Anger spurted across Jack’s face. His hands sprawled on top of the table as he half rose from the chair. “And why is that?” he demanded. Braith glanced back down the hall. Arianna was still not in sight, but she wouldn’t be much longer. He turned back to his brother, Jack had become a man in the time he had been gone, but Braith still saw the little boy in him. “You’re to be married Braith, you are to take over for father. That is your world, this is not…”
“She is my world,” Braith interrupted sharply.
Jack stared at him for a long moment, and then his gaze slid slowly past him. Braith held out his hand as Arianna arrived at his side. She took hold of his hand, squeezing it tightly between the both of hers as she held it before her. Jack studied the two of them, he slid limply back into his chair.
“Dear God Braith, this is a mess,” he breathed. “Your father is worried about you Aria.”
She bit on her bottom lip as she nodded. “I’m sorry for that.” He ran his hands through his shaggy hair, nodding as he played with the fork Braith had placed on the table. “How did you know I was here?”
“I didn’t. I knew Braith might be here.”
Arianna glanced up at him, frowning in consternation. “I didn’t expect him to look for me,” Braith said softly. “I didn’t think he would expect the two of us to be together, and come here.”
“I see,” she said softly.
“I only hoped that you had just brought her here, and not returned her to the palace. I only hoped that it was not someone else that had taken her,” Jack explained further.
“Now you trust me with her?” Braith growled.
Jack quirked an eyebrow at him as he tilted his head. “I just wanted to believe that father had not destroyed all of your humanity, as he has with Caleb. I knew you would be infuriated that I took her from you, I half expected you might try to find her again just to soothe your pride, but I had to believe that you would not punish her for something that I had done.”
Braith continued to glare at his brother, infuriated with him. It was the soft rumbling of her stomach that finally pulled his attention away from his sibling. “You should get something to eat Arianna.”
“Braith…”
He cradled her face gently in his hand. “I can hear your stomach rumbling.” Her face flared red as she ducked her head. “Come on.”
He led her forward, pulling out the chair for her to sit. He watched his brother wearily as he pushed her slowly in. Jack was frowning, his eyebrows drawn sharply together as he studied them. Arianna stared silently back at him, her gaze weary and resigned. Braith made her a plate of food and slipped it in front of her.
She hesitated for a moment, but eventually her hunger won out. She dug eagerly into the eggs. “You can see!” Jack blurted in shock.
Arianna froze with the fork halfway to her mouth, her gaze darted swiftly to Braith. She didn’t even breathe as she watched him, her eyes wide with worry for him. Braith rested his hand reassuringly on her shoulder. “I can,” he confirmed.
Jack’s eyes widened. “What? When? How?”
Braith shrugged, he settled into the seat beside Arianna. “Eat,” he encouraged gently. She took a few more bites, but he could tell that her appetite had vanished beneath her apprehension.
“How Braith?” Jack pressed.
He turned back to his brother, keeping his hand on Arianna. Jack may have taken her from him, but he was one of the few people in the world that Braith trusted with Arianna. “I don’t know,” he answered honestly.
“But your sight is back? You can see again?” he asked excitedly. For a moment his anger and disbelief was gone as pure joy for Braith blazed forth. Braith had never complained about being blinded, had taken it in relatively easy stride, but he had hated it. Jack had known this, and sympathized with him because of it.
“Sometimes I can, yes.” Jack frowned in confusion. Arianna was unmoving, he could hear the fierce beat of her heart, sense the fear that ran through her. He had told her not to tell anyone about his ability to see around her for fear that someone would hurt her because of it, that they would want to keep him weak and blind. Jack would not hurt her though, of that Braith was certain. He ran his hand over her thick hair, savoring in its silken feel as he tried to ease her tension.
“And other times?”
“I am still blind.”
Jack was completely confused, but Braith felt no need to elaborate more. He felt he could trust his brother with her safety, but Jack had taken her from him, he had betrayed him, and in all honesty Braith liked keeping him in the dark and confused. Arianna remained silent, her mouth compressed in a hard line as she watched them. Ever so slowly, she picked her fork back up and began to eat again.
“Well that’s strange,” Jack said slowly.
“I suppose it is,” Braith agreed.
“When did this start?”
“A little while ago.”
Arianna continued to pick slowly at her meal until she finally pushed the plate away. “I should get back soon. I’ve already caused my family enough worry.”
She didn’t look at either of them as she uttered the words. He could hear the pain in her voice, the strain it had caused her to say those words. He leaned closer to her, inhaling her sweet scent as he briefly nuzzled her hair. She finally turned toward him, her eyes morose, but there was an air of resignation and steel resolve to her.
“Arianna…”
“It’s ok Braith.” She smiled thinly at him, lightly stroking his cheek. “Thank you for bringing me here. Thank you for giving me last night.”
He grasped hold of her hand, hating to see her like this, hating the distance he felt her putting between them. “Arianna, not yet.”
She smiled sadly at him as she turned her cheek into his hand. “Yes, it’s easier to just do it now. Jack will take me back. It will be ok.”
She squeezed his hand, clinging tight to him for a long moment before she rose. His chest constricted, panic tore through him. He couldn’t lose her again, he simply couldn’t. He leapt to his feet, the chair skittering back with the force of his weight. “Arianna…”
“Its fine Braith, we will both be fine.” Though she said the words, he could feel the agony that radiated from her. Her heart was pumping loudly, tears burned her eyes, but they didn’t spill over. “We will be fine,” she said again.
He reached out for her, pulling her tight against his chest as he cradled her gently. He could stay here; he could become like Jack and hide in these woods. He could stay with her, help with the rebel cause. Make sure that she was safe. They could both be happy. But even as the thought crossed his mind, he knew that he couldn’t. His father had not destroyed the forest in search of Jack, but if Braith were to leave, and his father was to discover why, he would destroy everyone, and everything, in order to find him and punish him. If he ever found Arianna…