Heart Over Sword

"How would I repay you?" Evanna whispered as she watched Arawn smile wickedly and his eyes gleaming mischievously. 

The prince turned on his heel abruptly and spoke over his shoulder, "Follow me."

Evanna could only follow him as he led the way back to the palace doors. She turned her head when she walked past Anwel, relief was apparent on his face, but he quickly looked down at the ground. Evanna clenched her teeth together as she remembered Arawn's odd behaviour regarding Cedric and Anwel's polite manners towards her. For a brief moment, Evanna didn't feel like the prisoner she was; and she wouldn't lie to herself either. She had fun sword fighting with Cedric.

In that moment of time, Evanna forgot about all her troubles with the prince, her imprisonment, her mother's health and her friend's escaping the Flori. All she had to do was concentrate on the fight at hand. Now in a matter of minutes, Cedric had been dismissed, and Anwel nearly whipped and starved for three days. The prince did not say Evanna would have the same punishment, but it didn't mean that she wasn't worried.

That worry only grew as the deafening silence grew between them. Evanna was still behind him, walking through the hallways; she kept her gaze in between his shoulders and focusing on his perfectly straight hair. But her concerns disintegrated when she saw the familiar walls and archways leading to the stairs and past his room. Evanna sighed in relief, not realising she was holding her breath in anticipation.

The prince swore to her that he would not sexually assault her, but she couldn't help but think that way when he said nothing and led her towards his room. Now, she was entering through some double doors into one of his many chambers, as customary of a prince in a palace. Yet, her eyes widened once more from the beauty of the elves interior design and architecture.

The room was beautiful with the usual open ceiling but with many open windows, letting a dazzling light of golden rays kiss her skin. Her eyes scanned the room, taking in the artwork, the marble flooring and brown leather love seats along with coffee tables; the only dark colouring in the room. The chamber itself was fit for a small gathering of up to twenty people, but she knew there must be much larger rooms to accommodate his guests. 

Without uttering a word, Evanna walked past Arawn and to the windows, immediately forgetting why she was there. She leaned her hands against the ledge and sighed at the view. These views were angled of the forest more, but she could see some of the elven villages and towns nearby also.

While she stared outside, listening to the birds, watching the skies and the ant-sized people in the distance. Arawn took the time to watch her. His eyes roamed her face, and the excitement lighting up her stunning features. He knew Evanna was absorbed in the scenery and the mundane life she could see from the towns.

The prince's lips curved into a small smile; he was pleased in making the decision to bring her to the privacy of his chambers, otherwise his men, the servants and nobles would see him smile, and he did not wish them to think he was capable of such a thing. He liked the rumours surrounding him; it kept his people in line without him needing to do much. Fear was a helpful tool, especially when one ruled over a kingdom. But he made sure that he nor the king wasn't too feared. There was just enough set in their minds to keep his people from acting stupidly.

His father, the king, was in charge, but he had been overcome with grief for the last 200 years since his mother's passing. Arawn was the one to help pick him up and happily let his father's chilling ways rule over him and the people. They still adored the king and prince, that much he knew from the many times he snuck out and posed as a commoner working for the prince, so he could listen to his people's needs. 

They were strict and heartless, and their punishments could be cruel, but their people never suffered. Only the criminals and those who defied them did, and for that, the people stayed loyal to the crown.

His gaze refocused on Evanna, and he let his lips drop back to a line as his eyes became frosty and calculative once more. Arawn couldn't believe such things made her excited. He wondered about the reasoning behind her reactions. Of course, there was the fact that she was not from Direwood, and his kingdom was a beautiful sight to see compared to that of Dunhurst. Although he had only been a few times, that was many, many years ago.

The prince walked to Evanna's side, startling her out of her reverie. She placed her hand on her chest and felt her heart hammering wildly from Arawn's sudden appearance. Her eyes were wide with surprise; she had no idea he was so close, and now that she looked at his cooling gaze, she was reminded of the punishment awaiting her. A sentence he was yet to tell her.

Evanna pulled back from the ledge as she felt Arawn's piercing blue eyes on her. She inhaled sharply as he placed one hand on the wall behind her head to block her from moving further away from him. With the little space they had between them, she created more by leaning her back into the wall as much as possible. She raised her chin up to meet his gaze, not even flinching when she felt his hand lightly touch the side of her face and remove a strand of her hair away from her eyes and placing it behind her ear.

"Do you remember why we are here, Evanna?" He asked quietly.

Evanna swallowed, feeling her throat dry and her hands clinging on to the wall, becoming clammy. Yet, her voice was strong, "Because I interfered in a punishment you handed out to a guard."

"And.." He drawled. His gaze slowly roamed her face as he tilted his head to the side, waiting for her response.

"To collect your payment.." She mumbled and felt her cheeks heat by her insinuating thoughts. But she could not help it; Arawn was in her personal space unless he was using it as a tactic? Her eyes narrowed subtly at him, an action he, of course, noticed, causing one side of his lips to curl up, and his eyes flicker with amusement.

Arawn leaned forward, causing Evanna to tilt her head back as he brought his lips to the side of her ear, his breath tickling her and sending a wave of ice-cold shivers down her spine to the tips of her toes. "Exactly. Now, what I am going to ask you to do may be very difficult for you, Evanna," He whispered almost too quietly, but she wasn't thinking about his words.

All she felt right then was the brushing of his lips against her skin. She gasped at his touch, the coolness of his lips that incited a warm feeling spreading across her skin along with a foreign sensation.

Evanna licked her lips and forced herself to breathe out before her voice trembled, not with fear of him but by the fire flickering across her body from his single touch and close proximity, "What is my punishment?" Her eyes were set on the room behind Arawn, trying to focus on something other than this confusing prince.

Arawn chuckled and pulled back, so his sculpted features were once more in her view. Then, with one hand still leaning against the wall, he brought his other one up and caressed her lips with his thumb, startling her and making her tense by his touch. Arawn's brows drew together, and she saw a flicker of hurt flash behind his eyes before they hardened once more.

The muscle in his jaw ticked, and he pulled back, creating some much-needed space for Evanna. He scoffed and looked out the window by her side. She took that moment to analyse his features and the emotions flickering on his face. It seemed he was at war with himself. Evanna could not help but stare.

He was a man made of stone but something that just happened between them now, something that she couldn't quite understand, made his icy façade shatter, if only for a little while. And for that singular moment, Evanna saw a normal man, a very strikingly handsome man, but one not surrounded by darkness or ice. Then, however, his eyes snapped back to hers, and his mask of composure slid back on as a smirk crawled up his face.

"I want you to kiss my boots."