Chapter 49

"You did great, Allisara." Entering the Palace hallways, Sky pulls me to his side and kisses the top of my head. I blush, still liking the way my name sounds on his lips.

"Thank you." I whisper quietly, reaching up and pulling the tiara from my head. Sky chuckles, taking the dainty jewelry from my hand and passing it to Clarice as she comes beside me, asking her to take it to my room. She complies and then is gone in a flash. Sky and I walk quietly down the halls, aimlessly wandering for a moment

"Where are you taking me for our date?" Sky watches me from where he stands leaning against the counter, an amused smirk on his face watching me run around the kitchen and trying to not get in the way of the staff. Our walk had led us to the kitchen where an idea came to mind as and soon I found myself getting a picnic basket together.

"You'll see." I shrug, giving Sky a wink as I place the last items into the basket. He rolls his eyes, coming to wrap his arms around me and placing a swift kiss on my lips. Before I can protest, he takes the basket into his right hand. With a blush on my face, I take his left hand in mine and drag him towards the garage.

"Does where we are going require a vehicle?" He tries guessing, making me shrug in response.

"I wouldn't say a vehicle, but a motorcycle would do." He laughs at my response as we walk into the room, the lights flicking on. I already know what motorcycle I want to take; I had seen it the first time Sky brought me into here. Sky follows behind me, keeping a few steps back until we come to a stop in front of a teal Harley Davidson FLTRXST Road Glide ST made just over two hundred years ago in the year two-thousand and twenty-three. I look to Sky with a grin, wanting so badly to get on the motorcycle and ride away.

"We need helmets before we can go anywhere." He grins as he looks down at me. I smirk, moving towards the saddle bags and pulling out a helmet from each one, Sky shaking his head as I hand the larger size to him while I take the picnic basket from his hand and maneuver it into the saddle bag on the right side of the motorcycle

"Where are we going?" He asks, helmet in hand as he watches me with an amused smile.

"Out of the city. There is a lake just to the south I used to sneak to when the summer was unbearable." I answer.

"I know where that is. Dad used to take me there all the time." I smile, happy to know that Sky knows the way. Stepping closer to him, I stand on my tip toes and press a kiss to his lips before backing up and putting on my own helmet. Sky rolls his eyes, lightly rapping his knuckles against my helmet and dodges my hand as I try to slap his hand away with a chuckle. I want to stick my tongue out at him but he wont be able to see it with the helmet blocking my view. Thankfully Sky decides now is the right time to put his helmet on and now with both of us ready it is time to go. Sky is the first to move, climbing onto the bike before I climb in behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist.

"Hang on!" He calls out, voice muffled by the helmet. With that warning, the bike roars to life and without a minute longer, we are off. The motorcycle zooms out of the garage and through the hidden entrance. The barn doors open and we once again drive past the farm beside the Palace. The wind is still chilly from the early spring air and I am thankful that I cling onto Sky, the warmth from his body seeping into me. The ride is uneventful and I watch the city pass by through the tint of the helmet. The people I see walk with a weariness to them, the events of yesterday plus the broadcast from earlier must have been hard on them as well. I cling tighter to Sky and close my eyes. I don't want to see my people like this and hopefully their lives will get easier with Juden's execution.

I feel the bike beneath me speed up after a few moments. Opening my eyes I see that we have left the city. Farmland pass us by and I notice a few cows and sheep enjoying the small bit of fresh grass grown where snow has melted. I shiver, realizing I should have grabbed a jacket before leaving the Palace, but I had to get away.

Sky turns onto a small side road, the country landscape turning into a forest with many tall trees reaching towards the sky. I smile, slowly sitting straighter to get a better view. The lake isn't far now.

The motorcycle is smoothly navigated through the twist and turns of the road, Sky controlling the bike with ease. The trees block out the wind but the shade causes the area to be a little chillier now that the sun has a hard time reaching us. I expect Sky to go straight to the lake, but he by-passes it, turning left instead and surprising me. After another stretch of forest road Sky steers the motorcycle to the right, coming to a stop in front of small log cabin with a path to the lake that I can see just in the background.

Sky flips the kickstand on the bike and I carefully climb off, taking my helmet off and enjoying the view.

"Who owns the cabin?" I ask, turning back to watch Sky take his helmet off and shake out his hair.

"I do. It used to belong to my mother and when she passed, I inherited it." He bends down, carefully removing the picnic basket from the saddle bag. I hand Sky my helmet and take the basket from him to put away and once the helmets are in the saddle bags, he takes my hand and leads me into the small cabin.

"We should have a few blankets we can use to keep warm for our picnic by the water." Sky muses, letting go of my hand to search for said blankets. I take this time to look around, placing the basket on the bench in the entrance way as Sky disappears behind a door on the right side of the back wall. Infront of me is a small sitting area, the couches facing a large fireplace that has logs waiting to be lit.

To the right of me is a small kitchen, the large window letting in lots of sunlight that manage to slip pass the trees. To the left is a small table under another large window. I can see flower boxes on the outside and I can't help but wonder just what flowers used to grow there.

"I found a few blankets." Sky calls out, entering the main living space. Looking towards him I see the corner of a bed inside the room he came from. A pile of blankets are in his arms and as he comes closer to me, he sets the blankets down before wrapping the top one around my shoulders. It smells like him, like pine, and I wonder if he uses a pine scented laundry soap.

"Thank you." I whisper, watching Sky pick up the second blanket.

"You're welcome Allisara." He smiles, bending down and pressing a quick soft kiss to my lips.

"Now come on, I have a perfect spot for a picnic." With that, he opens the door and lets me walk through first after I grab the picnic basket before he takes my hand and leads me down a small path. The forest is slowly coming to life after the long winter and I spot a few early spring flowers already blooming. It makes me happy seeing the small purple blooms and green leaves surrounding it. The walk takes all of five minutes and soon we find ourselves standing by the banks of the river, the water rippling with soft waves. He takes me to a dry corner just under the sun and shakes out the blanket.

"My mother used to love having picnics here when I was little. My dad and I continued the tradition of coming here for a picnic every summer after she was gone." He explains, taking the basket from my hand and plopping himself onto the blanket. I step out of my heels and onto the blanket, sitting beside him.

"My dad is getting to old to continue the tradition but I want to continue it when I have my own kids." He continues, turning to look at me. Our eyes meet and I swear my heart skips a beat as I see the love and lust in the depths of his emerald green eyes. I blush, my mind wondering what a family with Sky might look like.

"What are you thinking about?" Sky whispers, leaning closer to me.

"N-nothing." I stutter out, my voice a whisper.

"I don't think its nothing." He chuckles, his voice deep and husky. His lips connect to mine once again. This kiss is fast and demanding and I am pulled onto his lap, his hands move to wrap around my waist. The kiss deepens and he bites my bottom lip, asking to be let in. I moan, parting my lips and feeling his tongue slip inside, the two of us not holding back. I can feel myself growing lightheaded and soon I pull away gasping for breath. Sky continues to kiss me though, his lips pressing along my jaw, my neck and even my collar bone. I shiver, my body growing hot for a moment.

"Allisara." He moans my name, making me shiver again, my hands fisting his hair and lightly tugging.

"Sky, I think we are moving to fast." The kisses slow down to a stop, Sky pulling away to look at me.

"Sorry, I got carried away." He blushes, resting his forehead against mine.

"I...I did too." I admit with a giggle. Sky chuckles, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

"Tell me to stop when you need us to stop. When you are ready, you let me know." I grin at his acceptance and rest my head on his shoulder. I am happy that Sky is willing to wait for me, willing to stop whatever heated moment we are in if I don't feel comfortable. It makes me feel safer with him. We listen to the waves as they roll against the shore, the two of us just enjoying the silence in each other's embrace. The quiet moment ends though as my stomach grumbles and I laugh. Sky lifts me off his lap, shaking his head in amusement as he pulls the basket closer to us and helps me unload the food I packed.

We decide to enjoy our date, allowing us a moment to be just two normal adults without the worry of a possible rebellion and an execution on our shoulder.