Page 45 of A Kingdom's Heart
I hesitated before sitting too. The grass was cool beneath my palms, damp from the morning. My dress gathered around my knees as I sank down beside him. The space between us felt small but certain, the kind of space that made it hard to think about anything else.
For a while, we didn’t speak. The sound of the river filled the quiet between us, steady and low. I could feel the warmth of him at my side, close enough that it brushed against my sleeve. Every
small shift he made seemed louder than it should have been
He turned his head slightly, and when our eyes met, he didn’t look right away. Something flickered there, hesitation maybe, or the kind of courage that comes before a choice.
Then, slowly, he reached out.
His hand found my waist, light at first, as if waiting to see if I’d pull away. I didn’t. His fingers lingered there, unsure, and I saw the faint tremor in his hand, the smallest sign that he was nervous too.
My breath caught. My pulse stumbled against my ribs. He looked as though he might pull back, and for a moment, I almost let him. But before I could think better of it, I leaned closer.
My shoulder brushed his arm, and then my head found his shoulder. The movement was instinct, quiet and thoughtless, but the warmth of him under my cheek made something inside me flutter. The butterflies came quickly, wild and restless.
He didn’t move. His arm stayed where it was, steady now, no longer trembling. I felt him exhale slowly, the rise and fall of his chest beneath me. When I looked up, there was a faint smile on his lips. Almost disbelieving, like he couldn’t quite believe I’d stayed this close.
The quiet stretched between us, soft and unhurried. The air smelled faintly of grass and the river water, the kind of calm that made the rest of the world feel far away. I could hear the steady
rhythm of his heart through his tunic, each beat strong and mimicking my own.
I tried to focus on something else, anything else. “What did the captain announce yesterday?” I asked quietly. “You left so early I didn’t get the chance to ask.”
He shifted slightly, his hand brushing my waist as he pulled me a little closer. My breath caught, but I didn’t move away. His arm stayed there, steady, and I let myself lean closer against him. My head stayed resting on his shoulder, and he smiled faintly at the gesture.
“Nothing too serious,” he said. His voice rumbled low beneath my ear. “The captain said they’ve got small threats along the borders. Nothing dangerous yet, but it could turn. The king’s planning to marry off his daughter soon, to one of the neighboring kingdoms. Says it’ll strengthen ties. Build an alliance if war breaks.”
The words struck like ice.
For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. The stillness that had settled around us shattered at once. The air that had felt warm now felt sharp, heavy, wrong.
He kept talking, unaware. “He asked for volunteers to join the trip, but I didn’t sign up.”
I didn’t hear the rest. My heartbeat filled my ears, drowning everything else out. Marriage. My father was already arranging it.
He was deciding my life in the same tone he used for border threats and alliances.
My body went still. Then, without thinking, I stood.
“I have to go,” I said, my voice tight.
He rose halfway, confusion flashing across his face. “Elara, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I said, forcing the word out. “I just need to go.”
Before I could move, his hand caught my wrist. The touch wasn’t rough, but it stopped me. His voice was quiet, steady. “Something’s wrong. You don’t look like someone who’s just ‘has to go’.”
My breath hitched. His eyes searched mine, and for a moment I almost told him. Almost. But I couldn’t. Not now.
“I just remembered,” I said quickly, trying to steady my tone. “Raven said she needed extra help. One of the soldiers lost too much blood. I promised her I’d come back if she needed me.”
He hesitated, still holding my wrist, then finally let go. The warmth of his touch lingered even after his hand dropped away.
“I see,” he said, his voice lower now. “Then you should go. Be careful.”
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. “I will.”
I turned and ran, the sound of my footsteps swallowed by the forest. The wind caught my hair as branches brushed against my arms, but I didn’t slow. My pulse thundered in my ears. Every
