Chapter 12 The Forest, Gregory

I woke the next morning and saw Anjanique still asleep next to me. Parts of her hair had fallen in front of her face and she was smiling. She looked so cute and so happy. Then I noticed the fire. It had gone out; probably hours ago. I didn't want to, but I knew I need to, move to build up the fire, so she didn't get cold. I carefully moved her small body off of my chest and laid her flat on the ground covering her with the blankets and my cloak.

I moved away from the blankets and pulled on my boots and walked over to where the fire had been. I threw some tinder into the hole and then threw some small sticks on top of it. I lit it with my flint and my knife and slowly feed pieces of wood onto it until it kept a flame on its own. I turned back around to see Anne awake and looking around. Her hair was still hanging in front of her face.

I went back over to the blankets and brushed the hair out of her face. "Morning beautiful."

She looked at me squinty eyed. "We stayed out all night."

I leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Does that matter?" I asked her before kissing her lips gently.

"Not really." She then laid her head on my chest, like she had all night, and snuggled closer to me.
I couldn't believe my stroke of luck with Anne. Had she been a princess I would have never gotten her out of the place last night much less gotten her all the way out here or gotten her to stay here with me. All night. Barely moving and barely speaking. Silence is nice. Just sitting there. The two of us. Not having to say anything to know what the other is thinking.

"Greg?" I looked down at the head on my chest and she was looking up at me. "I've got to ask you something."

"What?"

"Where's my shirt?" I should have seen that one coming. I had almost forgotten about that part of last night. Well I guess it would have been really early this morning.
Being alone at night with a girl does something to a boy. Even if that boy is the prince and knows better. Completely knows better.

"Um… I think you are probably sitting on it. Sorry. I don't know what happened last night. I didn't mean for that to happen."

She sat up and looked under her and I had been right she found her shirt. She pulled it on over her head and then laid back down on my chest. "I wasn't complaining was I? There was nothing wrong with it. I just figured it would be a bad idea to show back up at the palace without a shirt on." She laughed lightly and twisted her fingers into mine.

"You mean you were okay with it? I didn't screw up this time?"

She sat back up so our heads were level again. "No I didn't mind. I actually…" Anne stammered and blushed. That was a true rarity for her. "I actually really liked it." When she finished saying this she was looking down at the ground.

"Well, then. Because I can't do this when we get back to the palace," I didn't finish my sentence. I gently lifted her chin and brought her lips to mine again. I very slowly and meticulously moved my lips against hers. I didn't want her to feel uncomfortable so I let her take the lead, and I barely noticed when she twisted her fingers in my hair. I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her closer to me, but she pulled quickly back. She broke our contact and turned around to look behind her.

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" I hadn't heard anything and I tried to pull her back to me, but she pulled away.

"Shh. Listen."

I decided to listen and see if I could hear what she heard. Right as her head snapped to look behind her, I heard a stick break and I looked too. Somebody screeched and ran out from behind the bushes back towards the palace.

"Who was that?" Anne was sitting on her knees and quickly braiding her hair back.

"It was one of Nariel's maids."

"Oh no. We are going to be in so much trouble. She's going to tell everyone and…" Anne was standing up now and practically pacing back and forth through the clearing.

I stood up and grabbed her and held her to my chest. "Anne, calm down. It's going to be fine. Anybody that girl tells, will believe me if I just deny it. Don't worry about it." She had her head buried in my shoulder and I couldn't understand what she said. "What? I can't hear you."

"You don't understand Greg. That girl will go and tell Nariel. Nariel has probably been having you followed the entire time she's been here! And people will believe Nariel! She's evil. You know what she told me? She told me to stay away from you and that if I didn't I wouldn't be around for long. She wants you Greg! And she's not going to stop until she gets you! What are we going to do?"

I carefully took her face in my hands to calm her down, like I had seen her father do. "Right now? We aren't going to do anything." I kissed her forehead and she smiled lightly. "Right now we are going to go back to that blanket and sit down. We are going to hold each other until I'm sure everyone in the palace who would notice has gone to church. Then we are going to sneak back and then I'll deal with Nariel if problems come up.

"If you hear anything from anyone that says that I would never do anything like that with anyone much less a peasant, even if you hear from my own mouth, do not believe it. I'm at that point just trying to get us out of trouble. Alright?" I made her look at me and I could see the tears in her eyes. I wiped them away with my thumbs. "Alright?" I said gently.

"Alright." She said this so softly, I could barely hear her. I hugged her close to me and kissed her forehead again. I then picked her up like she was a baby and carried her back to the blankets.



It took Anjanique a long time to calm back down. She sat there in my arms so still and so silent, at times I didn't even know she was awake. Forty five minutes after the initial freak out I leaned over to her and quietly whispered in her ear. "You okay now? We really should be getting back to the palace."

"Yeah. I'm fine." She said this quietly, and I almost didn't hear. She sat up from laying in my lap for the last little while and looked at me. She looked a lot better then she had before. "Just one thing before we go back."

"What?"

"Kiss me again." I smiled I never thought I would hear Anjanique say that. Of course I would comply.
I placed my hand on the side of her face so my fingers were lightly twisted in her hair. I then gently pulled her head towards mine and she tipped her head to the side. Our lips met and she parted her lips just a little. Just enough to make us both go nuts.

Once we had finished kissing we both quickly ate a piece of bread and cheese and packed up all of the blankets and everything else.

I doused the fire while she took the horse to the pond to get a drink. When she came back the fire was gone and I helped her up onto the horse and then quickly swung up in front of her. She wrapped her arms around me and laid her head on my back.

When we got to the gate the same stable hand that had been there the night before opened the gate and took the horse from us. I slid off and then helped Anne off. "Not a soul remember?"

"Of course not sir," the stable hand said with a small bow. "Don't forget a match," he said handing me a match so I could light the candle in the passage.

I took the match and then took Anne's hand and we ran off toward the passage door. When we got to the door I kissed her forehead and then lightly kissed her lips and opened the door to passage. I lit the candle and then pulled her in with me.

We fallowed the same passage back to her room as we had followed away from it. Right before we got to the door behind the tapestry we both pulled off our boots and I kissed her one more time.

I moved the tapestry back to check that no one was in the hall, and when there was no one I signaled for her to come out. She blew out the candle and we were totally silent as we ran barefoot down the hall to her room.

Standing outside her room, she hugged me quickly and whispered, "Thank you," in my ear before slipping into her room.

Best night of my life. I think so.