The Winter Sun

Chapter 34

She had no idea where she was heading too. All she knew was that her rage-fueled steps were bringing her away from him, away from his harsh words, away from her bitter heart.

The crowd was still packed at the edge of the evening, but she didn't care anymore and pushed past everyone in her way, spurring some "hey!" in her wake.

She turned her gaze to the side, and her heart dropped. The young couple from earlier were still adoring each other in their loving gazes before their lips met. She looked away, her chest tightening. She would stop somewhere where nobody would bother stirring her.

Who did Lach think he was anyway? He practically knew nothing about her, and he just assumed what most people would of a Princess shielded for ten long years in a castle. Amaya's face fell.

And he was right.

Still, he had no business talking to her the way he did, especially since she wanted to be and do better. She sighed as her steps faltered. She naively thought it would be different with him.

When they met at the stables, and her status was unknown in their interactions, he oozed kindness and warmth and something so utterly familiar. It was as if she was coming back to a feeling that had been buried in her for so long. He felt like Spring and its myriad of colorful flowers and the clear blue sky. It lingered on her for days, and when their lips almost met, it was as if all the flowers were about to bloom all at once and-

"It was a mistake."

The rim of her eyes burned, and the crowd became blurry. She might as well be lost now, but she couldn't care any less. The matter was she needed to be far from him, from her pain, from the way her heart had grown so full just to be torn apart in such a rude and reckless way.

Something bumped into her, and she turned to a man at least seven feet tall, built like a bear with a bald head adorned with intricate, foreign symbols. Amaya took a step back. "I am sorry." His stare bored into her until his lips cracked into a smile, showing the rows of jagged yellow teeth so crooked it seemed like he was perpetually snarling.

"Of course, beautiful lady." He stepped away and extended his hand, like a gentleman would, to let her pass. The man next to him had a cold, calculated blue stare, shadowed under a weathered sailor hat. In his hand was a piece of paper with a sketch of a man on it. She narrowed her eyes, trying to decipher who it was.

"What is it, young lady?" The bear asked. "Do you know that man?" He took the paper and held it before her. Her eyes widened. Lach. Those slim features, that nose, those almond eyes. It was Lach. She shook her head quickly. The man sighed and turned away, but the other's blue stare was still piercing on her. "The quicker we find him, the quicker we can get paid and get out of here." She turned back to the man. "At least, working for that shitty Lord and even shittier King has some rewards."

Amaya frowned. "Disrespecting the King means death punishment," she declared.

The man turned his body entirely towards her and put his hands on his waist. He laughed a stuffy snarl. "You are still here?"

"What Lord are you talking about?"

Cold blue gaze stared at her. "Never told you to not get into grown men's business, little girl?. Go play away."

"Why are you looking for that man?" She asked, pointing to the sketch.

The bear's eyebrows knitted deeply before he smirked. "I see." He laughed, massaging his face. "I know a place where nobody will bother us, so you can ask me all the questions you want." He placed a hand on her shoulder, and she gasped, trying to escape, but his grip was firm.