The sun had just started to set by the time Zeven had finished with both of her hands.
He worked in silence for the entirety of the time only rarely even stealing a glance back up Chris's face. When he was done he quickly packed up the box's content and stood up slowly, taking time to stretch out his back and neck before he started to walk away.
Chris couldn't take the silence anymore, "wait-" she called after him, "Why did you do that, there was no need." She remained seated on the rim of the tub. Zeven who had just made it to the door frame turned back to face her, leaning against the wall as he did, "Honestly, I felt bad. This is mostly my fault." Chris almost believed it to be genuine guilt and had almost thought about apologizing for hitting him as well, but then Zeven kept going. "Truly this is my fault. I should have gone ahead and barred the upstairs window too. I severely underestimated your stupidity." He smiled like a child, the words he said were cruel, but Chris could begin to see that he was trying to provoke her.
Despite knowing this, she still played directly into his hand. Standing up she marched right up to him and looked him in the eye, "I-" A loud gurgle sounded from her stomach as it reminded her that she hadn't eaten in quite some time. Chris's entire face turned redder than a strawberry and Zeven practically doubled in half from laughter.
"We should probably see that you get fed before we continue, yes?" His words were slightly breathy as he struggled to stop his laughter. Chris looked caught between embarrassment and childish anger. She followed behind Zeven as he walked out into the hallway. He looked back over his shoulder to make sure Chris was still there. When their eyes met he gave a smile and tried to keep from laughing again. The sour look on Chris's face was the same face a pouting child would make when told they cannot have dessert before their dinner.
The pair made their way to the dining area where Chris had sat for breakfast and refused to eat. Food had already been placed on the table. Both plates sat directly across from each other, only broken with the wilting flowers laid on the table. Zeven made a great show of moving to Chris's chair and pulling it out for her, bowing deeply with a grin. Chris froze. Not knowing what to do, but more so insulted on the account of being treated like a helpless woman once again.
She stared holes into Zeven until he finally gave up the mock bow and surrendered her chair to her. He sat at what was clearly the head on the table. Positioned so as to see all coming and going, but also those who may want to leave as well. He, with an overdone sense of decorum, placed his napkin on his lap, moved his elbows from the table and onto his knees, leaned forward, and stared directly at Chris.
Chris, who hadn't even picked up her fork, looked like she had no interest in eating. But her stomach had other ideas as it loudly called out to the plate of food before her. She cursed her treacherous body and all its parts. She grabbed her fork in her right hand and began to push the food on her plate around, looking for anything amiss.
Greens were pushed around and looked under, the thick stew like meat was covered in a brown gravy, and smelled like heaven. Chris looked up from her plate to Zeven, who was staring at her, who hadn't touched his own plate. She turned white, realizing that he had been watching her the whole time. His intense gaze was softened by his smile as he rested his head on his hands.
Zeven could tell exactly what Chris was thinking, at any time he could have calmed her fears, but he was having too much fun watching the way she scrunched her nose, and how she raised her eyebrows, and that when she thought no one was looking- the way her eyes softly lingered without a trace of malice.
She was beautiful, but only when no one was looking, the minute she saw his face, she deadpanned and cut off all hints of anything. Zeven would have done anything to have her look at him so kindly as the woman once had. He could imagine the way her eyes would linger on his, and look kindly upon his broken soul. It was a nice dream, a beautiful dream, but it was just a dream, and this was not the time for such fantasies. This was a time of war, and in times of war casualties were to be expected.
Zeven had zoned out, looking ahead but not seeing. His eyes met Chris's and he was pulled out of his trance. He smiled at her, looking her over to figure out what he had missed. It seemed that she still had not eaten anything, Zeven knew what the dilemma was, and couldn't stand to hear her stomach rumble anymore than it already had.
He stood up from his chair and sauntered over to where Chris was sitting. He planted his left arm on the table and with his right hand he stretched over and grabbed the hand Chris was using to hold her fork. Carefully, so as not to further injure her hands. Chris looked startled as she began to try and pull her hand free. It wasn't violent like her actions earlier had been, but a reminder that he was not wanted. Ignoring her he lifted a large bite of food onto the fork, then keeping her hand trapped in his he lifted it to his own mouth and made eye contact with Chris as he chewed and swallowed slowly.
Chris was at a loss for words, but her hungry stomach was not. It rumbled as she finally managed to yank her hand and fork out of Zeven's grip. The whole act had been a show to make her more comfortable and insure her that the food was not, in fact, poisoned. It had worked, and Zeven smiled to himself as Chris began slowly eating from the stewed meat he had just tasted for her.
Once she had taken the bait, he started talking, not saying anything important, and his voice fell into the background.
When she finished one portion of food she turned her plate so that the greens were now in front of her. Chris hesitated, pausing just long enough for Zeven to reach back over her, grab her hand and shove a pile of greens into his own mouth before releasing her hand.
He leaned back on the table, chewing with great pleasure and giving Chris a sideways glance. She had been looking at him, but the instant their eyes met she looked away.
Chris started to eat again, slowly at first, but the hunger inside her had been growing far longer than the last two days she had been trapped in Zeven's mansion. The Ametade army had been on war rations for the last 8 months as they fought multiple battles against the Tamsia. In that time there had been moments of rest, but never a moment of peace. This meal should have been the first in a long time where Chris could enjoy and let her mind waiver from the dangers ahead. And she would have, if the man beside her was anyone other than the crown prince of her nation's sworn enemy.
Chris was not relaxed, but she had let her mind wander, as she mindlessly ate. She was so distracted that when Zeven replaced her nearly empty plate with his own, she continued to eat. Her hunger had finally started to die down after both plates were cleaned.
The entire time she ate, Zeven watched her. She had been hungry, starving truly. And it took all of his will power not to laugh as she cleaned his plate in addition to her own. Instead, he just smiled down on her, appreciating being in the same room with her, and her not trying to rip his head off his shoulders.
Her hair was still damp and left wet spots on her shirt, revealing where it had been. Its color was muted, but it was impossible for it to look any darker than a light blonde. It was nearly white when it was dry. He would have assumed that it was from all the time she spent in the sun, if other factors didn't state otherwise. The creamy color of her skin looked as if it had never seen the sun, but the natural flush of red that spread across her checks and over the bridge of her nose made him second guess that statement too.
Chris reached her hand to grab the clear glass of water off the table, drawing it towards her lips she started to tilt it back. But Zeven had already grabbed it and pulled it to his own mouth and took a small sip. "It's like we're kissing."
The calm expression Chris wore broke as she once again put up her guard. She set the glass back onto the table without drinking from it. "What do you want from me?" Chris looked directly into Zeven's eyes. "Would you believe that I found you so beautiful I couldn't stand to leave you on the battlefield?"
Zeven reached his hand over to Chris, this time Chris didn't pull away. Using her bandaged hands she caught his as he reached it to her. She held his hands firmly. "Zeven, I have a kingdom to get back to, and I will get back to it." Zeven hadn't removed his hand from her grasp. "How about we play a game? I'm sure you're familiar with Chess-" Chris released his hand like it was on fire, but Zeven didn't move, the serious look in his eyes unnerved her. "Let's play. One month. If I win you stay, if you win… I'll send you home. What do you say, is it a deal?" "I don't need your deal-"
Zeven leaned back, eyes moving to the ceiling, "What is your plan? Everything you've tried has ultimately failed. At least this way you stand a chance at going back to your kingdom." He sounded tired, like finding each word to say was a perilous journey. He rubbed his temples in a lazy manner before his eyes made their way back to Chris, like a moth to the flame.
"What are the rules?"
"Rules?" The corner of his mouth turned up as he teased her.
"The rules, you said it was like chess, I can't play unless I know the game dynamics." Chris said everything with a straight face.
"You are a funny one." Zeven was smiling again, "I hold all the cards and yet you are still trying so desperately to keep up. Very well, there are no rules, but seeing that both of our super objectives are to do whatever is best for our kingdoms-" He gestured flippantly with his hand, "You have one month to come up with a solution better than mine, to stop the war between our kingdoms forever. If you can't do that, then we will go with my plan."
Chris was tired of the way Zeven talked in circles, she needed a direct answer, "And what is your plan?"
"Easy." Zeven smiled "We get married, and I rule both kingdoms."
The way he said it gave the illusion that this was an everyday proposal for him. Very relaxed, very free. "Chris, you are merely a pawn in my game, no more than a means to an end. At least at my side you could sit as a queen. If you truly care about your people you would do well to think about your future actions."
It was a threat. It was a very poignant threat that turned Chris's blood cold. She had listened patiently for long enough, "Pawns are an incredible asset, if one knows how to use them." She threw her chin up in a challenge.
Zeven laughed coldly. His face losing all trace of humanity. "Yes, that is true. I admit chess isn't my strong point, but I believe that pawn still has a drawback- no matter how many times it crosses the board- it can never become king."
Cold, and hard, the words were a slap in the face. Chris stood from the table, and started to walk away. Not sure where she was going, but no longer able to stay in the same room as him.
She passed the front door, not even sparing it a glance. Her mind was entirely focused on the information overload she had just received. Cryptic as he was, Zeven had just dropped a lot of truth her way. It was just a game, but it was a dangerous game. A game that if she lost would cost her everything, a game she didn't have a choice to play.
Chris traced the layout of the first floor several times as she walked up and down the circumference of the room. Trying to clear her head as much as she could when she was trapped inside this house. She wandered aimlessly, for what felt like hours as the minutes drug on. She had reached the top of the stairs, before she realised that she had headed back to Zeven's room. Cursing softely she turned to head back down the stairs. There was no way that she would willingly enter his room again.
Even thinking his name seemed to summon him like a demon, as he was standing behind her as she turned to head back down the stairs. He had stayed close, but left enough room for Chris to move freely. As if he could read her mind he started talking again. His voice was softer than it had been just a minute ago, back to the light, flirtatious kind. "You don't want to sleep with me?" He faked a pained look, the look on Chris's face was enough for him to drop the act. His voice grew softer, and gentler still, "About earlier, I was too harsh… Gunter pointed out that maybe that wasn't the best way to break the news to you. He didn't quite say it like that- Look I won't apologize for telling you the truth, but I-" Zeven took a deep breath, it was clear from the way he rambled like a small child that he was not used to apologizing for his actions, "I am… sorry... " He trailed off like he wanted to say more, but Chris wasn't inclined to hear any of it.
"On a separate note, how do you feel about towers?"
"what?"
"A tower is where you keep a princess, right. The furthest door on your left, leads to some stairs at the top is the little room I had intended to put you in last night." Chris turned on her heel and started to walk away, That did it. That Chris froze in place. He had intentionally been picking at her weak points from the minute they meet, but this was too much.
"I am a prisoner here, treat me like it."
"How are you suggesting I do that?"
Chris turned to face him, "Don't treat me like a woman. I am the prince, and heir to the throne of Amatade." Her chest puffed out as she tried to make herself look bigger and more masculine.
"But you are a woman. You can't change that. No title will ever rid you of your womanhood." He closed the gap between them and placed his hand on the top of her head. "I for one am grateful for it."
"I'll say it again so it'll get through your thick head. Stop treating me like a woman. I would rather be tortured in your dungeons than this." She was angry, and while Zeven could have easily taken advantage of the situation, he still felt guilty from earlier. Not so much because of what he said, but the fact that Gunter had scolded him for it.
"As much as the thought of having you blindfolded and in chains excites me...How about as a friend? A female friend, but still a friend." It was the best solution he could think of on the spot. He had intentionally tried to get under her skin, but he may have pushed it too far, for his plan to truly work they needed to get along on a basic level. When he was done with her he would throw her away, but for now, the best move he could make was gaining her trust.
"I will never be your friend." She turned to walk to the door he had pointed out earlier, then disappeared behind it.