Diplomacy: A Princess's Guide Pt. 04

"What is happening?" I yelled over to Aedan, when we reached the horses and tried to calm them. Dareon was spooking, rearing and I tried to hold on. He calmed down enough so that Aedan was able to help me on his back, grabbing the reins.

"I don't know, but we have to get out of here!" he yelled before he got onto Leona, and led the way through the forest, the horses getting anxious and scared.

The horses got even more spooked and panicked, as we left the forest, galloping down the hill, trying to outrun the dark, evil storm that was following us, chasing us and destroying everything in its wake.

Terror spread in every part of my body, fear gripping my heart in an iron vise that squeezed so tightly that I thought my heart might stop at any second.

"What is this?" I heard Carr yell and turned around, seeing him trying to calm down his stallion, who was whinnying and rearing up, before I heard a crack and the ground started to shake.

"Oh no!"

I pulled on the reins, making Dareon turn around, the ground cracking, as if someone was ripping the earth apart. The pulsing in my wrist increased to a nearly painful degree and I saw it pulsating in unison with my heartbeat.

"Selena, what should I do?" I whispered, as Dareon took a sharp turn to the left, Leona following closely behind.

"Go, go, go!" Aedan yelled and spurred his horse.

"What's going on?" Kassandra yelled, but I didn't answer. I was too focused on staying on top of Dareon, who was starting to panic and ran at full speed through the next forest.

My whole world turned into chaos. Winds were roaring through the branches, rattling and thrashing, snapping thick logs from the trees. Shaking every tree to its roots. All my sense of direction, purpose or direction were totally swept out from under me.

A sudden flash of light and the loudest thunder I had ever heard erupted around us.

"Selena, let it stop, please," I tried to contact the goddess, she was the only one who could help us.

"Selena, please!"

The wind was howling and the rain was hammering down, as I held on to Dareon's mane and the reins as hard as I could, while he ran through the forest.

"Althea," I heard Selena whisper softly, but I couldn't figure out the rest, because a lightning struck a tree, just a few feet from us. Dareon jumped in shock and threw me off him.

"Enya!" I heard Aedan yell my name, but everything blacked out.

"Althea, concentrate," I heard Selena and closed my eyes for a brief second.

When I opened them again, I saw everything in slow motion. I was still flying through the air, after Dareon had thrown me off him, and pain exploded in my wrist, spreading through my body.

"Althea, use your power," Selena urged me and I closed my eyes again, feeling the energy overpower my body, feeling... I physically felt the lightning get closer. I pushed the energy in my right hand and heard the air crackle, before I opened my eyes, my hand outstretched towards the lightning.

Just as the lightning was about to hit me, a force field appeared around me and deflected the lightning. I crashed into the ground and the lightning struck right in front of me.

The thunder erupted in the same second and it was nearly deafening.

For a second, all I heard was ringing in my ears, but then I felt the next lightning approaching and focused on it and when it struck, I shot all my energy into it, reflecting it into the clouds with a scream.

The thunder was loud, and I heard a crack, before I saw the storm break apart, as it released its power.

The wind was calming down and the rain stopped falling, while I lowered my hand and let myself fall back onto the ground. All power had been drained from my body and I felt myself starting to drift off, as the pain in my wrist intensified and my whole body was shivering. The world went black, my mind going blank, as everything around me stopped existing.

***

Aedan's POV

I watched, as she flew through the air in a perfect arch, her blonde, pink, blue hair trailing after her, before she collided with the ground a force field pushed out from her body in an arc, deflecting a lightning strike.

"Enya!" I jumped off Leona and ran toward her, when a second lightning appeared and her eyes turned silver, before she sent a shockwave into the lighting, deflecting it. I saw the storm breaking apart, before a wave of energy came from her, which was aimed at the storm, destroying it entirely.

Holy shit!

As soon as I was at her side, I knelt beside her to turn her on her back and check her pulse. She opened her eyes and looked up at me, her gaze unfocused, before she smiled and laid her head back down, her eyes closing.

"Don't fall asleep Enya," I urged her, but she closed her eyes and lay limp in my arms, blood seeping out of her nose. Her body had bruises, probably due to the hard landing and the power surge she released.

"What the fuck was that?" Kassandra yelled and I looked over at her.

"Selena, she saved us."

Enya was unconscious, but alive. But I knew that using her powers had drained her body.

"It was her power, I just made her aware of that," I could hear Selenas soft whisper in the air around us.

I sighed and leaned back on my knees, feeling Enya's heartbeat beneath my thumb.

"That was... amazing," I mumbled and looked over to her beautiful face.

"Let her rest. She needs it," Selena whispered.

"Thank you, Goddess," I whispered and she let me feel her presence, before it vanished again, her power seeping back into the world and everything around me returning to normal.

"What just happened?" Carr asked and I looked over to him, before I shook my head.

"I don't know, but Enya saved us."

***

Enya's POV

I woke up, the bright sun shining in my face, the cool breeze wafting through the room and a hand holding mine, giving me a slight squeeze.

I blinked a few times and sat up, looking around the room.

Aedan was sitting beside my bed, his head resting on his other arm, which was leaning on the mattress. His hand was holding mine and his legs were crossed in front of him.

The sunlight illuminated the room, making the whole place look like it was filled with a gentle glow.

"Aedan," I whispered and watched as he jerked awake, blinking a few times, before he looked up.

A small smile formed on his lips. "Good morning, Enya."

I looked around the unfamiliar room again, the large cozy bed and then back to him. His tanned skin appeared even darker against the pale white sheets.

"Where are we?" I croaked, swallowing to ease the dryness in my throat.

He leaned back a little and I could see he had dark circles beneath his eyes.

"In the castle, you are in my room. You've been asleep for two days," he answered and sat up, looking at me, his smile faltering.

"You scared me, Enya," he said and placed his hand on my cheek, before he let his thumb run over my cheekbone.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. The power just... took over," I tried to explain.

"The power?"

"I think that was Selena's mark, showing me what to do," I tried to explain.

He sighed and ran a hand over his face, his voice laced with worry. "You used your powers."

"She showed me what to do, I just reacted and it happened."

He stood up and sat down on the bed, next to me. "What did you do?"

"I don't know, all I could think about was protecting you guys, I could feel Selena's power, it was just... there. Like she was guiding me. I think she helped me. If it hadn't been for her, I wouldn't have been able to deflect the lightning and destroy the storm."

I looked down at his hand still holding mine and smiled. It felt nice.

"Thank you for keeping me safe," he whispered and I looked up, finding him looking at me, his eyes boring into mine.

"Anytime, Aedan," I whispered back and he smiled, before he let go of my hand. He stood up, walked over to the window and looked out.

"What's wrong?" I asked, when I saw the expression on his face and the frown on his forehead.

"How are we supposed to do anything about the dam, if we can't go near it?" he asked softly.

I closed my eyes and rested my head back, the image of the forest and the withered plants forming in my mind.

"We have to find another way," I whispered and opened my eyes, staring at the ceiling, a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"There is no other way," Aedan said sadly and turned around, the sorrow and anger written all over his face.

"Then we just have to think of something. We have to do it, Aedan," I urged him, and he chuckled. What the hell was so funny?

"And I thought your stubbornness had vanished, I guess you feel better enough to argue with me," he teased me. My stubbornness... It seemed like he missed it.

I grinned. "Of course I do, who else would drive you crazy, if not me."

He turned around and walked back to me, leaning over the bed and placing a hand on my cheek, before he moved a strand of hair behind my ear. "I'm glad."

His touch made me shiver, my heart beating faster and a feeling of warmth and comfort spreading throughout my body.

"Aedan, I...," I started, but the sound of a door opening made us jump.

Carr marched in, he had dark circles under his eyes, as if he had not slept for a long time.

Aedan jerked back and walked back to the window.

"You're awake!" he said and came over to me, kneeling beside me and wrapping his arms around me.

"Careful, Carr," Aedan growled and Carr released me again.

"How are you feeling?" Carr asked and sat on the chair Aedan had been seated in.

"Better, actually. Are you all okay? Are the horses ok?" I asked.

"Yes, we are all okay and the horses, too. You scared us, you know?" he asked and gave me a small smile.

"I know, I'm sorry," I answered.

"Don't worry about it, the most important thing is that you're fine," he said and turned to Aedan.

"I'll let Kassandra know. Should I send up something to eat?"

"Yes, that would be great, thank you Carr." Aedan nodded and smiled weakly.

"No problem." He left and closed the door behind him, while I looked over to Aedan, who was looking back at me, his eyebrows furrowed and a small crease on his forehead.

"What is it?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Nothing."

Liar.

"Did you sleep?" I asked and he just chuckled, before he looked back at me and sat down on the bed.

"Yes, but not much," he answered and smiled, but his eyes revealed the exhaustion and worry.

"Because of me?" I swallowed hard, when he took my right hand and gently stroked Selena's mark with his thumb. It sent a shiver down my spine and he raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips.

"So, it seems your powers are not completely dormant, as I thought they were."

"Did you feel that?" I asked and he nodded.

"Yes, it was very faint, but it was there." I huffed. It had been everything but faint to me!

He looked away for a second, before he looked at me again.

"And you smell different," he said softly.

I blushed deeply. "Well, I haven't showered for days, I'm sorry, I will later," I rambled.

He chuckled. "It's not that, Enya, I smell something... different."

Oh. "What do I smell like to you then?" I asked shyly, watching him stroke my knuckles with his index finger.

"Cotton candy and strawberries, to start with, when you used your powers, it was stronger. Like my wolf reacted to something."

I looked at him, puzzled. "That's weird, Aedan."

He chuckled and gave me a small smile, before the door opened and Kassandra entered, with a tray in her hands, carrying food for me.

"Good to see you awake!" She smiled and put the tray in front of me. It was filled with fruits, veggies, fresh bread and cheese.

"It's good to see you, too! Thank you for the food!" I smiled brightly.

She smiled back and looked at Aedan.

"Can I talk to you outside for a second?" she asked.

"I'll be right back," he said and kissed the top of my head, before he followed Kassandra outside and closed the door behind them, leaving me alone.

I looked down at the tray and smiled, as I saw a strawberry among the fruit. Strawberries... Never had anyone told me I smelled of strawberries, but it could be worse, right?

I sighed and took the strawberry, while Aedan and Kassandra talked outside.

Ten minutes later Aedan returned, alone. A soft smile was on his lips, as he noted the strawberry in my hand.

"You should probably stay in bed, today," Aedan said and sat back down on the bed. He took a strawberry from the tray and took a bite. A blush creeped up my cheeks, as I saw him eating the fruit, because apparently, he liked them. I squirmed in bed, a result of him being so close and not having been able to move the last few days.

"I was sleeping for two days, I need to move," I argued and Aedan looked at me, raising an eyebrow.

"No, you need to rest, Enya. Selena specifically told me to let you rest..."

"And I have!" I interrupted him.

He rolled his eyes and took my hand in his, brushing over Selena's tattoo with his thumb. The tingles spread from my wrist to my body.

"You don't want me to tie you up again, do you?" he asked and I stared at him in disbelief.

"You really have a thing for ropes, don't you?" I smirked and watched his eyebrows rise, my smile turning wider.

"If it keeps you in my bed, yes!" Aedan teased back, my cheeks burned bright red and my heart was hammering against my ribs. The way his mouth moved when he said it, was like pure sin. The tension between us was growing again, which led to me shifting uncomfortably.

"Selena told me, you need to rest and I think so, too." His expression became a little more serious and now it was my turn to roll my eyes.

"You are insufferable, Aedan. You know that, right?"

He shrugged. "That's what everyone keeps telling me."

"Have you always been this infuriating?" I mumbled under my breath, but the bastard heard me.

"I take that as a compliment," he smirked. "Will you rest now? Otherwise I will go get the rope."

"Fine, fine. I will stay here and rest, but just so you know, I hate you," I huffed and he chuckled, shaking his head.

"That's not what your body says." I pulled my hand back, looking at him with wide eyes. That was it, he was so dead!

"I'm going to kill you. I don't care, that's a promise." He started to laugh, the deep, loud laughter echoing through the walls.

I narrowed my eyes at him and scowled, giving him the best death glare I could manage.

"Rest now, I'll be back later. See you soon, Princess!" Aedan said between laughter before he walked out.

I growled in frustration. My life was a living hell!

***

Aedan's POV

"She will be alright, Kassandra."

"I know, but she needs to take things slow, otherwise she will just push herself too much and do more damage." Kass sighed, leaning against the wall, a stern look on her face.

"She's stubborn, and she cares, that's how she deals with things." I shrugged, knowing that Kass would get it.

"I know, Lex. Just don't let her get hurt again."

"I won't," I said, thinking of her mark, pulsing on her wrist.

She had used her powers. And she did so to save us.

"Good, she will be back to her best in no time, but she needs time to rest properly." Kass smiled at me and pushed off the wall.

"I know." Hell if anyone knew, it was me.

"She really likes you, you know," Kass said and I think I misheard her.

"I think at the moment it's quite the opposite," I scoffed, thinking at the death glare she shot at me, before I left the room.

"No, she does. I can see it in her face every time she looks at you."

I smiled at the thought. "Why are you telling me this?" I asked and looked at her, while she shrugged her shoulders.

"Because I see the way you look at her, too, Lex."

I blushed and ducked my head down, shoving my hands into my pockets.

"You look like a 12 year old boy, who is in love with a girl that's out of his league, who keeps glaring and shooting death daggers at you."

"I don't know what you are talking about, Kass," I lied.

"Of course you don't." She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

I was so fucking screwed.

She winked at me and left, before I walked to get Cecilia.

***

Enya's POV

Cecilia had helped me to my room while Aedan was gone. Yes, I should rest, but I didn't have to do it in his room. I had enjoyed a long shower after that.

Quickly she dried my hair and helped me into a rose-colored gown that fell past my knees. The fabric was soft and it wasn't too tight. Luckily it had no sleeves, only wide straps on my shoulders because the summers in Asteria apparently were very hot!

It was light and very comfortable and I thanked Cecilia, when she was finished.

She took me to a mirror and I looked at the young woman looking back at me, my blonde, pastel rose and blue colored hair fell in loose waves around my face.

"Thank you, Cecilia."

"It's my pleasure, Enya, now you can walk around, but don't push yourself too much."

She curtsied and left the room, but she left the door open and Aedan came in.

"I still hate you," I greeted him and he laughed.

"So you told me last time." He closed the door and came a bit closer.

"You look beautiful." Damn him and his silver tongue. Damn his good looks. Damn his flirting.

Why was this so hard? It wasn't like he was serious... right?

I blushed and looked down at the gown, before I looked back at him, his gaze roaming over my face.

"Thank you."

He walked up to me and softly cupped my cheek with his hand. His dark brown eyes with the golden circle around his eyes bore into mine, as his hand traveled to my neck. I knew I should push him away, but I couldn't. And what concerned me even more, I didn't want to.

"What are you doing to me, Enya?" he whispered softly. "I was so scared, I had lost you." I could hear the strain in his voice, the hint of fear, as he looked at me.

"Aedan," I whispered and placed my hand on his chest, the thumping of his heartbeat beneath my palm. I opened my fingers, feeling his hard muscles beneath my hand, the heat radiating from him in waves.

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a tight hug. He was huge! I had noticed before, but now he was so close, I suddenly felt incredibly small.

"I can't lose you, Enya," he whispered and I let my head fall against his chest, as he held me in his arms, my arms wrapped around his waist, his steady heartbeat a constant reminder of his presence. My hands roamed over his muscled back, the fabric of his shirt soft under my fingers.

Was it wrong, what I was doing? Should I pull back? I shouldn't enjoy his shivers under my fingertips. But by the goddess, I did.

"You won't lose me, Aedan," I whispered and he chuckled.

His lips brushed against my ear, sending a shiver down my spine, when he whispered, "Never."

I wanted to melt into him and forget about the whole world around us, the feeling of his arms around me, his hands on my back, his warm breath against my skin and his lips brushing over my ear.

I tilted my head slightly to look up at him and he brushed my hair over my shoulder. The light brush of his fingertips on my neck sent a wave of goosebumps along the skin of my arm.

The scent of his cologne wrapped around me like a warm blanket and I sighed softly, as a warm sensation spread through my whole body.

"What's happening, Aedan?" I asked and he looked down at me.

"I don't know, Enya."

"This... whatever it is. What is it?" I asked and looked up, searching his gaze for the answers.

"I wish I knew."

There was so much emotion, I couldn't put a finger on any of them.

"I like it, though."

"As do I."

As a knock sounded on the door, I was sure Aedan would have killed the person who disturbed us.

"Asher," I said and felt Aedans arms around me tighten.

"Hello Princess, how are you feeling?" Asher asked and walked inside, his eyes traveling between Aedan and me, his face unreadable.