forum You do not know how long I have waited for you //OxO//Closed

Started November 11, 2021 by @knightinadream group

tune

Myron gave a simple head bow. While he was relieved to hear that she is not upset, the terrible feeling still hung in him. Moving a lock of hair behind his ear, he glanced down at the floor before lifting his chin up and took a gaze around them. For some reason, he never really thought of the queen being an animal person, but hearing her talk about it made him feel happy. He could listen to her talk about animals and her pets all day if possible. "Ah, I see. Were you ever into horses, Your Majesty?" He asked. "If I may ask, what was your first pet, my queen?"

For some odd reason, a dream he had in the past came to mind. He was in it, but he was not Myron. The queen was in it as well, but she was not Her Majesty. They did not wear the clothes of this time, although the way her eyes lit up was the same. Her smile and the way she looked at him. It all was the same. She even was holding a cat and petting it as they spoke. They were close, laughing together. Suddenly, he was brought back into reality.

"Hm?" He shook his head then blinked. Listening to what the queen said, he gulped and nodded. How would Her Majesty even help him? She is very kind to him. It is very touching to the point where he cannot help but smile shyly. "It is alright, Your Majesty. I think that I will do fine as time goes on," He stated. "All I really ask for is your support and to be well." He is not sure what else to ask of her. To him having the queen, someone who is way above him, offer their help is strange. In the past, he did everything by himself without being asked if he needed help or not.

"Forgive me for being off topic, my queen, but I noticed that all the other guards have short hair. Should I have my hair be the same as everyone else's?" However the idea came to be, it simply did. His mind is running around in circles, and one of the things it thought was the way all the other guards looked. "I could put it up if it is no trouble. My queen, I just do not wish to look disheveled or anything. I want to look good and uniform for you, my queen."

Yethesa watched him, then chuckled at his questions.

“Actually yes. I grew up with a few horses, and was taught how to ride them as a girl. I actually own a couple now. And, I’ll be honest and admit to you that I like to occasionally sneak out for an early morning jaunt,”she said with a snicker.

“In regard to my first pet… goodness, I’ve had so many that it’s difficult to remember… I suppose it was a horse, though I also grew up with cats,”she answered.

Yethesa noticed how Myron seemed to zone out for a moment, but didn’t ask about it. She then noticed his reaction to her words, and watched him, her eyes gentle and patient. She smiled softly at his words.

“Alright. If you are sure, but don’t be afraid to ask if you need help or clarification. And, I may be a higher rank than you, but we both are human, regardless of any ranks or duties we may have at any moment,”she said gently.

Or, at least, mostly human.

Yethesa stared at him a moment, a bit surprised by the sudden change in subject. She hadn’t even noticed that his hair was different, though it didn’t help that she had been more focused on memories to notice. It was actually a little saddening to think that he would have to do anything to his hair.

“I… suppose. Truly, I had been so caught up in the moment that I didn’t even think of that, and the difference really doesn’t bother me. So, I suppose I’ll leave it up to you,”she said, a bit shyly. She wanted to tell him that she actually liked the way his hair was, but she was afraid he would react badly to such forwardness.

A shiver ran down his spine. Her laughter is mellifluous. Well, he doesn't know what the word means, but he is very sure that it is a perfect one to describe the queen's laughter and voice. Myron wanted to laugh in response to what she said, but he only just nodded and smiled. "Well, I suppose I will have to wake up very early in the morning and keep an eye on you."

What she said was true. Regardless of their ranks, they are still humans, and even a mighty fighter as himself needs help. Really, he appreciates it. Never has he been given such an offer. Never has anyone of a high rank has been this kind to him. Despite doing it in the last few minutes, he bowed.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will keep it the way it is, although I suppose I could try to look for some nice ribbon to tie it up into a bun." He gazed upon her, although there was something off about her. Biting the inside of his lip, he felt his face becoming warmer. Hopefully he did not come down with a fever or anything. Why was he so warm all of the sudden? "Ah my apologies for bringing such a strange thing up, my queen. As I said before, I just want to look nice for you. Forgive me for saying this, but I do not want to look messy around a beautiful monarch such as yourself."

About a year into his military career, he heard from a general about how a few centuries ago, soldiers would keep their hair long because their ladies loved to play with and admire it when they returned. The story sounded lovely to him, so that is why he kept his hair the way it is now. Although he does not have a lady, but maybe someday soon he will. For now though, he will have to keep it and look nice, especially for the queen.

(I am so sorry it took me so long to reply. This past week has been utter chaos)

Yethesa snickered at his reply, a playful gleam flashing in her eyes.

“I suppose so,”she said in amusement.

Yethesa smiled softly at his bow, happy that he seemed to appreciate her willingness to help. It would truly bother her to see him struggle, and she still believed it would be rude to not help him after all he had done so far. And that was without mentioning Myron’s significance to her, the memories, their old love. Some part of her felt that she owed it to him, the same part that wanted to burst into tears and beg him for forgiveness.

Yethesa nodded,”I could possibly find you one. One of the servants likes to keep extra ribbons around just in case. I’m just not entirely sure where she likes to stash them.”

In truth, she knew exactly where the ribbon stash was, partly because some of the ribbons were her own, and very old. Yethesa had often put her old love’s hair in a ponytail, and would stroke or fiddle with his silky locks afterward. She had always loved doing that to him. After his death, she had kept every ribbon she had as mementos of him. The number had dwindled over time, but the handful still surviving gave her comfort.

As she was about to respond to his apology, Yethesa finally registered the rest of his words and paused. Her cheeks grew hot and she couldn’t resist a small giggle. She smiled at him.

“There is no need to apologize. I appreciate your courtesy and attention to detail… and your compliment,”Yethesa replied, her voice a bit quieter with the last part. Her eyes and smile were sincere.

(It's all good. I appreciate your response.)

Myron wondered how many times he has apologized to the queen and bowed in front of her. He wondered if it was beginning to annoy her or not. Is he fool for the continuous apologies? A lord explained to him about propriety, including bows and asking for forgiveness. The noble told him that it is highly important to do so, but never mentioned to stop if it was bothering Her Majesty.

She does not appear to be bothered at all. Right in front of him, he sees a smiling monarch looking back at him. The alluring sight is making him feel fuzzy inside. He does not even know how to describe it. The feelings and sensations are familiar, but he has never felt anything like this before. What does it mean? Does this all relate to his dreams? His episodes? And yet, her smile is brighter than the sun. It is brighter than any star he has ever seen.

"Huh? I beg your pardon?" Her words made his attention come back from wandering. Slowly he had become stiff as he realized what she said. The corners of his lips were fighting to stay low, despite the urge for them to come up into a big grin. He rubbed the back of his neck while looking down at the ground.

"If it isn't any trouble, Your Majesty, I greatly appreciate it," He nodded. The queen is going to find him a ribbon? What had he done in his past life to deserve this? Whatever he had done, it must have been good. Fiddling with his fingers, he looked off to the side at the sun. "Oh…" His eyes wandered back over to the queen as he tried not to get lost in her calming, beautiful aura. He mustn't, and yet, he wants to. "If I may ask, Your Majesty, please pick a ribbon for me in your favorite color. Even it will not match my guard uniform, please pick one in your favorite color, please."

He was about to bow again as a way of saying thanks, but he caught himself. No, he mustn't do anything to annoy the queen. And he should not let his eyes linger on her too. Ah, those eyes though. The way she speaks and smiles at him. It makes him feel like he is the richest person in the whole wide world. "Thank you….Your Majesty."

(Yup. I honestly love how this is going. I just wish my schedule wasn’t so crazy. I don’t know when it’ll stabilize again)
(In other details, I’ve been wondering about a name for Myron’s past self. I’m not sure if you had one in mind or not, and I’m honestly blanking right now. Or, do you want to do something like his name was lost to time, or otherwise forgotten?)

Yethesa watched Myron a moment, noticing how he seemed to drift into his thoughts again. She didn’t mind too much. After all, she did that sometimes, and some days that was all she did.

When he came out of his thoughts, she saw his reaction, and almost burst into a cheerful fit of laughter. He looked so sweet when he was fighting a smile, and even sweeter when he looked away. Such a gentle, lovable man.

“It’s no trouble at all,”she replied, her smile brightening.

She took a step toward her bedroom, but paused when he turned away. She waited patiently, watching as he turned back. Something about his gaze reminded her of the many times where she and her love would just stare at each other for long moments, basking in the adoration of the other. It was subtle, a barely perceptible hint In Myron’s eyes, but just enough to revive those memories. How much she missed those moments, and now, it seemed possible that she might have them again.

His words brought her out of her thoughts, but she didn’t quite catch his first words. When she finally registered what he had said, she couldn’t resist a giggle.

“Of course, Captain Chilikov. I would be happy to,”she said.

She started away, then paused again at his thanks, smiling softly. She didn’t mind at all that he seemed to almost forget saying her title. It was still a bit strange to be Queen after so many years of being a noble, then a student. And Myron was even more unused to it than her. After all, this was still their first meeting.

“You’re welcome. I’ll be back in a moment,”she said.

Yethesa headed off to her bedroom, searching through a few drawers just in case, then found the one she was looking for. She searched through the ribbons, pausing at the sight of the old ones she had kept. It was tempting to give him one of them, but it might raise too many questions. So, instead, she chose one of the newest in her collection, and it was a dark green, her favorite.

Yethesa smiled softly, then returned to Myron. She showed the ribbon to him.

“Do you want to tie it, or do you want me to?”she offered softly. Yethesa wanted to be polite and let him have the choice. And it was also more subtle to offer to tie his hair up, then to do it anyway, despite the temptation.

(Me too, I really love this rp! I hope your schedule settles out soon.)
(I do have a name in mind, but I am thinking of how to bring it up. Probably through a dream or vision soon.)

His lips thinned out, turning into a small gleam. Giving into the urge, he just stood there and smiled. Ah heavens, he really could not help it. If only he knew why he was acting so strange, then maybe he would be able to understand everything. As long as the queen took no offense to it and was smiling as she is now, then maybe it is alright.

"Oh…Thank you, Your Majesty," He said under his breath. Immediately, he bent at the waist to bow. Once he stood up regularly, his attention began to waver again. Sunlight had suddenly faded around him. He is not what he just was a second ago. The queen was right in front of him, but she looked the same as she did in his last vision and in all those dreams.

Another vision had bestowed upon him. After a simple tug, his hair was put up. He stood up and turned to face her. His hair was put up in a half ponytail so his bangs were back from his eyes. Turning to face her, he took another ribbon out of his pocket. Despite not being sure why she loved it, he handed her the ribbon. That familiar shining light in her eyes showed. The vision had ended. A shiver ran down his spine as he glanced around his surroundings.

Myron took a step forward, he soon realized that Her Majesty had already went to get a ribbon. Should he follow her or should he stay put? The question made his shoulders tense up. Well, it is practically his job to follow the queen around and protect her. Although, it is too late to run after her and he does not want to intrude on her. On the other hand, he worried that he was not doing his job well.

The question made his ears burn red. Not mention, his heart practically leaped out of his chest when noticing that the queen had returned. He sighed.

"May you tie it for me, please, Your Majesty?" With wide eyes, he instantly lowered his head to look at the ground. The question fell out of his lips, smoothly rolling off his tongue. It was like something had overtaken him and made him say those words. Deep down, he did want to say it, yet he knows that he should just do it himself. Having the queen already getting him a ribbon is a lot as it is.

(Big grin. Yeah, me too)
(Thumbs-up. Ooh… that would be neat)

At the sight of Myron’s smile, Yethesa beamed. That smile, so sweet and gentle… She loved it. A giggle escaped her and she blushed a bit, caught off guard by her own laughter.

She then nodded at his words and bow. She didn’t mind how much he bowed, it being proper etiquette and all, though she could probably give him some advice later on how to judge when a bow was needed and when it was too much. Just in case.

As Yethesa searched, she didn’t even notice Myron’s absence. She had figured that he had stayed behind to be respectful, giving her some privacy to search, which she appreciated. So, when she returned, and saw his expression, she wondered if he was questioning himself, wondering if he was doing things right. Oh, the poor man, still so lost in what to do. She would have to rectify that, to the best of her abilities.

Yethesa smiled sweetly at his question. She then fought to control a giggle at his reaction afterward. He was so timid about it, but she had noticed the way he had asked her. The smooth words, as if he had been expecting her question and had wanted to ask her that the whole time.

“Of course. Though, you’ll have to lean your head back a bit first,”she answered, a hint of amusement in her voice. She had a contented smile, one that showed, without Yethesa realizing, that she had wanted to tie up his hair, and that she was happy he had allowed it.

She then started to gently comb her fingers through his hair, organizing it as much as savoring its softness. So many memories resurfaced then, and a skill she had thought long forgotten returned to her. Yethesa moved his hair the way she wanted it to, only muscle memory leading her as she tied his hair into a half ponytail. It was almost identical to the ponytail in Myron’s vision, though she wasn’t aware of it.

“There. Is that alright?”she asked, leading him over to a mirror.

Her giggle. She giggled again. His heart thumped louder for a second. Myron even brought his his hand up to his chest momentarily. Thump. It went at it again as his eyes noticed the way her cheeks flared up. "Are you alright, Your Majesty? Do you have a fever?" He was not sure if she was sick or not, though he felt inclined to ask. Well, he has been blushing a lot too for the past few hours. Then again, it may have to do with his strange condition.

A gentle sigh had fallen out of his lips. Tension from his body had gone away for now. He felt relieved that the queen did not mind tying up his hair. Truly he must have done something in his past life for such kindness. Her smile. The more he looks at it, the more he feels as if his heart is going to leap out of him. It is one of the most beautiful things he has ever seen. Nothing can compare to it. Nothing ever can.

All he could do was just nod his head then lean it back. It was difficult to describe what flowed through him as he felt her fingers in his hair. The tingling sensation was nostalgic. He tried with all his might to fight off the beam that was steadily appearing on him. His feet planted in the ground. Again, his hand rested on his chest.

Myron followed the queen, looking at her intently before gazing over at the mirror. His reflection smiled back at him for a moment. "It's been a while, hm?" By the time he had blinked, he saw his eyes widened. He saw his true perplexed face. He saw his bangs pulled back with the dark green ribbon. Nothing had changed. Everything was back to normal. Oh how these visions scare him still. Him, a renowned fighter for his kingdom, for his queen, scared of what he sees.

Then he saw Her Majesty in the mirror. Did she see what happened? Turning over his left shoulder, he nodded. "It is more than alright," He responded, softly. "Thank you so much, Your Majesty. This means a lot to me." He pointed at the ribbon keeping his hair up. "I will remember this forever. Sincerely."

(Sorry again for the wait)

“I’m alright, Captain Chilikov. I’m happy, not ill,”she said to reassure him.

It was so sweet of him to be concerned, even when he had no need to be. ‘Sweet’ was just a really good word to describe Myron. Sure, part of her opinion was probably biased because of memories, but the man really was so thoughtful and kind.

And he was also quite timid. Thankfully, he seemed to relax a bit when she moved to tie his hair. But as she fiddled with his hair, then led him to the mirror, she noticed a change in the air. It was something different, older, but she couldn’t accurately describe it.

Gazing at Myron in the mirror, both of them smiling, brought back so many memories. Yethesa could almost see her old room, where they would stand staring at each other in the mirror, bathed in candlelight and moonlight. They had first talked about eloping in front of that long ago mirror, and she could almost see him turn to look at her, his gentle expression full of love just before he proposed to her.

Though, when she instead saw Myron’s face become perplexed, Yethesa quickly forced herself back to reality. Was something wrong? Had she done something while reminiscing that could make him react as he did? She glanced at him with concern, but calmed a bit when he looked at her.

At his words, Yethesa smiled again.

“You’re welcome, Captain Chilikov. I’m truly glad you like it so much,”she replied honestly, her smile growing brighter. If only you knew how much this means to me. How much I have truly missed tying your hair and seeing your smile.

"Oh…" For whatever reason it could be, he almost did not believe her at first. What can make her blush so much like that? Only a fever or a cold or a terrible headache of some sorts can do such a thing. Of course, he cannot think ill of Her Majesty nor her words. She is speaking of the true, he knows, but what can she be happy about? Him?

It does not make any sense to him. Why would Her Majesty be happy about him? He is nothing but a solider. Nothing but a bodyguard now actually. There is not much to him to make such a wonderful monarch like herself happy.

On the other hand, seeing her smile made him happy. Myron could not explain it other than the fact that he enjoyed seeing her gleam at him. His eyes soaked it all in, but they also looked down at the ground. Suddenly his face went back to turning red.

He wanted to say something about her putting up his hair, but he didn't know what to say exactly. The worry of words just falling off his tongue scared him. So did the same with not saying anything at all. Still, his gaze was stuck on the floor except for when he glimpsed up at the queen.

"It is wonderful, my queen," He nodded. "I like it more than just to simply say that I 'like' it for it's amazing. Also, I like the ribbon too. Green is a pretty color if I may say."

“I assure you, I really am happy. You have been so pleasant to me. I’m not saying that I am treated badly by others here, I’m not, but… this is somehow different. I guess, more genuine than many here,”Yethesa said softly, wanting to soothe him somehow. She could tell that he was a bit flustered, but wasn’t sure why.

When she noticed his lingering gaze drop, Yethesa wondered what was wrong. She then noticed his blush and had to put a hand on her lips to contain her giggles. He really was shy, and she couldn’t help find it so endearing.

Thankfully, she was able to compose herself somewhat before Myron looked up. Yethesa wasn’t sure how he would react if she kept giggling like a little girl because he was blushing. But, when he did glance up, her smile immediately returned, steadily growing wider as Myron spoke.

“I’m really glad. And yes it is. I absolutely adore green,”she replied.

It was hard to describe how happy she was in that moment, but Yethesa knew without a doubt that she didn’t want to forget any of it. She had missed this, all of it, the companionship, the hair tying, the talks, so much! And now she could feel genuinely happy for once in three centuries!

His eyes were still staring at her with wide pupils that lit up. The blush on his face had deepened. He even was shifting his weight between his feet. All of this, and Myron does not know ehy he is acting this way. No. He does not know even one bit and yet, he cannot help it. To remain cool seems impossible to him.

"I am honored to hear such a thing, Your Majesty," He gleamed with a nod. "Even though it is not really my place to speak as much, I will be as genuine and sincere as I possibly can. I want you….I want you to…I want you to continue to be happy, my queen."

The sudden stutter made his shoulders tense up. As he spoke, he suddenly had gotten lost in his thoughts. It did not help staring back at Her Majesty, watching as she was smiling back at him. Well, if he could be honest, it did help, though not in the case of him acting bashful and flustered.

Myron chuckled to himself, shaking his head. By all the heavens, he really is such a fool. His hand went up to touch the ribbon for a second. A random thump had hit him in the chest. Dropping his hand to his side, he quietly exhaled.

In the corner of his eye, sunlight had hit him. It must be getting late. How long have they been away? "Uhhh…Your Majesty…Forgive me for interrupting this moment, but should we head back?" He asked. "It is almost evening and I do not wish for you to be late to supper or anything else."

Eventually the sun had set over the horizon. The sky was a blanket of black and dark blue while the hues of orange, pink, light blue, and purple laid where the sun was resting. Myron's first day as the queen's bodyguard is not over yet, but he has learned so much already and he still has so much to learn.

As the queen went on with her schedule and dinner, he kept a reasonable distance or would stay outside by the door. When it was time for Her Majesty to get ready for bed, he left to have dinner himself before returning back to his post outside her bed chambers.

Myron was not sure what else to do from this point on. He was told that once he would be excused that he can go to rest for the evening while night guards will be put in place. Although he has been standing outside for a while now, and the moon is way up in the sky shining down on the earth.

He didn't mind it really. Sometimes the dreams and visions he had would lead him to wake in a panic, so he preferred to be up in those moments. Myron stood straight, looking straight ahead, but occasionally took a glimpse out the window to see the moon.