"I'LL give it back under in one condition," I said as I look at him suggestively. He looked uninterested but he didn't leave so I guess it's alright?
"May I remind you that you're a thief. So, why should I trust you?" He said, crossing his arms.
"Yes, I'm a thief. But, I'm not a liar," I smiled. "A true man sticks to his words and I value honesty," I lied.
Sorry.
Or not.
He didn't reply so I continued. "Join me at the top of Bernard hill. I believe you know where that is?" I asked and he nodded.
I looked at him. He's still hesitant. More tensed than before. "What are we going to do there?" He asked. I smiled then replied, "Star gazing,"
He scoffed. He must think I'm childish but I mean, I am. I am painfully aware.
"That's it?" He asked. I nodded then smiled. He Started walking and I catched up. "You smile awfully a lot," He said, earning a smirk from me.
"I do. Is that a bad thing?"
"It's irritating,"
I smiled more. He glared. I laughed.
After a moment, he spoke, "Why do you even want to stargaze of all other things?" He asked.
"Starting conversations now, eh?" I teased and he just scowled. I grinned.
"To answer your question, It's because I love gazing at stars as much as I love watching the sunset," I answered but he seemed unamused.
"So I reckon you know a lot about stars then?" He asked. I shrugged.
"I do know that they're many. I tried counting them when I was little but it was impossible," I said.
When we got to the hill, there was a big tree on top of it. Bernard hill was named after the late king of our kingdom. It was said that this is where he first met his first love, which was his first queen. Sadly, his queen died because of an unknown sickness. I always thought that this hill should have been named by the queen and not by the king, but I didn't care. It was just a hill.
I gracefully climbed the tree, taking a hold of one of it's strong branches as I pull myself up. I made sure I was always physically fit, just because. I looked down, there I saw the scowling boy. I smirked.
"Don't know how to climb a tree?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. He scowled more. "You scowl awfully alot," I said, using his own words. He sighed.
"I'm not doing this. Stargaze up there for all I care. I'm staying here," He said with a hard expression, not looking at me in the eye as he cross his arms. He reminds me of a cat, for some reason. Maybe because he's moody?
"Oh, come on, princess. Here, I'll help you," I said and extended my hand. He glared, just as expected.
"Do not call me princess and I am not climbing a tree," He said, making me pout.
"I swear, the stars looks amazing up here," I convinced. He looked at me, dead. I smiled mentally.
"I don't care,"
I sighed. Climbing a little, I took out his dagger and as hard as I could, I planted it in the tree. I looked down at him and he looked at me with wide eyes. I smiled then got down to my original place.
"If you climb this tree, you can get your dagger," I said. He glared, hard.
"That wasn't part of the deal! I knew it! You untrustworthy lying son of a bit--"
"Hey! Just climb the damn tree," I said, a bit serious. He sighed loudly. "Unbelievable," He muttered as I rolled my eyes. Dramatic ass. as I continue to watch him, he looked like he was considering it but then he'll shake his head. I decided to not say anything further as I sat quite comfortably as he looked like he will take a while to decide. I mentally sighed, closing my eyes as I was getting bored. When I looked down again, he was now staring at me. I raised a brow. "What? Are you ready, princess?" I asked teasingly.
With a furrowed eyebrows, he nodded. I smiled, reaching out my hand as he hesitantly took it and placed a foot on the trunk of the tree. A hard moment later, he was now beside me and haven't even let go of my hand yet. When I looked at our hands clasped together, I raised a brow. When I looked at him, that's when it hit me. "You're afraid of heights?" I asked and he glared at me.
"Of course not!" He said and I looked at him unconvinced. Just how important that dagger is? But then again, I shouldn't have took it.
"Well, let's go," I said, squeezing his hand. As I gently guide him up, I took the dagger out of the tree and gave it to him. He was shocked at first and I was, too. I originally planned to give it back when we reached the top but then I felt guilty for making him climb up when he was afraid. When we reached the top of the tree, one of it's strong branch was thick enough to hold both of us. When I sat down, he placed himself on my left, where the trunk is and I smirked when I saw him hold it with both hands as he look down.
"Don't look down. We're suppose to look up," I said. When he looked at me, I smiled at him then looked at the sky. The stars tonight was a bit different compared to the nights I spend alone here. It was, well, more. There were no clouds present, making the stars more visible. The moon, although I prefer it whole, was beautiful. I smirked when I noticed somehing.
"Hey, look," I said, pointing at the crescent moon. "Do you see that? Those two big stars beside the moon?" I asked.
"Yes?"
I rolled my eyes. "It looks like a happy face!" I said, excitedly smiling back at the moon. When I look at him, he was staring at me. I smirked.
"Are you falling in love with me?" I asked, teasingly. He scowled, glaring at me.
"Don't be ridiculous. You just looked like a child seeing the moon for the first time," He said and I rolled my eyes.
"Well, it is my first time to stargaze with someone," I said truthfully. He scoffed. "You know, it's alright to be afraid of something," I said and he looked at me seriously.
"I am not afraid of heights. It's just my first time on top of a tree," He explain but still, I looked at him unconvinced.
"Well, I'm afraid of the sea," I said. It was half the truth, the only reason I dislike the sea was because of the creatures lurking inside it. But I'm not afraid to swim or get on a boat.
"And why?" He asked and I shrugged, not giving him an answer. As much as I like to tell him, I still need to be cautious. He is in fact a mere stranger with a questionable background.
We looked back at the stars, making most of the comfortable silence. He felt warm even if we're not touching. I could hear his breath that was calming and for the first time, I smiled genuinely.
"At first I thought you were a girl," He said. When I looked at him, he was still looking at the sky. I scratched my head, he meant because of my hair. It was long compared to the others.
"Well, wouldn't it be exciting if I were a girl?" I chuckled. "What a nice love story you could tell to your grandchildren, hm?" I added.
He rolled his eyes. "You haven't asked for my name yet," He said and I bit my lips.
Oh yeah, I forgot.
"Well, I wanted for you to say it willingly and if you do, you'll guarantee our next meeting," I lied, hopeful.
That's when he looked at me. "Next meeting?" He asked and I nodded. "I don't want to know your name if we won't ever see each other again."
I smiled as he stare, not saying anything.
"Well? Can I know your name?" Can we see each other again?
"Zedrick. My name is Zedrick."
I grinned.