Chapter 88 - Close Encounters: Part One

Evanna looked at him, horrified by what she saw before her. She stepped back so far, she bumped into one of the guards. Arawn narrowed his eyes, not at her but the guard. 

She spun around and apologised, sidestepping him and glanced to and from the elven prince and the newly slain body on the ground. The prince arched a brow from her reaction. He couldn't comprehend what the matter was.

Evanna had killed before, so why was she acting so frightened or shocked? Sure, cutting a man's head off was a little gruesome, but he couldn't help it. He reacted quickly, and this was the end result. 

Arawn let out a sigh, and he approached Evanna slowly, showing his hands, meaning no harm. She eyed them, and he, too, looked at them. There was still some blood on them, even though he already wiped them down.

His handkerchief was currently scrunched together on the body. But he refused to turn his back on Evanna.

"Do you have a handkerchief? Mine is a bit bloody," He turned and looked at his rag on the ground before returning to look at Evanna once more. Her brows were arched together, her ethereal green eyes still wide, but she pushed past her fear and reached into a small secret pocket in her dress. If she hadn't reached for it, he would never know that she had a pocket.

He grasped her white handkerchief and began cleaning his hands again, his gaze unwavering from hers as he did so. A tense silence started to weigh them down, but the prince did not feel uncomfortable; it was Evanna who broke it. 

"Why did you kill him? I wasn't that long.." Evanna said in a quiet voice. Her eyes had now hardened as she stared at him. He did not like that one bit. Narrowing his eyes, he took a step closer to her, watching as the decision flashed across her mind at stepping out of his reach. But she stood her ground. If she had moved, he would only grab her by the arm.

"I killed him because he tried to assassinate me.." Arawn replied in a dangerously low voice.

Evanna looked even more befuddled by his words. "You sent a message to me that 'heads would roll' if I did not meet you.." Her gaze flickered back to the head detached from the so-called 'assassin's body'.

Arawn couldn't help it; he burst into a peal of laughter. She was so innocent! He wouldn't really chop someone's head off because he was so impatient. What did she think he was, a mad man!? 

He stopped laughing after the thought crossed his mind, and he tilted his head at her, his brows knitting together at this. Evanna honestly thought he chopped off a man's head because she was not quick enough to make it to him. Yet, he could not bring himself to ask her if that was what she thought of him; it was apparent from her comment.

"You took that quite literally.." He smirked, covering up the slither of.. what was this feeling? Hurt? He was feeling hurt by her perception of him. Sure he chopped a hand off in front of her and manipulated situations between them so he could interrogate her in a way that wasn't too frightening yet would clearly work. But for her to think so low of him.. Well, it really grated at him. 

However, he continued with his usual mask of composure on his features, "It's quite comical really.." He dusted his shoulder off nonchalantly, although there was no dust, to begin with. 

"Well, what else do you expect me to believe?! There is a body decapitated on the ground after receiving such a message!" Her voice rose slightly but still not enough to arouse the attention of more nobles. 

As soon as he dealt with the assassin, he ordered his guards to set up a perimeter around the area so the nobles would not come any closer. Though, he could still see one or two that tried to peer through a gap between two of the guard's shoulders. But his eyes locked with theirs, and they paled under his scrutiny, immediately vanishing from sight.

His attention went back to Evanna, and he raised his brow at her, unimpressed by her reasoning. He turned his head to the guard, who was now far too comfortable with her. "Tell his highness of what has happened here. He needs to be protected in his chambers. Once you have sent word, find Garrett and send him here." The guard bowed and rushed back the way he came. Arawn's attention then went to the other guard, "Clean up this mess."

Arawn then looked back at his girl. She appeared a lot calmer now, but her eyes were roaming across his features quite openly. Evanna did not normally gawk at him in such a way; he certainly was not complaining, but if it wasn't her, then he would shoot her daggers, scaring the rude person away.

Instead, he raised a brow in question, and a rosy hue flourished across her cheeks. Making her that much more beautiful, both from her shyness and the radiant beauty that was she.

"You.. your face is covered in blood, your highness," She replied hesitantly. Arawn preferred hearing his name leave her lips, but they were in public.

"Hmm?" So she wasn't gawking at him because of his handsomeness.

Evanna stepped forwards and held her hand out; he looked at it questionably. "My handkerchief.."

Arawn placed it in her hand but let his own stay clasped above hers, causing her to gasp quietly and glance to the side where some nobles had crept forwards again. He ignored the nobles, they were men staring at his woman, and they needed to know who she belonged to. Arawn smiled down at her, "Wipe it off for me."

Evanna blinked back at his sudden proposal and again found herself blushing under the late afternoon sun. 

"I do not know where the blood is," He reasoned. 

Although his reason made sense, she could not possibly do such a thing in public! Yet, she looked at his face, the face she thought of a monster moments ago, and relented. Evanna felt a little guilty by her thoughts of him, but she also felt conflicted; he did chop an innocent man's hand off, after all.

Biting her lip, she nodded her head in agreement and whispered, "Okay," as she looked down at their hands again. 

Arawn released her and watched her step forwards, avoiding his heated gaze while she began gently wiping away some of the blood on his high cheekbones. To distract herself from doing such an inappropriate task not only to a man that was not her husband but by acting indecently in public, she asked the first question that popped into her mind. 

"Who sent the assassin?" Evanna asked quietly as she finished removing the blood on his cheeks. She gulped after marvelling at him, but she blinked a few times to refocus. Her eyes then wandered to some of the splodges of blood near his right ear.

Evanna moved her hand in that direction but inhaled sharply as she felt his cold hand grab hers suddenly. She looked into the depths of his infinite pools of blue, almost feeling herself fall into them. But his hand tightened on hers, sending a small pain of awareness through her, halting her. Evanna had indeed been leaning closer to him! She subtly pulled back but noticed the flicker of amusement behind his eyes as he licked his lips and looked down at hers.

"I do not know who sent him. But he is from The Order," Arawn let go of her hand. She pursed her lips and continued gently applying the handkerchief near his right ear.

"I think I have heard of them. They reside in the Eleppo mountains?" Evanna queried and pulled back, glancing at his features for any more blood. But there was none. She found herself feeling disappointed, and her eyes widened at the realisation.

Evanna could barely look at him in the eyes now as she stepped back and began to slide her handkerchief in her pocket once more, absentmindedly.  Her mind was still reeling from the fact that she wanted to continue being that close to him. She was becoming far too comfortable around him, and she scolded herself for feeling that way.