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Ch. 64: The Gardens (part 3)
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Catalyst Ch. 65: Our last night
Back in his room, Hayward had quickly shed his clothes and drawn a bath. Shortly before Elissa returned, he sank into the hot water. “Oooh, that feels good.” He sighed and rolled his shoulders, relaxing as best he could. At the sound of the door, he looked up and smiled. “Hey beautiful,” he greeted her, then beckoned for her to join him.She came into the room, laying her things over the dresser after locking the door and stripping down to join him in the bath. “Saw your friend in the hall,” she commented, climbing in with him and sighing contentedly as she let the water creep up around her. “He now seems to regard me in much the same way he regards you: shaking his head and rolling his eyes.” She laughed and leaned forward, giving him a quick kiss.The prince laughed. “Shaking his head and rolling his eyes… yeah, that’s Dantares.” He shrugged, t
Catalyst Ch. 66: The Final Morning
She felt the first few streams of light bleeding through the window and stretched, still in his arms. The last thing she wanted was for it to be morning. She wanted to close the curtains and pretend it was still midnight, but it wasn’t. They’d slept peacefully, and now dawn had come. She wanted to cry again, but instead, she stared into his sleeping face, cupping it in her hand, and gently kissed his lips. “Good morning, love…” she whispered as she tucked a stray hair behind his ear.He groaned and squirmed and stretched before his arms rammed into her. His eyes flew open for a moment, but he stopped short as he realized what had happened. He smiled and relaxed back into the bed. “Hey beautiful,” he replied softly. He slid his arms around her again and hugged her warmly. “Did you sleep well?” He was still enjoying the fuzzy feelings of just waking up, and he really didn’t want to
Catalyst Ch. 67: Goodbye for now
She changed into her brown riding britches and the forest green dress that split up to the thighs for riding along with her boots. She then grabbed one of her arrows, blood still on the tip for him to bring to his father, and finally, she quickly penned a letter to take with him:My dearest Hayward,I hope you open this when you miss me most. You’re not even gone yet, and I already miss you. This is going to be hell, but I promise to write to you daily. I am keeping said letters ransom so you will need to return to retrieve them. You take with you my portrait and my heart. Don’t lose them. I love youEShe found some dried crushed rose petals that could be used for rouge and added a few drops of water, painting it onto her lips before kissing the bottom, leaving the print of them. Blowing it dry, she then wiped the color off her as best she could. She rolled the parchment small as possible and tied it with a ribbon, attaching the kumquat sized portait to it and tucking it in her pock
Catalyst Ch. 1: Meeting of the Houses
Hayward Alekzander brought his horse to a stop as they crested the last small rise before the official border with the Elven kingdom of Treiaul. The youngest son of King Domaric of Aasleagh and second-youngest child, he was fourth in line for the throne; unless disaster struck, he was unlikely to get much of anything when his father passed. His choices to secure a future was the clergy or the army, and that hadn't been a difficult decision. Now in his mid-twenties, he was a fearsome warrior, standing a shade over six feet and two hundred pounds. He wasn't the traditional brick wall of a soldier, but built for speed as much as strength. He had limited usefulness to his father, but apparently dignitary was a role he could play. He was not a man of soft features; rather, a strong brow and jaw with high cheekbones, together with hair on the border between dark brown and black. It was clear where his ancestry originated. His complexion wasn't as tanned as that of the other soldiers, but he
Catalyst Ch. 2: The Arrival
Hayward looked up at the mountains rising before them and realized that they had packed little in the way of warm clothes—in part because they hardly owned anything of the sort. One more thing for the men to complain about. "I must say, I'm a little envious," he said, pulling alongside the princess, "to only have to worry about wild animals rather than bandits and thieves. The desert isn't kind to such beasts, anything big enough to be a danger will struggle to find enough food." Like the other men, he wore a pale white tunic and hat along with grey pants, all loosely fitting. Somewhere underneath was a muscular soldier, but it hid him well from the sun and anything else that wanted to see him. Hayward looked over at the princess again, smiling to himself. At least she's pretty. That'll make this more pleasant. "If you encountered some of these beasts, you might be less so," she told him, though she doubted he'd ever seen anything of the sort. The lush forests and mountains were an
Catalyst Ch. 3: Dinner
Hayward thanked her and shut the door behind her as she left. Then he turned and looked over the room. It was nice, possibly nicer than his own back home. He took a slow breath and licked his lips. The place even smelled nice. Ok, idiot. Focus. Foreign castle, upcoming dinner. Get cleaned up. He set to work, stripping out of his dirty traveling clothes and drawing a bath. Out of habit, he stopped when the water was only a couple of inches deep. Wait. They have plenty of water here, don't they? He looked closely at the sides of the tub for any indication and quickly found the faint deposits of soap he wanted. Usually filled up. Oh, this will be heavenly. It had been years since the young prince had enjoyed a full bathtub. He sat in the tub and waited for the water to rise around him. While he savored its soothing power, his mind churned. Ok. I'm here. In Treiaul. They appear happy to have me. Possibly too happy. I think her mother is going to try to get us paired up. Can't read the
Catalyst Ch. 4: Goodnight
As soon as they were safely out of the door, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank the gods that's over... I'm not sure I could've stomached it if Papa had decided we needed a toast for every course, like the time the visitors from Gaf arrived. And I know my mother wanted me to give you the tour TONIGHT, but what does it matter if it's in the morning? You're tired. Let the poor man rest!"Elissa, too, was tired. She had ridden to meet them and escorted them back. Then she had to be laced into this damned dress. One day she would give her mother a piece of her mind about the way she paraded her around like she was the true dessert on the menu. But that night was not tonight. Tonight, she just had to lead the prince to his room, make sure he was comfortable, and then she could get the damned dress OFF.Hayward wasn't quite o
Catalyst Ch. 5: Good Morning
The rest of the Aasleaghans eventually made their way to bed, though some of them needed more help than others. Hayward, meanwhile, slept soundly, at least until the first light of dawn started peeking through his window. He slowly, lethargically, dragged himself out of bed and walked over to the window. Without really thinking, he stripped off his shirt and then spread his arms, basking in the morning sun. Living and growing up in the desert, one learned to appreciate its warmth, even if one spent the rest of the day hiding from it. The prince closed his eyes and soaked it in; up in the mountains, he was going to want the heat. Then he opened his eyes and looked straight at the sun, his pupils contracting until they were little more than black pinpricks against a green background. Alright. I made it through the first night. No one tried to kill me. Good start. I may have even gotte
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