Page 34 of A Kingdom's Heart
Without meaning to, I slowed Corven. His steps grew softer until we came to a stop by the bank.
The others rode on for a few paces before realizing we had halted.
Elara turned around and looked up at me, her voice uncertain. “Why are we stopping?”
For a moment, I didn’t answer. I was watching the river, the same one where I’d found her that morning. The light slid over the water like glass, catching on the ripples.
“No reason,” I said at last. My voice came out lower than I intended. “It’s a good place to rest the horse.”
She nodded, though she didn’t move. Her fingers brushed the edge of her dress, twisting the fabric lightly. The gesture was small, almost nervous.
The breeze shifted. Her hair lifted and brushed against my arm. I felt it like a spark. Too soft. Too close.
Corven shifted his weight beneath us, impatient to move, but I didn’t give the signal. My hand tightened on the reins, not because I meant to stop, but because I couldn’t quite bring myself to go on.
I knew I should ride. The road to Branhollow waited. The
captain would ask questions if we were late.
But none of that seemed to matter in that moment. Not the orders. Not the distance ahead.
All I could hear was the quiet sound of the river, and her breathing just in front of me.
I told myself it was nothing. Just a simple pause, a moment to rest.
Yet I stayed there, watching the water move in the light.
Maybe I just wasn’t ready to take her back to the healer’s wing. Not yet.
CHAPTER TWELVE
IRIS
I stared at him, uncertain if I’d heard him right. Raven frowned, her arms folding across her chest.
Before either of us could ask again, William stepped down from his horse. The movement was easy, practiced. He looked up at me, sunlight catching the metal on his armor as he straightened.
“Let’s stay here for a bit,” he said.
I blinked, the words caught me off guard. “But I have work to do. We should head back before—”
“I’m sure our friends wouldn’t mind covering for us,” he said, his voice calm, almost teasing.
Eric’s eyebrows shot up. “Now hold on. I never said that.”
Raven scoffed, folding her arms tighter. “Neither did I. If the captain finds out, we’ll all get scolded.”
Eric turned to her with a grin. “Then don’t tell him.”
“Easy for you to say,” she replied. “You won’t be the one explaining it to the king’s advisor.”
Her words hit me like a cold drop of rain. I looked away quickly, my pulse quickening. Your father,her eyes seemed to say.
The air shifted again when I felt William’s gaze return to me. It was steady, quiet, almost searching. “You’ve worked hard enough today,” he said softly. “A moment of rest won’t hurt.”
My heart started pounding faster. I wasn’t sure if it was from the way he looked at me or from the thought of what my father would do if he ever found out I’d stayed here with a knight.
“I… I don’t think we should,” I said, my voice barely steady.
