Fantasy The Capital

[Bellz]

Eva was not expecting that. I love you. Sure he had said it to her a few times before, but it was nothing like what he just said to her. This time, there was something different. Something deeper than him just loving her as a friend. Her heart skipped a beat and she was for once...at a loss of words. "Thomas...." She murmured softly, looking at their hands intertwined.

Did she feel the same way? Yes. But could they entertain the thought of taking this any further than just being friends? It was hard to. Like he just said, his parents would never approve of her being with Thomas. They hated her already, thinking that she was some sort of wench who slept around with just about anyone. Then there was the rest of the world. Who was just as harsh as his parents. They would ask what he sees in her, rumors might be spread to explain why he even loves her....Could she handle that?

Her eyes looked back up at his face. "I love you too." She said after a few moments of silence...and a small smile formed on her face. Hesitantly, she scooted towards him and lifted his arm up so that it wrapped behind her back. She then rested her head on his chest and sighed softly. "You know what people are going to say yes?" She asked softly.

 

[Alexander Time]

Thomas held his breath as Eva slid closer to him, and let out a silent sigh as she laid her head on his chest. His heart had to be working in overdrive. He gave a silent chuckle at her question. "Yeah," He whispered. "The same thing they've been saying for at least two years now." He looked at her. "The difference is, we won't be suffering the insults for nothing anymore." Thomas clenched his jaw. Day after day, week after week, he and Eva had suffered humiliation for being in a relationship that hadn't existed. Thomas had denied himself his thoughts and feelings for this reason.

Looking Eva in the eyes, Thomas wondered why he ever had. He'd never chased anyone else, wanted anyone else. "I'm sorry it took so long" He said, a laugh escaping from his lips. It occurred to him he might be a little less than sober, though that only served to enhance how he felt.

Pulling Eva closer against him, careful not to aggravate her injury, Thomas grabbed the nearest blanket and yanked it over the two of them. "Don't tell my parents," He chuckled. He had an odd sense of humor when he was drunk. "and I won't tell yours." Settling into her warmth, he sighed and closed his eyes. He was happy to enjoy the moment. It was one he had desired for a long time.

 

[Bellz]

Eva chuckled softly at his answer and knew this to be true. Everyone the had come across automatically assumed that they were a couple. It was hard to see it any other way, she supposed. With them always spending time together and constantly talking about one another...she could definitely see where people think they are in love. Which...they were now. Sort of. Nothing felt different...yet.

She was sure once they started exploring the relationship, things would change. Her heart raced just thinking about it. She definitely didn't ever think this would be a possibility and now that it was and it was out in the open. She felt relief. Eva smiled and gave him a teasing look, "Were you going to make me wait forever?" She teased softly and snuggled into his chest with a sigh.

"I promise." She murmured softly. He was different when drunk. His sense of humor especially. Smiling, she watched as he closed his eyes and she did the same after a moment. "Goodnight." She whispered softly before letting herself fall into a deep sleep.

 

[Alexander Time]

It was nearly eleven before Thomas awoke the next morning, and was pleasantly surprised to find the events of the night before had not been a dream. His mind quickly traveled to the prospect of a confrontation with his parents however, and he sighed. It was odd they hadn't burst into the room already though, that was their usual routine. Getting up, Thomas slowly pulled his arm out from under Eva, trying and failing not to wake her up. "Good morning." He said, grinning. "Don't look." He walked over to his wardrobe on the other side of the bed and stripped off his night shirt, before opening it and finding what looked the most comfortable shirt and slipping it over his head.

"I'm going to grab us some breakfast from downstairs alright?" Thomas said, adjusting his collar and sleeve buttons. "Try and take those bandages off if you can. Those herbs will probably have worn off by now so be careful, it'll hurt." Turning around to give Eva a smile, he slipped out the door and headed for the kitchen. The morning was oddly quiet, and entering the kitchen, he saw it occupied by no-one, save the serving girl from last night. "Do you know where my parents are?" The girl looked up from mopping and nodded. "Yes sir, I believe they were called to the palace." Thomas furrowed his brow in confusion. It was not common that anyone be called to the palace, nobility or not.

Rummaging through the pantry, Thomas came across eggs and bread. Perfect. He thought. Fifteen minutes later he was walking up the stairs back to his room, eggs and toast in tow. Opening the door, he came in talking. "Apparently my parents were called to the palace this morning." He was feeling a bit paranoid over this, remembering his 'meeting' with the patrol the day before.

 

[Bellz]

Eva had woken up when she felt movement from under neither her. Snapping her eyes open quickly she blinked a few times in confusion, noticing that she was definitely not in her own room. Thomas spoke as he got out of the bed, pulling her back into reality. Smiling happily, Eva's cheeks turned a soft pink as she turned away from him. "Good morning," She murmured, giving him the privacy that he needed before turning to see him once he was finished.

She admired him from the bed and tried to bite back a smile. It quickly went away however as she tried to turn onto her back in the bed. The pain was not as terrible as yesterday, which was oddly surprising. But it still was very sore. Biting her lip she nodded softly, watching as he walked out the door and headed to the kitchen. She quickly removed the night shirt and started to peel away at the bandages.

She tried to do it as slowly as possible, not wanting to further irritate the wound. After a few minutes of wincing and cursing, she finally got the bandages off. Sighing, she took a look at the wound, surprised that it was actually looking a lot better than yesterday. Infection didn't seem to be setting in like she thought it would and the pain was more or less bearable.

She quickly moved to pull the night shirt back on, but tied it just below her chest so that the fabric didn't cover the wound. "The Palace?" She asked, her tone was less than animated about the palace. "What ever for?"

 

[Alexander Time]

Thomas nodded, setting the plates evenly on the bed. "I'm not sure, but it's not often anyone is called up to the palace, so I'm feeling paranoid." He reached down under the bed and pulled out his medical kit. Opening it, he rummaged through before taking a large cotton ball, several bandages, and a tonic meant to protect the skin. "We'll need to go to the market soon, this is the last of my bandages." Looking up at Eva, he smiled. She looked beautiful, if a bit disheveled, in the morning light. Thomas moved to side of the bed where Eva was sitting, medical supplies in hand, and kneeled to examine her wound.

Placing one hand lightly on her bare back and the other on her side, Thomas ran his thumb softly across the wound. He was astonished at the difference between the way it looked now, and less than twenty-four hours ago. "How-" He looked looked up at Eva. "How much does that hurt? It's healing up much faster than I thought it would." He was visibly amazed, though he also felt somewhat confused. "It doesn't look terrible, you could probably wash up if you'd like." He gave a sly smiled and laughed. "We can do bandages after."

Remembering the plates sitting on the bed, Thomas stood up and reached over to grab them. Handing one to Eva, he sat gently beside her. "But first, breakfast, before it gets cold." He was slow to eat his own, his thoughts occupied by the events of the night before. It had been bliss just holding her, but he feared the derision of his parents towards her. He knew Eva was tough, but his parents could wear anyone down if they tried hard enough. Reaching for her hand, Thomas wrapped his fingers around hers. "I hope you're not too worried about my parents." He said softly, "About what they think, I mean. I love them, but I'm not like them. I hope you don't hate them too much."

 

[Bellz]

Eva watched as he set the plates down and made his way to the medical kit in the room. He pulled out bandages as he talked and she nodded along lightly. "I'm sure whatever it is...it has nothing to do with what happened yesterday.." She murmured to him, trying to put his worries at ease. She blushed slightly as he smiled up at her, noticed that he was staring a bit longer than necessary.

He moved to her side and placed his hands on her exposed skin. She shivered slightly, his hands were a bit cold. Running his thumb across the wound, she took in his facial expression as he examined it. "Not as terrible as yesterday, but definitely sore." She responded as she watched his eyes light up with amazement. Eva was excited that she would be able to wash up today, but the sly smile he gave her made her blush and think twice.

She narrowed her eyes playfully before rolling them. Eva took the plate from him and looked at the food hungrily. "Thank you." She mumbled as she took a bite of toast, humming happily at the taste of it. Her humming stopped though, as soon as he took her hand. She slowed her chewing before looking at Thomas, tilting her head to the side in intrigue. Her expression softened slightly and she finished chewing her food before swallowing. "I don't hate them. Its understandable really, my parents are the same way. But I don't care what they think....I only care what you think." She responded thoughtfully before taking another bite of food.

 

[Alexander Time]

Thomas smiled at her response. "Well, I think," He said, giving her hand a quick squeeze "that you're perfect." And with that, he stood up, placing his plate on the bedside table. "We'd better get ready to go, it's almost noon and your parents are probably worried sick." It wasn't the first time Eva had spent a night away from home, but it was the first time they hadn't checked in. "Your mom's probably going to try to beat me to death with the broom for this." He stepped over to the wardrobe and pulled it open, shifting through, he pulled out a long, dark blue cloak.

Moving to Eva's side, Thomas placed the cloak gently on her shoulders. "This'll keep you covered until we can get you some new clothes, I doubt your parents will appreciate you in my clothes as much as I do." The words slipped out before Thomas could stop himself, and he glanced quickly away, face red. One night was apparently all it took for him to start saying things like that. He looked back at Eva and raked his hand through his hair. "Sorry." He said, a nervous laugh escaping his lips. His face was definitely still red.

Walking to the other side of the bed, Thomas quickly cleaned up his medical kit and slid it back into its place under the bed, leaving the bandages out. They'd need them for later. Taking the wine and glasses, he placed them into his cupboard for safekeeping. After a few minutes, everything was finally back in order, and he leaned back against the wall for a moment of rest. He was still feeling sore from the day before.

 

[Bellz]

Blushing deeply, Eva smiled happily before nodding nervously. She definitely knew that her parents were worried sick. They were going to definitely talk to both of them. Biting her lip, she stood up slowly and stretched out her sore limbs. Taking the dark blue cloak in her hands. She observed the beautiful fabric before looking at it disappointedly. She definitely couldn't wear this, it was expensive. She could tell by the small gold thread embroidery that she saw on the edges of the blue material.

"Thomas.." She murmured, holding it somewhat awkwardly in her hand. She watched as he quickly tidied up and for a moment, she couldn't help but admire his obsessive tidiness. Whether it was just out of habit or it had been conditioned in him, he was adorable while he did it. Looking around the room, she noticed how out of place she felt here.

"I can't wear this." Eva weakly said before having to sit back down on the bed for a moment, feeling slightly dizzy. "Its too nice...and I will definitely ruin it." She murmured. Of course she knew how to take care of expensive clothing, but she meant that she would ruin it just by wearing it, tainting it with her lower class.

 

[Alexander Time]

Thomas raised an eyebrow at Eva's comment. She'd always seemed to be uncomfortable whenever the two of them spent time at Thomas' home, though he was never sure exactly why. Stepping in front of her, Thomas took her hands in his own. "Don't worry," He said, looking in her eyes. "you won't ruin it. If anything, you'll make it better. Besides, better it sit on your shoulders than on the shoulders of some arrogant nobleman." He gave a light laugh. His inner thoughts weren't quite as light however, and he felt frustrated. He hated the system that made her feel lesser, and he felt disappointed as well that she would allow it to.

"If you're serious about that," Thomas moved towards the wardrobe. "I think I have a plain grey cloak hidden somewhere in here. I usually use it for protection against the rain, but I think you'll get a little more use out of it than I would." Shuffling through, he found it sitting neatly atop a small stack of books he'd hidden away. Elven tales and legends, illustrations of their architecture and culture. His parents didn't like him studying them, so he was forced to keep it hidden.

Placing the cloak on the bed beside Eva, Thomas grabbed her satchel and threw it over his shoulder, placing the bandages inside it along with the book, her knife, and the flask. Looking back at her, it took him a moment to notice she appeared a bit dizzy. Gently placing his hand on her arm, he gave her a small smile. "I can help support you if you need it. Your blood levels should be back to normal but your body still needs time to heal." Glancing at the two cloaks sitting beside her, he stood up. "Choose whichever you want, and we'll head out." He was fairly certain her parents were going to kill him, but he was steadily becoming more suspicious of why his parents had been called to the palace, despite what Eva had said. He didn't want to be around when they got back.

 

[Bellz]

Eva smiled softly and looked down at her hands in his. Red tinted her cheeks, it was embarrassing to reveal such insecurities. She was Evangeline, the girl who could never hold her own tongue, and was confident that she could take on anyone and anything. But here she was, thinking that she could taint the beautiful fabric that sat beside her. Her hands slipped out of his as he stood and walked over to his wardrobe. Watching as he shuffled for a moment, he brought back a plain cloak, that looked less expensive.

Her expression softened as he gave her the option of the two, it wasn't every day that someone was this kind to her. As tough as she was, Eva let people walk over her because of her status. If she were to retaliate, she would be punished severely for it, and no one would be able to help her, not even Thomas. His hand was placed on her arm as he steadied her and she gave a shaky laugh. "You know me so well." She murmured to him and smiled softly. She was too stubborn to ask for help, but when he offered it, he knew she would't refuse.

She grabbed the grey cloak and slow put it on before grabbing his shoulder to steady herself. Wincing slightly, she huffed at the weakness she felt in her body. "Let's go." She murmured before moving with him towards the door and down the stairs. She certainly didn't want to be here when his parents arrived, they would have a field day insulting her, and she just wasn't up to listen.

 

[Bellz]

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