The Bastard's Bride Book II Knight

CHAPTER 6

The icy grey sky restlessly grumbled. The thick blackened clouds were dragged down by the heavy rain which is held in its delicate frame. 

Ysabella looks at the sky and closes her eyes.

"Rain again," she muttered under her breath as she breathes the scent of the air.

The clouds which struggled to withstand the burden of the weight which the rain held, soon gave in. The rain poured down over the palace with a roar. The sound of emptiness was disrupted by the loud gregarious boom of thunder. The cold icy rain pierced her pale and wet skin. As soon as she opens her eyes Hades, on the other hand, was looking at her intensely.

Ysabella can't help herself but admire his face, he was so different and she can't understand why her heart was beating so fast and her cheeks slowly become hot even though the breeze was cold. 

'He is ecstatic, furtive, glazed, grim, hostile, mischievous, languid, peering, devious, pleading, roguish, scowling, slack, somber, sulky, tense, veiled, wild-eyed, hidden, secretive, wolfish, devilish, crazy, no I'm the one who is crazy right here what am I doing, what am I thinking such a thing?'

"Did someone already told you that you're beautiful?" he whispered but enough for her to hear it and she notices that his lips were pale and he was slowly getting even paler which makes her nervous when his body slowly sway and he is going to faint in any seconds. The rain was pouring even harder and they were too far from the palace. She ran across the slippery path, her posture weakened by the weight of her soaked clothes. 

"Why did I even wear these clothes for goodness sake, it's heavy it's more like ten kilograms added by the rain," she muttered under her breath and fog was coming out from her mouth, it's getting cold. She held him close to her chest and wipe the raindrops in her eyes using the back of her hand, looking for something to walk in or a shelter. The quality of darkness shifted in the sky but the rain kept pouring. As she looks at her left there are tall trees and she seems to sight a small shed.

"Hades, don't close your eyes, please, can you walk? Please help me to carry you, you're too heavy," worried in her tone and Hades just nodded his head, and slowly they both stand and Ysabella supports him to walk.

They were now completely wet and catching their breath as the rain poured even harder and the breeze gets even more chill.

The small cottage was perched on the plain near the woods, so old and poor that it was surprising how it was still standing. The walls were made of the same wood and the roof was stone, so old that it was a wonder how it did not yet cave in. The cottage was the only thing there. There were no other houses around it, and this one would have looked abandoned. Ysabella again roamed her eyes to see if she could spot people to call for help but nothing, she grip his waist to support him even more, he is getting even weak. They hurriedly walk and enter the cottage, it was completely dry inside that if you look outside it was completely rotten or something, she was imagining of a wet floor due to the rain and muddy but she was surprised to see it almost clean and dry. She roamed her eyes in the room and found a fireplace and some woods, no one lives here but yet there are some woods, and it looks like fresh-cut woods but it was not a time to think about the woods or how did it get woods in the cottage, she should start making fire for them to warm their bodies.

Ysabella slowly lead Hades near to the hearth and she found something, a drapery, an old used fabric, it was long and thick, she immediately took it and wrapped it on Hades. Ysabella gathered all the woods and put it on the grate and without a minute she expertly makes a fire and there Hades was surprised on what he had witnessed even him cannot make a fire in that rapid time. As soon as she was finished she turns to Hades and gets his right hand which surprises him. Ysabella quickly examines his fingernails, it was pale nails, very pale nails can sometimes be a sign of serious illness such as anemia, heart failure, liver disease, and more that she can't name it. 

"What are you doing?" he asked puzzled as she still looking at his fingernail.

"I don't know what a serious illness you're into but I think you're anemic, your body needs a certain amount of iron and a lot of sleep and I guess in your position you're not watching your health am I right Hades? How can you rule these people around your kingdom if you can't even take good care of yourself, are you even a prince?" she said as she let go his hand, Hades wanted to get her hands back to his hand but that would be ridiculous. 

Her hands were so warm and soft as he caressed his hands earlier and then he wanted to feel those hands again. He is going crazy.

He suddenly went stiff when he felt she was slowly nearing him. Her palm caressed his cheek, the lines on her hand catching his attention. They swirled on her hand like an unfinished drawing. Her long bony fingers were stroking his cheek, but all he could see were her red knuckles. Wine-red blotches from the cold, she was cold, and yet he was the one who had a blanket. Her hands held his cheeks for no more than a few seconds then were pulled away and thrust back into the pockets of her soaked dress. 

"You're cold," he breathes.

"I'm okay, worry yourself," she answered and nearly squeaked from where she was sitting when Hades suddenly pulled into a tight embrace and wrapped her with the blanket, now they are too close to each other.

"You're cold Ysabella and this might help us both fire and body heat," he stated that he nearly wanted to withdraw what he had just said, it might get her a wrong impression but as he looks at her reaction he can't help himself but to smile, she was as red as a tomato, she is blushing and he can't help but find it beautiful and cute.