Ea and Tah Min sat and chatted over a scrumptious feast. Tah Min was overjoyed to be eating the delicious food of her homeland again. It seemed as though the initial homesickness she should have felt way back when Ea first took her to Solaria, had somewhat of a delayed reaction. It wasn't until all these years later, now that she was sitting at the dining table with all of her favourite dishes laid out in front of her, that a nostalgic feeling rose in her chest, making her realize just how much she had truly missed her home.
A smile crept onto Ea's face as he watched the normally reserved Priestess sink her teeth into her meal with a grin across her face. She hummed in satisfaction, looking up to meet his gaze. He sputtered and coughed when he realized that he had been caught staring. With a little colour dancing on his cheeks, he quickly turned his attention back to his meal. Tah Min, now slightly embarrassed, straightened herself up and delicately dabbed the corners of her mouth with her napkin.
The eyes that watched them intently went unnoticed, both by them and the servants around them. Gabriel had followed the gossiping maids to the dining hall, where he stood motionless at the door "guarding" it. It didn't take long for entranced maids to start hovering near him in order to catch a glimpse of the new handsome guard they had never seen before. One maid, in particular, caught his eye, given her striking resemblance to a particular Prince. Believing he had just spotted Avarice, Gabriel felt his heart drop to his stomach. A short gasp of relief forced its way from his throat when he realized that it was just a trick of the eyes. He smiled warmly at the maid that was now curiously glaring at him, prompting her to inch a little closer.
"Are you new here? I'm sure we would have remembered seeing a handsome face like yours before!"
Gabriel laughed half heartedly but was not about to dismiss such a prime opportunity to put his plan into motion. "I am. I came here from Solaria with Prince Ea. I'm embarrassed to admit it but I got a little sea sick on our way here and messed up my uniform. Your guards were kind enough to lend me one of theirs."
The maid's eyes seemed to light up. "So then that means you've been with them all this time right!"
Gabriel nodded, spurring the maid's curiosity. "Do tell me, what is Solaria like? Did the Priestess enjoy herself there?" She nudged him playfully. "If all the guards are as handsome as you, I'm sure she must have had an endless supply of entertainment."
Gabriel's smile widened, but the look in his eyes gleamed with less than virtuous intent. "I'm afraid that despite Solaria's many fine specimens, the Priestess only has eyes for the Prince. They've grown quite close over the years, some might say a little too close in fact."
The maid's delight soon faded into a questioning worry. "What makes you say that?
Gabriel shrugged. "Well, these are only rumours but I heard from one of the knights that were originally on the ship with them back when they first sailed to Solaria, that the Priestess began making advances on the Prince once she was free of the restricting eyes of the Summer Isle. Prince Ea is normally a very composed individual. He refused her at first but when they grew closer, he found that he was so taken with the Priestess' beauty that he was no longer able to reject her advances. "
The maid scoffed. "A highly unlikely tale. Ask any of the elders who have watched her grow up here. They will tell you that she is not at all the type of woman to fling herself at a stranger the moment she believes no one is going to stop her."
Gabriel chuckled at the maid's sudden change in attitude. "Like I said, it was only a rumour. I would have dismissed it as such too if it weren't for the increasing amount of whispers that had been spreading in the palace." Gabriel crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall, continuing to spout his lies. "I suppose it makes sense that she would fall for the Prince though. After all, he is the one that whisked her away and protected her all this time."
It seemed as though luck was on Gabriel's side as one of the actual Solarian knights came up to the pair just in time to corroborate his story. "What are you two doing slacking off here?" He seemed new as well, so his tone was less commanding and he was less likely to question if Gabriel really was who he said he was.
"I just wanted to hear some stories of what the Priestess encountered in your country but all this man here has told me are rumours of how she willingly went back on her oath of purity and gave herself to the Prince!" The maid whispered angrily, doing her best not to draw Tah Min or Ea's attention to them.
The knight thought for a moment, glancing at Gabriel. He exuded an air of confidence that made the knight think Gabriel was a senior of his and being a newcomer, he thought he should follow Gabriel's lead.
The guard coughed nervously before relaxing and joining their conversation. "Hmm...well I don't know about that, but when I first arrived in Solaria as part of the new battalion, I would often see the Prince come to training late. A senior of mine told me that he and he Priestess have been going on morning strolls in the garden every day for the past six years."
Gabriel silently cheered that such a convenient piece of information would present itself so easily. The maid would have no choice but to be at least a little suspicious now, after all, that wasn't something you'd consistently go out of your way to do with someone who was JUST a friend. The maid glanced skeptically at the pair seated at the dining table. By now, she wasn't the only one listening to Gabrielle make these rumours up either. Several other idle servants lingered around them to hear the gossip. They watched the little ways Tah Min blushed around Ea and soon a sinking feeling flooded the room, which immediately alerted Ea.
Ea's eyes darted towards the door to see all the servants gazing worriedly at them. They had scurried back to work the minute he laid eyes on them. When the maid turned to speak to Gabriel she found that he was already gone.
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|Night|120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSPBzVs5EVi
July•3•xxxx
After dinner, the tower began to wind down for the night. Gabriel was making his way back down the tower to his hiding spot when a maid rounded the corner and bumped into him. She stumbled back, rubbing her nose.
"Oh, the maid from before!"
"Ah! So this is where you've run off too! I was wondering where you went since you suddenly disappeared from the dining hall."
Gabriel grinned, raising his hands in front of him. "Well, you found me!"
"Why did you leave so quickly?"
"I remembered something I had forgotten to take care of, so I left to get it done."
The maid opened her mouth to speak again but the words sank back into her throat when the distinct voices of Ea and Tah Min began to echo from up the stairs. Gabriel was quick to grab her and pull her into a small opening in the side of the wall that was surely not meant for two people. These openings were scattered all over the tower, most likely small passages meant to be used in the event of an emergency so that people could travel across the tower with more ease. The maid and Gabriel squeezed into the opening just as Tah Min and Ea came down the stairs.
"I'm almost certain they were looking at us strangely, " spoke Ea worriedly.
"I'm sure they were just surprised to see us again after so long. The Summer Isle is big on tradition and religion as you know. I wouldn't be too concerned with strange looks. They haven't seen an outsider in six years after all, " reasoned Tah Min.
Ea's gaze softened as he listened to her speak. A long sigh left his lips and he idly brought his hand to her face, gently running his knuckles along the side of her soft cheek.
"I know...I'm just worried that after I leave...someone may still try to come after you...maybe I'm just being paranoid."
Tah Min fought back her timidness and meekly took hold of his hand, leaning into it. "I will be fine. I promise...when will you be returning home?" She asked, her voice just barely over a whisper.
"In a day or two. I want to stay a bit and make sure everything is safe...anything to set my mind at ease really."
Tah Min's eyes travelled from Ea's worried expression and down to her feet. "If...I..."
Tah Min cleared her throat. In the silence of the empty stairway, she was sure he could hear the sound of her heart rapidly beating in her chest.
"If there's anything I can do to help with that, do let me know." She chuckled.
When Ea didn't respond, she let go of his hand, thinking that he misunderstood or felt weird because of what she had said, but even after she let go, he didn't. She stared up at him, eyes wide with curiosity. He maintained his serious expression, still silent as he looked down at her. She was so enamoured by the gentle affection that pooled in his crimson eyes that she hadn't noticed when he closed the distance between them. With his hand now fully cupping her cheek, he briefly brushed his lips against hers. For a moment, Tah Min let herself get swept away by the emotions that swelled inside of her.
However, the electrifying feeling didn't last long and the brief moment of impulse did not carry further into a real kiss as it was broken by the abrupt sensation of Tah Min pushing Ea away. Her hands remained on his chest and his now rested on her shoulders. Panic flashed across his face at the thought that he might have accidentally hurt her or made her uncomfortable.
"Not that...we can't...I am a Priestess...that isn't right..."
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