Her Sheltered Life

I hugged him back and didn't let go for a long time. I actually started to cry too. I don't know why, but I was crying with him over something I didn't know about. But I didn't ask. I figured now wasn't the right time. "You're really nice. Thank you so much!" I cried, hugging him. I already loved his dad. Such a sweet man. TT-TT

Dad got down and whispered something to Lora, I wasn't sure what he said but maybe Lora would tell me later if I was allowed to know. Dad gave her a big smile and bowed his head in loyalty, such a strong man... I aspired to be just like him one day.

Kissing the princess wasn't doing that though, I was already failing.

It was time for lunch and we all migrated to the table.

"You would have loved my wife. I think you would have gotten along well, you two are very much alike."

Those words were still resounding in my head as I sat on the bench beside the table. "Yummy! Lunch!"

I wanted to ask but Dad was telling war stories and adventures as if everything only happened yesterday. He was laughing again like he hadn't laughed in years and his eyes seemed a lot brighter.

"This garden seemed much livelier when Hannah worked here..." He mentioned at one point.

Hannah, my mother.

"She could look at a flower and it would grow instantly, I think it was part of her race." My ears perked, I wasn't completely human and I knew that, my ears were more... or less furry and a little strange looking, more animal like if I do say so... I guess. Mother wasn't human, but we had human features save for our ears.

I gasped, interested. I leaned forward, wide-eyed. "Wow!! I can't keep a flower alive if I try! I always end up killing it..."

"I can't either, her garden..." Dad paused after that and I knew he was kind of upset about Mom's garden fading away after her death.

After joining the guard I didn't have time to work what magic I inherited.

I took his hand and grinned. "I'm sure she knows you tried. Besides, I think she care more about how you raised Zephyr so well, rather than flowers." I said softly. "I would, anyway.."

I smiled big at my father and he laughed, "That brat? I honestly think she could have raised him better than I did. No other parent in this city experienced their sons falling off the roof."

"D-D-Dad!" I shouted.

"Or setting the chimney on fire..."

"DAD!"

My jaw dropped and I sucked in practically all the air in our vicinity! I looked at Zephyr and stared at him. "No way! You really fell off the roof and set the chimney on fire?!" I laughed. "Wow! But you're so... strict! I can't see you doing something like that!"

"That's after six years of training with the guard, M'Lady." Dad said with a laugh, "This boy was a rebel." He looked at me but I could see all the love and admiration in his eyes.

"Men do stupid things."

"I do stupid things." I corrected.

I snickered at them. "I tried to make Daddy a cake one time when I was six I think. I put salt, flour, milk, lemonade and like.. eight eggs in the batter and baked it! It burned and was probably really disgusting, but Daddy ate the whole thing..."

I was gaping and Dad was laughing, "The things a parent does for a child are endless." He said, "You'll learn one day."

I nodded, grinning. "I think he asked the cook to make some icing and he kept dipping it in that to make it taste better! It was his birthday... he seemed really happy." I took a sip of the lemonade I had and sighed. "But yeah... I really do want to understand what that's like. I want to have a baby someday."

Why was my nose bleeding?

"Why is your nose bleeding?" Dad asked as he reached for a napkin on the table and handed it to me, telling me to bend over and hold it tight.

"I dunno." I replied.

"Well that's not good..."

I stared at him. "Zephyr, you're really pale..." I reached up and touched his forehead to see if he was running a fever.

"I-It's nothing!" I lurched at her touch without thinking about it and blinked absently, like I wasn't really there and Dad looked at me with thick concern.

I knew why.

"It's nothing!"

"Hmm..." He kept looking at me and then looked at the sundial in the middle of the garden, "I'm afraid it's getting late now..."

I pulled my hand back and nodded. "Yeah, it is. I'm sorry for keeping you so late..." I said softly. "Will you come back to visit again?"

"Of course!" Dad got up and gently kissed her knuckle before saying a goodbye and departing. I felt bad for ruining the mood and just sat there staring at my plate and cup.

I set my hands in my lap and stared at them quietly. Why did he move away from me? He'd never done that before...

Oh, right. I kissed him. He probably didn't want anyone to think there was anything between us.

Was there? I couldn't tell.

But I could tell that I was starting to cry again. Should I tell him? Did he care anymore? Did he kiss back just to be nice to me? Just to keep a dreaming princess happy? I watched a tear fall onto my hand, but I was too lazy to wipe it away. He probably didn't like me anymore, did he?

I took advantage of his kindness. I'm a horrible person.

"I'm sorry." I said softly, shaking. "I'm really, really sorry."

"Huh? S-sorry for what?" I asked, "D-Dad... I just was concerned that he'd... say something if you were... I'm sorry." I felt bad for pulling away, it was a sharp reaction.

"No, I've really taken advantage you. I'm really sorry. Please don't hate me. Forget that ever happened this morning. I-I'm horrible!" I cried, dropping my head in my hands. "It's okay to hate me. I'm really horrible. I shouldn't have put you in that position!"

"What? I wanted that though, I have always... really wanted it." I wondered how it was possible to express that I loved her, there had to be some way to express it! I tossed the blood soaked napkin aside and leaned over to kiss her of my own free will, "What can I do? What else can I do?"

I was still sobbing and I shook my head. "I-I don't know!!" I cried, holding my arms out to ask for a hug. "I'm sorry..."

"Why are you sorry? Please don't be sorry..." I hated this, I wanted to cry too now and I wasn't sure how to express anything, so I took her aside and held her as tightly as I could and started to sing.

I hugged him back, the tears weren't going away, but I was starting to see... he cared about me. He really cared. "Because I made everything hard for you!" I sobbed, listening to him sing. "And now you can't be carefree around me anymore!" I was slowly calming down. "And that's my fault! I made everything complicated. This didn't make anything better at all. I think my heart lied."