Ch. 7: Saferoom

The stairs wound for two more flights before another doorway appeared. "They don't exist because they're meant to be safe rooms..." she said, sliding the lock on the door in a star-shaped pattern before it popped open. "And if anyone asks...you didn't see that..." it was the top level which had the "crown" of quartz on top. The top of the room was clear so you could see out, and while the sides of this circular room had limited view looking up because of the crown, the center was unobstructed. There were chairs, desks, dressers, and two oversized beds. Off to one side was a partitioned bath area. But in the very center of the room was a pile of pillows made into a sort of makeshift bed.

She walked toward them, smiling. "Sometimes I come up here and look at the stars. It's gorgeous. Just...me and the sky. Except I don't actually have to be outside, and it's quite comfortable..." she laughed, sitting down on the pile of pillows and patting the spot next to her. She laid back her hands behind her head and stared upward. "It's daytime. So...you don't get the same effect. But...it's still nice..." she smiled up at the blue sky barely peppered by a few small clouds. "I'm technically not supposed to come up here unless it's an emergency, but...it's nice to get away..." she sighed, glancing sideways at the prince for a moment. If there were stars right now, this would almost be romantic.

Guess it's a good thing it's broad daylight...

"A safe room," he mumbled as they walked in. "You know, I'm sure my father's castle has one or two of these, but I was never told about them." His eyes went wide again as the door opened to reveal the brightly lit crown of the castle. "Oh, wow..." he stepped in and immediately turned his face up toward the ceiling, soaking in the sun once again. He let the door close behind him and followed her toward the pillows. "This is... really neat," he said simply as he sat down beside her. He matched her pose, stretching out on his back with his hands folded behind his head, basking in the sun once again.

He turned his head slightly to look at her. "I'm sorry if what I said before made you uncomfortable. I actually said it for your mother's benefit. I tend to just assume that if I'm in a castle, someone is listening to every word I say, especially in or around the throne room. I assume nowhere is private." He looked back up at the ceiling. "If she thinks things are going well on their own, then she should be less likely to push us together... I hope."

He looked at her again. "Not that I didn't mean it, of course," he added with a wink.

I said it for your mother's benefit, echoed in her mind. I knew it. She thought, internally chiding herself for taking it to heart. Then...she was confused. He said it for her mother's benefit, but he believed it? That made little sense in her mind, but she supposed it didn't have to. It was what it was.

"No, it didn't... I mean..." she felt conflicted with herself. Why do I like you? I don't want to like you... "Thanks."

Maybe he was attractive just because he was something different. He didn't act like the people around her. He didn't look like them. It was interesting to see something outside of the norm. That had it be it. Right?

She stopped looking at him and looked up again, afraid her inner conflict would show on her face is she looked for too long. "We should probably get going before too much longer..." she said, not moving from the spot. It was quiet. No one could bother them there. She could've said or done anything without even a chance of prying eyes, but fear of actual emotion paralyzed her. She'd spent a long few years building up her defenses. Letting them down and risking rejection wasn't high on her list, no matter how attractive he might seem.

Hayward pursed his lips, looking up at the sky. He'd tried to explain himself, but it seemed like he had made things worse.

Do I try to dig my way out of this hole? Or do I shut up and let it blow over?

He decided on the latter, for now. He licked his lips. "I suppose we should... but this is very nice," he breathed. "I'd love to see it at night, see if the night sky is the same as back home."

Eh, maybe that's not a good idea.

He reached out with one arm and started exploring the surrounding pillows, looking for one that was light and fluffy. He found a suitable example and tossed it lightly into the air so it fell toward his chest. Then he snatched it out of the air with his other arm and swung it at Elissa's midsection.

She would bring him back up at night then. If that's what he wanted. She opened her mouth to agree when suddenly WHAP! He struck her with the pillow. "What the hell?" She said suddenly, grabbing the closest one she could find and sitting up on the offensive with it. She swung back at him, hitting his chest a little harder than he struck her. Two can play this game, sir.

Hayward laughed and raised an arm to protect his face as she hit him in the chest. "Ack!" He swung back with the first pillow, aiming for her ample chest but really just trying to knock her pillow out of the way. Then his other arm suddenly swung around with another pillow, hoping to catch her off guard. He wasn't sure where the limits were; he was competitive, but for now he wasn't concerned with trying to win. This was just another way to get to know her.

She stood, blocking his second attack with her arm, throwing the pillow in her hands at him, it barely grazing him. Damn, that was a poor shot.

Suddenly, she realized she was giggling like a child at this ridiculous game they'd decided to play, and picking up another pillow, she swung at his arm, similarly trying to knock the pillow from his hand before dashing away, on the offensive, knowing he would retaliate. Similarly, she was also quite competitive, but this was more fun than competition. However, if she "won" it certainly wouldn't hurt her feelings.

The prince grinned, the slightest predatory gleam appearing in his eyes. She had stood up, raising the stakes. He rolled away from her, up onto his feet, then used the slight spinning motion to sling the pillow at her surprisingly fast. He had to remember to show a little restraint; they might have been swinging pillows at each other, but he was plenty powerful enough to hurt her, not with the pillow itself, but by knocking her into something else. He grabbed a pillow in each hand and licked his lips, looking a little like a cat playing with its food as he advanced toward her.

He might've been able to outdo her in strength, but she had a good amount of agility on her side. She stood in a defensive pose, both hands gripping her pillow, eyes flashing at him to try her, then moved deftly away at his next swing, zipping across the room with ease. She made a play to strike him from behind, trying to be cunning and sneaky, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. Boy, was she glad she decided on pants!

This is far too much fun. He watched her closely, licking his lips again. As she tried to get behind him. He seemed to let her, remaining mostly still until she was close and then suddenly, abruptly, spinning in place. As she struck him, he hit back hard—or as hard as a pillow would allow—at her shoulder, aiming to knock her toward the pile of pillows in the middle of the room.

Whoops. Shouldn't swing that hard. He wasn't too worried about her, given her natural agility, but he didn't want to risk too much.

She tumbled backwards on the pile of pillows, laughing. Oh, it's on now!

She grasped a bigger, harder one and ran at him, whapping him as hard as she could, trying to knock him in a similar direction, then running to the other side of the pillows before he could get a hit back on her. There was a sparkle in her eyes, somewhere between a gleeful child and a huntress, going in for the kill. She wasn't going easy on him. This was becoming more and more a game to win by the moment, and she was enjoying trying thoroughly.

Hayward was enjoying the challenge, to put it mildly. He had given her a little taste of his own speed and strength, and she was still coming. He still looked a little like he was toying with her, though, as if he didn't really consider her a threat. She was clearly getting a bit fired up, too. The impulse to talk trash was strong. He turned his face away as she hit again; he saw it coming and hardly flinched with the impact, much like when Nostro had hit him with his head and hardly had an effect.

He licked his lips again as he started toward her. Just the pillows. Just use the pillows. Don't tackle her. Don't hurt her.

He swung with one arm, feinting toward her. She dodged as expected, and he moved with her like her shadow, swinging the other pillow under her guard and into her torso again. He bared his teeth briefly and snarled, taking another less forceful swing toward her head, then backed off again. "Maybe your mother will get her wish after all," he said with a wicked grin. "You are just a delightful plaything."

She discarded the pillow, running at him full force, and pounced on him, knocking them both onto the pillows, her heart racing as she did so. Adrenaline pumping through her, she threw all inhibitions out the window and did the one thing she'd been dying to do to him since the night before...she ravaged his lips, kissing him like her life depended on it.

After a few moments she regained her composure somewhat and drew back, looking down at him but not getting off yet, looking in his eyes for some sort of response.

For a split second, Hayward had considered sidestepping her charge. He thought better of it, instead taking a step back and absorbing the impact.

We're going for the pillows, right? Perfect. She wants to wrestle, that'll work. He was preparing to flip her on her back when her lips suddenly crashed into his. For the briefest moment, he thought it was an accident. However, she cleared that up quickly. He froze, unsure of what to do at first, but desire quickly overcame fear.

When she pulled back, his mouth hung slightly open, and he panted. He looked up at her, equal parts desire and confusion in his gaze.

"Elissa..." he breathed. "What the..." He wanted more, to pull her back down and kiss her again, but old habits were hard to overcome. As a young man, it had been drilled into his head that princesses were off limits, and it was a hard instinct to overcome. His head fell back to the pillows. "That... wow." He fell silent again as his mind raced.

She patted his chest with her hand and rolled off of him with a smile. "I win..." she laughed as if it had just been a ploy. It hadn't been, but it was a valid coverup. She had wanted to do that for quite a while, and she'd been caught up in the moment. She wouldn't have done it under normal circumstances, but there was a chemistry between them she couldn't deny. And she wanted to test the water to see if he felt it as strongly as her. He had kissed her back, whether out of reflex or actual interest, she didn't know yet.

He chuckled and shook his head, still looking up at the ceiling as if in a daze. "You cheated," he shot back. He turned his head and grinned at her. "Not that I mind. You just owe me a rematch." He looked up at the sky again.

Well, that's... not how I expected that to turn out. She really just kissed me, didn't she? She's either more carefree with her affections than I thought. Or... Oh, what the hell am I going to do now?

He sighed and slowly sat up. "Well, I suppose we should see about some lunch. I don't know about you," he said as he rose, just to his knees at first, "but I've worked up quite the appetite." He licked his lips again and looked her over. "And I don't think you're on the menu just yet," he concluded with a wink.

"Nope, afraid not," she laughed, standing up and heading for the door. But maybe if you play your cards right...no, Elissa. Don't even think about it. That's a BAD idea.