Brief Library visit

Shayn sucked in a deep breath. He wasn't sure whether Riley meant to plant the idea about going to see Simone, but once it was in his mind, he couldn't get it out.

His mother had washed his clothes since he'd been home, which certainly made packing more pleasant, and even his bedroll had been refreshed by her ministrations. He wondered whether she knew how quickly he would be heading out again.

Of course, she often knew things ahead of others by virtue of a keen intuition. He wondered if she'd dragged his stepfather out for a walk with her earlier because she had a feeling Shayn would need to be alone for a time, or that Riley would come over to speak with him.

Maybe it was a coincidence.

He walked as he sorted through some of the advice Riley had given. Not beating himself up was the hardest thing.

Well, he supposed Kyler had beaten him up enough for the both of them. The fact that he'd been so soundly whipped would have been humiliating if it weren't so shocking. Still, even with Kyler's newfound skills, he would be no match for Riley in a one-on-one combat, if it came to that.

He hoped it wouldn't.

Before he'd come even close to resolving his tumultuous thoughts, he found himself at the front of the library. With a sigh, he went inside. He was mildly surprised to see Finn still there. Riley had implied the queen's visit would be rather brief. She looked to be grilling Jarnsaxa while Simone frantically scribbled away taking notes. The sight was somewhat amusing, especially given the bored Tom looking on.

Shayn took a deep breath.

Simone was more put together than he'd seen her in a long while. She'd obviously had the chance to bathe and wash her hair–though water was still rationed, maybe she'd snuck out to the lake–and the shining gold strands were brushed to a gleam and pulled back into a loose but sensible bun.

She wore a clean library uniform and concentrated on her task, giving the man a moment to observe her uninterrupted. His heart beat faster to look at her, remembering the second time he had ever seen her. He'd been standing in that spot as she interrupted his waiting.

It had only taken him a matter of seconds to realize she was the one he'd been waiting for, but much longer than that to realize he'd been waiting for her in a much deeper sense.

He'd been waiting for her all his life.

The thought hit him like a freight train. Past the mourning of losing his brother, the worry over the end of the world, the very real possibility that the kingdom could be destroyed any day… with her in his sight, he was strangely calm. Comforted.

"I need her," He realized quietly. In the absence of all else, if she remained, he had some sense that he would be all right. That he could make it through. And yet, a guilt stepped on the heels of that sentiment.

Kyler's injury had hurt him more deeply than he'd known he could be hurt. Helping his brother recover and prosper had given his life a purpose. Now adrift and purposeless, was he simply replacing Kyler?

No, not in the least. His feelings for Simone long predated Kyler's betrayal. It was unfortunate that the raw wound had been what uncovered the depth of his need for her, but the two emotions weren't tied.

"Pardon me, could you repeat that?" Simone glanced up at Jarnsaxa, but Shayn caught her eye.

Her face, which had been contorted with concentration, now lit up in delight. His pulse raced as she smiled in welcome.

"Shayn! What brings you to the library?" She asked brightly, causing the queen and former giantess to look over at the newcomer.

Finn smiled a little too knowingly, while Jarnsaxa gave him a simple nod of recognition. Tom did not react to his presence at all, though Shayn gave him a brief smile of greeting just the same. 

"Actually–" He began.

"It's a good time for a break. Simone, I'm sure your hand must be sore, and I'm thirsty. I think I'll step out for a drink of water and be back in a few minutes," Finn said hurriedly. "Jarnsaxa, Tom, would you care to join me?"

The other two followed without a word as the queen made her way to the door.

Shayn fought the heat creeping up his neck at being so readable. Well, perhaps not. Everyone had acted just the same around the two of them even when they intensely disliked each other. For all he knew they saw nothing different now than they did back then.

"That was abrupt." Simone blinked after her departed guests.

"Was it? It seems like people are always doing that around us." Shayn teased lightly, and Simone's cheeks tinted a shade of pink.

"Well, that's true. You did warn me about your family's… hobby… fairly early on." She conceded, and he chuckled.

"They're fairly persistent at it." He added with a look towards the door to make sure Finn had left with the others.

"Oh!" Simone cried suddenly. "I just found out, that is, I've been asked to leave the city on assignment… I'm to care for copies of the library's most important books in case… Well, in case Beast arrives and destroys everything."

Her voice became quieter, though there was no one around them to hear. She pressed her lips together and looked at him with a tinge of fear in her eyes.

"You'll be safe." He assured her, suddenly very glad indeed he didn't try to fight Riley harder on the caravan guard duty he'd been assigned.

"But will you?" Simone whispered tensely, and his heart melted a little. He glanced around, as did she. To his surprise, no one else seemed to be in the building. Had Finn surreptitiously shooed them all out?

Shayn opened his arms and Simone threw herself into them, wrapping hers around his waist and hugging him tightly.

"Yes, I'll be safe," He assured her.

"How can you be sure?" Her voice was muffled against his chest, and he pulled back slightly to look down into her face.

"Because I'm coming with you," He smiled. "Riley ordered me to guard the evacuation caravan, and I'm sure he'll have that amended to specifically guard the precious library artifacts to keep me closer to you."

Simone pulled back, embarrassed, and turned away. Shayn debated what to say for a moment. This wasn't exactly the reaction he'd anticipated.

"You'd rather I… stay here?" He asked.

"No," She admitted, "but you might have saved me the trouble of worrying about you all morning!"

"You worried about me?" A grin crept onto Shayn's face, and a frown onto Simone's.

"Of course I did! Kyler promised to kill you next time he saw you!" She whispered angrily.

The reminder dampened Shayn's spirits, but it softened hers.

"I'm glad you're coming along," Simone added.

He looked at her with a mild expression. "Are you sure? We've hardly been apart for more than a few minutes for weeks. You seemed sick of me by the end of the first day."

"You're one to talk," She shook her head. "You looked ready to burn the library down just to be rid of me."

He reached over and took her hand, entwining their fingers. They were both silent for a moment. Nearly all of their physical contact had been by necessity, or accidental, or caught up in the heat of a moment.

This simple act of voluntary, considered affection was new and different for both of them.

"I don't want to be rid of you anymore," He said simply.

It wasn't a declaration of love, or a proposal, or anything groundbreaking. He'd even said something rather similar before. But the way his mouth went dry when he said it, the way his heart pounded as he waited for her reaction…

"Me neither," She replied. "I… I wouldn't mind at all if you want to stick around for a while."

"I intend to," He squeezed her hand gently. "For as long as I'm able." 

"Well," She whispered, her eyes darting to the door. "If you want to avoid being a topic of royal gossip, perhaps you should come back later instead. The queen will come back any moment, I'm sure."

"You're forgetting, she's my stepsister. I'm always a topic of royal gossip," He rolled his eyes before glancing over at the door himself. "However, privacy is more of what we're used to, isn't it?"

A blush quickly bloomed across Simone's cheeks, and he couldn't resist pressing it further. "I'm sorry to say, however, that we're unlikely to find a chaperone as lax as our last one, so you'll have to behave yourself a little better."

He winked as she gasped sharply and tried to yank her hand away. He kept it in his grasp long enough to press a quick kiss on the back of it, then released it and strode out the door with a mischievous grin.