“I don’t have anywhere safe to keep Constance,” Aizel said, patting the mare on the nose in farewell. “You weren’t so bad after all.”
Erich felt a flutter of pride in his chest, until he realized her last words were directed at the horse and not him.
“Stay out of sight and be safe.” This time, she wasn’t talking to the horse.
“You too,” Erich replied. “I mean, stay safe. And stay out of sight if you can.”
She smiled at him. It was a nice but guarded smile. “Goodbye, Captain Erich of the Iseldis elite guard.”
Erich wasn’t ready to say goodbye. The short, quiet girl in front of him had only just found her voice and he was sure she had more interesting things to say. He wasn’t ready to let her go. He attempted a smile of his own, but it probably looked more fake than hers did.
She shifted her weight from one foot to the next, waiting for him to say goodbye so she could leave.
“If you ever need anything, you know where to find me,” he offered, wondering if he would ever see her again.
She nodded. “In Iseldis, in the capital.”
“I live in the big palace up the hill overlooking the city. It’s hard to miss it. Shouldn’t be a problem finding it. You should come there as soon as you are done. I can help you help your family. Especially if they are in danger. I’m sure we can find a way to keep them safe in Iseldis.” He stopped speaking only when he’d run out of words to beg her with.
“I thought you said your father wasn’t ready to accept the Majis?”
“I’ll try to talk to him. But I don’t need his aid. I can find a way to help you. Just... please let me know you made it safely away from King Gareth.” He looked at her with all the care he dared to show.
“I’ll find a way to get word to you,” she said. “Now go make sure your family is safe. That’s the most important thing.”
He nodded. She was right.
“Goodbye, Erich.”
“Goodbye, Azel.”
The glare she sent him was worth it.
He couldn’t help the grin that spread over his face as she turned her back and walked toward the main road.
“Aizel.” He whispered her name to himself. One single person—who had been unable to speak for most of their time together—had opened up his entire world.
He wanted to run after her, to make sure she was safe in a city full of fearful quotidian people. It wasn’t as though Gareth would make an attempt on his life in the middle of such a crowded city. But if he did, then there would be no one left to warn his family.
And, as Aizel said, making sure they were safe was the most important thing. But as her shimmering red hair finally faded from view, he couldn’t help but question whether that was true. Yes, of course, he wanted his family to be safe and to figure out what was going on—but he had never spent an entire month with someone still feeling as though he could never fully get to know everything about them.
Even if he never saw her again, he would never forget her.
Not that he had any hope of ever pursuing a romantic relationship with her. He had been completely horrible to her. For days.
For a single moment, he allowed himself the luxury of imagining his life with her in it. He would make sure she never wanted for anything ever again, and he would make sure she was safe from any quotidian fool who dared to laugh at her.
And she would laugh with him when he made a good jest and hold him accountable when his ideas were incorrect. He would be an ever-changing person if she was in his life to challenge him. And, that was the furthest thing from boring he could imagine.
The fantasy was perfect.
Red hair, green eyes, and crossed arms would probably haunt his dreams forever.
Dreams.
He hadn’t had a nightmare since that second night she’d woken him up. He’d gotten so distracted spending time with her and thinking about her that he hadn’t even been afraid of water.
“Thank you, Aizel,” he whispered to the empty forest.
