. She had just arrived at The Veil.

A sordid girl with a fierce face and a head full of unruly, dishevelled blue-black hair, dressed in a rag that barely covered her, murder in her striking eyes. The intensity in her unwavering gaze had intimidated him. It still did.

He had tried to bully her, but she had twisted his arm. Quite literally, till he had surrendered. That had been the beginning of their friendship.

He had never quite figured out when he had started falling for her, just the day he had realized that he wanted them to be more than what they were. He wanted to mean something more to her than just a friend. He let himself relive the memory as it began playing in his mind.

It had been a long day, and all he had wanted to do was immerse himself into a scalding hot water to wash off the blood and dirt that caked his face and hands. He had been about to enter his room when his eyes had landed on her.

She had been sitting on the balustrade of this same balcony, swinging her legs back and forth lightly. Her eyes were closed, her head tilted backwards, facing the setting sun. The sunset seemed to weave itself into her silken midnight tresses, forming a twilight halo around the crown of her head. The golden light spilt down onto her features.

He couldn't help but notice how the aureate rays seemed so much livelier on her breathtakingly beautiful face. A semblance of a tranquil smile played at her lips while the soft evening hues cast long shadows of her dark lashes onto her cheeks.

Her face seemed aglow with serenity, wearing an expression he had never seen her bear before. She had looked ethereal.

Somehow, as he had beheld her, the world around them seemed to dissolve. His heart grew lighter and lighter, looking at her, until it soared, while the brilliant orb of scarlet and amber dipped below the horizon.

His heart had skipped a beat as the undeniable truth had hit him. He had realized what she was to him, what she did to him. She made him want to be a better version of himself when he was with her. He felt lighter than he had in years as he stood there, captivated by the most enchanting sundown he had ever seen.