My Journey with the Demon King

4 - The First Village

The next morning I woke up on the bedroll. I was surprised to find that I was completely clothed, even in one of my clean dresses. I was too bone-weary and soul-crushed to feel embarrassed at what that meant though. If nothing else, he had already seen me naked, so what did it matter? Obviously, he hadn't done anything malicious. He had simply dressed me and put me to bed.

Rising on my elbow, I stared around me. The first thing my eyes fell upon was Zane. He watched me with a closed expression by the fire, making breakfast, which was our normal routine. He made breakfast, I made supper, and we ate lunch on the road. His eyes were guarded and uncertain.

Probably expecting me to start screaming in fright and embarrassment, I thought wearily.

Too bad, I muttered in my mind. I'm too tired for any of that nonsense.

"Good morning, Zane," I greeted him around a yawn. My voice was sleepy, but otherwise calm.

He frowned in confusion. "...Morning, Ana."

"Did you sleep well?" I rubbed at my eyes.

Slowly, he shook his head. "Not particularly."

"I'm sorry about that." Rising to my feet, I started the day like normal. There was nothing I could do to change the day before. All I could do was keep going and try to move past it.

When I went to go into the woods to relive myself, Zane appeared at my elbow. Blinking, I came up short. "What are you doing?"

His purple eyes were completely serious as he gazed down at me. "I told you I will not leave you alone like that again."

I shook my head angrily. "I am going into the woods to relieve myself and you are not coming. Is that clear? If it makes you feel better, I won't go far. But there is absolutely no way I'm allowing you to follow me around to do that. If I need help, I'll scream, okay?"

I didn't wait for a response. I kept walking forward. True to my word, I didn't go very far. Coming back, I shook my head at him. He was standing in the exact same spot as before. His eyes were somehow both very watchful and glaring in anger as well. When I moved past him, he reached out a hand, grabbing my arm. He wouldn't let go when I tugged, so I raised my face to his. "Yes?" I sighed.

"I can't deal with you getting hurt again," he told me. "I'm only looking out for your safety."

I nodded. "I know and I do appreciate it. But some lines never need to be crossed, even to keep me safe. So...I'm willing to let you stay nearby, facing away, when I bathe again. But relieving myself is another matter that I will not bend on."

Slowly, he sighed, nodding. "Fine. Fair enough." He released me and I moved to eat my food and brush my hair.

Today, while we walked, he insisted on holding my hand. I pretended to be annoyed by it. In my heart, I was thrilled. His touch made my heart rate kick up. Every time his fingers would rub at mine, or along the back of my hand I felt faint.

My logical self told my emotional self that I was just being silly. But it didn't matter what logic I threw at this. The flame was already burning so high it was nearly an inferno. And the cold water of my mind wasn't nearly enough anymore to keep the fire at bay.

By the time we had stopped for the night, I felt floaty, almost high. My heart squeezed with each of his smiles, the sound of his laughter. Helpless against the force I was feeling, I could only try and hide my emotions behind a mask of calm.

Each time I was turned away from him, I let a small smile fill my face.

I love you, I thought as I began making our dinner.