Chapter Five

"It looks like a palace." I say in awe of the stunning beauty of the place.

"It is." He says.

"It's beautiful."

"I'm glad you like it."

"How did you steal a palace?" I joke.

"I didn't." He said with a frown. "I told you I lived here before with my family."

"I know…so we were never supposed to meet then?" I say.

He stops in his tracks – the tug on my arm where he was holding it caused me to stop and look back at him.

"I think of how we were supposed to meet all the time. I'd come visit Cordona, see the big market in the capital, and notice a beautiful young girl with golden hair and eyes as blue as the ocean. I wouldn't be able to tear my view away from her. I'd get out of my carriage, walk up to her, and ask her to spend the day with me. I'd buy her whatever she wanted – dresses, jewelry, or maybe all the hair pins she stared at every day but her mother would never let her buy. And we'd stay in touch. She'd come visit Britania and I'd show her everything I loved about this country."

"Y-you remember? The hair pins?"

"I remember everything." He says and pulls me into his embrace. I start to cry again, my eyes were still hot from all the crying I'd done today. I hugged him and buried my face in his chest again – it felt safe, same as it did before.

"I'm angry too Aidan. Or I was." I say. I turn my face to the side so he can hear me better.

"I thought about what I'd say to you for years. How I held onto our night in my heart and no matter what they did to me they couldn't break me because I always had you to cling to. That…that," he said and gripped me tighter.

"That all those women and indiscretions didn't mean anything?" I blurted out. Why did I say that? Why did I care?

He flinched at first then just rubbed my back as if to soothe me.

"Absolutely nothing. A way to feel less lonely, less empty."

"Did it work?"

"W-what?" He seemed surprised.

"I never found a way to feel…that."

He chuckled. "No, it met a need but it never…satisfied. Not like our night together. I was captivated by you even if it cost me everything, even if it killed me, I would do whatever to have that night with you again."

"S-stop." I say, embarrassed. I try to push him away but he just held me tighter and buried his face in my hair.

"Don't push me away Ari. You can't scare me."

"Not trying to scare you…" I say meekly.

"I'm not certain of that." He kisses the top of my head and then slowly steps back. "Now let's have a lovely dinner."