Truth and Falsehood

"I will do that then... but you have to promise to at least try it!" He grinned. "His pies are never pretty, but they're very yummy." Adder nodded forward when they crests the hill and sighed loudly. "Look! We're almost home! You can see the city walls from here!"

"That's wonderful!" Amoneha smiled and started to nod off, her stomach growled and that woke her up from being able to sleep completely.

Adder smiled some and nodded to his bag slung across his shoulder. "There's some jerky in my bag if you want some... then you can actually sleep."

"Okay that sounds good." Amoneha ate just a little and then saved the rest for him, she'd never really eaten jerky before but it was filling. "Adder... when you changed that one time, what was that?"

Adder hesitated with replying, gulping a bit first. "You... weren't supposed to see that." He said softly. "It's nothing really important."

Amoneha's eyes flashed and she tugged at his hair a little, making him fall over. She cringed and was suddenly apprehending him, "Don't you lie to me!"

Adder's eyes widened in surprise and then he frowned. "What do you think it is? It's my true form!" He seemed to be fairly upset about having to tell though. "Like I said, it isn't anything important." His cheeks were a bit red and he turned away to stare off in the distance. He didn't really want to see her expression.

Amoneha was growing angry, "Why are you hiding yourself? Are you a fugitive?" She seethed, her anger was very intimidating.

Adder turned back to her frowned angrily. "What?! No!! I just... don't want anybody to see it. It's easier to hide myself that way." He didn't really understand why she cared at all. His true form wasn't exactly amazing anyway.

Amoneha let go of him a little, "I don't understand why you'd hide yourself, you have to have some motive..." She was so confused, it didn't make sense. "You looked fine."

Adder's cheeks flushed red and he looked away again. "I don't have any motive. It's just easier for no one to know. Then... maybe..." He sighed heavily. "Nevermind, it's stupid." He sat up and his ears burned hot when he realized she was sitting on his lap.

"Then maybe what?" Amoneha replied softly, her eyes faded back to that beautiful jade green. "I'm listening."

"I don't know... I was planning on showing it to the girl I'd marry one day.... if I ever marry." He frowned then. "It's stupid though... and I should probably just forget about it anyway." He rubbed at his neck with a heavy sigh. Maybe it was something stupid anyway... what if the girl got mad because he'd been hiding himself from her? It was really dumb.

"Hmm... I think it'd be best if you show your true self, there's nothing to be ashamed of." Amoneha smiled a little, "I'd like the real you better anyway." She reached for her cane and got herself up off of him.

Adder wasn't really sure how to respond to that. He'd feel really exposed by doing that. "I don't know..." He stood up and brushed himself off from where he'd fallen over. "A lot of questions would be asked... I've worked in the castle so long in this form. I don't know, I'm just being stupid I guess."

"I could just cover for you, I already know about it." Amoneha continued to smile, "I know you aren't lying now for sure, before I knew you were hiding something, but it wasn't serious."

Adder hadn't felt so... exposed in years... and he'd been exposed to the one person who he didn't seem to really get along with. And on top of that... she was being surprisingly kind and understanding. "I don't know... I guess." He was feeling really awkward and strange about that. He glanced at her, and sh was smiling kindly. He'd never seen her make that expression before.

"You can trust me..." Amoneha started to walk again and suddenly she fell into a trap and screamed at the top of her lungs, hanging on to a root sticking out inside, the bottom was covered in thorns and spikes.

"WAH!" Adder jumped, shifting into his true form without realizing it. He ran to the edge of the pit and reached down to grab her hand. "Take my hand! I'll pull you up!!"

Amoneha reached but the root shifted and she dug her nails into the dirt instead, "I'm going to fall!!" She sobbed, he would have been the first to see her cry that way, her eyes were big and the tears that fell were so sad. Still holding her cane a little, she pushed it up towards him, "I'll... l-l-let you try!"

Adder quickly grabbed the cane and pulled her up enough to grab her arm and pull her out of the big pit. He pulled her up to the edge and took her cane, setting it aside, then he wiped away her tears with a shaky hand. "Y-You alright?" She was crying so much, and so hard that he pulled her into a tight hug. "You're okay now. You're safe! Don't worry about it!"

Amoneha had never wrapped her arms so tightly around anyone before, "I could have died!" She sobbed, "Why would something like this happen?!" Finally she began to relax but her sobs continued. She hadn't really gotten to look at him but when she did, he was handsome still. His eyes were hazel in color, hair brown and somewhat tousled about. Adder also had a gap between his two front teeth, but it was becoming of him. She hid her face in his chest and closed her eyes tight, her heart wouldn't stop pounding.

Adder held her tight and slid her cane through his belt before picking her up in his arms and standing up. "Shh... it's alright." He said softly. "The important thing is that you didn't die. He smiled kindly to her, revealing a small, almost crooked grin. It was a bit odd, and his true form was much different from the usual form he took, but it seemed to suit him more. "We'll be back to the castle soon, and I'll get your some apple pie."

"Okay..." Amoneha wouldn't let him go, she held onto him tightly and stared up at him for a while, her eyes were still refilling with tears that she couldn't control. She was almost silent, save for the occasional sniffle or a huff of breath from left over sobs. Amoneha didn't get embarrassed or try to walk away from him, it seemed like she'd finally admitted defeat and was letting her true self show - just like he was.

Adder glanced down at Amon and his eyes locked with hers. She was so beautiful... but so vulnerable at that moment. Her eyes were big and full of tears... he'd never seen her look so small. He leaned down a bit and kissed her forehead with a gentle smile, then stared back ahead. "And once we get back to the castle, we will finally be able to sleep!" He sighed happily. "My bed is small, but it's terribly comfy!"