Ari found herself continuously rolling over in her bed, disturbing Tempest with her restlessness in the wee hours of the morning. She couldn't help it. She doubted even the cushiest bed or most perfect down pillow accompanied by the softest silken sheets of royalty would quell her excitement for a decent slumber. It had been eight days since she awoke from a strange, long sleep and she had yet to be allowed to do anything as active as holding a sword or practicing magic.
When she couldn't stand it anymore, she quietly got up and stepped around Tempest to her closet. She opened the wooden cabinet and pushed through the few clothes she owned. She didn't bother to look at the deep blue dress, opting instead for something more comfortable. It was still warm in the nights outside of the keep but her favorite trousers would be needed for later in the day. She leaned down to grab them but hesitated as her fingers brushed the course fabric.
She was doing that a lot lately. Hesitating. Whether it was simple or important, her lack of confidence was unbecoming. She sighed and withdrew from the pair of pants. Instead, she pulled out a simple skirt and tunic to slip into for the early morning. She changed quickly, not willing to let her skin get too cold from the chill within her room from the cold hearth. Using a simple ribbon, she pulled her hair back into a plain bun rather than brushing it out. She slipped on a pair of simple flats and almost left the room before, again, she hesitated. Defeated by her own desire, she made her way carefully around the sleeping dragon to her bedside table. She grabbed the lotus comb, slipped it into the base of the bun so it protruded out the top, and tiptoed out of the room quietly. She closed the door behind her, knowing that Tempest had somehow figured out how to open and close doors over the near two months she had been sleeping alongside Ari. She wondered if the skill was magically aided. Yesterday, she had found her door locked when she came back, fully knowing that Tempest was the last one in her room and definitely did not have a key nor the nimble fingers to turn one in the lock.
Feelings seemed to be piling up inside Ari's heart, much like they had when she and Elise made their plans of escape. Unaccustomed to such an emotional roller coaster, Ari felt sometimes like she was on the verge of breaking. She felt many things at any given point in time. Fear. Happiness. Anxiety. Restlessness. Affection. Lately, doubt had also snuck its way into her heart. Especially after she met with Kieran alone in his quarters. The memory heated her face to an unmissable shade of pinkish-red that she could never hide from her cheeks when she felt embarrassed.
As she continued down the hallway with the magically dim lighting, just enough to see, she thought of Kieran. He occupied her mind more than she had meant him to and she knew without a doubt that she was smitten with the cold man. Never before had she felt something for someone so closed off to everything other than his duty. Back home, she always found those type of men to be arrogant and as distasteful as a bag of manure in a perfume shop. Somehow, Kieran was... Different. Ari sighed again, remembering how much they had spoken after he had come on to her.
They hadn't really spoken at all. He remained quiet most of the time she was around, despite Tahlia's subtle prodding. The tightness in her chest was difficult to miss above the swarm of butterflies that plagued her abdomen. She slowly ascended the stairs, willing herself to not stop on his floor as she made her way to the upper levels. She desperately wanted to see him, to confirm what had happened and what he meant by all of it. She kept walking and walking until finally, she emerged on the highest platform of Mortain Keep.
Out onto the small expanse she walked, closer and closer to the edge. Around the edge was a small, lesser used path around the side of the cliff lined with metal railing. She had found it in her boredom spurned by idleness days ago and the spot continued to grow on her. The sentries hadn't said anything yet, meaning there was no problem with her idling there. When she felt she had gone far enough, she slipped off her flats and sat with her legs over the cliff edge, straddling a bar for comfort. She almost laughed, knowing at one point she had been terrified of the height. Something about it now though made it comforting in a way.
YOU ARE READING
Guardian (Riders of Edaria: Book 1)
Fantasy********* The world before her was breathtaking. Clouds dotted the azure sky, drifting lazily above her. Sharp, young mountains tinted purple lined the sky in the distance. Crystal clear ocean lined the valley shore to the left, leading up to a clif...
