AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Alzerion just stood his ground as he tapped his booted-foot. “That was a bit uncalled for.”
“Sorry, honest,” he spoke in wheezy breaths. He was still catching his breath from that laughing fit. Quairken closed his eyes and took a few more slow breaths.
Alzerion moved closer. His hands touched and then moved apart, then back together and apart once more. Then he snapped his fingers. Alzerion felt the ground rumble and quake beneath his feet. Quairken looked down as his hands clenched handfuls of the grass.
Alzerion smirked as Quairken head wiped around. Finally, two curved stones started to emerge. Quairken looked down as his body started to rise. “What in the—”
“I thought we could sit on these.” Alzerion spotted his near Quairken and sat down as Quairken’s hands sprang up as his stone curved upward. Both were a mixture of dark and light greys. They were smooth and curved at the sides to rest your arms on. Quairken touched the stones and even knocked on his.
“What do you think you will fall in?” Alzerion chuckled.
“No.” He shot back. “You nearly scared me. I thought the ground was going to break.”
Alzerion shook his head as he picked two blades of grass and twisted them about.
Quairken broke the brief silence. “Look I hope I didn’t offend you before. It’s just, well, I needed a good chuckle. I mean things are pretty tense and I know we are working hard to defeat the rebels, but—”
“But you needed a break.” Alzerion looked at Quairken. “I get it.” Then he gazed back down and continued twisting his blades of grass. He heard shuffling so he looked back up. “What?”
“Isabella and I both always wondered, you know, if you would meet someone.”
“Quairken are we about totalkabout this?” Quairken turned a shade of light pink. He pivoted his face away. “I know it’s not what we do, but maybe this once?” He squinted back at Alzerion.
Alzerion hesitated, but nodded anyway.
“Well, who is the lucky girl?” Quairken reached his arm over and patted Alzerion on the back.
Alzerion used one hand to rub at the back of his neck as his gaze lingered at Quairken’s expecting face.
“Come on.”
Alzerion swallowed but found that he couldn’t find the words. No. He couldn’t will himself to say them. He pulled his legs in and wrapped his arms around them, pulling them tighter into his chest.
“Alzerion?”
He had to say something. Quairken was expecting an answer.Ugh. His grip tightened so much that he felt the buckle of his boots press against his chest. “Quairken, I need you to understand, it wasn’t planned, alright?”
“Wasn’t planned? I would assume not.” He grinned. “You have had this savior complex for years now. I’m just amazed that you let your guard down at all.”
Alzerion bit down on his lip so hard that he had this metal taste. He continued to grip his legs with one hand and the other touched his lip. He drew a little bit of blood.Great.
He wiped it away. “I guess I deserve that comment. I have been focused on one goal, but it’s my duty.”
Quairken nodded. Alzerion knew he understood. Duty was at the core part of being a soldier.
“Quairken,” Alzerion exhaled as he stood up. “I didn’t know feelings until they were smacking me in the face. I, err… I never expected to think about her in this way, I swear.”
Quairken’s eyebrows furrowed as he stood. He held his hands up, palms out. “Hold on. You’re not talking about my wife, right?”
“Oh, heavens no!” Why would you think that?”
Quairken wiped at his forehead. “Alzerion, it was the way you were talking. Like you were apologizing to me.”
“I didn’t mean to alarm you.” Then Alzerion started the trek back toward the training field. He heard Quairken beside him.
“Then who? Who else would you apologize to me about?” There was a silence.
Alzerion kept walking forward until he felt this grip on his arm that pulled him. Alzerion was pulled in and close to Quairken. He saw Quairken’s face scanning him. “Aironell.”
