In a Heartbeat

Brian’s POV

“Evangeline! Evangeline!” I called out with excitement as I bounced into her sleeping quarters. She had spent all of yesterday away from me as she was having her wedding dress adjusted and critiqued by her family, so I was granted a day to spend with my family. I did not spend it all at home though, as the weather was warming so it was a good opportunity to enjoy it. Eva was standing in front of the divider that hid her changing area, and hanging against it was a large white gown. It was a stunning dress, and I knew Evangeline would look perfect in it on the day. It was just a pity I was not the man who would marry her in that dress… She looked over her shoulder to see me, her worried expression relaxing into a kind smile.

“Hello, Brian.”

“Oh, you are just a delight on my eyes this fine morning,” I grinned as I attempted to keep a calmer composure. She smiled beautifully and a little bit shyly at my remark.

“Oh, Brian… You really do flatter me too often…” Evangeline whispered as I stopped walking.

“You truly deserve every compliment,” I told her before pecking her cheek. I then took her hands in mine and she met my eyes. “Eva, I have a proposition to make.”

“And what is that?”

“Yesterday when I was away from the castle, I walked on the beach all afternoon. I have never been near the spot where the boats dock because it is forbidden unless you are a fisherman. However, this time I wandered around there and I stumbled upon a lovely little hideaway near the pier. It is a cave beneath the bank, and we could both comfortably fit in it,” I explained and she frowned.

“You are suggesting that we go there?” Evangeline asked. I nodded, still smiling and hopeful. “But, it is forbidden… and my dress will become sandy… and we cannot be seen together in public.”

“I know, and I already considered those things. I propose that you wear my dark servant clothes, and that we visit it at night. You could perhaps bring some bread from your kitchen, and I could start a fire there to keep us warm, even though it is very sheltered, and we could watch the stars on a lovely evening,” I beamed, wishing it was enough to convince her. “I would very much like to do this.”

“I- I do not know if we should, Brian…” she mumbled, making my heart a bit heavy.

“Please, Eva. There is how long, a month, until the wedding? This could be one of the last things we are able to do together, because you will surely be very busy up until the wedding day,” I pleaded. That was all it took. She nodded and agreed to venture out at night with me for one last time. That afternoon, the weather took a turn for the worse, so we decided to wait. The next night it was nicer, so not long after midnight we met outside the castle near James’ garden. I stole a white flower and passed it to Evangeline, liking how different she looked wearing baggy black clothes instead of a silky dress. We moved swiftly around the edge of the town, down to the beach. It was difficult because there were a few guards patrolling the empty streets because of the threats from the Tyronian Kingdom, but it appeared that warnings from the Zilani Kingdom had prevented further assaults so far. Nonetheless, we were able to blend in with the darkness and stay silent, and we were soon down at the beach. Hand in hand, we sauntered away from the township and towards the pier.

As I had said, right before the wooden construction that held plenty of small boats was a cave. Evangeline waited inside it as I gathered some dry wood, then returned to her side and started a fire to keep her warm. We both sat inside the cave and started talking to each other, first in hushed whispers, but our voices gradually became louder as we became more lost in the deep conversation. Eventually we became quiet, so we lied down with our heads just outside the cave. We gazed at the stars for so long, holding hands and quietly enjoying each other’s company. It was very romantic, to say the least. My heart was filled with joy for the entire time. I was completely in love with this woman, and I strangely would not have it any other way. Eventually I had to retrieve more wood, and once I returned we stayed sitting up and began talking once more. I became so focused on her, intently hanging on to every single word that crossed her beautiful lips, that I felt like I could remain in this one spot for the rest of eternity. Eva was perfect… She completed me…

“Oh no,” Evangeline suddenly whispered, completely out of place. It brought me out of my dazed thoughts and back into reality. I followed her stare and spotted the figure out on the pier, moving by the boats with a fire torch in one hand. It was then that I noticed how it was slowly becoming lighter outside the cave. Of course, it was now springtime, so the sun rose earlier each morning! And that person must be a fisherman getting ready to leave for the morning catch. How could I have been so careless? My whole body tensed, abruptly unsure of what to do. “If we simply remain quiet, he will not notice us…” I nodded, agreeing with her logic. If we stayed hushed and still, he would not see us and we could escape once he left. An easy solution. We kept our eyes on the man, watching him as he turned around at the end of the pier and started to head back. But then he stopped.

“Xavier? Is that you in there?” he called out. Was he looking in our direction? “I did not know you were so keen to go out on your first day!” The man chuckled as he started walking back to shore.

“What do we do?” Eva squeaked, her eyes full with fear. I glanced down, spotting the fire that the man on the pier must have noticed. Hastily I pulled sand onto it before standing.

“We must leave,” I ordered. She too rose and we quickly scanned outside the cave. “He is the only one here. Let us run back the way we came. You must return to your chambers before everyone wakes!” Panicking, I bolted out of the cave and ran as fast as I could on the sand. Eva was not far behind me, and I was very glad that she had agreed to wear my clothes. If she was in a large dress, she would not have been able to run well at all.

“Xavier? Whoever you are, come back here this instant!” the man shouted at us. Of course, it did no good. We ran up the bank and then into the forest at the edge of the town. The trees gave us sufficient cover to stop and catch our breaths. I watched from a distance as the man scrambled up the bank and looked around. He then cursed under his breath before walking back in the direction of the pier.

“We are safe from him, but you still need to return soon. The sun is almost up,” I hissed before gently pushing Evangeline back in the direction of the castle. My heart thudded from the exercise and scare, as well as the possible trouble we were both going to be in if we could not return in time. The thought of one more romantic night out had been too alluring for me, and now it might ruin all that we had been fighting for. When we finally reached the castle, James was already in his garden tending to it. He saw me, but only smiled at us before putting his head back down and continuing with his work. I was thankful, but he could not get me past the guards and other workers in the castle that were potentially already awake. They would kill me as soon as they saw her in my clothes. My family’s name would be hated forever.

The sun was already giving its golden glow against the stone walls, and I started feeling sick. There was no way that we could make it back inside safely. There would be other servants moving around inside now, and they would not hesitate to run to our King and inform him of what they had seen. There would be guards nearby who also would not think twice to apprehend an insignificant slave like me. I would probably be beaten to death before the King could speak to me. And the consequences for my Princess… She would probably be locked away in the dungeon for a long time for simply wearing rubbish clothes. Then she would have to be punished for being out with me at night… Unless she could somehow convince her father nothing happened, she would surely be hung. And it would be my fault. All I wanted was a nice night with her before she became too occupied with her wedding plans. Instead, I had essentially ruined our lives. That thought unexpectedly pumped determination through me. I could not let those horrible things happen!

“Eva, wait here. I will check for guards and servants and try to sneak you back in, alright?” I asked, doing my best to sound confident. My ease seemed to relax her a bit, and she nodded with a tiny smile.

“Good luck, Brian,” she said softly as I put my hand on the door handle. Suddenly, she came forward and kissed my lips. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” I beamed, filled with confidence. I could do this. I had to. After taking in a deep breath, I opened the door and peeked in. It was clear. I ventured in, heading in towards the stairs that would take us up to Evangeline’s room. Eva waited outside like I had asked, and I casually looked around the corner on the right of the entrance for any guards. Instead, I crashed into another body, but somehow refrained from crying out. We were dead.