Ines stared at Matthew with wide eyes; he never ceased to surprise her. Somehow, he had managed to tick off the elves in the training grounds, and right then he was facing their wrath. Although he was terribly losing, his expression was one of excitement and joy. For a man who was going to get killed by his own stupidity, he looked ridiculously happy.

He wasn't wearing an armour, which made him look even more foolish, and his clothes had been ripped in many places, revealing his toned body. Ines marveled at his lean and hard torso, his strong back that flexed with every move. What the hell are you thinking?, she scolded herself. She took a deep breath and tried to tame her unruly imagination.

Ines, thinking that he should learn his lesson, stood there watching them with a faint smile on her lips. Besides, she didn't want to break a finger while saving his reckless ass. Matthew was hit with rocks, dirt, whatever the elves had in their disposal who were laughing at his failing attempts to escape, Ines being one of them.

'Peter! Save me from my misery!'

She suddenly heard him calling her. He must have noticed her standing there. The elves slowly stopped attacking him and glanced at her with curiosity. Maybe they were looking forward to becoming spectators of a rare show.

Ines shook her head in disapproval, and slowly approached the training area. The elves stepped back, and made space for her to pass, most of them deciding they had better things to do than watch two humans fight.

'Come on,' Matthew urged. 'Let's see if a wo—' A loud awkward cough prevented him from finishing his sentence, but he quickly composed himself. 'If a skinny lad like you can match my legendary fighting,' he said smirking at her.

Ines lifted an eyebrow. She suspected he wanted to say something else. 'As you wish,' she said nonchalantly, and drew her sword out.

A few minutes later, Ines was already panting, while her body was shaking from exhaustion. Matthew wasn't really pushing her too hard, and she knew it, but she was always too slow or too weak to render a decent strike against him. It seemed that he had regained his strength, and she saw he was enjoying pushing her buttons.

'Come on, Peter. Is that all you've got?' he taunted.

Ines took advantage of his boasting and charged at him. She tried to tackle him to the ground, but he had anticipated that move. He seized her leg, twisting it, and threw her down, putting all his weight on her in the process. Ines squeezed her eyes, groaning from the impact. She shouldn't have exerted herself so much.

'That was easier than I expected,' he whispered to her.

Ines opened her eyes and froze. His face was so close to hers she could see the faintest detail of his handsome face. Their close proximity made her heart race, like it was trying to break free, and her cheeks immediately flared. She saw Matthew's smile vanish from his lips, his forest-like eyes boring into hers, and there it was, the thing that had always been written in their gaze; a chemistry, an invitation to learn about the other.

Matthew's ragged breathing tickled her face, and his hard body that was pressed so close to hers was causing butterflies in her stomach. Ines felt time slowing down, every passing second was a step closer to her accepting the truth she wasn't brave enough to acknowledge. Matthew kept staring at her like she was a mystery he desperately needed to solve, like her eyes hid the answers he was searching for. They were lost in each other's gaze, until someone pulled them out of their daze.

'Yo, people. Quit playing around, it's getting late! I'm closing the building.'

Matthew jumped away from her, as if he had been struck by lightning. He rubbed the back of his neck with a guilty expression on his face and extended his hand to help her up. Ines touched his rough hands, and she was swiftly pulled up by strong pair of arms. She hadn't realised how quickly time had passed. The place was empty, and the night was approaching fast.

'Let's go,' he told her, and pulled her outside the training grounds.

They crossed the quiet square, where the streetlamps were already shining under the fiery sky. Any little snow there was the day before had been cleared by the sun's warmth, but they knew the following days wouldn't be so merciful. The houses were packed with wood for the fireplace, and people were selling their last goods before they stocked their homes for the bad weather. The two of them were nearing the bridge and admiring the landscape when they noticed Landos march towards them with an annoyed expression.

'Oh, God. What does he want this time?' Matthew said through gritted teeth.

Ines barely managed to hide her smile.

'I swear I'm gonna kill you, Matthew!' Landos snarled at him threateningly.

Ines looked around. Luckily, there wasn't anyone to witness their crazy behaviour.

'What did I do?' Matthew protested loudly.

'The whole city is talking about a human who acted like a lunatic during training.'

Ines took a step back. She'd rather hide from the elf's angry glare.

'Relax, Landos. We were just having some fun.'

'You are not here to have fun!' the elf pulled at his hair in frustration. 'The only thing you had to do was stay low and avoid trouble, until we found a better solution. No one knows why you are here except for us, the council, and a couple of guards!'

'You are so over dramatic. The only thing I did was train with the others!'

Landos grabbed him by the collar and shook him. 'With that kind of weapon, you stupid human?'

Matthew wrinkled his nose in confusion.

'You can't go waiving this sword in the air,' Landos reminded him in a stern tone.

'Alright, I get it.'

The elf released him, but he kept glowering at him. Ines sighed in relief. At least that didn't escalate beyond control.

'Try to be smart, okay?'

Matthew nodded.

'And I'll bring you some new clothes, you look awful.'

'Always the gentleman.'

The elf turned to Ines, and she worried she would become his next target. She chewed her lips, waiting for him to throw another fit, but Matthew stepped between them before he could utter a word.

'It was my fault. Don't take it out on him,' he said with firm persistence.

'Don't get your pants in a twist, mate,' Landos patted his shoulder with a smirk on his face. 'See you tomorrow.'

Ines and Matthew watched him walk away.

'What happened? Do you have powers like the other elves?' he asked her.

'I think so.'

'Did you go through a test?'

'Yeah, mentally, but it felt real. They will tell me tomorrow probably, about the results.'

Ines started walking back to the city. It was late, and she was too tired to stay up for long. Matthew followed after her.

'I've been meaning to ask you...' he trailed off.

'What about?'

'About your parents. Don't you remember anything about them?'

'No,' she shook her head. 'They put a spell on me, to make me forget.'

'Who would do such a thing?'

Ines shrugged her shoulders. In all honesty, she didn't know if she was ready to learn the truth yet. She was afraid of what she would unravel, who was behind the death of her parents and the reason why they killed them. Were they really innocent, or were they entangled in more sinister activities and things got out of hand, their deaths becoming collateral damage from their recklessness?, she wondered.

They silently walked back to the infirmary. Ines was about to enter the building, but Matthew gently touched her shoulder to stop her. She glanced at him questioningly and saw him looking at her with a pained expression on his face.

'I know that the people who should have stood by you in the past were weak and unfit to protect you,' he said softly. 'I also know that it's been ages since you last trusted anyone, and I'm sorry for that, for not seeing that sooner. But now I'm here and I'll be stronger that they ever were, and I'll reform the trust they shuttered. Let it take as long as it takes, I'll stand by you, because you deserve that, and much more.'

Ines blinked at him. His kind words had carved her heart and left her speechless. She had those very efficient defences for so long and she didn't even notice them anymore, until he came and tore them down one by one, brick by brick. He had seen her pain and all her flaws without looking away and now he was standing before her, seeing her for who she really was. He had crashed her doubts and filled her with hope and happiness.

Right there and then, Ines realised that her heart had been beating for someone else for some time now. Like a flying arrow, it had found its aim, and it had landed true. There was no point in denying it; she knew all too well that she was in love with him. How could it be that she hadn't seen her love for him for what it truly was? As Ines finally accepted her feelings for him, a new star was born with its own radiant light. One that shined brighter that the others.

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A/N: Make sure to leave a vote and let me know your toughts in comments! Connect with me! Until the next one.

Phrase of chapter: medio tutissimus ibis / you will go safest in the middle - Ovid