Sleeping like a log

When he finished making the bow, he reluctantly sat in front of Edýia, who hadn't said a word since he had answered her question, and to Rom, she seemed to be thinking about it hard.

" How do you know if you like someone?" she softly asked, placing her hands in her lap, looking at Rom with the same curios wide eyes.

Rom smiled, which quickly turned into a frown, trying to find the right words to explain " Uhm....Have you ever had a baby rabbit in your hands?" he calmly asked while Edýia nodded and hummed in approval.

" How did you feel when you held the rabbit?" he asked softly with a child-like smile while Edýia's face lit up when she understood what he meant.

" I never wanted to let it go, and I wanted to keep it in my arms all the time, but my brothers wouldn't let me! They always said that it was food and not for me to play with!" she huffed with a pout making Rom chuckle, brushing her cheek with the back of his fingers.

" Hmm...how did that felt?" he asked again, digging a little deeper again, trying to make her understand how he felt about her.

" It made me cry!" she curtly replied while her eyes followed Rom's hand that went back into his lap, fisting it tight

" That's how it feels when you lose something that you liked!" he explained simply, concluding that the muscle heads didn't bother to teach her about such things and behaved like barbarians.

" Mhm!" she hummed in understanding and leaned in to place another log on the dying fire.

Rom watched Edýia's face, hoping to hear that she liked him back but when nothing came. He couldn't help but feel disappointed that now he was fated to love but not loved back, and to his knowledge, that was the worst thing that could happen to anyone.

Edýia took a deep breath in " The mark? Is it like hers?" she asked while turning her head to look at Rom, who frowned and looked a little sullen.

" I have never seen her mark, but I've seen the marks on others from her kind, and yours is nothing like I have ever seen!" he explained, letting out a heavy sigh and feeling disheartened.

" Oh! I guess I'll have to wait until I see her !" Edýia concluded, a little sullen.

" Mhm! It looks like it!" Rom agreed and laid back to sleep, leaving Edýia lost in her thoughts.

Edýia stared at the fire while thinking that now she had more questions than answers and the woman who could give them to her was unreachable. Puffing her cheeks in frustration, she finally noticed that Rom was lying down with his eyes closed, and she knew that their time together had ended.

Although she knew little about what a man and woman would do when they liked each other, she now understood that she wanted Rom.

Knowing that their time was short and their paths might go different ways, she couldn't help but wonder if maybe he was the one meant for her.

" I think I like you!" her soft voice pulled Rom out of his lethargy, making him stand back up in a matter of seconds.

Rom blinked a couple of times, and his lips pulled in a dashing smile " I will take it!" he murmured while he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, kissing her temple, making Edýia scrunch up her face at the sudden tenderness.

" Now, it's time for you to go to sleep!" he softly encouraged her while he lowered back down on the floor.

"Can I stay with you?" she shyly asked while looking at him with pleading eyes.

" Edýia, your brothers will kill us both if they find you here with me!" he reasoned while he pondered whether he should take the risk just to be able to hold her in his arms.

" Only for a little while!" she bargained, lowering herself down next to Rom, who could feel his blood rushing to his groin.

" I will be gone before they wake up!" she replied while lying beside him on the blanket facing the fire.

Rom raised his hand to put it around her but quickly put it back down, realising that was another bold and dangerous move on his part since now it would be even more challenging for him not to let his hands roam when she was this close to him.

" Alright!" he conceded and turned to lie on his back, looking at the ceiling and hoping this wouldn't end in a disaster.

The light warmth of the fire kept the two cosy as they finally drifted to sleep without uttering another word.

Feeling something warm touch his face, Rom forced himself to open his eyes heavy with sleep and touch his face to see what was that touched him

When his hand felt soft skin, he realised that it was Edýia's hand. Lifting his head to look at the rest of his body, he cursed under his breath when he saw that she sprawled herself on top of him, deep in her sleep.

Looking out the window, he saw the sky's changing colour, and he knew that soon, her brothers would awake. Letting his head back down, trying to find a way to wake her up without making too much noise but nothing came to him.

" Edýia!' he softly called, gently patting her shoulder while she moaned.

" Edýia!" he called again, feeling a little worried since he heard the sound of footsteps.

He felt a little desperate, seeing that she slept like a log. Rom peeled her off him and stood up, trying to think what he should do now.

Looking around the room, he saw the table and made his way there. He quietly pulled the chair and sat down on it, laying his head on the table and closing his eyes.

Dak entered the room, seeing Rom sleeping on the table " Floor not good enough for you!" he muttered on his way to the table, halting his steps when his eyes fell on Edýia, who was sleeping on the floor.

" What happened?" he worriedly asked while Rom lifted his head and cleared his throat.

" She wanted to know more about the Queen but fell asleep before I got a chance to finish the story!" he cut the story short, knowing that if he were truthful, this day would end for him before it even began.

" Mhm!" Dak hummed while he turned to look at Rom " Will be leaving shortly! Get your things ready while I take Edýia back to her room!" Dak instructed while he picked up his sister and left the room.

Rom sighed in relief and got up from the table to pack his things and get ready to go when Dak returned.

Rom was tying the last strap on his bag when Dak returned, stomping with his heavy boots on the wooden floor.

" Ready ?" he asked while towering over Rom

Rom nodded and picked up his sword and bag " Ready!" he replied, a little reluctant to leave while stepping out of the door and leaving Haren and Edýia behind.

Dak patted him on the shoulder " She will be here when we return!" he reassured Rom when he saw that he kept glancing over his shoulder looking at the house.

Rom nodded " I see!' he curtly replied while he focused on walking through the village along with Dak, feeling a little better now, knowing that he would get to see her again.