Cephas walked out into the courtyard, his heart in his chest. He did not want to have another argument with Rose, but he did not think it was together avoidable. The woman could make even an angel angry.
He recalled her words, how she had said something about him not caring about anything that may have concerned her. She was wrong obviously, but he did not deny the fact that he might have led her to feel that way at some point.
They had been young and in love, the way young people knew how to be in love. They had thought it would be forever, they had been wrong.
So why didn't she just leave it as it was? Why couldn't she though?
Hannah and Rose were best friends, which meant she came to the Borne castle often. Often enough that he had to wonder at some point about just returning home. The woman stirred in him feelings he did not want to acknowledge, memories he didn't want to recount, and made him remember a past he did not want to visit.
Their past. Their memories. Feelings that revolved around her.
"penny for your thoughts?" he turned around her and came face to face with the woman that constantly filled his thoughts, no matter how hard he tied to drive her out.
He simply stood, his hands on his hips, watching her, unsure of what to say to her.
Do not pick a fight. He warned himself.
But if he was being honest with himself, picking a fight with her was much easier than acknowledging just how beautiful she had become with the passing of the years, that is, if she aged at all.
"How are you, Rose?"
She walked closer to him, and didn't say anything for a moment and then all but blurted out her feelings,
" You've been avoiding me," she said in her matter-of-fact way, that he couldn't seem to hold back his smile.
" You've been irritable." she snorted, he chuckled and led her to a bench, which they both sat on.
Neither of them said anything. They didn't have to. Cephas knew of how she was one with nature, knew she felt how it throbbed. Heard every rustle. He knew how her kisses could be like a storm or a volcano. He knew everything about her, and that was how he also knew where this conversation was driving toward,
" Cephas, I'm leaving soon." and there it was, the bombshell that he knew was coming.
" Where Rose? Why?''
" where? I guess every possible and necessary where. And why? Because my people are involved and I can't ignore that. I can't ignore such a situation."
They were both quiet for such a long time, and then she spoke once again,
"Don't ask me to stay and sit back with my arms folded, Cephas. If you do, please don't expect me to just sit back and do nothing." he didn't say anything, just looked at her and then shrugged before he eventually got up.
" you always were a stubborn fiery redhead," and when he turned to her, he was smiling, just a small one, but one she was well acquainted with. It had always made her heart flutter, and even now, she found she yearned for him, the way she did all those years ago.
" Thank God you haven't forgotten," she said breathlessly, and got up too,
" I'm still not letting you go toward some hellish propaganda just like that." her brows grew together and she opened her mouth to speak, but he shook his head,
"you misunderstand me, but perhaps I have not been very clear. I'm not letting you go just like that… because I plan on going with you.'
Her jaw dropped open as she gazed at him with complete astonishment.
" Excuse me?" she said after several beats. Cephas ran a hand over his face,
" you heard me, woman. I'm coming with you."
She hook heard, still confused, still amazed, " But why?"
"Someone has to. Since you have decided to be stubborn about the whole matter."
She fought the tears that stung her eyes,
" you're sure you want to do this, Cephas?"
"Well, do I like the idea of going out of my way and actually getting myself killed?" he looked up at the clouds and made a face before returning to her serious one, and turned sober, " No, Rose I don't like it. but i can understand duty. I can understand wanting your people to be as okay as they should possibly be, as okay as you can possibly manage. And there is no way in all of Borne that I'm letting you do this on your own."
she looked deep into him and saw for herself that he meant every word, " right." she said quietly.
"The sooner we begin, the sooner we can end this, right?"
She tilted her head and smiled a small smile of her own,
" we?"
He shook his head and began walking back toward the castle. He didn't know what had made him say what he had.
Or maybe he had. He had been thinking about it a lot since their last conversation, and it all but poured out of him in the face of her adamancy. He could only pray he was not about to make some kind of terrible mistake.
Rose rushed to his side and held him by his hand, causing him to stop and face her.
" you don't have to do this," a tenderness came over his features that tied her belly in knots,
" I know. I want to."
She nearly wept. Nearly. Several years of carrying a broken heart because of him helped her keep it together,
But she was emotional when she swallowed and squeezed his hand,
" thank you," she finally said and he just nodded and held her hand all the way to the castle.