Recent Posts

(banner made by Cait <333)

Well, at least he wasn’t taking her concern badly. Even while she spoke, Yassia would have liked to take at least some of her words back. She knew Oliver didn’t like to be patronized, and she would hate to be the one causing him any discomfort. He might take things a little more responsible now, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t still the same old freedom-loving and rebellious man she had come to know… and love. Though the love couldn’t have any part in this anymore. His being out here alone showed that he couldn’t stay cooped up in walls for long, and even though she did not share this feeling, she still understood it. She didn’t want him to think he couldn’t be his true self around her. They both had seen what happened once they were acting not as themselves around each other. They had started a needless, bitter argument and it had ruined all their chances for happiness beyond friendship. Yassia could not bear the thought of losing his friendship as well, because she carried on imposing her will on him.

”I just want you to heal well, Oliver”, she expressed her thoughts, feeling the need to clarify herself in front of him. “Though I would never want to clip your wings. I don’t have the right to do that and I don’t even want that. What I say is what I THINK is best for you, but far be it from me wanting to overrule your own needs. After all”, now a grin took the slightly solemn edge of the conversation, “we don’t want you to become just the shadow of the man you want to be. Life without freedom and life without fun is no life at all.”
For a moment the old fear crept upon her again, the fear of being the one putting a crimp on his life, instead of being the one that made his life worth living. Then however she remembered that it didn’t matter anymore. They were just friends.

"AW!"
The painful exclamation coming from Oliver wiped the laughter from her face and her heart in the blink of an eye. For a moment, she could just watch in shock as his body seemed to cramp first and then go completely limp, so he was lying motionless in the water, face down like a--
”OLIVER!” Sweet, gracious stars, what had happened? Was it his wound not working well with the sudden, multiple motions, or had he suffered from a heart attack because of the cold water? Yassia was practically fighting ever drop of water as she rushed against the mild current to reach his side. Thank Goodness the river was not to deep,so she could stand. She needed the contact with the ground to muster enough strength!
Turn him around, get his face out of the water! Her mind was bellowing instructions at her and she followed them numbly, grateful for the buoyancy as she grabbed his shoulders and rolled his body around so his head came to rest on her chest.
Check his breathing! It was so difficult because of the water, but Yassia leaned over Oliver’s face as close as she could while still holding him up against her chest and waited for the relieve of a wisp of air on her skin, coming from his nostrils. "Breathe, breathe, you impossible person! I'll kill you if you won't!" she murmured frantically.

Yassia hadn’t expected any consolation at all, as she surely had not been fishing for it with her words. On the contrary, it might have been better for her composure if Oliver had carried on as if nothing had happened, as ignoring and not probing was always better for countenance, it was one of the many rules of the court Yassia had practically imbibed from infancy. But she already had learned that here in the five kingdoms, people were more open in both expressing their own feelings and reacting to those of others.Yassia liked to think that she had already adapted quite well to that throughout her journey and her time spent here, but it was in moments like these were the differences between the two cultures became almost tangible, and she would have been lying if she said she clearly fancied one over the other. Being in Albion now for so long, the large island where her mother had come from, had made her understand many things about this woman, the way she had been and the way Yassia remembered her. And it made her miss her even more, and wishing she could share her experience here with her.

Oliver’s words now moved her to an extent she hadn’t forseen. In a way, this young man still managed to get right under her skin, like he had been able to the first time they met. The circumstances might been different now and a lot of hopes and dreams down the drain, but this feeling remained, and probably would remain until the end of time. Oliver thought her strong and brave, just like her father had, and oddly enough this time it didn’t feel like a weight she could not shoulder, an expectation she was unable to fulfill, it rather felt like a supporting hand, buoying her up in just the right amount.
”Thank you”, she said, trying to force her voice to be steady. “I know these two simple words can never cover my amount of gratitude… but I guess until people invent a new expression, these will have to do.”
It irked her a little that once again Oliver brought in Edmund into this wonderful moment, as if the shadow of his brother was always looming over their headsa and looking over their shoulders. But that probably only showed how loyal Oliver was now to his brother and his kingdom. He really had changed.
”Well… I guess with two such apt and wonderful men on my side, there is really not much I need to fear”, she said warmly.

But then again, Oliver’s reactions WERE a little peculiar as of late, and it all had something to do with Edmund. Cocking her head like a sparrow, Yassia tried her hardest to get through to any hidden meaning there might be, but she wasn’t very succesful. Oh well, another question adding to the pile of them she already needed to ask Caitrin when the two of them could catch a minute alone. Yassia was hesitant like never before, bringing these topics up with her friend, as she didn’t want to weigh her down with her own problems. Caitrin should enjoy herself with Griff and with Oliver after all, and get ready to be happily married. But maybe there was some Mercian custom she was missing out on here, and a simple question and answer would clear it all up.
”Don’t apologize”, she asked him rather ruefully. “I guess I was overreacting. But speaking of time… let’s get you back on your feet first, so maybe sometime next week? That gives enough time for other plans to become evident.”

Yassia was quite pleased with her patient patient so to say, and she gave him an affectionate nudge as she was done cleaning the wound. “It’s done. Now… Marcus, what would you suggest?” she asked curiously, not wanting to give the court physician the expression she was overruling him.
”I would suggest the same thing you are probably thinking, princess”, he said with a smile, obviously seeing through her little charade. “Here, I prepared this little piece of cloth beforehand, soused with the decoction. Press it on the wound and then bandage it, I will help you.” He finished, moving behind Oliver and holding his left arm out. “I’m sure you could do it alone, my prince”, he explained to Oliver, “but after a few moments it would hurt bearing its weight alone in your conditions, so I’m sparing you that while Princess Yassia here dresses your wound.”
Dressing his wound… oh she had known before it woule come to this! What was the saying: ‘you made your bed, now lie in it!’ Yes, she apparently had to do just that, a healer couldn’t care much about appropriate behavior most of the time.

Taking a deep breath in preperations, Yassia carefully pressed the soused cloth on Oliver’s cleaned wound and then started to fixate it with bandages, her fingertips tingling every time she accidently touched his bare skin.

Slowly the mist was vanishing from her mind, slowly everything fell into place. Everything that had happened yesterday, and the realization that it had not been just a dream.Well, the overwhelming proof of that was not only the throbbing pain in her shoulder, but also how she lay against Oliver, in a very intimate way. How improper! In the light of day, these things all seemed so much more scandalous than they had in the night.In the night, she had been swimming on a tidal wave of overwhelming emotions, the slow realiation that her confusing feelings were reciprocated had been followed by the sheer unimaginable bliss and excitement of their kisses… but that had been yesterday. Today she had to move on, both physically and mentally. And he too. Maybe it was better to start right here and now.
Groaning softly, she pushed herself away from his comfortable chest to sit up properly, avoiding the gazes of the men around them. Of course… they had seen her lying there… what else did they know? The thought alone was enough to make Yassia blush slightly.
But she caught herself enough to reply in a due fashion when Oliver voiced his almost panicky concern. She even managed a mischievous smile, despite the hour. “Where do you guess, silly?” she teased him. “My shoulder of course.And… my limbs are a little stiff, but that’s alright. It’ll pass as soon as I start moving.”
Moving… that brought it back at full force: the realization she had to leave him. That she would probably never see him again. It hurt… it hurt far more than her wound and her stiff muscles ever could, and yet this was a pain she had to endure as well. Without a doubt. It was not her destiny to be Yassia the nomad.

When Oliver asked if she wanted something to drink, the concern in his voice nearly made her heart break for him. Was it possible a man could be so kind and caring? And why did she have to lose him? Why couldn’t he be someone she could consider taking back with her once her plea for help had been accepted? But there was no use in crying over it now. Her mouth felt quite dry, and so she took the hot and steaming mug with a thankful smile. What would it be? Tea? It already smelled like something way stronger, something that didn’t belong here at all. Her suspicion grew stronger the closer the mug came to her nostrils and her lips, but only when she tasted the first sip, her eyes grew wide in understanding.
”That’s… That’s moca! I didn’t even know you have it here in Albion! It tastes quite bitter, but it gives you energy. Too much however can dry you up inside, so you always need to drink water after or along with it.”

She was rambling for no apparent reason, but maybe that was only born out of her surprise. Moca had always been linked to the southern parts of the continent in her eyes, and now Oliver and his friends drank it. It was almost like… having a piece of home with her now, and it suddenly made her eyes sting.

It was the first time in a really long while Yassia felt truly relaxed, and she welcomed that feeling with open arms, having almost forgotte how it felt like. She had been in Camelot for just a little while now, and until now she had always felt a little on edge, not belonging, a foreign body in a perfectly functioning cosmos that just kept on existing without her. She had even broken into her uncle’s life like an unexpected whirlwind, turning everything upside down and reopening old wounds. He had told her he was happy to see her, but they both would need time to adjust to this new situation. But here, with Caitrin, she didn’t feel foreign at all. She was given time to wholeheartedly be herself without having to watch every step quite as carefully. She would have thanked Caitrin already for that, did she know what to say. Like this, she could only try to make it clear how much she enjoyed her company by other means. Talking enthusiastically maybe? Oh well, she would have to see how well that went.

Grinning, Yassia leaned back and took a minute to let a few incidents of her journey pass her by. She hadn’t tried yet to sort many of the incidents out she had had there, but Caitrin and her questions were seriously helping with that. She did even have a quite amusing story for the ‘tell others what to do’ category.
”Indeed I have… well this one incident was just too obvious, I couldn’t stand by”, she chuckled. “There was this woman in the village… I guess she was like the landlord’s wife or something. She was scolding her little daughter who cried and cried, and seemed too afraid to even tell the reason why. That woman didn’t even seem interested, but when she turned to me, I saw that the hem of her skirt was decorated with horse droppings…” Again Yassia had to stiffle a laugh. “Turns out she told her daughter to clear the courtyard because she herself was too lazy or whatever, and then she had stepped right into the pile without noticing it. So I told her to not overstrain her little girl in the future, as she was not her cheap servant.”

It might be impossible for Yassia’s ears to perk up at the mentioning of food though she just had eaten, and yet it was the case. Before leaving her home she had never been a hearty eater, but nearly starving for almost two months had quite changed her point of view on this subject. She had had to work hard on her table manners again once she had settled into her uncle’s home. It wouldn’t do for a princess to gobble like a cowhand, now would it?
”As long as there is good food I am sure I will get on with everyone petfectly, even Griff”,she joked though. “As long as he doesn’t steal my food, now then I can become quite … nasty. You can warn him beforehand though that I can get very territorial of late when it comes to food.”

The idea of getting more people to join in such a dance was quite an inspiring one, even though Yassia still had her doubts.Would anyone else really be that open to a foreign and slightly scandalous dance like Caitrin had been without a second of hesitation? From the top of her head,Yassia couldn’t name anyone else, but then she hardly could call herself versed in the Camelot society already. There were only a few faces she knew by name, let alone as well as she already thought to know Caitrin. Maybe Caitrin had other friends that were like her and would gladly jump at the chance of suchlike entertainment.
”Oh yes, I would love that!” she exclaimed and beamed. “Nothing against a little private fun, but… the dynamic of a larger group is just not comparable.” She had watched people dancing excitedlyin groups before, on her travels when she had stayed in taverns,but she had never thought it appropriate to be a part of them. They were not her world. And yet here was Caitrin, suggesting that something similar could be happening here…in her world. It was almost too good to be true.

As the rhythm grew faster and faster, Yassia felt her heartbeat accelerating along with it,until the blood started to rush in her head, nearly crowding out the music. She had never experienced a frenzy before, but suddenly she could understand what was going on in the people she had watched dancing on the market-places until they dropped. It was like a drug, the rhythm, the melody, the moving of her own limbs,everything weaved together into a feeling of utmost freedom and bliss.Nothing reallymattered at this moment, not who you were and what had been, just THAT you were… and that you danced!
Without thinking twice about it, Yassia jerked her head back and let go a trilling yelp, shouting out everything that had accumulated within her. Sweet stars was that liberating!

"And you, hardly the damsel in distress out to steal every huntsman's heart...I would willingly offer all of me if only I could."
Was it possible for a heart being torn apart by mere words? The truth alone she felt in his voice was more than enough to do the trick. Because on one hand, wasn’t that everything a girl could ever wish for, a man who offered her his all to take? And yet she could never have it, and they both knew it. So her heart wanted to soar and to sink deep into despair at the same time, and in the process was in danger of being ripped apart right in the middle. But there was no use in crying over it… that would only taint these last minutes of bliss she knew she would have for a long time. Because the minute his friends were awake, it simply would not be the same.

”Hey, not every huntsman’s heart”, she monished him softly, reaching up to tap the tip of his nose. “Just yours… that’s more than enough for me!”
Her voice was already thick with sleep, and she couldn’t fight off the exhaustion any longer. What had happened inside these few hours was more than enough for more than just one day… a week maybe. Going through so much pain, then bliss and then pain again, it could wear out the toughest heart, even without a nearly life-threatening injury. She needed sleep. Her healer mind slowly won over her begging heart. She wouldn’t be able to savor his presence like this, dead tired and in renewed pain.

Oliver’s soothing voice was the sweetest lullaby she could wish for and so she snuggled closer to him, hoping she would still make him feel at least halfway comfortable himself, and gave him once last smile.
”You sleep tight too… I hope you can. Thanks for every…” but she drifted off into sleep before she could even finish the sentence.

--

Hushed voices woke her from a very deep and refreshing sleep. No fever had risen in the night, and she had felt comfortable and safe, safer than every time she had slept out in the open before. Her eyelids fluttered and then opened to a bright new day. First, she felt a bit desorientated and didn’t quite remember where she was and what had happened – and then it came all back at once and she gasped. The gasp turned into a groan before it even was fully voiced as another thing returned with her sudden memory. Pain.
She felt stiff all over and her left shoulder demanded her attention with an annoying dull throbbing.

With another small groan, Yassia waited for her eyes to focus and then looked up at a very familiar face.
”Good morning… I hope you don’t feel as much pain as I do… if yes, I am sorry.” She wasn’t all there yet, so she feared she might make no sense with her mumbled words. Mornings had never been her thing.

Caitrin couldn’t be more right with her comment. Nothing really counted until it was real. Reality had such a different face from all the dreams and imaginations you could have, as nothing could ever turn out the way you planned it. Planning was nothing but a rough direction, a setting of statements and personal preference, so you had at least a rough guideline. No one could tell if any of them would ever have children, and if yes, how the circumstances would be. Maybe the matter of spoiling them wouldn’t even be evident, as there could be far more important things on their mind than overindulgence. Yassia herself couldn’t even be sure she would be able to raise her children in a sense of royalty, or if she would end up a beggar on the street and would have to find a low and graceful soul to give her some love. Nothing was sure in this world. A lightening bolt could fell one of them the next day, or a river could drown their hopes along with their bodies. Yassia had never thought she would set a foot out of Ailantha in all her life, and look what had happened since!
”That’s so true”, she agreed with a sigh, but then an impish smile played around her lips. “Though I will relish in the day when I can give you advice from mother to mother. Don’t you think that women always know best when it doesn’t concern their own offspring?”

Yassia was not worried she somehow would not get along with Griff. If things were to turn out that way that her friendship with Caitrin would deepen even more, then fate would not throw in Griff as an irritant. That absolute faith in the ways of the stars might be a bit naïve, but it didn’t cost you to be optimistic… until you fell again flat on your nose of course. But she was all but sure that wouldn’t happen here.
”You think anyone can really NOT be friends with me?!” she asked in mock offence and opened her eyes wide. “Look at me: I’m the epitome of kindness, fun, elegance, eloquence and… what else? Oh, modesty of course!” she finished with a laugh and a wink. “Nah, seriously. I don’t see any problem there!”
For even if Griff and her should have some problems in getting along, they would both bite their tongues and try to make it work for Cait’s sake. It was never easy to be torn between two people, and she should never have to choose between one and the other. Yassia was sure Griff would think the same.

She hadn’t expected to find such joy in the dance. How long since she last danced anyway? That must have been months at least, and the single dance with the quick movement of her feet brought back memories and thoughts of happiness from her childhood. When her worst concern had been being found out whirling through her bedroom together with her handmaid, laughing and gasping until her sides hurt and she collapsed on her large and soft bed, completely worn out but blissfully happy. Back when everything had been as it should be. The dance couldn’t bring back the old times, but it could bring back the same feeling, and Yassia welcomed the surge with open arms, closing her eyes and immersing herself completely in the music and the joy it brought her, while her feet still kept to the fast and driving rhythm.

When Caitrin interrupted her thoughts though it was a welcome interruption. She wanted her friend to take part in this too, to not be alone. She had enough of being alone anyway, and a friend in happiness was as needed as a friend with mutual sorrows. Caitrin appeared to be just that, and it amazed Yassia still how alike and yet different they were.
”You did more than that”, she assured her friend with gleaming eyes. “You honored the music! I almost wish there could be more people seeing and appreciating it, but here between us is good as well!”
The idea of using their hands instead of the wood didn’t even sound so bad. Of course, the sound would nearly be the same, but it was not like perfection was the goal here, the goal was having fun. Nodding vigorously, Yassia started to try it out, clapping her hands in an offbeat rhythm that seemed to merge with the music still coming from the playing servants. “If you try to counter my claps with your own, let’s see if we get a fast, driving rhythm of our own… while still dancing!” she challenged Caitrin. It was not easy doing so many things at once, but even if they failed – what did it matter. The worst that could happen was them completely going against the rhythm and ending in a laughing pile on the floor. And that wasn’t so bad, was it?

A smile that almost could called fond crossed Yassia’s face at Oliver telling his point of view. Really, that wasn’t talk that should come out of a prince’s mouth, but it just made Oliver who he was. The rebel. Hadn’t Edmund told her he was taking his duties far more serious now? That was a start, wasn’t it? And anyway, if he hadn’t felt this rebellious streak inside him, he would have never left the borders of his kingdom to hunt down cockatrices in the Forest of Balor. She would have never met him. Even though whatever they had had seemed to have failed, Yassia sill wouldn’t wish it undone. Within all the misery, within all the fear and the uncertainty, Oliver had given her the best day and night of her life. She had thought the memory tainted by his rude rebuke in Camelot, but slowly, after the shattered pieces had been cleared away, she found that it still shone bright and clear. Nothing could take these memories away from her, they would remain sacred forever. Impregnable.
”That is very true!” she agreed and nodded. “My father always said, the higher you stand, the greater is your burden, so be careful you don’t fall down. But if you want to get rid of the burden it will fall on those that carry you – and then you will fall for sure.”
She grinned. “He had a lot of those wise sayings. Most of the time I rolled my eyes and tried not to listen. Seems, a few stuck in my mind still.”

"I look forward to it. I would love to know more about you and your kingdom. I'll talk to Edmund, and I'll inform you as soon as we have finalized a date,"

Something still rubbed wrong in this arrangement, but it was not so much the fact that she would spend time with Oliver – alone. That would be trying enough, yet she still looked forward to it. No, it was the way Oliver talked about Edmund – and herself for that matter. I’ll inform you… That, with all due respect sounded like she was a criminal locked up in a cage, and Edmund was the one to decide whether she should be allowed visitors or not. Or like she was his ward and should be kept away from any male company. How ridiculous! Wasn’t SHE the master of her own time? And couldn’t Oliver do a step without having to ask for permission? In all her fourteen years of being second-born, Yassia had never experienced such a kind of submission. Was it different because she was a girl?
Still, she hid most of her irritation, and just teased Oliver with a wink: “Since when is your brother your keeper? Do you have to check everything you do with him? Did he also inform you beforehand he would wound you?” Then, however, she left the joking for another time to come. “Alright, I’ll keep myself ready. Hopefully what I know will make you see more clearly.”

She read the truth in his eyes before he voiced it, and yet the spoken words meant so, so much more! He could not make it undone, but he had shown every ounce of goodwill you could possibly demand, and that alone should be enough. Not to forgive him maybe, but to accept it as the fault it had been. He hadn’t meant it. Oh, she knew how it could happen you said words you didn’t mean in the slightest! She had done that often enough herself.
Kind and beautiful inside out… He surely knew how to put his words! Yassia held his gaze, almost unblinking, and tried to hold this moment tight, keep it for all eternity. This was as far as they would go. Unless he said otherwise. It was not like she needed his permission, but he had been the one pushing her away, and she would not run after him. Never. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t accept what was offered.

”You don’t have to work so hard, Oliver”, she contradicted him softly. Another person might have taken advantage of that promise, might have wanted to be waited on hand and foot, so the other could work for his redemption, but that had never been Yassia’s way of thinking. It didn’t even occur to her.
”Just be the honest and kind man I know, and then we will get on perfectly with each other. As friends”, she added, not wanting to give him any false impression, though her heart spoke an entirely different language. She wanted more than just simply be his friend. She wanted his love, his kisses, she wanted the siren’s call of his voice, speaking her name like lovers do. But she couldn’t say anything of that. Too many misunderstandings had already happened, and she didn’t want to relive the pain of these past few days ever again. “Because I, too, want to be your friend. Now… can you try and sit up? Or shall I help you with it?”

(banner made by Cait <333)

It felt quite peculiar to be out in the open, surrounded by nothing but nature, all on her own. Yassia had been alone with herself and the landscape for so many months of her travels, and she should be used to that kind of feeling. She WAS, and maybe that was the reason that made this so peculiar. With only a few steps outside the castle, she had fallen into her trained travelling stride, only noticing it when she realized the kind of garments she wore now were not befitting to such marches. Chuckling to herself, Yassia slowed down her pace, shaking her head and then looking up at the sky, savouring the sun on her skin. She knew many ladies who were afraid of exposing their fair complextion to the sun, but her long travels had cured her of such vanity as well, if there ever had been one. The Ailanthan sun could be merciless after all.

Her hand trailing loosely over tall grass and soft bushes, she seemed to wander aimlessly, but her eyes were scanning her surroundings for certain herbs and flowers. That had been one of the reasons for her escape from the Mercian castle, she needed to refresh her stock of herbs after treating Oliver, mostly with white moss and Calendula petals, but also using the perfect painkiller medicine, willow bark, on him. Willows often grew next to rivers, and white moss also liked it rather damp, so her feet were carrying her slowly towards the nearby river she had spotted on her travels here.
Oliver… he was another reason she had left the castle today. While coming here, she had tried to bury all hopes, as they had agreed on … not agreeing. They had all but dismissed their past after a serious, but – by hindsight – stupid fallout. And now? She was more confused than ever, after he had practically begged for her forgiveness. No, not for her forgiveness – for a chance. But a chance for what? To be friends… could she be friends with him? Could she bear to resign? But then, could she bear the even worse option, losing him altogether? The answer had been simple: no.

But there was also a third reason she had wanted to shy away from company today, and this reason lay in the very date of this day. No one knew what this day meant to Yassia and she had no desire to tell anyone, as this day had long since lost all joyous meaning for her.
Today was her birthday.
But her birthday had ceased to be a day of joy ever since she turned fourteen. It had become a day of remembrance and mourning. Because on this very day the dreadful news had reached the kingdom that His Royal Highness Crown Prince Ramon and Her Majesty Queen Rhiannon had been slain in a treacherous ambush by marauding mercenaries swarming the adjoining kingdoms after those had just ended a year-long war.
From this day on, her birthday had turned into anything but a celebration. They had found a different date to not rid her off celebrations altogether, but the true date was blemished for all eternity. It was best anyone forgot about it. Yassia though never could.

She wanted to be alone, without prying eyes, to think about old conflicts and new. To remember her mother and brother, and trying to make sense of whatever happened to her right now. Soon enough her mind was even more cluttered than it had been before, and her eyes yearningly wandered towards the glittering water that was now rushing past her. If only sorrows could be washed away by water like stains could. Stains on the soul though always remained.
However… would it be so wrong to try? Her fingers already started to fiddle with the lacing of her dress while he mind was still undecided, and soon she threw every doubt out of the figurative window. No one would see her after all. Maybe following her intuition would be the right thing to cheer her up. This crazy bath in the river she didn’t even know the name of would be her very own birthday present.

Clad only in her soft, white and nearly lucid chemise she also used as a nightgown, Yassia waded deeper and deeper into the river and lazily paddled against the current, laying on her back and staring up at the blue sky.
“Per molts anys, Yassia Remei”, she exclaimed, letting it be followed by a slightly bitter laugh. “Or Happy Birthday, like they say here.”

Tag: Oliver
Timeline: A few days after 'Love Heals'
Time of Day: midmorning

His explanation was as simple as it was logical. Yassia had never had such a feeling, of not wanting to be seen as a princess, save once: when being with him in the Forest of Balor. There she had witnessed the very same thing like he tried to describe, and it had been one of her reasons for not telling him her true story. Could it really be he had felt the same way? What a completely horrible twist of fate! Yes, now that she thought about it, she remembered it all too well, how his eyes had gleamed when she had called him ‘a good man’. It must have been one of the few compliments he knew he had been given just for himself, his soul, his being, with no strings attached.
And yet… they were still who they were. With different people this simple revelation might have changed everything, might have been the ultimate reconciliation, the turning point for the better. But it was too late. Too much had happened.
“No one could blame you for that wish, Oliver”, she replied softly and sighed. “It is the curse we of royal blood have to live with, that we never know what people truly see in us, when all they see is the title. I didn’t expect it, but when I reached Camelot, I was a little sad of letting go of Yassia the nomad. I’ve never seen my life as a cage, but I can see someone thinking that.”

The bleeding had stopped now, which was a very good sign. It truly had been more a little flesh wound with no serious damage. He might be weak now, and in pain, but there needn’t be any fear. He was a strong young man, he would be up and fighting again in no time. Maybe even so little as two days.
“You’ll be stronger tomorrow, trust me”, she responded, wondering if she had only imagined this certain timbre in his voice that indicated to a different, a hidden meaning. But what else but his wound could he mean anyway? She was reading far too much into this encounter again, and that was dangerous.
The movement of his hand came unexpected, but it was not an entirely unpleasant surprise, which confused her more than his actual, almost intimate touch.
“Yes…” it was nothing but an almost hoarse whisper. “No harm done…” Was she meaning his wound or herself? She could not allow this madness any longer! This was going far too far! And yet his eyes kept her in the sweetest and most pleasant captivity, a captivity she never wanted to escape from ever again.

His sudden, unexpected movement broke the spell, as did the pain he inflicted on her wrist. Yassia gasped in surprise and pain, even though she knew it was happening involuntarily. “Keep down!” she exclaimed impulsively, but then had to surpress a chuckle. “Do you really want to sabotage me that bad? No worries… you didn’t hurt me.” Not with this anyway…
His touch was far too pleasing… she could not succumb to it! She let it happen for a few seconds, but then even if – or because? – it meant he had to let go of her hand, Yassia removed the white moss and cleaned the wound from any tiny remaints of it, so there would be no infection. “Good, even though you moved, the wound didn’t start bleeding again, that’s a very good sign. You’re right, a day or two and you’ll be as good as new.” Professionalism… that was all she could take refuge to now.

Only then she realized that his words about a daily meeting had completely passed her by in all these confusion that had assaulted her. How could she have forgotten about such an important thing?! This was the revocation of everything they had agreed on… and it was coming from him! Could she say no? She knew she should, as every hour spent alone with him would just bring her more pain, but then when it came to Oliver, she had always been a masochist.
“As for the meeting… yes, why not! Whenever there is nothing grand planned, we can meet there, and I… I will tell you about my kingdom.” The next council meeting was in a few weeks he had said… that was still some time off, but then she had waited more than a year. As long as she found help, everything would be fine.

With growing astonishment and confusion Yassia then listened to his words. An apology… an apology for what?! For his words? Was he really feeling sorry? It seemed to be that way… and yet she could not believe it, didn’t dare to believe it. She opened her mouth to say something, but Oliver stopped her, as he was not finished. Yassia didn’t like to be shushed, but she closed her mouth again and waited.
You don't even have to forgive me. I'm just happy to be given this chance again with you. This friendship is more than I could ever hope for. Thank you."
Forgive him? Yes, that was the crux of the matter. She had sworn to herself she would never forgive him… and yet he wasn’t even asking for forgiveness, he was asking for a chance… and thanked her for being granted this chance. She had never been in such a situation before, this was something neither her upbringing nor her journey could have taught her. She had to find out how to navigate through this one her own. But she had to be sure first.

“So… you don’t think that I am…” she took a deep breath. She remembered the exact wording of what he had called her, that was not the problem, it just pained her to speak these words out aloud. But she had to know. “… that I am a two-faced harlot, a liar and a heartless player?” Biting her lip, she looked away briefly to regain her composure. Even spoken by herself, knowing that they had been directed to her, hurt beyond imagination.