The Seventh Moon 25 - Affection

As much as Risa wanted to focus on her training with Alathil, her mind would continue going back to the conversation that they had the other night. She didn't know what to make of it, or if she was going to believe it. But she had never seen a trace of lies in the Second Prince's eyes when he told her about the possibility of her being the Seventh Moon from the legend.

Of course, she thought at first that it was crazy. Only... the rest of the conversation they had that night had just heightened the suspicion that she was indeed that person from the legend.

A legend that only the royal family and the higher court mages (the Master Mage and Lady Enlari) knew.

"You're supposed to be concentrating, Risa."

That voice snapped Risa out of her musings. She raised her head to see Prince Alathil looking at her intently, causing her heart to beat fast again.

She forced herself not to blush, but still couldn't help the feeling of flustered embarrassment that spread throughout her body at being caught spacing out. "I'm sorry, Your Highness."

Alathil sighed and closed his eyes, "It's fine, I'm the one that should apologize for snapping at you like that. And I thought I told you not to address you as such, remember?"

Risa smiled and shook her head. "Come on. You know I'm just joking." Her expression turned serious once again. "I'm still thinking about what you told me last night."

"I figured. But I do hope that you shouldn't let that affect you while you're training in both magic and swordsmanship. The assumption I gave you last night must be something that only the two of us should know for now. There could be ways to either prove or disprove my theory about you and why you're here. But right now, only your magic and what it can really do can give us the answer to that," Alathil explained.

Risa took in some deep breaths as she tried to get her thoughts straight. This was exactly what she needed. It was exactly the kind of challenge that her skills and abilities could provide her with. Not to mention, she was able to spend time with Alathil outside of their usual lessons. She could tell that the prince wasn't going to go easy on her just because she was a woman. And she didn't mind that.

Then again, her heart sometimes couldn't take the way the Second Prince would show affection to her even when Shuren would intervene. Why would the prince do that to her, anyway? Fascination? Adoration? Amusement?

Whatever it was, Risa felt a little uneasy at the display, especially when he didn't seem to mean it romantically. Or at least Risa thought that was what it meant. The way he spoke made it sound like a lot more than mere admiration. Which was ridiculous because, really, he was a prince. She wouldn't be surprised if she found out that Alathil was already engaged or something.

However, as much as she hated it, she didn't like the idea of him actually engaged at all. It was a crazy thought, but surely enough to stir something inside of her.

"Are you alright, Risa? You went quiet all of a sudden again," Alathil asked gently, interrupting Risa's train of thought.

She nodded without meeting the prince's gaze, trying to hide the fact that she was thinking about how he seemed to have such an effect on her, despite the fact that he was just another boy who happened to be incredibly beautiful.

Her cheeks flushed bright pink for no apparent reason. "Oh, um... yes." It felt weird talking to someone like this, but she supposed it wasn't very surprising considering who they were talking about.

"Do you really think that I could have been part of a myth?" Risa asked in a soft tone. She was still trying to wrap her mind around that truth. Even if it was still a speculation, the fact that she could be someone that belonged to a legend was a big information for her mind to take.

"Risa... don't worry too much about it right now. But learn to pay more attention to your dreams, okay? Dreams usually hold a lot of answers to our questions in real life. It takes some clever interpretations before any of us could know the answer that we truly seek," Alathil replied, looking her directly into the eyes.

And, honestly, it sounded better than anything she had ever heard before. He was telling her to listen to her dreams. And he also looked so handsome whenever he said that kind of thing to her. Maybe she didn't need to be afraid anymore.

With a gentle smile, Alathil stood up and began packing away the things that he brought with him during his trip.

"But I will admit, Risa, that I am curious too. I've never been aware of any specific legends that claim to have been able to summon the Seventh Moon." He paused then shrugged, continuing, "Then again, I usually read books about military strageties, not fairy tales."

"Oh, come on. At least you must have read some fairy tales and mythologies of your kingdom when you were young. You could've just forgotten about it as you grew older," Risa said as she laughed, teasing him.

She liked seeing him so focused and energetic when he had classes or tutoring sessions. And she didn't know whether he was always this good looking or it was only when he was teaching her. Either way, she loved the difference.

When Alathil chuckled, Risa smiled as well. "Well, I suppose that may have been true when I was younger. But I doubt that. My father often tells me stories about ancient battles, especially between humans and dragons. He would sometimes talk about these myths and how they helped him fight his ancestors."

He paused for a moment. "Come to think of it, it was through those stories that I learned about the dragon listeners and how I was able to identify myself as one."

"You mean... you were the one who had to figure out everything about that by yourself?" Risa asked carefully.

Alathil nodded and smiled as he faced her. "It's by choice, though. And honestly, I have to do everything that I can back then to keep that truth a secret for a while as I could be a target of dragon hunters back then. They still have this mindset at the time that dragon listeners, dragon summoners and dragon tamers belong to the same category. That they were dangerous and at the same time, useful to locate the dragons that they can kill and sell at a high price."

"Wow... I've heard of dragon poaching, but I never thought that it actually exists here. But... you did a good job in protecting yourself, it seems. For you to be able to teach me what you've learned in using swords and fighting using that."

Alathil's smile widened. "I never considered it before since I'm a part of a special family who just wanted to survive as we help the kingdom continue to thrive. There were factions that kept pitting me against my brother the Crown Prince before I declared that I had no intention of going against the chosen heir to the throne and my sword would be their lives' receiving end if they continue doing that."

Yes, without a doubt, it was a brutal way of thinking. But Risa understood why Alathil said those words to those people. For some reason, she couldn't help feeling her heart swell with pride for this prince. "I admire you for that."

"Thank you. Coming from you, I really appreciate it." Alathil bowed slightly to her and placed a hand lightly on her shoulder.

The touch sent shivers down her spine and caused an intense heat to rise within her. But then it disappeared just as quickly. She was sure that she hadn't imagined it.

"Well," she managed to say in her stead. "Let's continue training. I don't know what I could contribute to this kingdom while I was here in this world. But maybe just like you, I'd be able to find out some time soon."

Alathil grinned warmly. His eyes sparkled with the light of determination and love for this world. "I believe that you can make a huge contribution to the kingdom, just as I did."

He leaned forward then kissed her on the forehead. Her eyes widened and froze as she looked at him in surprise. Her heart was beating widely.

"And I'll be waiting for you... to finally see it happen."

What does the prince mean by that? Why did he do that? 

There was a strange feeling inside of her stomach. A feeling she had never felt before. It was similar to a fluttering sensation she would get whenever she was close to someone, but she couldn't quite place where she had felt that before.

"Why... did you do that?" she finally managed to ask after recovering from the shock she received upon feeling that forehead kiss.

But the only answer she got from him was a gentle smile as he embraced her soon after. She couldn't help having more questions than answers because of his actions, though. She knew that they weren't completely random actions, but she couldn't quite pinpoint just what was going on in that mysterious head of his.

This time, it was different. She noticed just how comfortable she felt in Alathil's arms. How she felt safe and calm, like there wasn't anything in the world she couldn't do as long as this man was by her side. The realization made her realize that something had changed between them. Something had changed for the better.

And although there was uncertainty about it, she knew that Alathil was definitely involved with her now and, frankly, she liked it. No matter how much she wanted to avoid it.

"Just let me stay with you like this, Risa..." he whispered before embracing her tighter.