Carry You - Ruelle ft Fleurie

"We're going to specter most of the way but since it's a surprise, I need you to trust me and close your eyes."

I didn't hesitate to close my eyes.

I felt his lips on my cheek as he pressed a soft kiss to it, making me smile. Something cold and smooth settled over my eyes and when I touched it with my hands, I laughed.

"Are you blindfolding me?"

I heard him laugh quietly. "Just want to make sure you don't cheat."

I shook my head with a laugh as he tied it behind my head gently.

His hands gripped mine and I felt the small sway as we spectered. He gently pulled my hands leading me forward. A heavy door creaked open and his footsteps seemed to echo as if we walked into a large chamber.

"Sounds like an old door," I mused, fishing for clues.

"Yes," he answered from in front of me.

I felt us specter again then go through another door. "Why aren't we spectering right there?"

"Many of the rooms and wings here are protected from spectering. Even from royalty. Safeguards and procedures, old magic not many can break, nor do we want to."

"Hmm." I smiled. "So we are still in the Keep."

I heard him laugh. "Yes, we are, my clever queen." He gently guided me forward and when we spectered again, the new room was a bit colder than before but not uncomfortable. I felt him move around me until he was behind me, a gentle hand on me at all times. "Take a small step forward."

I did as he said, his hands on my shoulders gently guiding me. The metal floor beneath me creaked, groaned and swayed as we moved. From the way the floor moved, it was as if the platform we were on was suspended from the ceiling.

I felt him tug on the blindfold on the back of my head and when the soft fabric was removed, I gasped at the sight in front of me, raising my hands to my open mouth.

The sky never looked so clear.

There were no clouds, no faint halo of unnatural light within my line of view. The stars twinkled in the dark night like a painter had taken silver and brushed it across the dark canvas. The stars were innumerable. There were more than I'd ever thought I'd see in my lifetime. It was the Milky Way I'd always wanted to see even as a child.

"Do you like it?"

I could barely breathe. "I can't look away."

He chuckled. "Well, this is part of the surprise." He took my fingers and tugged on them. "Come on. This over here is yours."

I finally was able to look away and when I did I saw he had his hand on a very large telescope. I recognized it instantly as the large brass telescope I'd seen in the Magister's Tower then the first time I had been in the Keep.

The gorgeous, ancient brass telescope of my dreams.

He was excited, I could see it in his eyes.

"This is for me?"

He nodded. "If you want it that is. I know how much you like looking at the stars. I thought you'd like it."

I jumped into his arms with my legs around him, making him laugh. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he pulled me closer. I planted kisses on his cheek. "I love it. Thank you."

He laughed. "I've been wanting to bring you here for years." He shook his head. "There's more." He turned me around and showed me a small table with a small lit tea light in the middle with two chairs. He shifted my weight and reached into the pocket of his coat. He pulled out his phone and placed it on the table as one of my favorite singers began to play.

I placed my feet down on the floor as he put me down. "What's this?"

When I turned to face him, he had his hands in his pockets. "Well, you made the comment once that your ideal date would be out on the beach to watch the stars." He shrugged sheepishly. "Since we can't go to the beach, I thought this would be the next best thing."

He remembered. He had taken a small detail out of one conversation we had and remembered what I said would be my ideal date. He had asked me after trying to get date ideas for Leah and when I thought I'd bore him with my stupid idea, he had listened.

I bit my lip as I watched him. "You're too much."

He shrugged again as he began to unbutton his coat. "I thought you'd want a space to yourself with everything that's happening. This tower, this space is yours. The room downstairs is stocked with books, blank journals-- and if you want something else, say the word, I'll get it for you."

I frowned. "The Magister's old space?"

He shook his head. "No, I moved the telescope to a different tower. Your tower. No one can specter here. It's safe, protected. We can create a magic seal that will respond only to you once we leave so that no one else can enter including me if you want." He placed his hands on my shoulders. "I want you to feel safe here especially if you choose to stay after everything that happens--whatever happens."

I shook my head and stood on my toes to kiss his cheek. "Thank you."

His smile reached his violet eyes and the hands that were on my shoulders squeezed my upper arms. He looked at the table behind us. "I don't have dinner but I do have wine-- away from everyone downstairs and obnoxious lords and ladies that are much too intrusive."

I laughed, rolling my eyes and taking my seat. "I can't believe he asked us that."

He laughed as he shrugged off his heavy coat and placed it on the back of his chair. The sleeveless black undershirt outlined the muscles of his chest. The small amount of light from the tealight outlined the toned muscle of his exposed arms in a very flattering light. I found myself staring even as he sat across from me. "Can you see why, as Prince, I avoided Court?"

To distract myself, I grabbed the uncorked bottle of wine and poured a small amount into each glass. "I can't really blame you. What would you do instead?"

He took the glass I handed him and leaned back in his chair. "Cause mischief in other parts of the Keep. Hang out with the staff but my favorite thing to do was go to the human world." He smiled, his violet eyes seemed to stand out more than usual in the small light. "You see, my best friend was there. We would play board games to pass the time or hang out just talking."

I gave him a knowing smile. "They were her favorite times too."

"We'll make new favorites, Em. Even with this nonsense going on."

I didn't look at him as I swirled the glass in my hand. "So what has Asmo told you, about this 'nonsense'?"

When I finally did look at him, I saw he had left his glass untouched like mine. "Not enough. The Magister has gone mad. He's crazy. The guards had said he would mumble things that made no sense so Asmo took it upon himself to visit him to try to understand them." He sighed. "He couldn't get anything useful... until he started his own interrogation." He sighed. "I've never seen Asmo so consumed by... anything." His eyes met mine. "He's about to break him and get his answers. He's only here because you asked him to the other day. This may be the first break the Magister has had in days."

I swallowed. I didn't want to think about it. He deserved whatever Asmodeus was putting him through--whatever "breaking" him was.

I took a drink from the wine. "When he does break him, I want to make sure I get the information I need for Azazeal. He's a victim in all of this like we are."

A small smile quirked his lips.  "He knows. I made sure of it." He put the glass down. "I've been trying, too. Trying to piece together any memory of the time he had taken over."

I paused, looking at him. When he didn't continue, I asked, "What do you remember?"

He frowned. His eyes wouldn't move from the glass on the table, his long fingers on the base of the stem. "Bits and pieces. Glimpses. Only what he wanted to show me, nothing more." He struggled for words. "In the beginning, I fought him. I fought him hard." He shook his head. "But when I learned of what Leah did to you, her part in all of this-- When, in my anger, I let my guard down for just an instant-- he was able to fully take over. He took over and I couldn't stop him." He growled, standing suddenly as if his anger wouldn't let him sit still. "He taunted me, ridiculed me for finally 'giving in', is what he called it."

I watched him as he moved to the other side of the platform.

"He kept me out of my own mind, my body for so long - I thought I would finally go mad." He growled as he ran an alabaster hand through his hair, it was longer than usual. "He made sure I could see the destruction he would do with my hands -my hands- Em. He made damn sure I understood that."

He put his head in his hands, his back hunched over like he was folding over himself. "Gods," he mumbled through his hands. "What I did to Julian's parents - when he realized Julian betrayed him -"

He gripped his hair with his fingers and immediately, I ran to him, placing myself in front of him, gripping his wrists. He looked so small, nothing like the composed, regal Damien I knew. He was shattering in front of me.

He wouldn't drop his hands. I heard the pain in his voice. "Those screams will haunt me for the rest of my life."

I shushed him gently, failing to pull his hands from his face. "You didn't do that Damien. Don't hold yourself responsible for his actions."

"He made sure I knew what he was doing. He was punishing me. He wanted me to see what he was capable of." His fingernails dug into his scalp. "And when I couldn't find you-- The girl in your place was a ghost compared to you - I knew you weren't there with him." He grabbed fistfuls of his hair. "He showed me what he did to you. Everything he did to you - what he would do to you if I continued fighting him." The stone of the walls began to crack under a new pressure. The metal bars of the railing began to snap as the air groaned around us in protest. The tower shook just as the Keep had been doing every night that week.

I sniffled, not wiping the tears as they fell. "Please, Damien. Look at me."

"I couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't. If he was showing me memories or the present or his whims. I exhausted every power I had trying to find you, Em."

I concentrated on my hands trying as best as I could to give him some comfort. Slowly, so slowly, his ragged breaths slowed to a normal rhythm. The air gradually calmed around us.

"I am right here," I whispered. "I'm right here with you, in the Keep-- with you."

He looked at me as he raised his head from his hands.

I looked at him resolutely. "And whatever happens, we will fight it. We will conquer."

Slowly, he straightened and his hand reached for my cheek. I pressed my cheek against his hand, closing my eyes. He stood at full height in front of me and hugged me, holding me close to his chest.

I looked up at him and watched his violet eyes that had just a moment prior glistened with unspilled tears. "So is Friday night going to be date night from now on?" I gestured to the table we had been sitting before.

He gave a small smile as he placed a silver hair behind my ear. "As you wish."

I smiled as I looked at his lips then his eyes. "I do." I made up the distance between us and kissed him gently.