Page 7 of Savior

“My father taught my brothers and me how to wield a sword. At first, it was to protect the crops from any wandering animals, but our lessons increased when he heard talk of Maldor amongst the other villagers. Their bodies were growing tired and their hearts were growing greedy, and he feared an uprising would come; that others would believe Maldor’s lies and tricks in hopes of personal gain.”

“And he was right?” I asked around a bite of cheese.

“Unfortunately, yes. A group of men decided to attack the king in Maldor’s name, but my father had enlisted a party of Thayla’s followers to thwart the uprising. He took my oldest brother to that first battle, and they were victorious. Before long, my younger brother and I were old enough to join them.”

“Over the years, several other attempts were made to overthrow the king, and every time, my father fought alongside his sons to protect our ruler. We won every time, but the cost was great. Many people lost their lives in the fights, including my father and brothers.”

I dropped the hunk of bread I held, and placed my hand on Ansel’s arm. “I’m so sorry.”

“Thank you. My mother died shortly after, and I am convinced that she grieved herself to death. From that day, I vowed to honor my family by continuing to fight for good, and to protect our king.”

“Why didn’t the king’s guards fight for him?” I asked curiously.

“If they were alerted of the attack beforehand, theydidfight alongside us, but many times, there was not enough warning for our small army to spread the news to the guards. Even when we had the guards’ assistance, many of them had to stand their ground at the castle itself, or accompany the king into hiding.”

I shook my head. “I can’t believe I never knew all of this was happening outside of the castle walls.”

“It wasn’t.” When I tipped my head in confusion, Ansel explained, “Throughout my long life, I’ve seen many kings sit on the throne, and I’ve watched the same thing again and again; the weak minds of villagers being corrupted by Maldor, and their uprising against the king, who always stood for Thayla and her values. But it was not the same with your parents.”

“What do you mean?”

“The evil spreadwithintheir castle. Whether Maldor saw that their minds were easily manipulated or that their hearts were already filled with greed and discontent, I do not know. But he went to work directly with the king and queen instead of their subjects. It has never been the case before.”

“Why didn’t your army attack my parents?”

“No matter their feelings of the royal family, the villagers would never move against them; even if they survived the battle against all of the trained guards, it would mean turmoil for them and their families when the king and queen retaliated. It was too big of a job for myself alone; I would surely be captured and imprisoned. Besides, Thayla appeared to me and told me to bide my time; that this battle would be different, and the reward sweet.” He winked again, and my heart warmed before it fell.

“What if she is wrong?”

Ansel narrowed his eyes. “My prince, Thayla is never wrong.”

“Then perhaps you misunderstood her; maybe I’m not your reward. I’m not a soldier, Ansel. I’m not strong. I’m not even a prince, really. Last night was the first time I’d ever been outside of the castle grounds. I’m a man with no skills and no knowledge of the world. I fainted when you told me of your gifts, and I was frightened by a dream. I’m shameful.”

Ansel’s shoulders slumped as his expression fell.He’s realizing his mistake.But to my surprise, he reached out and took my hand, caressing his coarse thumb over my knuckles. “Please do not say such things about yourself. Youarestrong; even when your own parents mistreated you for your whole life, you didn’t let it taint your heart. You stayed kind and sweet, and that takes a very special type of strength.”

“As far as fainting, do not be ashamed; I don’t know a soul who would be unbothered after hearing so much life-altering news in a short time. And the sole purpose of nightmares is to frighten. Please promise me that you will never hide your emotions. I want to know what scares you so that I can help you through it.”

I stared at him for a moment, unsure how to respond. “You are the most amazing person I’ve ever met,” I finally replied. He knew just what to say, and I could feel his care and honesty in every word. “And I promise,” I added, remembering his request. I wanted to share my thoughts and emotions with him because I needed his strength and support.

“Thank you.” I was disappointed when Ansel let go of my hand until he leaned forward across the table and placed another kiss on my forehead.

“Thankyou,” I retorted, making him chuckle. “But you know, youcouldkiss me properly.”

“Properly?” His lips twisted into a smirk. “I’m sorry; I didn’t know my kisses were so terrible.”

“They aren’t! They’re wonderful! I just meant…if you were waiting on permission…you have it. You can kiss me in other places.” I pursed my lips in case my meaning wasn’t clear enough.

Ansel’s sly smile remained when he asked, “You mean here?” Before pressing a kiss to my cheek. It was so nice, but it wasn’t what I really wanted, so I shook my head. “Oh, then you must meanhere.” He kissed the tip of my nose, and while my heart fluttered, it did not satisfy me. “Or do you mean…” Ansel traced his thumb along my lips as he whispered, “Here?”

I couldn’t even muster a nod, but Ansel knew what I wanted. He approached slowly as he wrapped his hand around the back of my head. He carded his fingers through my hair and his breath puffed against my skin just before his lips touched mine.

I moaned unashamedly as my eyes rolled back in my head and closed. Everything about the moment was perfect; the way his strong hand gently cradled my head, how his scruffy beard tickled my cheeks, and the tenderness of the kiss itself; like it meant as much to him as it did to me. And it meant everything to me.

Ansel carefully pecked my lips before pulling away, and it took several moments for my eyes to open again. My vision was blurry and I felt a little dizzy, as if I’d had too much wine, but I knew that I was only drunk on the gorgeous man before me.

He winked and went back to his meal as I continued to gawk at him. When he cleared his plate, I realized just how long I’d been staring, and tried to make conversation again.

“So, Thayla told you all about me?”

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