Page 30 of The Time Of Kings

“You’re damn straight… I… I have rights, you know.”

“Rights you forfeited the moment you entered into a life of crime,” I reminded her, making her expel a delightfully cute sound that was somewhere between a scoff and a piglet’s snort. Curious indeed.

“Hardly,”she said, ignoring my raised brow when silently questioning the sound.

“I think you will find burglary a very serious crime,” I reminded her, letting go of the endearing sound she had made.

“Now just wait a darn minute, who said anything about burglary?!” she argued, making me cross my arms and lean against the bedpost as I regarded her current outrage.

“Did you or did you not enter into another person’s home uninvited… twice, I might add,” I questioned knowingly, making her kissable mouth drop in horror.

“Twice? How do you figure that exactly?” she asked after shaking her head a little and, once again, I found her mannerisms adorable. Hence why I wanted to continue to entice more reactions from her.

“Pray tell me, did I or did I not find you hiding under my bed?” I asked, and I was not left disappointed, for her lips drew my eyes to them when they opened and closed. Doing so a few times in quick succession as she tried in vain to create a suitable argument.

“But you had me kidnapped!” she shouted and, again, I had to refrain from laughing at her expression.

“No, I had you apprehended and as Lord of these lands, I take the crimes against my peoplevery seriously,”I informed her in a firm tone, one that was most definitely at this point being put on for show. And again, I was awarded with her delightful pink lips opening and closing in quick succession. As if she could not believe in what she was hearing and didn’t know what to say next in response.

“But I didn’t steal anything,” came her feeble argument, making me shrug my shoulders before reminding her of the law, one I had absolutely no intent of punishing her for.

“The interruption of a crime does not disprove the criminal intent.”

“What! That’s… that’s…” She stumbled for words before then finding them and trying to prove her point. One that I had to confess made sense to a degree, proving that she was anintelligent woman with free thoughts. Knowledge of such that pleased me greatly.

“So, if a person raises a fist in anger but doesn’t ever use it on another, does that mean their punishment should be the same as someone who attacks another?” she asked.

It didn’t take me long to inform her of the facts.

“I think you will find you are being treated vastly different to another I would punish for the same crime.”

“Yeah, and why is that, because you have a thing for blondes!” she lashed out angrily and, subsequentially, pushed me too far. For there was only one troublesome little blonde I was interested in bestowing my merciful side upon, and she was currently trying to vex me by labelling herself with all others of her sex.

“Enough!”I bellowed in my anger, letting it get the better of me in that moment, fully intent on proving that she was the only blonde for me. However, in doing so, I had forgotten myself as I walked towards her, intent on freeing her quickly with the aid of my blade. But then the moment I took in her fear, I stopped myself in time, as I realised how such actions must have looked.

The realisation of such caused a new emotion to grip me, one I knew was labelled…guilt. A disconcerting feeling that had me twisted up inside and would not leave me until I rectified my mistake.

“Be at ease, for I have no intention of hurting you… I merely wish to free you,” I told her, purposely softening my voice after remembering where this blade had been not so long ago. Which was why I decided to take my time with the use of my fingers instead of the blade.

A fact that helped when getting her to relax once more as I approached, doing so now by lowering to one knee in front of her. I concentrated on untying the knots, knowing that it was wise I do so without looking at her because, if I did, I wouldend up kissing her regardless of our quarrel. Nor could I bare to see the distain I might find in her eyes in the aftermath of my unforgivable outburst.

But then, that was when I heard it again. That softly spoken voice, thanking me for my decision to free her this time. Gods, but what that voice did to me and, no doubt, what it would inevitably continue to do to me in the future was beyond comprehension. For I had never been so affected by a voice before.

“Thank you,”she uttered quietly, but it was enough to give me hope to look at her, happy in the discovery that I no longer found her disapproving gaze. Although getting lost in her beautiful eyes was an easy thing to do. So much so, that the longing to kiss her finally was what must have prompted her to break our eye contact first. No doubt fearing that I would cross whatever foolish line she believed there to be between captive and captor.

However, I was undeterred and simply exchanged the kiss I wanted to give her with instead picking up her body and taking her in my arms once more. Now being content with the simple act of holding her.

“I have legs, you know,” she informed me, and I didn’t miss the way her eyes showed sadness. As if she were being reminded of some past experience. A thought that vexed me more than all else, as the idea of someone else holding her this way had me near murderous. Hence why I replied in such a way that my displeasure was easy to detect.

“Yes, for I have knowledge of this…along with how efficient they are in running.”Something she chose to ignore, for arguing against the facts presented against her were futile. But this is when a curious thing happened as she took in the room and the moment her eyes fell on the table next to the bath, she commented as if without thought.

“Well at least there’s soap, this time.”

“Do you usually bathe without it?” I asked, frowning and wondering what would prompt such a comment. Of course, I knew that soap was taxed, and therefore often considered a luxury, so perhaps I was taking my status for granted in this matter.

“Er I… I mean, well not every inn has soap, does it?” she replied, giving me the excuse to remind her of the lies she recently told.

“Especially those that have burnt to the ground and are missing a roof.”

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