The Mayor didn't leave until very late that evening, and at that point, Meenu was fast asleep in her bed.

     She dreamed of Blood, imagining what his real face was like.

     When she woke up, her cheeks were warm and she tried to figure out why she dreamed of him. But she imagined it was because she couldn't stop hearing him call her beautiful.

Did he really think she was beautiful?

Without the makeup and the fancy dresses and the jewelry and the crazy hairstyles?

     The thought made her heart light and her cheeks warm.

     When she came down the stairs to eat her breakfast, her father greeted her with a kiss. "Good morning, love."

     Meenu smiled at her father and hugged him. "Morning."

     He ran his fingers through his daughters hair and then sighed. "We have to talk about something. Something important."

     She looked up at him.

     The recent even with Blood made her forget what it could have possibly been. But after a moment of thinking, she remembered.

     Her engagement to the King.

     “Oh.” She smiled. “Yeah, okay.”

     He took her to his den and sat her down.

     And after a moment of hesitation, her father limped over to his chair.

     Meenu always admired the limp of her father.

     It made him prove to the world the type of knight he was.

     Her father was given a chance to retire early once he was injured. But her father chose not too. He said he would die serving his land and his people. Whether he limped or not.

     And he did a good job.

     When he sat down, he took a deep breath and looked at his daughter. "It's going to take longer to call off this engagement."

     He watched Meenu carefully, and she did all she could to hide her sadness.

     "Oh, that's alright, Papa." She said.

"But please don't worry." Her father said. "I will do everything I can to stop it."

     Meenu smiled at her father before walking over to him and hugging him once more. "Papa... You don't worry. I'll be fine... Please don't stress yourself to much." She said. "I'll be fine."

     Lord Kyrus pulled away from the hug and looked at his daughter. After a moment, he sighed and gave her a smile.

     Meenu knew immediately that it was another one of his fake smiles.

     She kissed his cheek before straightening up. "Knight and I are going to go out."

     Lord Kyrus nodded. "Stay safe, love."

     Meenu nodded. "Of course."

     With that, she turned around and rushed off, Knight chasing closely behind her.

     When she arrived at Feyran, she sat against a tree and took a deep breath.

     And without her permission, her eyes began to water. She tried to stop the tears but they wouldn't stop.

     She absolutely hated to see her parents like this. They, along with her adopted brother, were the people who truly loved her and she always felt that she could never repay them for their love.

     She was a burden.

     She knew her father was getting old. So was her mother.

     And as a child, she imagined that at this point in her life, she would be married and would be taking care of them... Rather than them still worrying about her.

     She was a burden.

     Maybe she would always be that.

     She hugged her legs and tucked her head into her arms, crying as quietly as she could.

     Knight rubbed his head against her arm, whining at the sight of his sad mistress.

     Meenu sighed when she heard this.

     Now she felt like she was burdening Knight too.

     She lifted her head up and smiled at the wolf. Her hand ran through his soft fur and she felt, surprisingly, a lot better.

     She kept smiling at the wolf as she took shaky breaths.

     Then she realized something.

     Maybe she could just marry the king. She could marry him and pretend to be happy.

     That way, her parents wouldn't need to be worrying all the time.

     And with all the riches she would get for being the queen... She could definitely take care of her parents with that money.

     She could do that... With all the trouble she's caused her parents... Maybe that was the right thing to do.

     Suddenly, Knights ears pointed up, and a moment later, she saw someone standing in front of her.

     She knew immediately who it was and her heart started to beat a little faster.

     "How come you're always here?" She asked him.

     Blood crossed his arms and looked down at her. "I can see a lot from the top of a tree in Feyran."

     It made sense. But Meenu really thought this was bad timing.

     "What are you crying about?" He asked her.

     "I'm not crying."

     Blood smiled behind his mask. "Does it have to do with me?"

     "No." She wondered why he even asked that.

     "Hmm… So something is bothering you."

     Meenu looked at Blood with a frown.

     He chuckled as he sat down next to her. "My father used to tell me that every time you talked about your problem, the amount of worry you feel would halve."

     "Your father?" It was the first time he spoke of his family.

     Blood looked at her. "Do you want to give his advice a try?"

     Meenu hugged her legs tighter. She didn't really want to talk about it. But she did want to see if his father was right.

     She's never really talked much about her problems before. If this worked then maybe everything would be better.

     She crossed her legs and picked at the green grass she was sitting on. "I think I might just go ahead and marry the King."

     Blood was shocked by this. "Why?"

     She shrugged. "To save my parents the trouble."

     He kept watching her.

     "If I marry him then my parents can stop worrying." She said. "They can be happy."

     "Will you be happy with something like that?"

     "I'll be happy that my parents are happy."

     "But with the King?"

     "Of course not. But I really should put their happiness before mine."

     Blood let out a small laugh, surprising Meenu.

     "I don't see what's funny.”

     “You think your parents are fool?” Blood asked her. “You think they won’t realize what you’re doing?”

     She looked at him and then sighed, knowing where he was going and knowing that he was right.

     “Parents are much smarter than you think. They know everything about you and it won’t take them long to notice that you sacrificed your happiness for them. And when that happens, they will be as miserable as you are.”

     “But what else can I do?” Meenu asked with a frown. “The king, for whatever reason, doesn’t want to leave me alone. He’s the king! I can’t just go up to him and tell him I don’t want to marry him anymore. If he didn’t listen to my father then he will most definitely not listen to me.”

     “Just be patient.” Blood said. “Something good will happen eventually.”

     “Maybe I should run away.”

     Blood crossed his arms and rolled his eyes behind his mask. “And where would you run away to?”

     “I don’t know… maybe to that village of female warriors.” Meenu looked up as she thought. “They’d take me in, right?”

     “Maybe.” Blood said. “But they aren’t very welcoming of me, so we may not see each other as often.”

     “Oh.” Meenu said quickly. “Well then… what about to Destyn.”

     “You’d stick out like a sore thumb.”

     “But you’d be able to go there, right?”

     Blood looked at the girl. Her brown curls were messier than usual but as always, whenever she moved the scent of her hair and skin would fill his sensitive nose.

     It wasn’t the freshest scent ever, which could be expected from a girl like her, but for some reason her scent relaxed his always-alert nerves. And it distracted him more then he liked.

     “Right?” Meenu repeated.

     “Why does it matter though?” He asked. “Is seeing me that important?”

     She blushed a little when he asked her that. “Well yes… you have to train me.”

     “I see. Well, if you do choose Destyn, you’d find very many people who could train you as well as I could.”

     Now she frowned. “Fine… it’s also because you’re my friend. And I want to see you.”

     “That sounds better.” He nodded his head. “Honesty is essential in any sort of relationship. But back to the point. As wonderful as Destyn sounds, that too may not be a great idea. Especially since your fiancé has his heart set out on capturing it.”

     “Don’t call him that.” Meenu snapped. “He’s not my fiancé.”

     “But a moment ago you were ready to marry him.”

     She hesitated. “Are you making fun of me?”

     Blood smiled behind his mask. “Maybe. I can’t help it though. You’re not a very good problem solver.”

     Meenu scoffed before she got up from her spot against the tree. “Here I am being serious, and you think it’s right to make fun of me?”

     Blood watched as she stormed off, Knight strutting behind her, mumbling something to herself.

     For a second, he didn’t care as he watched her with a raised eyebrow. But a moment later, he found himself standing in front of Meenu.

     She was startled by him and took a step back. “Get out of my way.” She said after she caught her breath.

     “I’m not trying to anger you.” He said, his voice suddenly sterner and less emotional. “I was trying to lighten the mood.”   

     To his surprise, the glower on Meenu’s face vanished instantly. However, it returned in a second. “Then say sorry.”

     Blood rolled his eyes, realizing now that she wasn’t being serious. He wondered why he fell for that sudden burst of anger. He knew she wasn’t that type of person. And for the first time in a very long time, for a moment, he doubted his own wisdom.

     But to his surprise, he did as she said. “Sorry.”

     Meenu smiled now, and then the smile grew into a grin. “I always took you as a man who doesn’t apologize.”

     He crossed his arms. “Apologies are a symbol of trust, wisdom and acceptance. As a warrior I must have the willingness and capability to do that.” And as he reminded himself of the wise part of apologies, he felt reassured of his wisdom.

     Meenu kept smiling as she gave him a funny look. “Uh-huh.”

     He rolled his eyes once more but kept looking at her. “In all seriousness though… I think that neither marrying the king or running away are good options. Furthermore, they are not your only options.”

     “Then what do you suggest?” Meenu asked. The smile on her face faded as the topic of her confusion returned.

     “I suggest you wait. Wait and prolong this wedding.”

     “How will that help?”

     “I am quite confident that this king of yours is going to get himself killed.” Blood said, bluntly. “He is not fit to be king and one way or another, he is going to die. When he dies, your problems will be solved.”

     Meenu’s eyes widened. “So you’re telling me to wish for the death of the king?” It came out as a whisper. “That’s treason.”

     “You don’t need to wish for anything.” Blood said, smiling at her innocence. “It will happen.”

     “Oh…” She hesitated, still not feeling that it was right to think that way. “Okay then…”

     “In the meantime, do everything you possibly can to keep any sort of romantic affair you have a secret.”

     Meenu let out a laugh. “I’ll try my best.”

     Blood looked down at Knight, noticing that he looked more relaxed now that his mistress was relaxed. “You have nothing to fear when you have this loving Knight by your side.”

     Meenu smiled. “I know… but…” She paused for a moment. “What if the king comes soon a demands that we get married? What do I do then?”

     He looked at her.

     “What if he comes tomorrow? Or the day after? What if I can’t prolong the marriage?”

     “Don’t worry.” Blood said, touching her arm. “I will protect you from that man.”

     Meenu hesitated.

     “No matter what… this will work out in your favor.” He continued. “Just relax and keep training to become the young woman you desire to be. Focus on becoming an admirable warrior who can, one day, protect herself from men like him.”

     Her heart skipped a beat as he spoke, and without thinking, she leaned forward.

     She paused for only a second to think of where his lips would be, and then she pressed her lips against his mask.

     She could hear his breathing speed up slightly and even though their lips weren't touching, she felt her cheeks hear up and her heart race.

     But then she pulled away suddenly, feeling embarrassed as she wondered why she would have done something like that.

     She had to take a deep breath to regain her confidence before she looked at him. "Won't you take off the mask? Just this once?"

     The shocked and taken aback Blood shook his head. "I can’t." 

     She noticed the change in his voice… the disappointment. And that only made her want this more. "I promise I won't look. I'll close my eyes!"

     She assumed he was looking at her as he thought of his answer.

     And he was.

     He didn't need to see her to know her cheeks were as red as roses. And for some reason, that made him feel a strange happiness that he hadn't felt in a long time.

     Though the wise Blood had, for the past while, refused to admit to himself that he had feelings for this girl… this move of Meenu’s made that wall holding back his emotions break and crumble to the ground.

     And that made him want this real kiss as much as Meenu did.

     He looked down at the cloth tied around his thigh. The one he always had with him in case he needed to tie his enemies up.

     After untying it, he held it in front of him. "If you really want..." He started, awkwardly. "Put this on." It was the only way he could be sure that she wouldn’t see.

     Meenu looked down at the cloth, then back at Blood. Her cheeks burned at the thought of being blindfolded. 

     But even though she was frustrated, she grabbed the cloth from him and tied it tightly around her eyes. "Happy?"

     Blood chuckled, relaxing. He then watched her carefully as she stood there, waiting with her hands behind her back.

     Part of him wanted to stop this right now. To disappear and hurt her enough to make her never want to see him again.

     But most of him refused to do that. She cared for him. She liked him... maybe even loved him.

     And seeing her lips, waiting there, wanting to be kissed, made his heart beat faster.

     He silently took off his mask and tucked it into his belt, his eyes never leaving her face.

     Though he was slowly losing himself to his emotions, he kept cautious. If she made the slightest attempt to remove her blindfold, he had to be prepared to make his escape.

     His eyes then fell on her lips and he leaned forward.

     Meenu took a sharp breath when she felt him come closer, losing the calmness she was trying to show.

     But she didn't realize how close he was until she heard his breathing and felt his breath against her cheek. And now her heart was beating faster then it ever has before.

     She then felt his fingers against her cheek, and she took a sharp breath again.

     "Your cheeks are warmer then those of someone with a bad fever." He said.

     She didn’t really take in what he said at first, because she was so surprised by how his voice sounded when his mouth wasn’t covered by a mask.

     It sounded stronger and clearer.

     And she liked that. 

     She went to touch his cheeks, wanting to see if they were warm as well and wanting to have a reason to make fun of him too. But he stopped her, taking her hands in his.

     And then he suddenly pulled her forward.

     Their bodies met the same time their lips did and Meenu suddenly panicked.

     It was then that she realized this was her first kiss and she didn't know what to do.

     But Blood certainly did.

     He lifted her hands and put them around his neck and she relaxed when he wrapped his arms around her, one hand on the small of her back and the fingers of the other were tangled onto her curls.

     Meenu's heart was beating so fast that she felt unbelievably lightheaded, wanting to just melt in his arms.

     She wished so much that he would let her see him, but she knew he wouldn't.

     And if she tried to see… he would leave. Probably for good.

     So instead, she took her hands from around his neck and touched his face.

     When her fingers reached his face, for the first time she started to remember that he was human.

     She could feel his defined cheek bones and the stubble on his face. He had a square jaw and a prominent jawline that she could easily trace with her fingers.

     And her lips could feel his lips. They were soft, but not really.

     She tried to make an image in her head of this man, but still, it was not good. He was probably a little handsome, but she could not feel any colours and soon gave up.

     So she wrapped her arms around his neck again and let him deepen the kiss. 

     Blood started to smile, knowing what she was doing and knowing that she had given up.

     And when Meenu felt him smile, she smiled too. Then she pulled away as she chuckled. "Why are you smiling?"

     He moved his face closer to her again and spoke against her lip. "What have you decided about my face?"

     Now Meenu frowned, knowing he was pleased that she had given up. She pulled her head away slightly and grabbed his nose.

     He jerked his head back quickly enough to not feel any pain from her sudden harshness. "What are you doing?"

     "You have a sharp, ugly nose." She said to him. "And you don't shave often. And I can feel your bones easily which means you have a skinny face."

     Though Meenu couldn't see it, Blood smiled and raised an eyebrow. "So you've concluded that I'm rather hideous."

     She could hear the playfulness in his voice and now she felt bad. "No.” She said to him. Her cheeks started to heat up again. "I think you might be quite handsome."

     Blood kept his smile on his face and then leaned forward to kiss her again.

     Her kiss seemed to intoxicate him, and he lost control of all of his sense. He even quickly forgot his need for caution as he let his mind wander.

     He wanted Meenu to be with him very much. He wanted to take her away from all the pain her village caused her and the pain that the king caused her and, of course, the pain of her past which she knew nothing about... but he knew very well that he had no where to take her where she would truly be happy.

     And he wanted her to be happy. He always wanted her to be happy.

     Meenu pulled away from his kiss and hugged him tightly. “Why are you so adamant about me not seeing your face?”

     “If you see my face then your life will become a thousand times more difficult then it already is.” Blood said, honestly, as he rested his chin on her head.

     “Then at least tell me your name.”

     For a second, he considered that. But that only lasted a second. “No.”

     Meenu sighed and pulled away. “Then can’t you… at least tell me about your past?” She asked. “I want to know something about you. Anything. Don’t you think it’s strange that I know nothing about the man I just kissed?”

     Blood watched her with the eyes of his that saw everything.

     And in Meenu, he saw trust.

     He put his mask back on as he thought and then sighed when he came up with an answer. “Fine. I will answer three of your questions. Only three.”

     Meenu grinned but was startled when Blood removed her blindfold.

     Of course, she was disappointed to see that his mask was back on.

     But she shook away the disappointment and went back to her spot near the tree. Blood sat down in front of her, but only after a moment of trying to convince himself that this was a bad idea.

     Meenu noticed that Knight was sitting, watching the two of them with curious and wide eyes and she gave him a smile of victory, though he didn’t understand.

     “Okay, first question. Tell me about your family.”

     Blood scratched his head before he spoke. “I technically don’t have one.”

     She pouted. “Your answers have to be more thorough then that!”

     “I wasn’t finished.” Blood said. “Be patient.”

     Meenu closed her mouth and smiled, letting him continue.

     “My father was killed by corrupted knights when I was young and my mother and sister fled to escape those same knights. I killed those knights and was supposed to return to my mother and sister but I couldn’t find them. I eventually gave up on the search but was picked up by the leader of our group, Master Red. Recently, though I found my mother and sister but my mother was dying and my sister didn’t look like the little girl I once knew.”

     Meenu pressed her lips into a thin line.

     “I visit them once in a while but I don’t really believe we can call each other family anymore.”

     “You can’t say that…” Meenu tried. “No matter what, they are your family. They love you.”

     “Do you have another question?”

     She wasn’t surprised by that, so she moved onto her second question. “Tell me more about this Master Red.”

     “He’s the strongest man I know and he lives to bring justice to the people of Raffyre. He is sick and tired of corrupt knights and it’s his campaign against them that attracted me to become a warrior in the first place. Soon, however, his battle against corrupt knights turned into a battle against King Dukaryn when he too showed himself to be a corrupt king.”

     Meenu nodded. “Does he plan on killing the king?”

     “Are you sure you want to ask that?” Blood asked. “Because that will be your third and last question.”

     Meenu hesitated. “No!” She said. “Never mind.”

     Blood smiled.

     “Um… my last question…” She took a moment to think. “Ah… why is your name Blood?”

     Blood looked up when she asked that. He then surprised her by letting out a small laugh. “I was covered in the blood of other men when he found me.”

     Meenu swallowed hard when he said that.

     And she knew this was her last question, but she didn’t want their conversation to end so negatively. “I have one more question.”

     “No.” Blood said.

     “Please!” Meenu begged. “It has nothing to do with your past… sort of.”

     Blood rolled his eyes. “Fine, ask, but I’ll decided if I want to answer it or not.”

     Meenu smiled at that. “Okay… have you ever loved a girl before?”

     He was surprised by this question, and suddenly, more emotions overwhelmed him.

     He was not allowed to think of her. He had promised Master Red that he wouldn’t. He promised that he would leave the memory of her behind because she would only hinder him.

     But in an instant, after years of being faithful to that promise, Meenu made him fail.

     “Yes.” Blood said. “I once loved a girl.”

     A hint of jealousy flashed across Meenu’s face. “Well, tell me more.”

     Blood hesitated, his mind trying to push back the memories, but his heart not letting him. He wondered how Meenu could so easily control his emotions… making him a failure to his master after years of success.

     Eventually, he gave up and sighed.

     “There’s nothing special to tell. I loved a girl but had to leave her when I chose to become a warrior.”

     “But what was she like?”

     Blood tried to hold back his smile, but couldn’t. “She was the silliest girl I knew… and though she was very independent, she was also very clingy. She played a lot so her nails were always filthy and her mother had to braid her hair every morning because if she didn’t, the girl would come back with all sorts of things in it.”          

     Meenu listened carefully as he spoke, wondering if he would tell her who she was.

     “She was beautiful though. Especially when she wore red.” The small smile rested on his face as he got lost in his own memories. “Her favourite color was red. She would always say it was her favourite because…” His voice trailed off as he realized something, making Meenu frown. “Anyways… she’s gone now. She’s just a memory and nothing more.”

     Meenu hesitated. “Is she… dead?”

     “No more questions.” Blood said as he stood up. “I have to go.”

     Meenu scoffed as she stood up too. “What? No!”

     “I will be back to see you soon, Meenu.” Blood said to her. “So take care of yourself while I’m gone.”

     Meenu opened her mouth to argue but as she did, Blood was already gone.

     She sighed and stomped her foot in annoyance.

     But as she crossed her arms, her cheeks reddened as she pushed everything aside and was reminded of their kiss.

     Though the story of Blood’s first love seemed to force out a tinge of jealousy in Meenu, she couldn’t help but feel the butterflies in her stomach as she walked home.