The Bride

Chapter 42//: Reunions

♕✿~♕✿~Chapter 42//: Reunions♕✿~♕✿~

Madison's POV

Giving up is an easy option. It requires no effort at all.

Closing my eyes and letting the darkness take over felt the same way. I could only feel relief as I let my eyes close, infinite darkness welcoming me. There was a sense of peace and contentment.

I can already feel myself ready to leave behind everything. My heart doesn't want to, but my mind sinfully whispers in my ear about how soothing it will be to finally be able to rest after everything that's happened.

But the feel of Ahren's hands clasped around my own keeps me from giving up altogether. It would be unfair of me to leave him now; after all, a promise is a promise.

I can faintly hear sobbing and footsteps. A foreign hand is on my wound, and I wince a bit as whoever it is presses down on it.

A familiar and pleasant feeling courses through my body. I can't recall how I know the feeling.

The sensation only lulls me to forever close my eyes. I try with all my might to stay here in this moment, to be conscious.

But my mind disconnects from the world, and I fall into the swirling mess of unconsciousness.

♡

When I come to, the first thing I notice is that I'm in a bed.

I blink my eyes open, not accustomed to the sudden brightness that invades my eyesight. A dull ache echoes throughout my body, but it is faint.

I squeeze my eyes shut tightly before hesitantly opening them up again. I take my time to look around the room. The interior is large, and suits of armor decorate the tall walls of the room. A desk cluttered with various things is in the far corner, and I notice the brightness is coming from the large set of balcony doors.

My eyes finally land on the person sitting in a chair next to me. Ahren looks peaceful when he's sleeping, his back moving up and down slightly as he breathes. His black hair curls messily around his face, and his long lashes give him a look of innocence. I can't help but smile at the sight of him.

My fingers twitch as I try to move my body and not disturb Ahren from his sleep. But the small movement of my fingers is enough to make Ahren's eyes snap open. He blinks rapidly as his tired grey eyes meet mine.

He bolts upright upon seeing me awake. "Madi," he breathes out. A smile grows on his face, and I'm caught off guard when he throws his arms around me, pulling me into a tight hug. I laugh with glee as he continuously attacks me with kisses to my forehead and hair.

"You're alright. You're here," he gasps out in relief. I pull him tighter against me, placing my face in the crook of his neck. This feels right, I think with a smile.

But even as the feelings of elatedness overcome me, tears do too. I suddenly start crying as I hug Ahren relentlessly.

"Why are you crying?" he asks me gently, pulling back to look me in the face. I try my best to calm down enough to speak, but it seems impossible right now. Ahren intertwines his fingers with mine, and my pulse relaxes as he calmly rubs his thumb across the back of my hands.

I let loose a shuddering sigh. "The last few weeks have been absolute hell," I tell him.

"But you survived the last few weeks. You fought and you're alive." Ahren smiles at me gently. "It just shows how strong you truly are, Madi." He wipes away the remainder of my tears.

He pulls me into another hug, and I gratefully fall into his gentle embrace. I breathe in deeply, the familiar scent of Ahren invading my senses.

We sit there in each other's embrace in silence, not needing to say anything. I feel safe and protected as I cling onto him, and it almost feels like Nathan and his prison had just been figments of a nightmare.

"What happened?" I ask Ahren, my voice muffled against his chest. My brows are furrowed as I try and remember the events leading up to now, but my mind is blank.

Ahren is quiet for a moment before speaking. "After you shot that man, you passed out from a mixture of fatigue and blood loss. A healer healed your wound, but you've been out for two days." Ahren breathes in sharply. "I thought that I had truly lost you."

I'm silent as I use this new information to put the pieces together in my mind. And then, it all comes rushing back. My near meeting wth death, Ahren tackling Nathan off of me, me shooting Nathan and him throwing his knife at me, Ahren's words to me before I had passed out...my cheeks heat up as I remember the words Ahren had told me: I love you.

I feel like my whole body is going to combust due to the heat enveloping my body. I don't know why I was feeling so flustered about what had happened. Maybe because no boy had ever told me those words with sincerity like Ahren did. Or maybe because I had said the words back to him. But now our feelings were both out in the open. The thought makes my heart beat faster as I hold onto Ahren more tightly. We had had a vulnerable moment with each other, presenting our raw selves, and now I felt closer to him than I ever have before.

I muster all of the courage I can and move away from Ahren to look at him. Then, I lean forward and kiss him slowly and gently, savoring the feel of his lips against mine. My arms wrap around his neck, and his hands clutch my waist, but I pull away from the kiss before it can deepen. I look up at him from under my lashes, smiling. "I won't ever leave you as long as I have a say in it," I say into the space between us.

I'm tempted to close the distance between us and continue what I had started, but the door suddenly slams open. I jump away from Ahren, startled at the loud interruption. Ahren does the same, looking in alarm towards the door.

The first person to walk in is Gregory, who looks at me with wide eyes as if he wasn't expecting me to be awake right now. But I don't pay much attention to the man as I recognize the small frame of Sydney.

"Sydney!" I exclaim, hurrying to push myself out of the bed. Her eyes snap to me, full of tears.

"Madi!" she cries out. We meet in the middle of the room, hugging each other. I hear mom cry out as she envelops us both. And then, the familiar arms of my father wrap around all of us.

I'm a mess of tears once again, but I pay the tears no mind, too caught up in the embraces of my family to care how I look right now.

"I've missed you all so much," I sob. And as my family hugged me even tighter, with Ahren standing by and looking over everything, I was finally able to relax.

Home. I'm home.

♕✿~♕✿~♕✿~♕✿~♕✿~
To clear up some things:

Yes, Nathan is dead

Yes, Madi is still alive

And

Yes, I will stop making my characters go through hell :)

Ahren and Madi have gone through the hard parts, and now they have officially reunited.

I swear, some of you were ready to murder me for the last chapter xD

Have a great rest of your week!

Glass_Sword