There was a moment of silence. I'm sure it wasn't tragically long, but right then it felt wretched. Long enough that I wished the world would swallow me whole. Long enough to make me think that I was a damn fool for asking a king for a kiss.

Xion seemed frozen, eyes wide as he stared at me. I had thought that.... I had assumed...But maybe I was just some poor peasant girl that he needed on his side because we had some silly mate bond between us. Maybe there was nothing more and I had conjured up meaning in his empty words. It was almost frightening how quickly the insecurity could come rushing in.

"You want to kiss me?" he said, his voice rough.

I wasn't sure if I would be able to get words out had I been given time. But the second my chin dipped in the barest of nods, his hands were on me, cradling my face so tenderly. He let out something that sounded like a sigh of relief as he moved my head just so and lowered his mouth to mine.

The kiss started slowly. It wasn't the there-then-gone kiss Sampson had thrust upon me when I had been bound to a tree. This was the gentle brush of lips, the soft sweep of his hands as they moved from the sides of my face, down towards my jaw then into my hair so softly the gesture could only be described as sweet.

I made a sound I had never heard from myself before and the kiss changed then. As if the noise had triggered something in Xion, he stepped into my space, pushing me backwards until I was pressed up against the sturdy door leading to my bedroom. The sweet way he sipped at me was gone as he leaned down further, tasting me as his tongue traced over my lips.

It was overwhelming. The way he smelled like wilderness and baking, the way he felt so firm under my hands that clung to his shoulders like I would drown without him. And the way he kissed me, I felt like I was desperate to keep up, desperate for more. I would take anything he would give; I would beg for things I didn't even know existed.

Xion drew back. I whimpered in protest.

As I opened my eyes, his thumb swept across my lower lip, the touch feather-light. "Any time you feel inclined to kiss me, do it," he stated. He couldn't seem to draw his onyx eyes off my mouth.

I would have pulled him back down to me if I had had the confidence. But he released me and excused himself for the evening.

That night, I laid in bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking of his mouth on mine and his hands in my hair. What would it have felt like if he tugged the strands or if he scraped his teeth against my lip? If I hadn't been worried about Seraphina lurking outside my door, I probably would have groaned out loud at the thought. Instead, I rolled over, pressed my face in the pillow and forced my eyes to remain closed until I fell asleep, wishing that my dreams would stitch together with reality.

The next morning, I was grateful for my choice because Seraphina was dutifully waiting for me as soon as I opened the door.

"Good morning," I greeted.

She fell into step behind me immediately, not even questioning where I was going dressed in my casual tunic and pants. Perhaps she was getting used to my escapades.

"Should I even bother to ask why Xion is in such a good mood this morning? He was practically singing the entire time we were going over tithes. And Xion hates numbers," Sera said.

"I'm not sure you would want to know," I replied honestly. My sister and I would squeal over things like the local boys or who was dating who, but I doubted Seraphina wanted to hear that Xion had kissed me breathless last night.

"Fair enough." She did look vaguely disgusted at the thought though. "Do you know what you're doing, Lark? Are you making the right choices for yourself?"

Her words made me falter a step before I caught myself. Was I? Hating him and everything he stood for felt like forever ago, but it really hadn't been that long, had it? Things had changed in ways I didn't even understand. It felt like it had been slow, then all at once. An itch I could ignore morphed into a screaming ache.

"I'm not sure, but I don't regret it either."

"You aren't just making decisions that affect you, anymore," Seraphina said. "He is not some country bumpkin that you can choose to leave at the drop of a hat further down the line. And your mate bond will get stronger by the day. It's not something to be toyed with."

I didn't know if it was the issue of confronting reality or if it was the comment about the bumpkin, but something grated on me. "I know. Your mother was a fabulous reminder of all of those things," I snapped. "I have not made a decision and I have done nothing of severe consequence, so can you please just take me to Devlin and leave me be?"

She closed her mouth and overtook me, her long legs eating up the distance. I scrambled to keep up, but refused to speak. My mouth would remain stubbornly shut until my mind came to terms with what she had said. But that would come after training with Devlin.

Devlin paced around a field near one of the palace walls. He moved like a god among men, all stern barks and calculating eyes. The men before him-- presumably other guards in training-- seemed to straighten a little more under his gaze. It was strange to see him like that, wearing another mask when I was used to such a friendly one. I had no idea what I was interrupting, but they all had long swords strapped to their hips.

Devlin's expression didn't lift when he saw Sera lumbering towards him, but all those rough edges softened when he saw me. "Lark, hello," he greeted with a nod of his head at his men. Through some unspoken communication, they knew to fall in pairs and start some sort of exercise.

"I hope I'm not throwing off your plans for the day," I said softly, wincing a little when I watched a distracted man receive a hard blow to the gut.

"Of course not, it's always a pleasure to see you. What can I do for you?"

Seraphina took it upon herself to take over where Devlin left off. She moved like a viper between the groups of men and women, barking orders in a way that would have made most people cower. I briefly thought of putting her and my father in the same room just to see who would crumple first. Maybe they would tear down the walls before it was decided. I turned back to Devlin and told him my plan about my training, told him that Xion approved and I would take any time he was willing to offer up.

"Well, since Sera seems perfectly content doing my job for me, how about we find somewhere quiet and we can do an assessment of skills to get started?"

The assessment sounded nicer verbally than it was in actuality. I could never call Devlin anything other than kind and sunny, but it was like a cloud passed over when we began the training. He was still gentle and encouraging, but the focus was more important than the friendliness. He would nod his head and offer me a quick smile when I faltered -- it had been a long time since I had tried something even vaguely new and it was beyond clear that he was an expert-- but he had an end goal.

He pushed me until I felt I could not bear anymore. And it had only been an assessment according to him.

And when I sank into the hot spring later that evening, it felt like the goal was to leave be as battered and as bruised as possible. I knew it was not true. He constantly asked me if I was okay, winced when he heard me suck in a sharp breath. But this was a reality. I needed to know how save myself, even if I couldn't defeat every foe. I never wanted to be that helpless again.

It just sucked to know how truly terrible I was.

Devlin had asked me to hit him over and over again, watch my position, correcting my form on occasion, explaining that power came from my legs too, not just my arms. When I asked about weapons, he just smiled kindly and declined. That was too advanced for a girl who never wielded anything other than a pitchfork. To be entirely fair, I was bruised up from Devlin doing nothing more than blocking my blows. It was awfully embarrassing, but I tried to remind myself that I was learning and I had not been raised for this.

I should have fallen into my bed and slept like a corpse. Between limited sleep last night and an intense, physical day, I should have been drained. Instead, it felt like something was buzzing in my chest. I changed into something comfortable for sleep, then immediately pulled on a robe and slippers, too restless to even consider curling up in bed.

"Lark?" Seraphina blurted when I appeared in the hallway.

"I just need a walk. I won't leave the palace," I promised, already on the move. I was surprised when she let me go without complaint.

I didn't know where my legs were taking me and I didn't particularly care. I just thought that I would walk until my feet hurt or my body finally decided to listen to my exhausted brain. Guards that were patrolling the building nodded at me as I passed but said nothing.

I felt like I would never stop walking until I heard it: the soft pleas of a violin.

I moved quietly in the hopes that I wouldn't disturb him, but my body refused to stay in the hallway or to drag itself back to bed. I pushed open the door, warmth wrapping around me instantly. It was the glassroom, filled with all the tropical plants that provided fresh produce for the palace.

And there, seated on the floor was the king with his loyal dog.

Xion's head was tipped so he could cradle the violin, his eyes closed. I couldn't place the mood, somewhere between somber and joyous, a teardrop running down a soft smile. And beside him sat a half empty bottle of the wine we shared in the city. 

~~~Question of the Day~~~

What do you think is the most expensive aspect of owning a pet?