Ben's POV

After the commotion with the prince he finally came to his senses to calm down.

He was still a brat but he did have his times of having common sense.

"I do not apologize for what I have done. Do you understand this Gerald." I spoke sharply.

He only looked at me in hate.

"If you weren't so dangerous and so helpful to me I would have killed you." He spoke in bitterness.

"Not if I would have beaten you to it young prince."

A held my glare to him, making sure he knew I was serious.

His hand went through his blonde hair as he looked at me tiredly.

"My anger gets the best of me. But I do not apologize for outraging at that girl's foul acts of speech towards me."

"She has done nothing. You only made a fool of yourself today. And again, she is not yours to touch so do not dare try it."

He knew exactly what I meant, backing away a bit.

"I don't need her anyways. She'll only be trouble for me and anyways I have other ladies that await me. I must take my leave. Make sure they stay in line or next time I won't be so nice."

"Then you best watch your speech and things will be better then they were this morning."

He, with great difficulty, nodded right after leaving with his arms wrapped around two young girls.

What a child he was. Countess Cordelia was right to say he needed to grow up.

Only if his parents could see him, they'd send him right back to learn some more until he was truly ready.

Or even have a personal tutor.

I adjusted myself before taking my horse outside the castle and into the woods.

I needed to think...clear my mind.

In front of many, out of protecting Lady Rey, I had confessed my feelings and I had not planned on it at all.

So now even the fool of a prince knows of my fancy to her as well as the whole royal court.

But I was bound to protecting her even if she did not wish it.

She had almost no one here only her mother.

No one was there to protect her from men like the prince.

And even though she wanted her freedom and most likely wanted to be gone from this place...I wanted her to know that I could give that to her.

But my only hurdle to loving her was if she'd take me for even my faults as much as she may think me kind.

It will be hard for her I assume.

Not many knew of my brutal past. And those who did knew me very well to understand and forgive me.

The sun started to set, leaving the lands to shift to its nightly form.

Leaves lightly scraped around the cement pathway to the castle as a small gust of wind swam by.

Clouds rolled in.

I clicked for my house to go on with a gallop, trying to reach the castle before it started to pour.

After settling my horse down in the stables it started to rain.

I put my dark cloak on before exiting the stables to go inside the castle.

Just then I saw Rey.

She was sitting by the entrance.

And for me this was quite a surprising thing.

"Malady. Why are you out here in the cold? Should you not be inside where it is warm?"

"I wanted to speak with you. To thank you for protecting me from the prince." For the first time since we met I could see...her guarded walls were down.

But she was scared.

Her eyes were a bit shifty not looking my way but instead to the ground.

I wanted so much to reassure her I was not the man I used to be years ago. A past that she has yet to discover of me.

"Are you scared of me. You have reason to, although I'd desire differently for you."

I did not want her to be afraid of me. I did not want her to only see what monster I was years ago.

"I-I'm not afraid. Just a bit spooked."

I was still standing in the rain, my hair sticking to my face from the rain.

Chills ran over me but I was so concerned for her that none of that mattered to me right now.

"Will you still give me the chance to tell you."

"Of what?" She looked up at me so vulnerable.

I wanted so much as to embrace her and to assure her I was not ever going to harm her.

"Of my past. Not many know but I want you to know what I am not anymore and what I do not wish to be. I will not harm you Rey." With all the gentleness I could muster I looked into her worried eyes.

"I will never think of harming you." Her eyes seemed to soften and I seemed to be relieved by it.

"I will hear you out. But first I think you should come out the rain. You are getting soaked."

She stood up and stepped back for me to join her, safe from the freezing autumn rain.

We both sat down again. It was going to be awhile.

I began to tell her of my childhood.

I was raised by the same king who killed my parents himself as well as taught by his son for skills of combat.

He favored me to be his true heir even more than his own son.

I'd find out in the matter of months that the King had killed his own son to take me in as the next king.

I declined and instead he had another heir with his queen and led me to be the captain of the royal army.

I took my roll for it at the age of fifteen and stood as such for four years until I was eighteen.

During those years I would have to command to kill thousands. Men, women, children, innocent and the guilty I had to kill as well as many men in my army that had no choice but to follow the king's orders like puppets.

Once two years past by, after the major slaughters and the one sided war had come to an end with the people, I was able to retire from my position to be back into a similar position by the king here and I was to protect the prince as spoiled as he was.

But it was a relief to be away from all the slaughtering. And in honestly I did not want to go back.

My hands are still quite fresh of the blood I took from many but if I could...I would have never done it willingly.

The only people who knew that I considered true family was a couple of close friends still in my homeland who were no longer serving the king.

Other than that I had no family. I was not even royalty myself.

For a long time I did not dare look at her face.

I was already ashamed of my story. The lives I took. The orders I obeyed just to please the king.

Her hand touched mine as I almost jolted my hand back from the sudden touch.

"I am not afraid of you. You may have shed blood and taken lives but I don't fear you for that, neither do I hate you. I still can't say I trust you to full extent but I now understand what it is your fighting. And I don't believe to just base a person off only their past."

I turned to her slowly as if not to spook her away.

However when I saw her face with sorrow and empathy for me I couldn't help but take her hand that was holding mine.

"Are you sure you are not frightened of me? Even at the slightest."

Her hazel eyes traveled to meet mine.

A hint of green was spread across her eyes as she spoke.

"I can not lie. I was a bit terrified to the way you acted back there this morning. But I can not say I am afraid of you now."

"Are you still unsure?"

She nodded.

She was still unsure about how I felt about her as well as how she was to go about her feelings for me.

If she did have the slightest like for me she was hiding it quite well.

"What if I said I could grant you your freedom of this place."

"Are you not suppose to protect the Prince?"

"Yes but I am not truly committed to keep my post for more than a few years."

"A few years."

"Yes, well at least until the prince takes the throne. After he does I plan to travel to my true homeland. Where I will be able to live my own life in peace."

"I can not be with you just for that. I would only use you, it would be greatly wrong of me to do such a thing. Give me time."

"I will wait." The rain started to seize.

I took her hand to help her up.

We both walked inside.

"Then shall I see you tomorrow by the stables, I'd like to have an early morning stroll with you on horseback."

"I would not mind that." Her words were as soft as petals to the ear.

I bowed before leaving.

"Have a good evening Rey."

"Good evening to you Ben."

She gave me a small smile before retrieving back inside.

I stayed out for a bit longer unable to even think about sleep.