A Veil of Betrayal

Chapter Six.

They wander through the labyrinth of hedges, the moonlight being the only source of light with them being so far away from the Castle. Layle glances up at the man- Caspian. Prince Caspian. She notices little things about him that she hadn't before. In the darkness, his brown eyes seemed to be a shade of black. The moonlight casts strange shadows upon his face, under his nose and jawline. Back in Bârân, even in the slums, most people bathed every few months; though Eve vainly scrubbed her body at least once a day- but his hair showed no sign of grease. Even his hands- calloused as they may be, probably from years of sword play- were nothing compared to those of the men she knew, who had seemingly permanent arcs of dirt under their fingernails. Yet, they still manage to be nimble as they swing casually from his sides with every step. She realises, with a jolt, that she has been staring at him for a while, and he, at her. Layle feels her cheeks burn as she looks away quickly. "Tell me about yourself, Layle Farley." He says suddenly, breaking their awkward silence. Hm. Where to begin? She thinks. Well, for one, I broke into your home by smashing a window, stole one of your sister's dresses, which alone probably cost more money than I will ever see in my life, just to break into your infirmary, the one that's strictly off limits for servants, because I want to steal medicine, medicine that I definitely won't be able to get my hands on tonight, since you decided that me, out of every single eligible, beautiful, noble girl here, was the one you spend the rest of the night with.

"There's nothing really interesting about me, Caspian." She hears herself say instead, forcing out a laugh. He clicks his tongue and shakes his head. "Don't talk down to yourself. Come on, tell me something about you." Layle sighs. "Well...I have four siblings, three brothers and a sister. Eve. I'd do anything for her, honestly, to protect her, to keep her safe." Caspian looks at Layle, interested. "And do they all have the same hair colour as you?" Layle shakes her head. They continue to walk in silence for a bit, Layle quite content with it, the only sound being the faint creek of wood, the ruffle of leaves in the slight breeze, and the faraway chirp of crickets. They both come to a stop at the exit of the maze, and gently Caspian reaches over and runs his thumb and index finger over a strand of her hair that had fallen over her face, just like how his mother had a few days before. The way he looked at her, the way there was no one around them made Layle's heart flutter. "Your hair seems to almost glow in the moonlight." He murmurs to her, smiling softly. "Come back tomorrow, Layle Farley. This exact spot, this exact time. I want to get to know you better. You...fascinate me." He continues, his hand grazing jawline before settling on the nape of her neck. "I don't see how I will be able to get into the gardens without someone seeing me." She whispers- why is she whispering? No one is around to hear her speak. She's struggling to even raise her voice. "I'll make sure the servant's door is open." He replies, grinning and Layle's stomach sinks momentarily- he still thinks she's a member of gentry, doesn't he? What would happen if he were to see her tomorrow, scrubbing floors-

She pushes the thought out of her head and smiles weakly. "What if I'm a murderer and kill you and your family while you sleep?" and Caspian laughs. "You'll have to get through Kian before you do- I swear that man never sleeps." 

Ah yes. Sir Serious-Sword-Swinger. Layle tries not to roll her eyes. 

Instead, she hears herself making yet another promise she can't be sure she'll be able to keep. "I'll be here. Tomorrow."