Chapter 78 - The Oscorians Want Me

"I want to join you in a bath!" Amanda announced as they walked out of the library. It was her way of testing Christopher's reaction over water.

"Goodness! Can you both be more discrete? What if someone was here other than me?" Scolded Zack as he came out with the couple. He directed his intense gaze to Amanda and said, "Remember, people here are very traditional."

"Relax, Zack. No one else is here," said Christopher. He put an arm around Amanda and pulled her away.

Whispering to her ear, Christopher said, "My naughty Amanda. What were you thinking?"

Amanda could not help but flush, especially feeling his cold breath against her ear. She answered in silence, 'I want to see you in a lot of water?' In reality, however, she softly said, "I want to see you... naked?"

Christopher coughed, covering his mouth with his fist. While walking ahead of Zack, he said, "We'll take care of that... later."

On that evening, however, Christopher never came. He only met her the next morning, explaining that his father asked to speak to him about matters regarding the security of the borders. While it was true, he and his father only spoke for an hour.

Christopher purposely did not go to Amanda's room, fearing to hear the voice again. Especially since Amanda heard it.

He was concerned about what Amanda would think of him. Recalling how his family and his father's advisers thought he had gone mad in the past, he did not want Amanda to think the same of him.

This went on in the next four days, with Christopher often telling that he was too exhausted.

In the mornings when he met Amanda, he would have breakfast with her and not hold back showing affection, putting his arm around her, and occasionally pecking on her cheeks. Unfortunately, he would quickly leave for the borders, and Amanda, once again, could not test him about being the master of water.

It would have been Amanda's fifth night alone had she not decided to look for Christopher.

First, she did not want to sleep alone. Second, she had to find out, one way or another, that Christopher was the master of water.

When Christopher returned, Amanda was already hiding from one column facing the courtyard. She carried with her a bucket of water.

Christopher was walking with Kyle, their wings hidden in their backs. They were discussing getting more blacksmiths from the other nations to make swords. When they were a meter away from where Amanda hid, she suddenly thrust the bucket of water at Christopher.

Kyle managed to step back, leaving Christopher soaked in water.

"A - Amanda! What - what are you doing?" Christopher asked, utterly shocked by her actions.

Amanda, however, was dismayed. She frowned and thought, 'Nothing happened? If he has Mahli inside of him, why wouldn't the water have any effect on him?'

It was because her powers reacted that way with her. When Amanda was close to fire, she would turn into a ticking time bomb. She assumed it would be the same for Christopher.

"Are you okay, Amanda?" It was Kyle who asked this time around. He then laughed and said, "Chris, she probably could smell Oscorian from a mile away, she wanted to give you an advance bath!"

Amanda forced a laugh as she pointed at Kyle. Fortunately, she came up with a reasonable answer. "No - actually I was upset with Chris." She shot him an angry glare and said, "Are you - avoiding me?"

"Avoiding you?! No, I am not!" He walked closer to her and said, "Now, I am soaked. I can't even hold you."

He leaned forward and whispered to her ear, "Go up to your room and I'll join you. I'll just take a proper bath."

He shivered, feeling already cold from drenched out in the open.

For two hours, Amanda waited for him inside her room, walking back and forth in front of her bed. She was mumbling to herself, "He better show himself or I am going to his room!"

A minute passed, and finally, she heard him call out her window. It was already open, meant for when he would arrive.

"Amanda," he said while climbing into her window.

Seeing her cross her arms against her chest, he cleared his throat and said, "I'm sorry. I - I had a lot of things in my mind."

Without another word, he pulled her in his embrace, nestled her in his bare and manly chest. He repeatedly pecked on her head. He said, "Amanda, do you mind if we sleep it off. It's not that I am avoiding you - It's just that I have... a lot on my mind - Ahhh!"

Amanda smacked him in the arm and pushed him away. She said, "If I am not worthy to hear your worries - if you cannot even trust me enough to tell me what is troubling you, then your father may be right."

She looked away before saying, "I may not be the right person to marry you."

Christopher sighed and said, "No - please. Don't think that." He came closer to her again and hugged her tight. He said, "Amanda - I."

He put his hands on her face and said, "I - I." Christopher badly wanted to tell Amanda about the force inside of him, but instead what he told was another pressing matter, one that was also worthy of mentioning. "Amanda the Oscorians want me. For years now, they wanted me in exchange for peace."

"Remember, I told you about a person they have - a possible prisoner? They have agreed to meet and exchange him for one of their leaders, one that we captured. The meeting point is exactly seventy miles from the eastern border. It's almost nearing Plethora."

He took a deep breath and said, "But, but for a long time, they have been wanting to take me. Thus, anything can happen. It could be a trap for all we know."

Amanda frowned. She thought to herself, 'So this is what Christopher has been bothered with?'

"Is it worth risking travelling that far for this - this person of interest?" Amanda asked, utterly concerned.

'Is it worth it?' Christopher asked himself. 'Yes, Basalt is the answer to sealing back what is inside me.'

"Yes, Amanda. Basalt is the person they have. He is one of the most experienced and knowledgeable healers in Pelagy," revealed Christopher.. "It is very important that we rescue him."