Chương 101: Book 3; Chapter 100; Together at Last

"I am not afraid of you," Anniet finally said after calming down a little.

"I am afraid of the Black General, of the Shadow from the Sky, of the Dark Prince."

"Why?" Blake asked calmly.

"Because I don't know him," she replied. After a short silence, Blake spoke again.

"If you are afraid of names, then don't use them. They were given by people who have nothing to do with me and have neither met me nor spoken to me. And if you are afraid of the person, then I am that person, as I always have been and still am. Are you afraid of me right now?"" What a silly question," she thought. If anything, if she had to describe the safest place in the world, it would be right here, in this moment, in the arms of this very person.

"When I am on duty, I don't fall under some sort of spell," Blake continued "I do not lose my mind, I am not under some mysterious influence. My morals and standards don't change just because I am ordered to do something. I don't know how it is for others, but for me, it doesn't matter if I am on duty or not — if something is within what I think is right, I will act upon it; if not, I will not join it with my actions. The title of general was given to me; I didn't ask for it, and I do not treasure it.

It is true that while in service, my life belongs first to the King and kingdom, and only then to me, but that doesn't mean it changes who I am. The King can either have me as I am, or, if that is not good enough, he can let me go. All it means is that I have less time for myself, that I cannot be in the places I would want to be otherwise, but it doesn't mean that I become someone different and can return to myself only when off duty."

His words sounded a bit confusing at first, but the more he spoke, the more sense they made. How could she be so silly… Of course, he didn't change. She could feel her fears starting to drain away, as if their foundation had been removed and there was nothing left for them to hold on to.

"So what would happen if the King or someone else would say that I am not good enough for you?" Anniet asked.

"But that simply doesn't make any sense," Blake said, sounding a bit confused.

"What difference does it make to anyone what I do on my own time with my own life? If anyone would come and say that I am not good enough for you, would it really affect you that much?"

"No, it wouldn't," she thought aloud.

"It really doesn't make much sense when you put it that way…" Anniet felt so light and at ease now, as if some terrible inner battle she had been fighting forever had suddenly simply disappeared, as if it had never even existed. All she could feel was relaxation, relief, and extreme tiredness. All the worries floated away, taking the rest of her senses with them, and a pleasant darkness came over her. She didn't know how much time had passed before her consciousness started to come back.

The situation she found herself in was somehow very familiar. She was sitting on somebody's lap, cradled in a gentle embrace, with her head resting on that person's shoulder, and she could feel the warmth of his body, so unfamiliar and so nice. Before she realised where she was, a voice came from above her head.

"You really can sleep anywhere, at any time," Blake's voice was nothing but gentle, with a trace of laughter in it.

"I don't know if I should be impressed or worried." OMG! She really had just fallen asleep in his embrace again! How could she? What a shame! The thoughts started to creep over, shrinking her into a small ball filled with shame and self-blame." Stop," she said to herself at that very moment." No, I don't want to go there again. I have been there, I have seen how it feels, and I am simply not going back." Clarity started to come back to her mind." What was I thinking just now? Thank god I fell asleep.

If I hadn't, then I would have missed an opportunity to wake up in these arms!" And it was so good to be right here where she was. No, she wouldn't change it for anything in the world, and she definitely doesn't care if he already knows it. In fact, she hopes that he already knows, as it will spare her from saying it aloud.

"That's my girl," said Blake, landing a soft kiss on the top of her head. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. She smiled to herself and stayed like this for a bit longer before finally opening her eyes. Blake was sitting on the sofa in front of the fire, with one leg bent under him and her sitting on his lap. He must have carried her here. She remembered all that had happened before.

Thank god she had decided not to be ashamed of anything anymore in front of this man, because remembering what he had felt from her before wasn't anything to be proud of. She had come wanting to tell him that she loved him, and all that he could feel from her was nothing but fear. How extraordinary… She really wanted to learn a skill of reading feelings. She would really love to know what he was feeling right now.

"Hungry," came the answer to her thoughts, accompanied by laughter. She laughed back before slipping from his lap and curling up in a corner of the sofa. Blake stretched his arms and legs first and then stood up and walked towards the kitchen area to look through the cupboards. Anniet was watching him and thinking to herself — how long had she slept? Especially since she too actually felt very hungry.

"No good," Blake said after looking into a few cupboards and finally giving up.

"I wasn't planning to stay here, so I didn't bring anything useful with me. The shops are also closed, so we will have to improvise."

"How long did I sleep?" Anniet finally asked. When she came, it was still early evening.

"A while," Blake answered. Then he added in a serious voice, but with a sparkle in his eyes,"You really have to watch out. If all this mess with Rainee's and Angus's identities comes to light, people will get very suspicious of others too and will surely connect you in one way or another to the Sleeping Dragon."

"Okay, okay, I will watch out," Anniet laughed.

"But what will we do now?"

"I have an idea, but there are some complications."

"What idea, and how is it complicated?"

"There is another place where I stay sometimes, and I would like to show it to you, but it is not possible to get there on foot. I could possibly carry you, but that is where things get complicated. My dragon, as you know, is different from others. When I use it, I become a part of it."

"I know, I have seen it," Anniet answered.

"What is the complication? You cannot carry another person?"

"I could, but I don't have hands to carry anyone…" Blake answered after a bit of hesitation.

"Ren once even laughed at me, saying that for the purpose I have chosen for my life, my dragon is the most useless."

"How come?" Now Anniet was really curious.

"What did she say?"

"She said that if my purpose is to protect her at all times, how can I not have hands when I am flying? If one day she would be falling down from the sky, I wouldn't even be able to catch her. All I would be able to do is just help her crash-land in disgrace at the very best…"

"………….. She really said that? Oh gosh, she is really something," Anniet couldn't stop laughing after imagining that scene. Two top generals crash-landing on top of each other like pancakes.

"Later, I thought about it and how inconvenient it is, and tried to modify my dragon, but it wouldn't change in the slightest, so eventually I gave up."

"Could you carry me on your back?" Anniet asked.

"I could, but I could not hold you in any way."

"It is alright, I can hold on by myself."

"What if you fall asleep?" Blake asked, half joking.

"Ha ha ha. Let's do it." Anniet stood up, full of excitement at the thought of being in the air with him. What sleep was he talking about?! It was actually like a dream come true. Blake wasn't entirely convinced by it, but Anniet was so excited that she couldn't wait any longer.

"Come, come, let's do it," she urged him, climbing onto a chair so she could get on his shoulders easier. Fear was gone by now, and all that she could see in him again was the same man she had met all those months ago, just with extra abilities.

"Okay, but make sure you hold tight," said Blake, encouraged by her enthusiasm. He walked to the chair that Anniet was standing on and turned his back.

"If we crash-land, it is going to be not just painful and undignified, but we will also have to walk back." She pressed herself to his back and hugged his neck tightly, putting her cheek against his ear.

"You think too much. Don't worry, I will not let you go."

"Okay then, here we go." Blake opened the window and stepped out of it. There was a free fall for a second, then came the sound of large wings flapping, and they both shot up into the sky. Anniet cried out with excitement. It felt much better than she had ever imagined.

"I am glad you are not scared," Blake said, finally over his concerns. They glided above the empty streets of the Capital city. Blake made a big circle around Capital and over the palace too. Anniet was looking over his shoulder in amazement. She didn't say anything, just held onto his neck, wishing that this flight would last forever. After circling over the city a couple of times, Blake turned towards the darkness of the countryside. He flew sometimes high in the sky, sometimes low to the ground.

When flying over a big lake, all the reflections of the stars in the water made them feel like they had been sandwiched by the night sky from above and from below. Anniet thought that Blake was enjoying himself too and it made her happy. After having some fun, he finally turned towards the dark wall of the mountains and landed on the clifftop, putting Anniet down.

She was so happy that she didn't even look around at first, and only after Blake pulled her closer to him after she nearly tripped did she realise how high they were. It felt like they were standing in the middle of the sky itself, with stars so close that she even stretched out her arm, trying to see if she could touch them. And so many stars! Everywhere she looked, there was just sky filled with these small diamonds. Just behind them was the mountain, like a massive wall. She looked at this beauty with awe.

"It is truly beautiful," she said aloud while looking at the stars.

"Yes, indeed it is," Blake smiled. Only he wasn't looking at the stars, but at that small, beautiful girl who had entered his life with such a devastating force that she herself wasn't able to understand. Anniet finally sensed his intense gaze and looked back at him with a big smile. They stood like this, smiling at each other under the night sky. Then Blake pulled her closer, encircling his arm around her waist.

He looked at her beautiful face and bright eyes for a long time, then lifted one hand and pressed it against her chest, just as he had done before. Anniet felt some new, unfamiliar feelings enter her. Very full, very wide, like a never-ending ocean, they flooded her, making her realise that she was just way too small to contain all of it. She knew these feelings were not hers this time, as she had never felt like this in her entire life. He was just giving her what she had asked for before.

She wanted to know what he felt, and he was letting her feel it now. The only thing that she knew at this moment was that he felt she was beautiful beyond her understanding, and that he was grateful to the brim for her being here with him, and there was so much love and kindness in him that her body wasn't able to absorb it all. Without a second thought, she lifted herself onto her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled his face close to hers covering his lips in a gentle kiss.

His hand left her chest and joined the other hand to press her closer to his own body, while his lips eagerly answered the kiss offered.