Amina awoke as sunlight poured through her open window. She snuggled deeper into the pillow she laid on but couldn't seem to get comfortable, the pillow felt rock hard and strange to the touch, rough and warm. She grumbled as she reached out across to find a different pillow and realized the form beneath her wasn't a pillow but a shirtless man. She jumped away from them, looking down to see Nero. Why was he in her bed and why was he shirtless! She covered her eyes with her hands and called his name, trying to wake the beast of a man.
"Nero!" She screamed in a hushed tone, trying her best to not attract any unwanted attention, especially that of the bustling maids outside her door. Hell fire, how was she going to sneak this giant out of her room unnoticed? The entire palace would be ablaze with crazy gossip if they saw him come out from her room.
"Nero, please, wake up!" She peaked out between her fingers, watching the shirtless Nero stir, his muscles flexing as he stirred. Amina's face turned bright red as she covered her eyes, though a part of her wanted to look. That thought made her heart race and her mouth curse her stupid thoughts.
"Nero!!" She shouted one last time, reaching with one hand to try and shake him awake. He didn't budge from her small pushing but the feeling of her hand on his chest made his eyes snap open, realizing he wasn't dreaming. Amina immediately pulled her hand away from his chest and questioned him in a rushed, hushed voice.
"Why are you in my bed??? And why, why, why are you naked?" Nero pulled his tunic from the floor, tugging it over his head and throwing on his armor.
"You can open your eyes now, I'm decent." Amina glanced from behind her fingers, slightly disappointed but mostly relieved.
"I'm so sorry... I came to check on you last night but you didn't answer so I let myself in to make sure you were okay... I was leaving but you woke up and grabbed my hand and... and you begged me not to leave you alone so I sat down and planned to leave when I could pull my hand away without waking you up but I must have fallen asleep..." Amina turned an even brighter shade of red when he said she had pulled him back. She didn't remember doing it at all.
"Your shirt... why was your shirt off?" She still couldn't look him in the eye as she remembered how his muscles had felt beneath her fingers. She could even recall the puckered skin of scars.
"I must have done it when I was half asleep... I usually sleep with my shirt off so it's just a force of habit, I'm so sorry. Really sorry. I'm, I'll take my leave now."
"No!" Amina shouted, grasping his arm as he stepped toward the door. They both blush and looked away from one another as their bare skin grazed each other.
"No, um, I didn't mean, I just mean, can you leave in a way no one will see you or notice...? I don't want rumors to spread that we... you know..." Nero cleared his throat and nodded, heading toward the balcony.
"Wait! This is the second floor, you'll get hurt if you jump from there! You can... you can just wait here until the hall is clear and slip out..." Nero chuckled as he opened the balcony door, answering Amina amusedly, "I'll be fine, I've jumped from higher," he finished with a smile, leaping down once he was sure no one was looking. Amina ran to the balcony to check he was okay, releasing a huge sigh of relief when she saw him glance backwards with a sly smile and wave her back inside.
Amina plopped onto the side of her bed, her heated face in her hands. She couldn't believe she clung to a man all night she barely knew. A shirtless one at that! His bare chest sprung into her mind as she tried to wave it away. He was built even better than she had originally thought.
"Good morning, miss! Are you feeling better today?" The maid asked as she swung the door open without a care, bringing a bundle of dresses with her. Amina took a deep breath before facing her and saying she felt great.
"Are you sure? Your face is quite red," the maid remarked, feeling her forehead with the back of her hand. Amina made an excuse of being hot from the heavy blanket and ran to the bathroom to wash up as the maid loaded the dresses into the closet. Amina dressed in the simplest dress but still felt like it was far too beautiful for her. The soft blue matched her eyes and the simple lace accents with inlaid jewels glittering in the sunlight felt too grand for such a simple woman like herself. Amina hoped she didn't look like a child who raided her mother's closet as she followed the maid to Prince Oro's office. She truly didn't want to meet with him. Her stomach was in knots as the maid knocked and opened the door for Amina when Oro shouted for them to enter. Amina quickly gathered her courage to face the two men she dreaded meeting.
"Good morning, Miss Amina. Feeling better today?" Prince Oro inquired, quickly and subtly closing the book he had been scribbling notes in as Amina walked closer to his desk, scanning the room for Nero and finding him missing.
"Yes, much better, thank you for asking, your highness."
"Please, call me Oro," he said with a smile, standing to meet her around the front of his desk. Oro reached for her but stopped short when the door flung open, a slightly out of breath Nero on the other side of it. Oro's hand quickly fell as he returned to his desk.
"You're late, my friend. You're never late. Did something happen?" Amina blushed slightly at his questioning, averting her eyes as Nero drew closer. She could feel the heat of him behind her, making her stomach squirm.
"No, I just woke up late," Nero explained, his hair still dripping slightly from his morning wash.
"You never wake up late. You barely sleep as it is. How did you sleep so well? What's your secret? I could use a few more hours myself," Oro joked, glancing between Nero and Amina whose faces were slightly flushed.
"Couldn't tell ya. Anyway, what's on the schedule for today?"
"Alright, keep your secrets. We're heading back to the forest to investigate today, so go on ahead and pack our things and have the servants load up three horses."
"Three? Who's coming with us?" Nero asked, not liking the most likely answer.
"Our guide, of course. Amina, do you mind?" Oro queried, flashing a smile at her. Nero tried to intervene but was thwarted by Amina interrupting once again.
"I don't mind, my lord, but I can't ride a horse," she admitted with a shy smile.
"Oh, you can just ride with Nero, then! You don't mind, do you, Nero?" Nero tried to get a word in but again, was interrupted.
"Of course you don't. Amina you can go with him to prepare for the journey," Oro finished, practically shooing them out the door with a flick of his wrist, pulling the mysterious book out once more. Nero scrubbed a hand down his face, knowing he would lose the battle if he tried to fight Oro more. He sighed and gestured for Amina to follow him. Amina dutifully followed with her head down as to not draw attention or allow others to see how nervous she was.
"You should change," Nero said, breaking into her inner monologue.
"Yeah, I think so too. This dress is too much for me," she finished with a self-deprecating laugh. Nero stopped, almost making Amina slam into him for a second time.
"No, you look... I mean. It suits you just fine, I just meant you'd be uncomfortable riding a horse in a dress," he explained before continuing forward. Amina smiled slightly as her steps fell behind his again. Nero caught the maid who had been helping her, named Ruby, and asked her to bring Amina something she could ride comfortably in. Ruby bowed and rushed off to find something as Nero instructed Amina to wait in her room.
"No, I'm going to help you. I am your personal maid after all. Changing can wait."
"It's fine, I'm used to doing these things on my own," he replied, turning to leave. Amina fell behind him once more, determined to do her job.
"Well, you don't need to do them alone anymore. I'm here and I'm not some dainty woman who can't lift a finger to save her life. I've lived in the forest alone all these years, I've at least got some muscle to show for it," she quipped. Nero chuckled and asked to see these so-called muscles, turning to face her for the first time this morning after leaving. Amina flushed as she remembered this morning but stood her ground. She held out an arm, flexing her muscles beneath the dress.
"Well, go on, feel them," she demanded, flexing her muscles as hard as she could. They were puny compared to his but they weren't nonexistent like most noble women's. Nero chuckled again, wrapping his fingers around her upper arm, enclosing her tiny arm in his large hand with room to spare.
"Oh yeah, I definitely feel 'em," he joked, slightly squeezing her arm.
"They might not be as big as yours, but they are there," she fumed, glaring up at him.
"Oh, so you think I have big muscles, huh?" Amina blushed, remembering him shirtless once more. Nero realized what he just said and blushed himself, releasing her arm and mumbling about getting the horses ready. Amina agreed then quickly changed her mind, needing a little breathing room after the morning's events, she called after him saying she would get changed right now after all and meet him down in the stables. He waved at her as he retreated and she sighed as she turned back to find Ruby watching them with a grin. Amina looked away and asked Ruby for her clothes, clarifying that she would get ready on her own. Ruby giggled and said she would come back to braid her hair so it wouldn't tangle on the long ride. Amina nodded, quickly slipping inside her room, closing the door, and sliding down it with a long sigh. How many times would she embarrass herself before she just exploded?
Amina changed quickly into the tight riding pants and tunic Ruby had given her. She felt self-conscious as the clothes clung to her curves but Ruby said she looked great as she deftly braided her hair into a long braid down her back. Amina pulled the braid to her front, needing something to fiddle with as she followed Ruby down to the stables. She could see Nero loading up the horses and felt her nerves settle in her stomach. Oro came into view soon, leaping onto his bright white horse laden with fanciful golden accessories. Nero stood near his much larger black horse with simple leather accessories and minimal luggage. Amina walked a bit faster, feeling as if she had made them wait. Nero turned as he heard her coming and his eyes widened as she came into view. The clothes clung to every curve in her body, outlining her figure and forcing him to remember how she felt in his arms when he carried her and laid with her. He quickly lowered his gaze as she approached him.
"I'm ready, I apologize for making you gentlemen wait."
"We never mind waiting for a beautiful woman, my dear," Oro replied, grinning at his friend and his obvious shyness. Amina laughed, trying to ready herself for the long journey ahead. Nero cleared his throat before asking if he could help her up onto the beast. Amina nodded, thinking he would simply grab her hand to steady her as she stepped up using the stirrup but Nero had a different plan. Nero gripped her small waist with both hands, lifting her off the ground with ease and onto the saddle, quickly joining her atop it. Amina faced forward, trying to not be distracted by the man behind her but she could feel every centimeter of his body against her back. She stiffened as he leaned forward to grab the reins. She could feel his warmth, hear his breath and she nearly began to tremble from the sensation. "This is going to be a long ride," she thought. She gripped the horn of the saddle, leaning against his chest for stability as he instructed the horse to follow Oro, who had started off with wicked smirk across his face.