Lucas' Past

'The present was worth it.'

Lucas watched as Eva ran into the forest, her new bow in hand. It did not take him long to quietly follow behind her. The forest was never a completely safe place after all.

It did not take her long to resume the lessons he had instilled in her and hunt down a rabbit.

Lucas felt excitement for the latest development with Eva. Receiving a hug had to be progress. He would get to stay with her when they reached the Capital.

It was silly for him to hold onto this hope. He knew it, but his heart ached at the alternative.

How could he go back to a life without her? He could not. Lucas wanted to give her a desperate plea and state all the reasons she should keep him by her side, but his pride would not allow him to.

The look on her face as she deeply concentrated on her task distracted his thoughts.

'I cannot allow my selfish thoughts to cloud those precious blue eyes of hers.'

He wanted to be the light that shone in her eyes, but for now they only burned with her determination. Lucas adored this look, but it was not the look he wanted to see on her face.

'Would it be fine to be selfish here? To want her to give me a smile and tell me that she loves me too?'

It was something so simple, but Lucas wanted it with every fiber in his being. To achieve this possible future he could not push her.

Eva always pushed forward on her own. If Lucas had noticed any one thing since their journey began, it was that.

Wanting to hunt on her own, or simply take care of the easy tasks that Lucas took care of easily, she always wanted to push forward on her own.

Lucas could only give her the tools she needed to accomplish the things she wanted. Her stubborn nature was also something that he loved about her.

'Allowing her to be free is also a gift I can give to her.'

Perhaps he was greedy. He only wanted to see her happy and carefree expression as she accomplished something new.

She was nearly back to their camp so he rushed ahead as if he had not followed her at all. The bag in her hands was handed to him as she broke through the trees.

"I am going to wash up."

Lucas nodded at her and after grabbing her bag she disappeared back into the forest. The sloppy mistakes that she made when he first began teaching her were no more as he inspected the kill she brought back.

'How much longer do I have before I have nothing left to teach her?'

The thought saddened him greatly. She had been progressing with the sword a lot more quickly then he had anticipated.

The training she had received before they met was apparently a lot more decent when it came to the sword. She still made mistakes here and there, but she was adapting to the new style well.

'I need to purchase a sword for her.'

He had looked over the swords in the human village, but they were all heavy, and crude looking to him.

'I guess that means I need to visit a large elven village then.'

Unfortunately, Lucas did not have the ability to make a sword. He had a good idea of what would be best for Eva, so he would just have to trust that he could find a decent fit as they traveled.

Preparing the rabbit was simple. He cut the meat into bite sized pieces and threw them into the cooking pot with some local vegetation.

Eva returned shortly after he had finished the meal and a growling stomach met his ears. Laughing he passed over a plate.

Eva's cheeks reddened at the sudden noise of her stomach and she sat down near the fire. Her hair was still damp so she draped it over her shoulder closer to the fire to dry.

The droplets of water glistened in the setting sun, catching Lucas by surprise. It was the first time in a while that she had let her hair hang freely.

'Beautiful…'

"Lucas, can you tell me more about your childhood?"

Lucas set down his plate. They had not spoken about their lives much. He felt it was probably because of the traumatic things that happened to her.

"I grew up in a small elven village hidden away in the forest where I found you."

This was probably the first time anyone had asked him about his life, so his voice started to shape itself as if he were telling a story.

"I was born to Liah and Aven. Liah died when I was still young. Aven was banished for helping a human."

The lines on Eva's forehead alerted Lucas that something about his story sounded odd.

"Oh, my village was strict about contact with humans."

The lines on Eva's forehead furrowed further.

"Lucas, did you have to leave your village because of me?"

Lucas frowned as he looked away from her fierce gaze. This was something that he did not want to tell her. He didn't want to influence her.

"It was something that I decided on the spur of the moment. I would have eventually left that place anyway."

He tried to make his decision seem lighter than it had been. She didn't need to know all of that just yet.

"Lucas, look at me."

His eyes focused back on her face. Her lips were turned down into a frown and her knuckles were white as she tightly held her plate.

"Helping you was just the excuse I used to finally leave."

Lucas' voice was heavy as he reinforced his decision to her. A silent tear fell down her face.

'What did I do?'

Lucas tried to think of something else to say to stop the tears that were threatening to spill over.

'Why couldn't I just tell her about my childhood without adding in that part!'

The differences in their lives divided them, but Lucas often forgot that Eva was not an elf, but a human.

******

If you are not reading this on WebNovel then this is stolen content. Say no to piracy : )!

=> Link to original: https://www.webnovel.com/book/a-noble-daughter's-reprisal_23144276006366005