Chapter 21

"Where are we going?" Alexander questioned following her through a path he did not know of. He was sure there wasn't any house or form of entertainment this way. She could be leading him to his death right now but he was confident in his skills to handle any nearby threat.

"I've heard others speak of beautiful scenery this way. Why are you acting like you are afraid of me? I won't hurt a single hair on that pretty head you have. How could someone as small as me take on a big man like you?" She asked and waited for his response. "Your silence tells me you have met a woman my size who was a good opponent."

"You being small or a woman does not mean you cannot throw a surprise attack and kill me. There have been many dangerous women in history to prove you shouldn't underestimate gender. Wars have been lost because of this." He believed in never underestimating anyone.

Artemis hid her smile from Alexander because of his good response. At least he was not stupid and looked down on women. "You're not wrong there. I've heard stories of wives killing husbands, women stealing the throne from tyrant kings, and so much more. I promise not to hurt you. Trust me?"

"I'm not sure because you could be an excellent liar. I hope you aren't trying to kill me, Artemis. I'm hoping we could be friends," he scanned the area they were heading to, watching out for danger from people who had something against him. Even though there weren't any houses, there were few people passing them. This was most likely a shortcut instead of using the road.

"Just friends? Nothing more?"

"Can't men and women be friends? Must we only meet to eventually screw each other? Or is it a case where you already have too many friends?" He didn't come all the way out here instead of taking the day off because he wanted something more than just getting to know her. He partially wanted to see more of her personality and figure out whether she belonged in this kingdom.

"They can be friends however, you barely know me but you're following me to a place you have never been before away from the line of sight of people who could save you if I was plotting to kill you. Excuse the first assumption of me thinking you want something from me. Not that I am offering anything to you. Ever," she added in the last part to seal the deal that nothing would ever happen between them. Artemis was not that desperate to find comfort in the arms of a human. "And I also don't have many friends. There are probably only two people who have been around me."

'Vincent and Aurora,' she thought to herself. Artemis hadn't seen the both of them for a while. Vincent was watching over the werewolves while Aurora was trapped with some human family.

"You really know how to slice someone down from thinking they had a chance with you. Having a relationship with a woman is not on my mind now anyway. My job keeps me at the palace regularly or at the wall. I wouldn't want my woman to feel alone at night," he grinned when Artemis rolled her eyes.

"I actually believe some women enjoy when their men are away from home so that they can take a deep breath and relax. Do you honestly think someone could put up with you for more than an hour? The first few minutes of our meeting annoyed the heck out of me. Your future wife must be a strong woman. I pity her."

"The future is an unpredictable thing, Artemis. You might be pitying yourself."

Artemis chuckled, finding this to be funny. "Me, marrying you? The sky will fall before I do such a thing. You might have a trail of fans wherever you go but you are not my type or even close to it. So as I said before, I pity the woman you end up with. Doesn't help she'll be with the king's puppet."

Alexander ignored the jabbed he heard many times before and instead asked, "For curiosity's sake, what is it about me that you don't like? Is it because I rescued you from the fire or because I touched you?"

Artemis abruptly stopped turning to face Alexander. "For the last time, you did not save me from the fire. I was perfectly fine far away from the fire where I wouldn't have been burnt. Secondly, you touching me had something to do with it but it's not exactly the reason."

She couldn't tell him that she just hated all humans in general.

"I've come to the conclusion that you are a confusing woman who has no idea what she likes or dislikes. I have done nothing that I know of to make you dislike me. Is it only because I am a guard and you hate the king? Speak freely here as there's no one watching," he said.

"Oh, now I can speak my mind when away from the other guards. Let me ask you a question, do you honestly like the king and everything he's doing? He commands you but if you had it your way, would you do the things you were ordered to do differently?" It was a test to see if he truly had a heart. Had he obeyed every word of the king and killed innocent people connected to Gods or other creatures?

"Yes, I would. I don't always agree with what the king wants but he is royalty."

"And that is why you are helping out those orphans the king should be helping. We're here," she smiled, finding traces of the stone walkway that led to the old temple. "Speaking of the orphans, do you remember the play they were acting out at the festival?"

How could he forget when she said it was not entertaining for her? He also remembered her saying the children were telling history wrong. "I remember but what does that have to do with today?

"Because I want to know, what is your honest opinion about Gods, Alexander?"