Sighing heavily, I fell back on the floor, Key jumping up to prevent my head from hitting the concrete.
“So you decided to search for me,” I finished his sentence, covering my eyes. “Are you an idiot? You’re way past your curfew. You could have been caught. Why didn’t you just leave it be and gone back to sleep?”
I seated myself on the ground in front of him, crosslegged.
“Would you rather if I’d have left you head to be found by the morning patrol? School rules are strict, they don’t bend much, even for Princes,” I answered slowly, tactfully sidestepping his question.
“Yes,” I responded, my voice low. “You should have. In case you’ve forgotten, Junior, I’ve got Key with me. I can break the rules and never get caught.”
Standing up, I motioned for Key to shrink himself and stay in my hair. Deciding I couldn’t stay angry at him for doing something like this, I reached out to ruffle his hair.
“No matter what happens,” I started in a heavy voice. “You will never come back for me. You will never risk getting caught because you’re worried for me. What you need to focus on is the Blood Oath, and nothing less.”
I winced noticeably at the force of his words, but relaxed when his fingers slipped through my unruly curls.
“You’re hardly being a good role model,” I joked, trying to lighten the mood by referring to his first statement. “But I suppose I understand…. With all due respect, though, you can hardly sneak away from trouble while asleep..”
I smirked at his statement.
“Who said I was a good role model? Elliot, I do things I’m not supposed to be doing, which is why you shouldn’t do what I do,” rolling my eyes, I snorted. I was tired, so that let a little bit of an unknown personality of mine out. “Lesson time. A creature, once it spends time with a person, can sense his or her aura. He didn’t sense any danger when you approached me. But he keeps me out of trouble other times because we both know we’ll be in trouble if we’re caught.”
I blinked, surprised by how open he was being, most likely due to sleepiness or exhaustion. Grateful for the dim light and knowing it had probably hidden the emotion from view, I decided to take a small risk and leaned forward, propping my chin up in my hands.
“Interesting… I’ll file that away for later use,” I joked lightly, scrunching my nose up the slightest bit.
(Posted prematurely)
I chuckled, shaking my head at his statement.
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that,” I murmured before Key hissed, pulling at my ear. I furrowed my eyebrows.
”Someone’s coming! Stop your gay flirting and get out of here!”
I decided to ignore half of his statement and focused on the other half. Snatching Elliot’s arm, I pulled him behind a rack full of equipment, my hand on his mouth, preventing him from making a sound.
“Don’t move,” I whispered. “Patrol soldiers.”
My knees nearly gave out.
Oh my god….
I was practically pressed against Colton after being pulled behind a rack of equipment—which would have been suggestive in itself had he known my actual identity—and his hand was clamped tightly over my mouth.
Dazedly wondering whether or not he would notice if I kissed his palm, I went completely still, caught between falling against him and freezing in fear due to what was happening behind us.
”They’re gone,” after five unbearable minutes, Key finally spoke in my head. ”We should go back to the dorm.”
“No shit…” I muttered out loud without thinking, shaking my head. I dropped my hand from Elliot’s mouth, muttering an apology. He had fallen still against me during those five minutes, and I briefly wondered if it was because our position was a bit… weird for two guys to be in.
Then I shook my head. He simply didn’t want to get caught.
“We should go,” I said as I stood up. “Before they come back.”
I clamped my own hand over my mouth before a gasp could escape it, taking a small step back from Colton. After five excruciating, torturously pleasurable minutes of being held tightly against his chest, I needed space in order to breathe, to clear my muddled head.
“I—yeah,” I finally forced out, immensely grateful for the cover of darkness.
Running my fingers through my hair, and bothering Key in the process, I walked out of the armory slowly, grabbing Elliot’s sleeve in the process so I could guide him.
We sneaked around quietly, missing soldiers, and within a few minutes, we were safely in our dorms. Heaving a sigh, I turned to look at him.
“This doesn’t excuse you from lessons,” I told him blankly. “Get some sleep. Rest. Don’t miss classes.”
“Well, obviously.”
Successfully calmed by now, I gave a loose shrug, dragging a hand through my hair. “Goodnight, Colton. And Key.”
“Goodnight, Elliot,” I responded softly for both Key and I before making my way towards my room.
When I laid back down, there was one thought running through my mind.
When he was pressed against me earlier, his body felt small. Just like earlier, he was incredibly light.
Shaking my head, I erased the thoughts from my mind and went back to sleep with Key curled up on my hand.
[TIME SKIP]
The dormitory was empty by the time I pushed open the door, moisture still clinging to my skin from the brief shower I had taken. My training session with Colton had been less exerting than yesterday’s, most likely due to both our residual tiredness from the night before.
Speaking of which….
I hadn’t been able to take my mind off how his arm had felt around my, how his heart had beat, string and sure, through the fabric of his shirt. That was how touch-starved I was masquerading as a boy in a strictly gendered school—I was fulfilling the stereotype of the teenage girl with hopeless fantasies about the handsome prince.
I’d resolved to slap or pinch myself every time I thought of what had happened… I felt pathetic enough as it was after fainting in front of a member of the royal family, and this was the last thing I needed with three days to go until the Oath. I needed a distraction… and fast.
By chance, my eye caught in the antique music player in the corner. What if…. A sharp pang of longing speared me through the heart. How long had it been since I’d last danced freely in solitude with this much space and free time? Much, much too long. What with my studies and training, not to mention the very limited amount of time I’d been left alone in the dormitory, there simply hadn’t been time. But there was now….
A few minutes later, I was setting my smooth silver ball on the coffee table and putting on a lively, spurring piece played by an orchestra that had become my favourite over the years. I moved to the largest empty space I could find, and began to move.
And, God, I felt so free. Going against Colton’s rules, I had shed my weighted shin guards, which left me light and breezy, suddenly full on energy. I leapt and twirled along with the music, my heart soaring, an exhilarated smile dominating my expression. Arials and jetes, smooth rolls off of furniture, crisp turns—I did it all, flying on the wings of joy and improvisation. I was so lost in the choreography that I didn’t hear the door open, didn’t notice someone else’s presence in the room.
I furrowed my eyebrows as I popped a piece of bread in my mouth, looking around the room but unable to find Elliot. Was he resting? Or did he miss the timing and was practicing instead?
The castle lets out a shrilly alarm each time it’s time for food. He couldn’t have missed it. Excluding myself from my family’s presence, I sought to find him. Why, I didn’t know.
I first decided to search for him in the armory. It was where he liked to be most of the time, but he wasn’t there. I heaved a sigh and started for the dormitory. Music greeted me when I stepped in front of the door and I furrowed my eyebrows as I entered.
And was greeted by a rather surprising sight.
Elliot was dancing, his eyes closed, his body moving fluidly. It was like his body knew where to move. His movements felt natural—like they were second nature to him. And the look on his face was all bliss, as if he’d been set free. Never would I have guessed he could dance.
I leaned against the doorway, my eyes staying on him the whole time.
I let out a freeing, musical laugh, my voice sweetening as it skipped up a few notes to its natural feminine pitch. This, was what I lived for. Uplifting music flowing through the air like a river of song, keeping my body on track as it leapt and twirled, graceful, elegant, free. I took a strategic leap into the air and planted my arms on the arm of the sofa, snapping my legs up and over my head, which propelled me into a perfectly executed backflip. The flip transitioned smoothly into a cartwheel across the couch cushions, which ended with my hand farting out to grab my silver ball from the coffee table.
I began to toss it into the air, dancing under it, letting it slide across my shoulders and across the length of my outstretched leg. I danced wiith the ball rolling over my body, until the last note of the song played at a deafening crescendo. My feet fell perfectly into place, chin raised slightly, a victorious grin on my features….. and that’s when I saw him.
Colton.
My face went white.
The second he caught me, he went pale. I clapped slowly, making sure to keep a blank expression on my features.
“What a show,” I drawled, clapping slowly. I wasn’t going to comment that it was indeed a great performance. He was a dancer, that much I agreed with. And he was excellent.
But what I was most curious about was the rather feminine tone his voice went in to, or the way his movements seemed too soft, too… feminine to be a man’s. I decided music did that to you.
“Took off your weights, I see,” I went back to being my harsh self. “Even when I said not to.”
Shit.
I shoved my trembling hands into my pockets and forced a blank expression onto my face. On the inside, I was a shitstorm of panic, desperation, and shame, all coupled with a healthy helping of fear. He’d seen me. The one person who I hadn’t wanted to see me like this—and I had been discovered by them.
“I don’t know what to say,” I responded, voice going flat so I didn’t betray my actual emotions. “I’m sorry?”
“You should be,” I answered back. “What should I do with you, I wonder? Double the weight?”
I was still surprised with the new side of his I’d seen. It was too delicate, too gentle, but whatever it was, I didn’t want to jump to answers needlessly. He was just dancing.
“Do whatever you’d like, Your Highness.” I turned away from him directly before my meticulously constructed facial expression crumbled, hiding my features under the guise of stopping the music player.
I let out a scoff at his behavior.
“Upset that I barged in when you were enjoying yourself?” I raised an eyebrow, walking inside the dorm and closing the door behind me. “Should have done so in the safety of your room. Wear your shin guards and do not take them off unless absolutely necessary. I’ll let it slide this once, but the next time you disobey my order, I won’t be so lenient.”
“No, I’m upset with myself for being stupid enough to think that I could—“ I cut myself off abruptly, knowing how whiny and pathetic I would sound if I finished the sentence aloud. “Never mind. I’m sorry. Assign me laps, double the weight…. do what you want with me.”
“No, do continue,” I waved my hand. “Stupid enough to think that you could what?”
I realized he was still a child. He was acting like I just caught him with his hand inside a cookie jar, knowing what he did was wrong and accepting the punishment.
Except, he didn’t do anything wrong. Maybe just ignored my order and took off his shin guards, but he didn’t do anything wrong. Was he that ashamed at being caught dancing?
“It doesn’t matter.” Finally, I turned back to face him, new fears coming to life in my treacherous mind. How much had he seen? More specifically, how much femininity had he seen? Did he suspect anything.
“Looks like my secret is out,” I said, a surprising amount of bitterness seeping into my tone. “I enjoy a feminine art. Must make me a spineless weakling plagued by homosexuality.”