The Love That Bonds Us

Chapter 35 : Strengthened Suspicion

AGNARR

It had been a couple weeks since 'Judgement day' and everything was going swimmingly.

Council meetings weren't nearly as long and boring as they'd once been. I didn't enjoy them exactly, but they were definitely improving now that Iduna was by my side during them. At first she had only attended the meetings so the Council could get to know her, but soon some of the members were actually requesting her presence! And for good reason too; no one could deny she was intelligent, witty and amusing. She livened up the meetings at the same time as providing extremely useful information that would benefit and influence the decisions made.

And she was extremely helpful after meetings as well, when I had to go through all the paperwork. She would often look over my shoulder and offer her ingenious, valuable input. And if she didn't sit with me as I worked, she would sit in the armchair, ready in case I needed her opinion on something. Often, her presence was all I needed to stay focused.

However, there was still one problem; my time. Now that I was eighteen, the Council gave me an abundance of work to do and I was often too busy to actually cool down and have a breather after a long day. I'd gradually get used to this because I didn't exactly have a choice. But as it stood, even at night my mind was so consumed that I still wasn't sleeping very well.

And this also left very little time to actually interact naturally with Iduna. Despite the increase in our time together, most of it was spent in my office being a King and Queen, not a pair of lovers getting to know the quirks and nuances of our other half.

So that was why, on this specific night, I had decided I would sneak out to see her.

I wanted to spend some quality time with her, without the interruption of a Council member or a stack of paperwork. The day never gave us that, so I assumed the night was our best option. And as I couldn't fall asleep, I didn't think spending the night awake with Iduna was really going to make the slightest impact on my alertness the next day. 

The stars blinked over my head and a crescent moon watched me curiously, bathing me in a cool, yellow light, as I clambered over the courtyard wall and slid down the other side using the green vines.

The Council would surely throw a fit if they knew I was out in the village at midnight. They technically allowed me out but they clearly weren't happy about it. If they could, they'd forbid me from leaving the walls of the Castle, but they also knew that if they did, then they'd likely loose their position. So I felt quite smug and rebellious as I took off towards Iduna's house.

When I made it, I raced up the steps to their door and was about to knock when I suddenly remembered Halima and Cricket, and stopped. Of course. I didn't want to wake them too. Cricket would bark like mad and Halima might come down instead of Iduna; then I'd be in trouble.

So I stepped back from the porch and instead glanced about for some small stones. There were several scattered across the ground and I gathered a handful, turning one over in my hands thoughtfully before hurling it towards Iduna's window. It hit it's target perfectly, but after a few minutes, it appeared it wasn't enough to catch the girl's attention.

I threw another few pebbles and finally a light began to glow from within the room. A few more moments later and the window was pushed open.

Iduna leaned out, the light from her candle illuminating her face so I could see her brows drawn tight with bewilderment and the fly-away strands of her hair which stuck up in every direction like a misshapen crown. Her nightgown was also kind of disheveled, but I still thought she was as beautiful as ever.