The Arsenic Widow #Wattys2015 (mxm)

Chapter Nine

Another chapter!! Woot! I hope this might be a bit more exciting as the heat is turned up!! Well, next chapter is going to be pretty R rated, but this is the setup!! Enjoy!

As we rode back towards the castle, I grit my teeth in annoyance. With every step the horse took, I could feel Acorn rubbing up behind me and I was getting... excited.

The only other person I had felt this towards was Par, but he was simply my friend. For a long time I wished there was something more between us, but I don't think I was ready. To be honest, I think I latched onto him with romantic feelings because I knew I could never have him and it kept me safe. That, and he looked great naked.

Not a good time! I shook my head and tried to clear it of thoughts of Acorn rubbing against me and Par naked (which was hard because of his abs). I let out a long sigh and felt one of the men in question shift behind me.

"Are you okay?" Prince Acorn asked.

"Perfectly fine," I squeaked, trying to stop my voice from sounding strained and failing miserably.

"You're not hurt, are you?" He lifted one hand from the reins and began touching my forehead to check for a fever which could indicate an injury or poisoning. I quickly brushed him off, not wanting his hands on me.

"Really, I'm fine." I decided to change the subject, "I spoke to your mother the other day. She mentioned your older brother." He stiffened behind me, and not in a good way, "Sorry! I didn't mean to bring him up!"

"It's okay," he sighed. "I might as well talk about it. I'm a fully grown man so I can discuss hard things."

I nodded slowly, "What was his name? The Queen never said."

"His name was Kaeden. He was... a much better leader than I'll ever be."

We sat in silence as we thought about that. I didn't completely believe it. I think he needed to learn to be tougher and more judgemental of demons rather than trying to understand them and pulling out information for protection. Being so... kind would just lead to a harder fall once he realised that the world was an unkind place.

"Did you see him die?" I asked softly, wondering if he was on the scene.

Prince Acorn let out a small sound in the back of his throat; a sound of pain and sorrow that seems to echo through the trees around them, "Yes. I had to kill him." He took a deep breath and continued, "He was in so much pain and begged me to do it. It was the first time I had ever killed anything in my life."

I suddenly felt bad for considering him weak for wanting to study things such as demons instead of attacking and making the Kingdom safer. Killing must bring back some strange memories for him. However, I was killing demons even though they brought back bad memories for me and I cope with them. I glanced back at him and gave him a small smile, "It was the right thing to do. He needed it and you gave it to him."

Prince Acorn met my eyes and blinked slowly in surprise, "Thank you."

Giving him a small nod and turned back to face the road. The palace was coming back into view and I relaxed at its presence. I didn't feel safe around these demons that I knew nothing about. So, admittedly, Acorn's studying would definitely come in handy.

As we began to get up towards the wall, we noticed some people taking a stroll. I narrowed my eyes trying to recognise anyone. Tattoo was one I noticed first considering she stood out against everyone around her. But then I noticed the Queen, walking with a regal tilt to her head as people flocked around her, trying to make her walk easier.

She didn't look weak, although she dressed like she was. Soft, baby blues adorned her in the form of a simple blue dress. However, she wore her kingdom's colours proudly as dark blue and yellow ribbons descended from a golden belt around her waist. However, this wasn't what made me think she wasn't weak. It was the fact that she was holding an umbrella over herself to keep the Sun out of her eyes rather than getting a servant to hold it for her. Even some of the obviously lesser women around her had people holding things for them, but not her. This wasn't a signal of kindness to her slaves, but a signal that she wasn't weak and could do things for herself.