Crowns and Daggers- Completed

Sixteen.

I was pacing when Bash returned. He had men by his side. Men in our uniform, covered in blood too. 8. 8 men. That was good enough. It had to be. It wasn't like we had any other choice.

"I've found a few men looking for orders Anastasia." He moved up to my side, handing my a tiara. "You forgot this." I smiled, putting it on my head, shaking my hair back. 

"That's better." I turned to face them. "Are any of you hurt?" The all shook their heads. "Okay good. I want every single room of this place checking. If you find Simon, bring him to me and nowhere else. He will be in uniform. I don't care. I want him on his knees. Alive." They all bowed and walked out of the room. "Bash, can you take the girls down to bed. Get one of those guys to watch their room. They need to sleep." He looked at me. "I'm fine here with Christopher. Don't worry. This throne is not falling. Not so long as I'm standing. Plus I've got the sword if he even thinks of trying anything." I looked at Christopher who scowled at me.

The doors closed, leaving us both alone, staring at each other. 

"I um-" He stepped into the middle of the room, I don't know when he put his sword back into it's holster. Or even when I put mine against a chair but I had. I stepped down, sitting on the steps and letting out a breathe. "I'm sorry." I looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "For misjudging you earlier, for being a prick the past 12 years, and for telling everyone you kissed me when I kissed you. All of those were wrong, and immature and down right disrespectful." I nodded. 

"Yeah, it was." 

"I feel like we haven't spoken about this enough." 

"Enough? Try ever." A single laugh left my mouth and he moved closer, sitting beside me now. 

"Tell me about the nunnery." 

"What do you want to know?" 

"What you told Stephen. Is it true?" 

"That it was horrific and I nearly died? Yeah." He put his head back. "I am so mad at you for that." 

"As you should be. Honestly, I knew you were shipped off there, I didn't know I was why, otherwise I would have admitted the whole thing was a lie and done everything to get you back here." 

"It wouldn't have worked. My parents were convinced immediately, didn't even listen to me for a second. It is what it is though." 

"No it's not. I made you go to the worst place. And I didn't say a word. I deserved all the hate over the past few years. And the stabbing. I deserved that too." 

"Yes. You did." I laughed, smiling brightly and nodding my head. "We used to be so close as well. I found out a few years ago, our parents were talking about us getting married when we came of age you know?" 

"Really?" 

"Yeah. Apparently they had all but signed the dotted line, promising us to each other. But your father didn't think it was right now. Because if I had kissed you, how many other men had I kissed? How far had I gone with them? Was I still pure? Same with everyone. Why do you think I'm not married yet? Everyone thinks I'm a whore because of your lie."

"Ana-" He sighed, turning to look at me. 

"No. It's fine." I stood up, wanting to put some distance between us. "What happened tonight, should never have happened Christopher." He stood up again moving closer to me. 

"Why not?" 

"Because you're only going to do it all again out of spite. Maybe take it too far and-" His hand was back on my cheek. "Stop it." 

"Stop what?"

"Trying to make everything okay." 

"I'm not." 

"Get your hand off me Christopher." 

"Don't call me that." 

"What-" 

"You called me Chris. Before. In the hall and it sounded-" He lifted my head up. "Please just only call me that from now on." I lowered my eyebrows at him. 

"Fine. Only if you get your hand off me right now." He dropped his hand and I took a step back. "I'm going back to hating you now." He smiled. "Don't smile at me." 

"Why not?" 

"Because I hate your face. But that smile makes me want to stab you again." He chuckled, neither of us moving.  I turned, continuing with my pacing.

"Do it." I stopped in my tracks, spinning a few feet away from him. 

"What?" 

"Will it make you feel better?" 

"I mean-" He stepped forward and held out a handle for me. It was a patterned handle. Heavily patterned, twists along the handle with a Jewel in the middle, just before the bottom of the blade. 

"If it makes you happy, do it." He pushed it into my hand, closing my hand around it.

"I'm not going to stab you Christo-" He raised and eyebrow and I sighed, rolling my eyes at him. "Chris."

"Why not?"

"I'm just not going to stab you if you don't deserve it right now." 

"But I do deserve it." He nodded quickly. "I fucked up your whole life. I deserve it for that." 

"And I stabbed you for that." I dropped my hand with the knife in it. 

"Yeah, but that was for pinning you in the corner. Not specifically for the kiss and tell thing." 

"Chris." I stepped back and he followed me. "Stop it." 

"No." 

"I'm not-" 

"Please." 

"Your pissing me off." 

"Good." He smiled as my back hit a wall. "Do it." 

"Christopher." 

"Anastasia." He mocked. "Stab me. Show me how much I hurt you. How angry you are." 

"Christopher-" I sighed, closing my eyes. 

"Make me bleed." His hand gripped mine whilst his other hand was on the wall by my waist. I was short on breathe. Having him this close. I knew now it wasn't the adrenaline of the night that had me breathless earlier. It was him. Why was I loosing air over him. I wasn't screaming at him. I didn't understand. "Come on Ana." I looked up at him, clenching the knife tight in my hand, sinking it into his leg. "Now tell me how much you hate me." I watched him hold himself upright with the wall. 

"Chris-" 

"You can't can you?" 

"I-" 

"Because you don't hate me."

"I do." 

"No you don't." 

"Yes I do." 

"If you hated me, you'd be twisting that knife like you did last time. You wouldn't be shaking or breathing heavy like I am." He smiled. "You don't hate me Anastasia, just like you don't regret asking me to kiss you again."