Heart Over Sword
Chapter 185: What now?

Chapter 185: What now?

All her thoughts came crashing into her mind, even through this magical atmosphere and an Ice Prince holding her against him. They kissed, they were ’enemies’, there was still the price of her crimes to pay for, and the gem was in Lyvaria.

"*What now?*" Evanna breathed. Arawn searched her gaze and must have read something on her face for his softened eyes to slowly harden. He loosened his grip on her, watching her carefully until he was confident she would not fall; then, his hands went over hers on his chest.

"*It is simple. We get the gem and save your mother. Where is it?*" He asked confidently as though he already knew she had a plan. Of course, he did; the Prince seemed to know her quite well.

"*I am to go to Lyvaria next,*" Evanna replied quietly and watched as his lips twisted in apparent displeasure. "*But what I meant was...*" She swallowed as her nerves began to show. "*What should we do now? We can pretend all we like right now that I am not a Princess of Dunhurst and you the Prince of the Flori, but we are, and I have caused great offence to your kingdom..*"

Evanna trailed off at seeing the glint behind Arawn’s eyes and the growing smile on his already too handsome features. What was he planning? "*It is true, my father will not be too kind to hear that you are a Princess of Dunhurst, but maybe the gem could be a wedding gift?*"

Evanna stopped breathing as she stared back at Arawn. "*Be mine, Evanna. Marry me.*" She searched his face, waiting for a smirk or amusement behind those dazzling eyes, but there was none.

He was dead serious.

The Princess swayed on her feet but forced herself to breathe again as one of Arawn’s hands freed itself and wrapped around her waist again. "*I know I should have waited until after marriage, but I have only just stopped feeling the warmth of your touch on my lips, Arawn,*" she said, aghast with her cheeks brightening into a rosy hue.

Arawn chuckled and leaned his head into the crook of her neck, making her heartrate spike, her breathing troublesome, and she knew he could feel her pulse. "*It solves our problems, does it not?*" He peeked up at her, and she shivered when his lips brushed against her neck; those shivers turned into goosebumps as they followed his mouth, trailing kisses up her neck.

Evanna sighed at the enchanting new sensation and soon found herself staring back at Arawn, who was inches from her lips again. "*It would unite our kingdoms once and for all,*" He whispered, and the Princess let out a dry chuckle as her heart sank.

"*Yes, an alliance..*" She pulled back, her body suddenly feeling cold.

Most would feel flattered by two different proposals in the space of 24 hours. But Evanna was not jumping for joy like most; no, that was because she was a Princess and her marriage was her duty to her kingdom. She would not complain, though; it was her fault in the first place. That didn’t mean she wasn’t sad by Arawn’s reasoning, though; she hoped there would be something a bit more between them.

"*Evanna.*" Arawn’s hand gently gripped her chin and turned her to face him. "*I did not mean for it to sound so cold. Please do not look so sad.. I wanted to ease your worries first and foremost. You must know, though, I would not propose to just anyone and only to stop a war..*" He crashed his lips against hers, almost bruising her, but instead of pain, she felt her heart becoming lighter and her stomach doing backflips. The Prince pulled back and stared at her, capturing her in that piercing gaze again.

"*Evanna, from the moment I met you, I have found myself utterly captivated and ensnared by you. These are not just empty words; feel my heart..*" He moved her hand across his chest above the rapid beating of his heart. "*It races only for you. At some point, you started to melt this icy heart of mine, and by the time I realised, you had already left your mark...*"

Arawn raised her free hand to his lips, kissing the inked wrist before holding her palm against his cheek as he gazed upon her like she was the most enchanting woman he’d ever seen. "*Be my wife,*" he whispered. "*If you feel how I feel, then say yes.*"

A shiver rippled through her being, but she was far from cold; instead, a fiery heat coursed across her body as she stared back at the Prince in wonder. She could still feel his beating heart beneath her hand, and it raced and even seemed to beat quicker the longer he waited for her answer. Arawn didn’t look nervous; he still looked confident even as his heart thudded wildly in his chest.

Evanna released her breath as a breathtaking smile spread across her lips, and a blush warmed her cheeks. "I-"

A loud thud behind them made Evanna pause and turn her head after feeling that familiar shiver run down her back, alerting her to danger.

Moment ruined.

"We’re not alone," she whispered while moving her hand and body away as she started to reach for one of her swords. The ground began to shake as soon as the words left her lips.

"*We need to go. NOW,*" Arawn commanded, grabbing her free arm. Evanna looked back at him, then to the distance where the butterflies were already flying away from the disturbance in the surrounding shadows.

Evanna wanted to see what was making the ground shake, but her question was answered before she could ask it aloud. The soles of her feet went suddenly numb, and she shivered at the danger. Something was below them. Just as she thought that, the Prince and Princess looked down to see a skeletal hand burst through the ground, not once, twice, but thrice and there were others, not just human hands but animals too.

"What.." Evanna trailed off, for once fear rooting her legs to the tree, they stood on. Her gaze wandered along the sea of upturned dirt and to the long-forgotten fallen dead that seemed to be coming back to life.

She had seen her fair share of monsters in the forest, but this... this was something else entirely. How did you kill something that was just bones? Something that was already dead?

"Time to go!" Arawn shouted, swiping his hand to the side in a lithe action. High icy walls formed in front of the skeletal bodies crawling out of the ground, but before the Princess could admire the Prince’s work, he was already pulling her along behind him.

At first, Evanna stumbled a few times as her mind raced at what was happening, but the strength and warmth coming from Arawn’s hand kept her upright. They’d already jumped down from the tree and sprinted through the pitch-black forest and getting further away from the camp. But as they rushed through the bushes, Evanna halted at the sudden realisation hitting her.

How could she even forget him?

"Ronan.. Roach! We must-" Evanna whisper-shouted. Her eyes were wide in panic as she pulled away from Arawn.

"My men will take him," Arawn growled, tightening his grip on her and beginning to lead her away again. Evanna was more reluctant as she looked behind her, staring into the unknown and the possible skeletons that could come for them.

"You know.. I feel like I was interrupting something quite important then.."

Arawn stopped on the spot, and Evanna almost ran into his back, but she planted her feet in time. The Princess didn’t need to round Arawn’s shoulder to already know whose voice that belonged to. But what she didn’t expect, so foolishly, was the four small rotting bodies behind him.

Of course, he was the reason for the dead rising from the grounds.

"Conrad."

This chapter is updated by freew(e)bnovel.(c)om