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Chapter 29:- Moments
Amy was not anxious to climb into bed that night. She was feeling drained and heart sore. All of the work and focus on catching Silene had prevented her from seeing Robert very often. In fact, over the past few weeks, she had had no alone time with him and it was getting to her.
She sat on her bed holding the beautiful knot he had tied for her ages ago in the tunnels. Her fingers rotated the beads and traced the leather strips in the intricate pattern. Out the window, she saw the moon and tried to calculate what time it was. On a normal evening she would be asleep at this point, but tonight... no, sleep would not come. So she pulled her coat on and opened her door.
Much to her surprise, Robert was standing there with his hand in the air, posed to knock on her door. He smiled when he saw her, and Amy wanted to cry in relief.
"Robert," she sighed, wrapping her arms around his chest.
He hugged her back, pressing his face into her hair. "I missed you."
Amy turned her face up and allowed him to kiss her, enjoying the moment alone with him. He took her hand after the embrace was over, and they slipped through the hallways to the nave of the cathedral. Robert kissed her again before they sat on the stone steps near the empty space where an altar would have been.
"How's training?" He whispered, tucking a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.
"I think I have things under control. It was easier than I had thought it would be."
He nodded, "Yes, well, if this were all happening in the world we all came from, you would not have such freedom and opportunity. You would have to train at night, and travel in search for seclusion. You also would not have someone to teach you anything. That is what I went through when I first changed, and how it was always done before my father cursed us."
"It doesn't seem like such a curse anymore, Robert."
His thumb rubbed her knuckles with deliberation. "I know. Things would have been much worse back in my old life. But even though I know this is, in truth, so much better... I'm still so angry with him." He looked up at her, sadness adding lines to his dark eyes.
Amy reached over and smoothed the lines away with her fingers, and kissing his forehead. "I can't hate him. I could have at the beginning, if I'd known. But if he had never done this to us, I would never have met you. I might have changed and accidentally killed one of my brothers, or my father. I might have been locked away in some laboratory and never been free again. At least I don't need to hide here, and I have you."
Robert leaned on her shoulder, one hand resting near her jaw, almost hovering over her neck. He sighed, breathing the scent of her deep into his lungs. "Somehow, I will let go. I'll let this burden of hate fall away so I can live as freely as you do." He looked up at her, "And be worthy of you."
Sighing, Amy laid her hand on his. She smiled, "You'll let it go one day."
"Amy, I love you so much, but this hate for him feels like it's tainting what I feel. I can't wait for 'one day' to come. I need it to let go now, so I can give my heart unscathed to you."
Every word seemed to balloon inside her chest, in some secret cavity, and Amy wondered if Robert was being held back from such a feeling because of his father. She pinched her fingers together and pressed them to his chest, as if plucking some unseen thorn from his shirt. Flicking it away, she dusted her hand off and smiled at him.
"Bit by bit, it'll all go away. You'll forgive him, and be free of him. But for tonight, forget."
He sighed and nuzzled her neck. "Time for bed. If you are as advanced as you claim, Helen will have you out searching with us tomorrow. And that takes a lot of energy."
Taking her hands and pulling her to her feet, Robert escorted her back to her room and kissed her one last time before heading down the hall. He glanced over his shoulder as he faded into the darkness, smiling as he watched her, and was gone.
Amy was not anxious to climb into bed that night. She was feeling drained and heart sore. All of the work and focus on catching Silene had prevented her from seeing Robert very often. In fact, over the past few weeks, she had had no alone time with him and it was getting to her.
She sat on her bed holding the beautiful knot he had tied for her ages ago in the tunnels. Her fingers rotated the beads and traced the leather strips in the intricate pattern. Out the window, she saw the moon and tried to calculate what time it was. On a normal evening she would be asleep at this point, but tonight... no, sleep would not come. So she pulled her coat on and opened her door.
Much to her surprise, Robert was standing there with his hand in the air, posed to knock on her door. He smiled when he saw her, and Amy wanted to cry in relief.
"Robert," she sighed, wrapping her arms around his chest.
He hugged her back, pressing his face into her hair. "I missed you."
Amy turned her face up and allowed him to kiss her, enjoying the moment alone with him. He took her hand after the embrace was over, and they slipped through the hallways to the nave of the cathedral. Robert kissed her again before they sat on the stone steps near the empty space where an altar would have been.
"How's training?" He whispered, tucking a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.
"I think I have things under control. It was easier than I had thought it would be."
He nodded, "Yes, well, if this were all happening in the world we all came from, you would not have such freedom and opportunity. You would have to train at night, and travel in search for seclusion. You also would not have someone to teach you anything. That is what I went through when I first changed, and how it was always done before my father cursed us."
"It doesn't seem like such a curse anymore, Robert."
His thumb rubbed her knuckles with deliberation. "I know. Things would have been much worse back in my old life. But even though I know this is, in truth, so much better... I'm still so angry with him." He looked up at her, sadness adding lines to his dark eyes.
Amy reached over and smoothed the lines away with her fingers, and kissing his forehead. "I can't hate him. I could have at the beginning, if I'd known. But if he had never done this to us, I would never have met you. I might have changed and accidentally killed one of my brothers, or my father. I might have been locked away in some laboratory and never been free again. At least I don't need to hide here, and I have you."
Robert leaned on her shoulder, one hand resting near her jaw, almost hovering over her neck. He sighed, breathing the scent of her deep into his lungs. "Somehow, I will let go. I'll let this burden of hate fall away so I can live as freely as you do." He looked up at her, "And be worthy of you."
Sighing, Amy laid her hand on his. She smiled, "You'll let it go one day."
"Amy, I love you so much, but this hate for him feels like it's tainting what I feel. I can't wait for 'one day' to come. I need it to let go now, so I can give my heart unscathed to you."
Every word seemed to balloon inside her chest, in some secret cavity, and Amy wondered if Robert was being held back from such a feeling because of his father. She pinched her fingers together and pressed them to his chest, as if plucking some unseen thorn from his shirt. Flicking it away, she dusted her hand off and smiled at him.
"Bit by bit, it'll all go away. You'll forgive him, and be free of him. But for tonight, forget."
He sighed and nuzzled her neck. "Time for bed. If you are as advanced as you claim, Helen will have you out searching with us tomorrow. And that takes a lot of energy."
Taking her hands and pulling her to her feet, Robert escorted her back to her room and kissed her one last time before heading down the hall. He glanced over his shoulder as he faded into the darkness, smiling as he watched her, and was gone.
