The Blood King's Love

Thirteen

I continue to call the boy Theo, but he refuses to call me anything other than "lady".

It's been three days since we met and three days that I've been in hiding. Theo walked me deep into the woods, until the trees were so tall I couldn't see the light of day. We didn't speak at all during the journey; just held each others hands tightly, his head calm and not bothered while mine was jolting in different directions, making sure no one was near us. It calmed me a bit to know that the boy wasn't as unnerved as I was, but even so, if I get caught here, I have no idea what'll happen--not just to me, but to this innocent little boy too.

The boy finally stopped in his tracks, let go of my hand and approached what had to be the tallest tree with the widest trunk I had ever seen. He dug through the soil, and after a while, pulled out a key, shoving it into the bark. To my shock, I hear a click--it's a door. A camouflaged door.

There's a circular albeit small room on the inside, with a strong wooden floor, an empty pail, a lantern with a match next to it, a basket with a change of clothes, an assortment of pillows and a box with other miscellaneous supplies. My jaw dropped. "What...what in the world is this?"

"It's my tree house," the boy said simply.

My eyes widened. "You made this?"

He almost rolled his eyes. "I asked them to make it for me."

Them? "Who's them?"

"This is the safest place I know. I don't really use it anymore and no one has beenhere in about a year, so nobody will find you," he said, avoiding the question. "You can sleep on the pillows or something. I'm gonna go home and get some food for you."

Before I could say anything, he grabbed the empty pail and walked right out the door.

That was three days ago. Since then, he's come back about 5 times, giving me things to eat. Naturally I'm so hungry I start to swallow everything whole--I haven't eaten anything but morsels for the past few weeks, you see, and Theo has been bringing a near full-course meal every time he visits; chicken breast, tomato soup, fried eggplants, all magnificently cooked (albeit, cold and not packaged well, but still some of the best food I'd ever had).

The young boy sits across from me on the floor, watching me pathetically devour everything in front of me, looking bored. Between bites I snatch glances at him. He's wearing a lavender durumagi made of fabric I can't recognize; I guess I was right about him being upper-class. Where else would he have gotten such fancy clothing and such incredible food? I've asked him about it a couple times, but each time he changes the subject or simply doesn't answer. I figure as long as he's taking care of me for the time being, I shouldn't push it.

After two more days, I feel as if I've gained back my energy, and the only thing missing is that I need to exercise a bit to gain strength. With caution, Theo and I leave the tree room together, fast-walking in close distance to it so as to not get far, but also enough so I can stretch my legs and get some air. We don't talk to each other much; it's more just nods or looks of encouragement, annoyance, confusion, etc. Even though I'm sure we're both furiously curious about each other.

I often forget his age. His maturity is higher than any boys I met back in Eseq—which is another sign to me that he comes from a well-off family; he seems more observant and learned. Well, this is the kingdom area of Valon, and in order to live here one must have a career of importance or value that brings home more money than people in Eseq could imagine.

I ask him to bring me a book next time he visits me ("the best book you could possibly find) and sure enough, he came the next day with a sizeable novel in hand. With excitement I grab it, but once I read the title on the cover, I realize I've actually read this book before. My father brought it home on one of his few visits back; it was about the philosophy of war, war strategies, etc. 

Either way I'm not going to complain. "Ah, I've actually read this book before! It's really insightful, good choice Theo!"

Inside of taking the compliment, he frowns. "How have you read this before?"

"What do you mean?" I ask. 

He seems to be at a loss for words. "I asked them for...they told me this book was the most pres...pris...pristi...the rarest and smartest book in all of Valon..."

Was he trying to say prestigious? This cute kid. "Who's them?" I ask again.

He opens his mouth, almost answering, then he shakes his head. "You're probably thinking of another book. There's no way a commoner like you could have a book like this."

Granted, I'm a little confused. What kind of job did my father have to bring such writings to my poor town?

I save that thought for later. "You know, they might have just lied to shoo you away."

He sits down next to me in the tree house. "They wouldn't do that. They can't."

At this point I've realized he won't talk about who "they" are, so I change the subject: "Hey, why don't we decide whether this book is as prestigious they say it is? Let's read it together."

He hesitates. "W...What's it about again?"

"The tragedies and strategies of war!" I exclaim. 

He looks near terrified.  

I smirk. "Oh, no! Theo, is this book too hard for you? Is it too tough for your tiny little mind to understand?" I poke his head teasingly and he jumps back. 

His arms crossed, he shakes his head. "Read it to me," he demands.

I comply, open the novel and, just as I expected, halfway through the first chapter, the little boy falls asleep on my shoulder, snoring like there's no tomorrow. 

Being around this kid allows my heart to see glimpses of happiness for the first time in a long time.