Chapter 38: Chapter 38

She was moving around the kitchen she knew was meant to be the kitchen. With her mind wandering off at him to know whether he had woken up and trying os hard not to forget what the woman selling off the ingredients told her on how to make what she wanted. She made sure she had done everything like the woman said, it was dark already but with the magical flames she had created, everything was good.

Slowly, she walked back to the room, this was the umpteenth time she was checking up on him and she didn’t want to be heartbroken when she see that he wasn’t up again. Stealthily, with the darkness hovering over her eyelids as she knowingly didn’t put on some lights in the room, she walked to the bed. Aranya sat on the bedside next to him with her heart moving slowly, she knew Betla had promised her that he was back to her, but how? She thought Betla would hate him for what he did, right? Or maybe she didn't know that he was the one that plotted about everything that happened?

Because Aranya was sure no one would’ve had the access of going into Zinambra without his help. He once came, and to her he was the first person she had seen there apart from them, so it had to be him. And the hairpin too, he was surely the one.

Well...she sighed, pushing that thought aside. And before she made her next move, she felt his movement around her and she slightly turned. “Lorcán?” She asked wearily, not wanting to believe what she just heard.

He coughed slightly and tried to sit upright and she helped him up. “How are you feeling now?” She tried to ask him before she lit up the candles in the room. When the light engulfed the room and she stared at his face, he looked frail and so weak that her heart shrunk at the sight of him.

He smiled wearily at her, “It feels better seeing this way. I'm much better.” She had never heard his voice sound this way until today and it wasn't a good sound at all.

She immediately stood up and pointed at the door, “I'm making you something to eat, I'll be right back.” She dashed out of the room and in a few minutes, she was back holding a bowl with a small smile on her lips.

He stared at her from the bed and smiled to himself, she looked adorable even though the grief she felt in her heart had clouded her eyes and it was too obvious. He waited until she sat down beside him on the bed before he spoke. “How are you feeling, Aranya?” He knew she might’ve not found anyone to speak to about what had gone on with her life, and she might've not showed it to anyone but she loved Betla so much that loosing her would be a disaster in her life.

She smiled and nodded her head, focusing on the soup she had made. She brought a spoonful to his mouth and when he took it, she spoke. “I'm fine, Lorcán. We can talk when you get better, okay?” She didn’t give him the chance to speak again, feeding him almost as immediately as he finished the contents in his mouth. And after she was sure he was done and energetic a bit, she smiled at him. “How was the soup? Did I try even a bit?”

He nodded and took a hold of both her fingers. “I didn't plan with those people to kill Betla, Aranya, I could never do that to you.” Tears pooled in her eyes when he said that, she knew he wasn't the one since when Betla told her she brought him back to her because if he was, she wouldn’t have done that to her.

“I know, Lorcán, I just couldn't help but blame you at the time. Can you please forgive me?” She asked, and he slowly pulled her toward him until she laid on his chest and he warmly hugged her.

“I'm sorry for letting a void between us so huge that you could doubt me on that.” She was silent, her tears intensifying and she didn’t know when she burst out into tears of agony. Everything pained. She knew people would think that someone as powerful as she was couldn’t even cry, but she was human too, she felt pain and happiness and that was just too much for her to go as if nothing had happened. A life without Betla was something she had never imagined in her entire life.

Lorcán hugged her warmly and she cried on his chest until she felt better, this was the shoulder she wanted, the chest that was hers and arms that shielded her from all kinds of pain. She slowly lifted her face up from his chest and found out that he was staring at her with keen eyes, “I love you, Lorcán. I just realized I've never said this to you, or is it too late already?”

He chuckled and shook his head before he leaned his face closer to her lips. “I think I struggled to be alive so I could hear these words from you, Avyannah. I love you more.” He sealed her lips with a passionate kiss and she chuckled at the name he called her. It was a soft and slow kiss that emoted how they both felt for each other and how they both were glad to have each other back.

Slowly, she broke their kiss and looked into his lustful eyes. “Why the name?”

Lorcán pinched her lips lightly, “Because I fell in love with you the first time I saw you swimming in that river, I got obsessed with how black your hair looks and the dress. Oh, the dress.” He dramatically placed his hand at his heart and they both burst out laughing. “I was so persistent and following you everywhere you are because I wanted to know the name of the woman that had my heart in her hands without even knowing she did, who fought, yes, but that was me hating myself for loving a woman that hated me at the time.”

She laughed and lightly kissed him on the lips before he motioned for her to lay beside him on the bed, and skeptically, she did. She rested her head on his shoulder and looked up into his eyes, the fire in her moved as she remembered the story Betla told her. She knew she had to tell him the story, just to get things off her heart. She would feel better, certainly. And Lorcán was smarter than her, he might have better ideas of how to avenge.

“What is it? I'm ever ready to listen to all that you have to say, Aranya.”

She smiled at him and made herself comfortable on his shoulders, it was going to be a long talk. “How do you know there’s something I want to tell you?”

He chuckled and looked ahead into the room, “I've known you for quite sometime now and loved you since I met you, how wouldn't I know when you have something to say, Aranya?”

“Okay, here is the truth. There is something I want to share with you, but first, can we?” She looked shy and somehow uncomfortable. She was staring at him unabashedly as if she expected him to know what she meant by just saying that.

“Can we what?” He chuckled when she rolled her eyes exasperatedly at him.

“I don’t know how to say this to you,” she slightly stammered and her cheeks blushed. “We’re together, and Betla isn’t here to stop us anymore, what more do you expect?” She rolled her eyes again, wishing she didn’t have to be so clear with him.

Lorcán chuckled and took his eyes off her, “I’m sorry but I don’t get what you said, Aranya. In fact, I'm sleepy.” He tried to lay back and she quickly got off from the bed, turning off the lights in the blink of an eye.

“I'll be in the living room incase you need something, okay?” She rolled her eyes as she got out of the room and closed the door silently behind her back, she would’ve banged it had it been she didn’t want to scare him.

She sat in the living room, resting her head on her brought up knees and when she got tired of sitting there, she walked out of the house and found a spot below a tree. Subconsciously, she smiled to herself, she missed Portia and her beautiful and calming chirp, if they were in Elara, she would’ve made her chirped for her until she felt calm within. The wind was soothing enough and the stars looked so beautiful that she got lost staring at them and she didn’t know he was outside until she felt him sitting beside her.

She didn’t look at him when she spoke, “You don’t have to stress yourself to come out here, Lorcán.” But from her eyes, he could tell that she was happy.

“I wanted the fresh air, life had been so gloomy since the day Betla died and I didn't know where they took you. It’s only relieving to sit here with you and do nothing.”

She turned to look at him with a pout on her face, “But I don’t want to do just nothing with you, I want to...” He cut her off with his lips on hers and her eyes dilated because of how surprised she was. She felt as he placed his hand on the back of her head and brought her closer. Aranya closed her eyes and held onto his shirt, the love she had for this man was making her forget the fire she had in her!

And when he kissed her, it was so passionate that she felt as if she was floating on the clouds and she didn’t know what it was that had ever made her feel this satisfied and hungry for more at the same time. When he broke their kiss, she shook her head and pulled him closer to her, kissing him hungrily and passionately that she felt his moan and laughter at the same time.

•

Her shoulders shook along with her tears as she stared up at the sky, trying so hard to stop herself from crying but she couldn’t. She had always wanted to live a life with a man that will shower her with so much love to the point that she would feel suffocated, but what would she do now? She had gotten herself married to a man she had never seen in her life. Or maybe, at least never seen his real face.

He even got someone to represent him on their wedding day! That made her cry even more bitterly and she rested her head on her brought up knees as she felt the her frail body being embraced by the loneliness that ached her heart. She heard footsteps and before she knew or even adjusted herself-it wouldn’t be good for a queen to be caught crying the way she did, was it?

His figure appeared, he stood tall as though a mountain and one look at him made her feel safe and somehow, less lonely. But then she remembered how much she hated him and before she shooed him away from her, Xanth found a space beside her on the rock she sat and slowly glided beside her. She wasn’t taken aback until she felt his warm and sturdy arm wrapped around her shoulders and he brought her closer to his body, warmly resting her head on his shoulder.

She wanted to revolt, to insult or even punish him for doing what he did. But his next words were the exact things she needed to hear. “I’m sorry, Your highness. You can cry all you want, vent it all out, okay?” Keres didn’t know when she broke into tears and her hands reluctantly wrapped around his torso.

•

They stayed there for a very long time. They spoke about all the things they wanted and she told him about her childhood, how she had always being a lonely child, wanted a sibling or just anyone she could talk to as Betla had never spoke longer than ten minutes with her. And how excited she was the first time Betla told her about going for a hunt, she could finally see other people and what they look like!

It was a long chat, and therapeutic as well, for she was smiling when she was done. He rubbed his thumb over her hand and looked into her eyes, “Is this what you’ve always wanted to tell me? You seem happier than when you came out here.” He was smiling too.

She shook her head and something clouded her eyes. “King Bhaltair is my biological father.” Lorcán wasn’t sure if he heard her right or maybe all that happened tonight was actually a dream.