It was clear that he did not intend to wait regardless of what her answer might have been. His hands were full but he did offer his arm for her to take instead. When she did not make a move, he took matters into his own hands by taking her arm. Interlocking her with his, he assumed the feminine position, threading his arm through hers.
"If you are hesitating to leave because you would like to look around more, we can come back later." He didn't look at her as he said this, keeping his gaze straight forward.
"No, it's fine. I was just curious."
"About?"
"Nothing in particular. Where are we going?"
"Nowhere in particular," He turned and winked at her. "Were you not listening when I told Anton to gather the kids and meet us in the old field.?"
"Must have eluded me."
She didn't pay much attention to where they were walking, but she did take in great details the way Zeven's arm fit in hers. She had escorted many people before, but he was the first person taller than she was. The women that Chris had escorted before were mainly nobility of some kind and always women. Men were not to be escorted.
Yet Zeven had willingly taken up the position. His warm skin pressed against hers. Due to the height difference, there were moments when it would jump upwards and bounce into her upper arm. But then it would settle down once more, resting easily on her forearm.
In her distraction, she didn't see that they were arriving at the end of their journey. There was a field, if you could call it that, on the outskirts of the town. Far enough away that Chris could no longer see anyone from the streets. But what she could see was a goodly amount of children running amuck in the field.
Zeven sloughed off his cloak and flung it to the side where several boulders rested. when he turned to look back he saw that Chris had not done the same. He reached back to take it off for her, but she caught his hand before he could do so.
"What happened to staying undercover?"
"They're children Chris. No one will believe them."
"But what about their parents?"
Zeven rested his hand on her head. His face smiled, but it did not reach his eyes.
"There is no need to worry. No one will come looking for these kids."
He didn't give her time to react to what he said before gallivanting off to the center of the clearing. With a loud whistle he summoned all the children to swarm around him.
She also removed her cloak, laying it over the rocks with more care than Zeven had. As she walked towards the group, she saw Zeven giving instructions and engaging with the children. Most of them were half as tall as he was so he bent down on one knee to be able to look them in the eye. When she arrived he had just finished talking; he pulled himself up and wrapped his arm around her.
The kids were still gathered around, looking up at the new person who had just joined their group. With so many small eyes on her, Chris found herself shifting slightly unsure of how to act. like reading her mind Zeven leaned in close and whispered in her ear, "Just be in the moment."
She didn't understand exactly what he meant, and didn't get the chance to think about it before a small hand grabbed hers. "Zeven said you're on our team." The little boy was on her injured side, so she had no choice but to follow closely beside him to keep from over extending it. Sparing a look back, she could see Zeven offering her a thumbs up and a smile.
The little boy brought her to the apex of the diamond etched in the dirt. One of the older children who had a wooden bat slung over her shoulder, backed everyone else up behind her. Chris had no idea what was going on so she watched intently.
Zeven stood in the middle of the field holding a small ball in his hand. He looked around the field, before making eye contact with the girl holding the bat. seeing that she was ready he yelled out that the game was starting before throwing the ball straight at her.
It looked for a moment that Zeven had just pegged this kid with a ball, before she heard a crack and saw it arching away from the girl. She dropped the bat and began running around the diamond.
Chris couldn't tear her eyes from the scene as the kids ran around the field. It was chaos and order blended together. As they yelled, and ran, and laughed together. There were kids chasing after the ball, kids chasing after the girl, and there were kids sitting down in the dirt playing the grass.
There were several more kids from her team that took up the bat and ran the loop before it was clear that it was her turn.
There were several more kids from her team that took up the bat and ran the loop before it was clear that it was her turn. They passed the bat to her and pointed at the bottom point of the diamond.
Zeven sauntered over, a coy smile across his face. Winking at Chris, he put his arm around her waist and moved in behind her. He leaned forward enough to rest his chin on her shoulder.
"I have been waiting for a chance like this." he stifled laughter as he spoke, all but ruining the suave vibe he tried to create.
"What an outstanding example you are for these children."
"I am, aren't I."
While she couldn't see his face, she could hear his grin. He grabbed the bat, moving it onto her shoulder as he positioned her right hand on it. keeping his other around her waist, he wrapped his hand around hers on the bad. His hands were small enough that they almost disappeared under his.
Making a few practice swings, the bat cut through the air as Zeven guided Chris's movements.
"as soon as you hit the ball run." he whispered into her ear.
Anton stood on the pitcher's mound holding the ball.
"that's not fair. You don't get to help her just 'cause she's a girl." Anton had one hand on his hip, and he leaned to the side.
"How right you are my friend. But I'm not helping her because she is a girl. Chris is a woman, one day you'll figure out that they are much better than girls. This is purely for my own benefit." he hugged her waist tighter.
"You're not even on her team!"
"Chris isn't playing for either team, however, I'm hoping that I can convince her to play for mine."
She nudged her shoulder back into his chest. "Don't be disgusting."
"I thought you might have been stressed. Don't worry I'm sure it went right over their heads.
An older boy standing off to the left looked at the pair, "not all our heads."
Red crept across Chris's face. Burning as it stretched over her cheeks and up to the tips of her ears. "You are incorrigible." "Have I ever claimed to be otherwise?"
As Zeven laughed, Chris could feel the movements of his chest and the vibrations that occurred. He was right against her, his chest flush with her back.
"Alright Anton, we're ready!" Zeven called out.
Anton threw the ball towards them. It seemed to move in slow motion as it approached her. And in even slower motion, she felt Zeven initiating a swing. Giving in to the movement she followed his start. The ball kept sailing through the air before reaching the outstretched bat with a dull thud. Zeven's chest helped absorb some of the recoil as her shoulder propelled backwards on impact.
The ball flew past the pitchers mound and landed in the dirt. At the same time Zeven removed his hands taking the bat with him. "GO!" he gave a small push to nudge her in the right direction.
She took off running to the right. As she ran, she could see the kids on the field scrambling to grab the ball. Several children rushed on the ball at the same time and there were others yelling for it to be thrown. Her foot touched the first corner of the diamond. The children who weren't on the field were yelling now too. They cheered and hollarded, wanting her to keep running.
Aiming towards the next corner, Chris continued running. The wind on her face felt nice in the heat. Running was always something she was good at, but hearing people cheering behind her while she did it made her heart happy. Touching the next base she didn't hesitate as she continued to run.
About halfway between the second and third base the cheering changed. Instead of telling her to keep going they were yelling for her to "go back!" Looking up at the third base, Chris could see that one of the kids was holding the ball waiting there. Immediately she shifted her weight and turned on her heel, sprinting back to second base.
When she got there everyone cheered. She froze on the base just listening to their shouts. Her chest got tight, but it was a pleasant feeling. She couldn't help but smile as they called out to her. She looked back to where she had run from and saw Zeven still standing there.
He was smaller, off in the distance, but somehow across the field their eyes met. He offered her a small wave, and in her excitement, she put her hand up as well.
On the next hit, she managed to make it the rest of the way around the diamond. Zeven had returned to the pitcher's mound, but Chris was not alone on the home plate. There were several children gathered around, all cheering and smiling.
Her breathing was slightly laboured, and her skin and started to glisten, but no one paid any mind. It didn't matter that she was a prince, it didn't matter that she was a woman, it mattered that she was there with them.
The kids dissipated as the next person came to bat. Not knowing what to do next, she found herself wandering over to the large boulders that her and Zeven's cloaks sat on.
Sitting down on one, she pulled a leg up onto the stone and wrapped her arms around it. With her heart still pounding in her chest, she tried to focus on the game.
She watched as Zeven stood proudly amidst a sea of children, a head taller than all of them. He threw the ball slower for the younger ones, making sure that everyone had a chance to hit the ball and run. Picking up balls and passing them to the kids for them to run around and try to tag others. Hoisting them up on his shoulders, chasing them, laughing with them.
It was sweet to see. He was like a child himself. She could see him one day playing on the floor with his own children. How he would ruffle their hair, and scoop them up into his arms.
Chris blinked a few times, her eyes starting to burn. The peaceful feeling in her chest replaced with a feeling she didn't have a name for. Yet she couldn't bring herself to look away.
A thud sounded to her right. Looking away from Zeven, her eyes met Anton's.
"You're not from around here." He startled her, his words seeming to come from nowhere.
"Is that a question?"
"Just an observation." He looked out at the field and then back at her. His legs were crisscrossed as he sat on top of the rock, directly in Chris's line of sight.
She didn't know how to respond. Admitting to be from Ametade was bad, but admitting to be their prince was worse. The boy looked at her in a way similar to how Zeven did, like he could see all the way through her. Any lie she told would slip off like silk on a shoulder and shatter like glass.
"Don't worry, there is no one that would listen to us anyway. Nor do we feel any loyalty to this land we are in."
He looked like a child, but spoke with words beyond his years. Like Zeven he filled the silence she left.
"It's pretty obvious you don't know who you are sitting with, most adults in this country don't spare us a second glance," Anton's face was calm, no anger or sadness, just impassive. A mask, "we aren't wanted anywhere. Not by our parents, not by the land, yet are here."
"Zeven mentioned that there was a law about child rearing."
Anton scoffed, "That implies having to raise them. Unwanted children like us usually get left in places like this. You know Zeven was also an unwanted child."
"How do you know?"
"Like sees like."
Chris was thoughtful. She looked up to where Zeven was standing in the field, he didn't seem sad or alone. In fact he usually seemed happy like he didn't have a care in the world. He smiled, he laughed both frequently and freely. But at the same time, he hid things under a mask just like her. She had seen some things ooze out the cracks and holes, it was unrealistic to assume that what she had seen was the only things that were.
She only realized she was staring when it was too late. Zeven noticed her gaze and smiled coyly at her, having caught her in the act. Looking away wouldn't be the same as admitting her guilt so she kept eye contact finding herself grinning as well.
"You like him don't you." Anton stole her attention away.
"He is crass, rude, and obnoxious, but it would be a lie to say I hate him." Her answer surprising herself.
"But you're not actually his wife…"
"No. Nor do I have any intention of becoming such."
Anton frowned pursed lips. His eyebrows pulling together as he looked at his feet. It was the youngest he had looked since she met him.
Yelling from the center of the field, Zeven interrupted their conversation. "Anton, are you gonna play or just flirt with the pretty girl?"
Immediately bouncing back, Anton stood up on top of the boulder and shouted back, "You're one to talk." Throwing his hands around Chris's shoulders he placed a big kiss on her cheek before jumping down and running. Zeven fell to his taunt and chased after him. Both laughing as Zeven caught up to him, sticking him in another headlock.
The game ended when the sun started to hang low. Reluctant to leave, the children clung to Zeven asking him to stay a little longer. Good naturedly he ruffled their hair before sending them on their way. They dispersed like smoke into the atmosphere.
From where Chris was sitting, she could see when Zeven pulled Anton to the side, but she could not hear what he was saying. He rested an arm around his shoulder, pulling him close. They were like that for a moment, standing still as the rest of the children ran home.
Zeven released Anton but not before giving him a proper hug. He stooped down to rest his chin on the top of his head. Anton held tightly, soaking in the human contact. Zeven waited for Anton to break the hug, and when it was done he clapped him on the shoulder. The little boy looked up, putting his hands on his hips said something that caused Zeven to laugh aloud. Picking up the ball and bat, Zeven passed them to Anton. Waving as he ran off to catch the other kids.