Come Love A Stranger

Twenty three

Alador couldn’t look at her neither did he push her away, “the dream felt authentic because I was here, my presence affected it, t’s nothing.”
Mariah sobbed, tears trailed down her cheeks and she kept her gaze on him, “I died in that dream, I don’t need you to tell me and my dressing told me it wasn’t of this time. What year was it, I know that you know.”
Alador shut his eyes tightly, he refused to look at her, to look at her tears, “I have to go.”
“No,” she said immediately, “please don’t go, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to but please don’t go, stay with me, please.”
“Mariah…”
“Please.”
“My presence would not let you sleep, you shall keep having nightmares till I leave.”
“If you hold me, I won’t,” she suggested and he looked at her then, “yes, Alador, I can feel it.”
Alador shook his head, “that is not right, t’s forbidden.”
“Nobody would know.”
“Mariah…”
“I won’t tell, nobody would know.”
“T’s forbidden for two unmarried people to share a bed.”
“But you stayed in my room,” she reminded.
“Because you asked me to, heaven knows I would never punish you this much, knowing what my presence would bring and t’s influence on you but you refused to let me leave.”
Mariah sighed, he was right, after he had placed his head on her chest and she had felt that closeness with him, she had felt at peace and when he said he was leaving, she refused, begging him to stay and that he could sit on the chair and watch her. When she was falling asleep, she had thought he would leave once she slept off, it was why she was shocked to see him when she woke up and now, the thought of him leaving again brought the same feeling. She looked at him with her teary green eyes, “please, just this night.”
Alador sighed, “Mariah, you know…”
“I am scared, Alador, the creatures I used to see before were wolves, these ones weren’t, I can’t even tell what they are, they looked so scary and heart-ripping. Please, just this night, I beg you.”
Alador looked at her, he doesn’t know what to say, he knows those creatures, they were the ones that took her away from him every single time and no matter how much he wants to fight them, they always vanish once they have completed their task. He knew there was no other threat on her but him and that if he wants to save her, he needs to walk out of her life but just for this moment that she believes he was the one to save her, to protect her, he would be the hero, just for this moment. He stood up and picked her up, carrying her to the bed, he placed her on it.
She kept her gaze on him, wondering what he would do next and he sighed and climbed in next to her. He felt her smile and could also hear her heart beating faster than usual and he didn’t need to be told the reason, his mere presence on the bed with her have taken away her fear and the realization of what was happening was making her scared. This was her first time sharing her bed with a man and should anyone find out, it would ruin her engagement to the king and no man would ever ask for hand again. Even the fact that she was the king’s betroth was enough to send her to her grave should the news get out. But if only she knows how many times they had shared a bed, she wouldn’t be feeling like this. He chuckled at the thought, wondering what she would do when she finds out.
“Why are you laughing?” she asked, acting tough like she wasn’t affected by what was happening.
Alador looked at her, visibly seeing the colors on her cheeks in the darkness. From her thought, he picked out that she believes that as long as her voice was clear, he wouldn’t know she was shy. He almost rolled his eyes at that, if only she remembers that his eye sight was the same in darkness like in daytime.
“Why are you laughing, Alador,” she repeated.
“Nothing, I was just wondering what your parents would do should they come in now,” he whispered.
“Oh, that’s not a problem, you can always disappear like you used to.”
“Yes, only one problem.”
“What is?”
He turned to her, tucking her hair behind her ear, “it does not work in day time.”
“What?” she asked, he almost laughed out loud at the shock in her voice but he settled for a chuckle, “how are you going to leave then?”
“You tell me, you were the one that asked me to stay.”
“But I thought you could easily disappear.”
“Well, now you know, there is only one thing to do now.”
“Which is?”
“Let me leave now.”
“No,” she said a little louder and pushed herself into his arms, “in the morning we would figure it out.”
“I will advice you do that now, so that in the morning you would already know what to do.”
“Hmm, well, you can fit in my wardrobe.”
“What?” he asked shocked; he wasn’t able to hear her answer in her thought before she said it out, “I, Alador, hid in a lady’s wardrobe? Do you know who I am?”
“Who?”
“I am…” he paused and smiled, realizing what she wants him to do, he pinched her cheek, “you cunning child.”
“I am not a child, I am seventeen, maidens my age are getting married already.”
“Aye, you are right,” he smiled, tracing his finger on her cheek.
She sighed and buried her face deeper in his arms, breathing in his forest like smell and loving it, “Why don’t you want to tell me who you are?”
Alador sighed and stared at the ceiling, “I shall tell you in the right time.”
“When?”
He looked at her in the darkness, “I do not know yet but I shall when t’s right.”
Mariah wanted to push it but she decided against it, she sighed deeply and closed her eyes, what she was doing was wrong, she was not supposed to bring a man into her bed but the truth was, she didn’t feel like it was wrong, rather it felt like it was the most natural thing to do.
“Mariah,” he called after a while.
“Mm?”
“I am sorry about your nightmare, I caused it, well rather, you caused it.”
“How?” she looked at him, trying to see his face in the darkness.
“You kissed me, remember?”
“Oh,” she looked away, blushing really hard.
Alador smiled, loving the colors on her cheeks and he couldn’t stop himself from touching it, loving the smoothness of her skin, “it…” he stopped, there were some things he couldn’t share with her yet and how he wished he could do away with the secrets and finally be free with her, but he can’t, he needs to hide as much as he can from her so that when he couldn’t find a way to avoid her fate, he could easily let her go so that she would leave a normal life. Nothing should happen to her in this life, if anything does, then he would never see her again, she would be gone from him forever and even if he waits for eternity, she would never be reborn, she had exhausted how long a human can ever reincarnate and it was all his fault, all because he couldn’t protect her no stay away from her.
“It what?” She asked.
Alador smiled and kissed her forehead, “sleep now, it’s the wee hours of the morning.”
“But…”
“Shush,” he whispered and blew at her face and Mariah had to fight to keep her eyes open, she was suddenly so weak and tired and Alador wasn’t helping if he kept caressing her cheek, luring her deeper into sleep.