35
They stared at each other as if time had ceased to exist. A water droplet running down the side of Tarquin's pale face was the only indication the sands of time were still cascading down the hourglass. After an obvious intake of breath Jza dropped her gaze to her sodden boots. She could not win against the power of the man's eyes.
There was a sudden tremor of fear that agitated her heart. It was perhaps her own bold behaviour just moments ago but, no, it was another entity completely. She did not regret the decision but instead felt herself lacking the virtues he insisted he could see in her. What if she stumbled over an important matter in the future and the statue of perfection broke to tiny unmendable pieces.
"Am I dreaming? Is it you that stands before me or will you melt into the atmosphere like a figment of my imagination," Tarquin's voice of hushed awe brought her back to the present.
"You just touched me. Is that not proof enough?" Jza asked quietly. She paused the gnawing of her own lip when she found the taste of his mouth still lingered.
"Maybe my mind is addled beyond repair. Maybe I died at the castle and mother is right, that we are on the blessed plane. But I doubt the deity would give me everything I ever wanted in the afterlife."
Jza took his damp hand in hers and brought Tarquin closer with a light tug. He complied without any resistance, letting her lead him towards her.
"Does this feel real?" She asked bringing their joined hands upwards. His fingers skimmed over her hand before delicately touching it to his slightly rough cheek. He then pressed her smaller hand against his lips and gave it a sweet kiss. Jza could feel his smile against the back of her hand. She couldn't help but smile in return.
"You often dreamt about me? Is this the cause for confusion?" The Princess blurted out before she could stop herself.
"Perhaps. Although it was more nightmare than a pleasant dream," The Lord answered with unexpected gravitas. He did not let go of her hand.
"My dream self was judgemental, wasn't she?" Jza quipped half-heartedly.
"Quite. Although the dreams ceased in frequency when I slept in the same room as you. I had expected the opposite."
"Do tell me you never watched me sleep. I would rescind my offer right here if you even hint of such tomfoolery," Jza asked a presiding question in her mind. After knowing the depth of his emotions she had begun to recall many of their interactions differently.
"Never. I could not inflict myself such torture. Why would one stare at something one could never have. I had thought you would be easy to seduce early on but I was wrong. Nothing I did made you remove the distance," Tarquin replied truthfully.
"And here you have me," The Princess gave an awkward sort of body gesture that seemed to give Tarquin much amusement.
"You changed your mind faster than I thought you would. I thought you have pity on me when I had one foot in the grave."
"I fought with myself for far longer than you think. If you've set me as some paragon virtue than cease that at once. I deserve no such platitudes. I never thought you were ugly," Jza explained hoping he understood she was just human.
"Yes, that explains all the staring," Tarquin teased.
"I am not the pervert you are so intent on making me," Jza blurted and removed her hand from his swiftly.
"You did proposition me while I am undressed," The Lord unconsciously took a stance that flattered his physique. The corded band of muscle was highlighted by the faint light coming from the windows.
"Get dressed then," Jza ordered redundently since he already had his attention on a rucksack hidden beneath a haystack. The man rummaged through it's sparse contents for dry clothing.
She turned away in a hurry. Knowing him he would start stripping while in her presence, not caring for her sensibilities, although now she wondered if this was one way he tried to seduce her. And besides who was she to censure him when she had all but attacked him with her lips moments ago. Maybe he thought she wanted to watch she thought with her face heating up.
"Why is Hyacinth such a dragon?" Tarquin's voice was muffled as he pulled his shirt over his head or so she imagined. The implications of the further slaps of wet material against flesh made her nervous. The infuriating man was taking off his trousers while she was in the room.
"She's always been like that. She never cared for having responsibility of a bastard child thrust upon her and made sure the entire world knew it," Jza fidgeted, trying to sound uncaring.
"They did not know of your father? They would not have dared to mistreat you if they were aware."
"My uncle never believed my mother. She told him about the young prince she met while he was hunting but they never knew if she was being truthful or not," Jza sat down next to the troughs and after carefully pulling off her boots started wetting the ruined ends of her dress, "He married her in a temple right at end of the town. I shall have to check the papers once I get a hand on them if it belongs to me or the neighbors."
"Your father never came back?" Tarquin asked, disapproval faintly lacing his voice.
"My uncle sent my mother away out of shame after she started showing signs of my existence. My father was trapped in the castle once his mother found out about his indiscretion. He was not let out until he became King. He sent servants to ask about her but no one but my uncle knew where he sent her. Father never could say my mother's name right. Perhaps that was his biggest impediment," Jza gave a bitter smile.
"Royal romances are often unnecessarily tragic. He should have tried harder. Fate is what you choose it to be not what drags you in like water," The amber eyed man was quietly furious at her father's weaknesses. Jza too had thought what would have happened had her father more of a backbone as a young man. Perhaps he would have fought harder if he had known he was going to be a father.
"Is that what you thought your fate would be? A Royal romance gone sour," Jza turned around and found Tarquin decent. He was looking into a piece of gagged edged mirror combing down his wet hair with his fingers. How the mighty had fallen just for love.
"Perhaps. I did not have hope you would relent..even now..." Tarquin placed the mirror away with an uncharacteristic fumble.
"Like I said I have thought about you for more days then I can count. My reasons for saying yes or no changed every day. Believe me when I say it was not as flippant as you imagine although today I did act most brazenly," Jza confided in him.
"I like it when you act impulsively," Tarquin gave her the most wretched grin she had ever seen although it dampened with his next words, "I can guess your father's acceptance was the biggest factor."
"No, not at all. It's the fact that you're willing to sit with me and help a heifer give birth. You could have captured me again and stole me back to your land but here you sit in my humble little farm waiting for me to say yes. I understand the honour bestowed upon me," The Princess finished her ablutions and put her boots back in place.
"I do not want to talk about honour. I wish to know what is in your heart," Tarquin aborted a step towards his goal.
"My heart is an open book but I do not let anyone in freely," Jza answered as truthfully as she could for she was still sorting through the thoughts in her head. She paused before asking a question that had been needling her, "I may be a Princess but at heart just a farm girl. Is that the life you want? Do you not want to be the master of your palace back home. Will you resent me for trapping you here?"
The brown haired girl implored more with her eyes than her words.
"I do want to see you covered in gold and silver but if you wish it I shall follow you to the ends of the earth. As a matter of fact let's find that farm boy and send him to Hyacinth. Then you show me your little kingdom. I will be honoured," Tarquin gave her his hand which she took without reservation. The days when she feared his touch were long gone.
"It is not sun up," Jza answered, "Not much to show in the dark."
"So transfixed by the sight of my unclothed body you've lost track of time?" Tarquin only half joked as he gestured to the rays of light entering the barn's window.
"I may be more like my sisters than I thought. Perhaps I lost my mind over your countenance," Jza replied feeling bold all over again, "Come on. Let us head out."
The couple opened the rusty barn door together and stumbled out into the courtyard. Outside slept the stable boy leaning against the well's stone wall. Jza felt pity but decided it would not do to leave the cow and Hyacinth without support. The girl tried to tap him awake but when that proved ineffective Tarquin gave the boy a short slap behind his head. The stable boy gasped awake.
"The deed is done. Hyacinth's waiting inside. Make yourself useful," Jza ordered and watched the boy stumble into the barn from the other entrance where the cow lay.
"What do you want to see?" She asked turning to her companion.
"Everything," Tarquin said with a brief look around the courtyard.
"You've seen the forest behind the barn and the orchards in the front. There is some land beyond the dry river that you might be interested in. The temple my parents got married in is situated there," Jza explained gesturing at all ends of her domain. She UT began to walk towards the left rambling about the history of the place while Tarquin followed behind silently.
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Jza pulled up her skirts just enough to soak up her aching feet. They sat on the stream that meandered into the dry river from the opposite end of the bank. If they looked closely they could see the smoke puffing upwards from the farm's workings.
Tarquin suddenly burst out laughing from beside her. Jza was mesmerized by the rare sight.
"What?" She asked in a huff wondering if she had done something to entertain him.
"Ankles! I cannot believe I'm affected by a pair of ankles!" The man answered giving her an affectionate look which pleased Jza to no end. That feeling of being admired made her heart soar above the clouds dotting the sky.
"What do you mean? You must have viewed them so many times," The Princess answered while shoving her skirts down letting them soak up in the fresh water.
"Do you want me to tell you about how everything affects me? The way you laugh, the way you speak, the way you're pouting utterly offended by my words right now?"
"I am not pouting!" Was the girl's agitated reply.
"Very well, my bright sun," Tarquin uttered, mischief dripping from his expression. He let his hands into the cool water and took a sip.
"Is that what you used to say in your own language. Even then?" Jza asked shly.
"Of course. It was not as if I could express my true intentions without you scratching my face," The man answered with a shrug.
"You said I wasn't your type. I was relieved you could never want anything of that sort..." The brown eyed girl trailed off hoping he was not offended by her revelation.
"I distinctly remember telling you bruises weren't my preference. I relived that conversation often enough to remember it. I swallowed my instinct to rectify the situation afterwards. I just did not wish to frighten you," Tarquin explained showing how much thought he had given to their conversations.
"What would you have said instead?"
"It matters not. You would not have had me. You were afraid. Everyday when it was time to sleep I could see that fear in your eyes. I had no wish to be Ivan's image who enjoyed a woman's fright. His example should be shunned not followed," The Lord replied resolutely. Jza understood that his behaviour had less to do with his feelings for her and more to do with what he believed was right. Once again she was assured her decision was the correct one. He was not as morally deficient as her initial impression. She saw signs of his goodness everyday.
"I was cautious, yes, but I knew soon enough you were not going to force yourself upon me," Jza said, reassuring him she had deciphered his behaviour much earlier than he thought.
