Truthfully, she felt like a child, learning how to eat on their own for the first time. She was seated on the ground per her request since she wanted to cross her legs, being mindful of her dress so as not to show anything. (F/n) didn't sit too close to the fire, being mindful that her arms and legs could heat up quite a bit now from the flames and still burn the connecting skin to them. And, she didn't need that to convince her either to distance herself some given what had happened even if her mind was becoming more accustomed to the warmth from fire again albeit steadily.
But, her mind now wasn't focused on the fireplace. Rather, it fixated on the fact that she could lift the spoon carrying her dinner of rabbit stew to her mouth. She didn't have to be fed anymore. (F/n) was even able to help Keiran prepare the meal. Edwin didn't assist, but they both figured he had gone through enough in a day. Keiran also wanted to be the one handling (F/n)'s food.
Sure, the man had his daggers back and hadn't attacked them, but he still didn't want to give control of what his queen ate over to the newcomer. Plus, he enjoyed working side by side with (F/n), and he admired how his magic made her adapt to her new limbs so quickly. Of course, her having her limbs back did bring other things into question, like their sleeping arrangements. She no longer needed him watching over her all the time to help her with everything, and he knew that she was probably happy to gain her full privacy back. It hadn't come up yet in conversation, but he did hope that he could remain in the same room as her at night.
Now, though, the two males each sat on one of the chairs by the fire, and they ate as well. Keiran had a small smile on his lips as he noted the enthusiasm and happiness on (F/n)'s countenance. Edwin was smiling too. It was as though all of the darkness that existed outside of the forge vanished for a moment in time because she was radiating with so much merriment.
When she finished eating, she set the bowl aside and stretched. "That was a good meal!" she practically exclaimed, satisfied. She leaned back on her hands and looked up to the two. Perhaps, she was displaying behavior from that of a queen, but they were a small group so far, and she couldn't contain her excitement at being able to do everything she was able to in the past again. Not to mention that neither of them seemed to mind or think less of her for it.
"I'm glad you liked it, (F/n)," Keiran answered, finishing his stew soon after. "But, I hope that you don't mind me ruining the mood, but since we've now filled our stomachs, Edwin, I'd like to ask you some questions." Edwin too had finished a little after Keiran and nodded slowly. "How did you escape? And, why didn't your fellow magic users in the castle escape with you?"
(F/n) remained silent, wanting to know as well. It must've been some feat to pull it off. The royal family wouldn't have just let him go. "I figured that one or both of you would ask me that." He released a sigh and set his bowl on the ground for now. "Thank you for the food by the way." (F/n) and Keiran both nodded. "Anyway, an opportune moment presented itself, and I took it. The others, well ..." He frowned deeply. "I left them behind. I didn't have time to get them, and I didn't even know where they stayed."
He leaned back and crossed his arms, his eyes showing that he was remembering something. "I rarely saw them, only in brief passing in the halls of the castle. We weren't kept near to each other, and we weren't allowed to talk to each other. They didn't want all three of us to gang up on anyone. It wasn't safe for them to keep us together." Edwin glanced down to his lap. "So, I had to leave them, or I would've gotten caught before even getting out of the castle."
His thumbs rubbed over each other as he recounted the events of that day. "But, I thankfully managed to get out. I didn't even think I'd make it, but I kept running, using what I could along the way." He intertwined his fingers and rested his chin on top of them. "Each day, I was guarded. I was told what I needed to mold from metal, ate, slept and the other usual activities everyone does. I had multiple guards on me so that I wouldn't try anything."
"That day, though, while I was being taken back to my room, the prince was passing by. We were by one of the bridges that had windows looking out to the city below. Now, Prince Troy Stowwen is known not to be the most cautious of individuals and is quite the spoiled man." An evident scowl was on his face as he recalled the prince of Stowwen. "He was parading one of his lovers around, both drunk. The guards remained close around me, and my guards were never clothed in metal but leather for obvious reasons. Not to mention, their weapons were leather rods. They couldn't kill me, but they could beat me horribly if they wanted to, and given that I always had four of them around me, I was never bound when I was moving from location to location."
Another scowl crossed his face at recalling more memories. "This didn't stop the prince, however, or his lover from stumbling. Naturally not wanting either to fall, two of my four guards caught them and helped them up." A slight chuckle escaped him. "But, the prince, being drunk, decided to try and push the guard away, which caused him to stumble again. This led to a third guard stepping in to try and settle the prince."
Edwin combed his fingers through his hair. "Honestly, the whole thing looking back on it is somewhat comical and bizarre, but I'm not complaining." He let out another chuckle. "The prince decided to keep up the struggle still, which resulted in the final guard needing to get involved. With them not around me, I jumped into the river below the bridge since the castle is built around the main river in the city." He shook his head at how crazy the whole thing was.
"And, I swam. I went for it. Once out of the water, I ran through the lower outside parts of the castle, hiding and snatching what I could as I went. My guards were so disorganized, handling the drunk prince and his lover, that all they could do was shout out that I was on the run. Someone eventually heard I suspect, don't know who, and they foolishly thought that I was out of the castle grounds already in their panic."
"How did you manage, though? Wouldn't the cold from the water have gotten to you?" (F/n) asked, agreeing that the whole thing was quite unique.
"Yes, I was freezing, but my adrenaline kept me going, and I wasn't in the water for long. I swam to shore as quickly as I could, and part of what I grabbed was my cloak." A sigh parted from him. "Honestly, the fact that no magic user had escaped before helped a lot. They weren't expecting it, and the Stowwen family is arrogant enough that they didn't think any of us were capable of it. So, there was no proper protocol in place." A frown touched his lips. "I'm sure that has changed now, though."
"So, how did you get past the castle gates?"
"I hid in one of the import carts. There were empty crates stacked up in the back along with empty linen sacks. I climbed behind the crates, made myself as small as I could and covered myself with the sacks." He shook his head in slight disbelief. "I'm surprised it worked, but I guess they underestimated me. Their egos and panic were my strength. And so, the vendor left the next morning, like I expected since in my escorted travels around the castle I had seen them through the windows come and go." His blue optics looked to his lap, and exhaustion showed evidently in them. "I jumped out when we were far enough away and had stopped for the vendor to get water for his horse. Before he knew what was happening, I was running and have been running and hiding since. If it hadn't been for here, I suspect that I'd already be on my way back there."
"That is surprising that they hadn't checked the vendor's carts. You'd think that they'd look there," Keiran spoke. He furrowed his brows and crossed his arms. "But if they really had thought you left already, it does make sense that they wouldn't think to look there. And if they never lost a magic user before, they probably weren't thinking all that well either as you mentioned from the panic." Keiran shook his head before he gave Edwin a small nod. "Well, I'm glad that you made it here. If you outlasted the guards this long, though, it means you can adapt quickly."
"Well being as restrained as I was, I observed a lot when I could. And, I know how to be quiet. Being quiet meant less issues with the royal family and my guards, and I obviously lulled them into a sense of some ease given that my guards felt they could leave me for a moment to help the prince." Edwin shrugged and still looked in a little disbelief at the whole thing. "But, could I do it again? No. Everything was just right that evening, and I'm happy about it." A yawn soon escaped his lips. "Well if it's alright now, I'll clean up my bowl and head to bed."
"Yes, of course. It's been a long day." (F/n) looked over to Keiran. "It'll be alright for him to use the spare bedroom, right? May won't mind?"
"No, she won't. I'll leave a note for her too in case she comes back in the middle of the night." Keiran stood up and grabbed his dishes along with (F/n)'s, which she thanked him for. "I'll show you where your room is."
"Thank you." Edwin stood, grabbed his dishes and rolled his shoulders to stretch a little.
"Thank you, again," (F/n) quickly noted, smiling up to Edwin, who returned the smile and nodded. As Edwin began to leave, Keiran glanced back to (F/n) to see if she was going to come with them. Instead, she stood up and mentioned, "I'm going to wash myself really quickly before going to bed." Instinctively, he almost thought to mention that she'd need to wait since he had helped her for so many days before with her bath, but his words fell short when he quickly remembered that she no longer needed his assistance.
Keiran was happy for her to have her limbs back, but he was going to miss having a reason to help her all the time. He only hoped that she wouldn't distance herself from him now that she could return to doing her daily tasks by herself. Taking his silence for concern at her wellbeing, though, she reassured him, "Don't worry; I'll be fine. I'm not planning on leaving here, so I'll be safe." She released a chuckle and held up her arms. "Besides, I have pretty effective shields now, and I can give a good punch."
A small smile touched his lips. She had a point, but she still had no fighting experience; however, he let it go for now since she did have a point about being inside the forge. As far as he knew, Edwin had been the first intruder to fall through the illusion. If there had been others, May hadn't mentioned them, probably not to worry him if there really had been.
Resting a hand on her head, he ruffled her hair a little. "Just take it easy there, (F/n)," he teased, earning another smile from her.
"Don't worry; I will," she reassured, pushing his hand aside lightly. She noted that Edwin yawned again. "Anyway, you two should get going. I'll be fine." Keiran nodded slowly, and Edwin only released another yawn.
Once the two men headed off, (F/n) released a sigh and glanced down to her hands. She smiled softly. All her movements felt so natural as though she never had been missing her arms and legs. It'd take a little getting used to always looking down and seeing metal, but with Keiran's magic, they didn't feel foreign. But, she did lack feeling in them. That was incredibly odd; however, it made sense since no one would want to use Keiran's ability if they could feel pain through them when using them. It'd be no doubt incredibly painful. Still, she did miss being able to feel in her arms and legs, but she would take her replacements any day over not having them.
Hearing them head up the stairs, though, she gathered what she needed and proceeded to wash herself after she quickly relieved herself in the garderobe on the first floor of the home. When she finished with both tasks, it was safe to say that she felt a little at peace with everything. She finally had her privacy fully back. Keiran had been a gentleman through it all, but she did like having time to tend to her cleanliness needs alone.
Draping her light blue dress over her, she chuckled a little to herself. It did look odd now that she had her legs again, and she did note that she was a couple inches taller. To be fair, Edwin didn't have anything original to base her legs off of, which made her wonder how he modeled them so well. It could very well be a personal reason, and she wouldn't pry unless he wished to discuss the matter. Rather, she was thankful to have legs again.
But, that did remind her of something that she completely overlooked. Even though they were metal, her legs were exposed. Women never showcased their legs. It was improper. But, did that count given her situation. No skin was showing, and she had gotten a lot more personal with Keiran than she ever had imagined she would. She curled her toes in thought, loving the feeling of being able to do so again.
Keiran and Edwin hadn't said anything, nor did they look bothered. And, her happiness had overshadowed any thought of the matter before now. A laugh parted from her lips, and she shook her head. She had far more important matters to think about, and the solution was simple. (F/n) didn't want to give away that she had metal limbs. She'd go back to wearing long dresses. Besides, they'd help keep the cold at bay, especially where the metal touched skin. Not to mention, she'd need to wear them if they began to gather more followers as that was expected of a queen.
Admittedly, though, the short dress was fun to wear since it freed her legs so much. Maybe, she'd hang onto them and wear them when she was just in close company. A smile touched her lips at the thought. But, she broke out of her thoughts when she heard a knock nearby and a slight cough near the stairs. "(F/n), are you dressed?"
Hearing Keiran, she answered back, "Yes." She stepped forward and peeked around the stairwell to see him facing the other way on the lower steps. He turned around steadily before his caramel eyes met her (e/c) ones. Keiran looked unsure and rested a hand on the railing. "Is something wrong?"
"No, I was just wondering," his eyes glanced to the upstairs before returning back to hers, "would you like the room to yourself now?"
At the question, she paused. They had been sharing a bed with no issues before, so she trusted that nothing would change, and she had gotten used to having him beside her at night. It'd feel strange for him not to be there. Not to mention that her heartstrings tightened at the thought of him being in a different room; her feelings wanted him to stay. There wasn't a reason for him to remain in the same room anymore unless she used the excuse that she liked having a guard close by.
If she asked him to stay, would he know her feelings for him, and if she didn't, would he be hurt? Would he understand that it'd just be her wanting a room to herself once more? But, she didn't. Silence continued as she stared now to her feet, and she bit her lip a little. Her silence was driving him a little mad, but he reassured himself that it was a good sign. She clearly was thinking about it; she didn't just turn him down.
Releasing a sigh, she slowly glanced back at him. She didn't want him to know her feelings yet; the fear of the unknown still plagued her mind on the matter. But, he wouldn't necessarily assume she possessed romantic feelings for him if she asked him to stay, right? This was annoyingly complicated, and it was because her own mind was making so. The man had seen her at her most vulnerable and yet this troubled her so much.
Annoyed at herself, she let out another sigh and hoped for the best. Hopefully, her heart wouldn't lead her astray. "I want you to stay." She couldn't hold eye contact any longer and looked off to the side, her hands now behind her back and intertwined as her nerves wanted to take over.
Once the words left her lips, he forced himself not to smile crazily. Rather, he allowed a faint, gentle smile to touch his lips. "You don't have to if you don't want to, (F/n)."
"No, I want you to." She looked back to him slightly, trying to read what he was thinking. He seemed pleased, but what else was on his mind? His heartbeat quickened, though, and he was smirking internally. She wanted him to stay. How splendid.
"Then, I'll meet you up there." He smiled at her kindly. "I'll clean myself off as well, but I won't be long." She nodded and noted the clothes he was holding in his other hand, glad that he had them so that he wouldn't change in the room. She still hadn't seen much of him, and with how her heart was acting, she imagined that she would grow warm in the cheeks at such a sight.
Before her mind drifted off too much in that direction, she reminded herself that it worked out well that he was going to wash himself. That way, she could change her clothes for bed. Then again, he had been around when she had done that as well. But, he did his best not to look at anything. She imagined that he would've done the same now.
"Alright, I'll see you up there." She gave him a small smile before she headed upstairs. (F/n) heard movement in the room closest to the stairs. Edwin hadn't gone to bed yet. She had a feeling that he probably would be up awhile given all that had happened today. His mind probably needed time to catch up.
Walking past the room, she continued on to her shared room with Keiran. Once she entered, she closed the door behind her and changed. Instinctively, she reached for the beige braies and grey shirt, but she didn't need them anymore. She had the long dress in the dresser, but it would be nice to have more than one outfit. Perhaps, May would loan her another one once she was back.
For a moment more, she stared at Keiran's clothes that he had given her. She bit her lip in thought. What would he think? Her eyes glanced over to the dress. Well, he had seen her in them already, and she had even told herself earlier that she might wear the short dresses around when there weren't many around.
Deciding to give into her feelings, she put on his clothes before she went over to the bed. As she lay down, she noted that the metal pressed against the skin where it connected. She could detach her new limbs while she slept, but she worried that would make her too vulnerable if something happened. Edwin had stumbled into the forge after all, and even if it was a rare occurrence, that didn't mean that it couldn't happen again. Next time, it might not be someone friendly.
Then again, she had been vulnerable for three weeks already. But now that she didn't have to be, she'd prefer to keep them on and not slow down Keiran if he needed to spur into action. If she had to, she could now block attacks with her arms and legs and now receive any damage unless she was hit hard enough with blunt force to shatter them; however unless she faced someone with a war hammer, she most likely wouldn't encounter that.
Regardless, she decided that she'd get used to the slight discomfort. She pulled the sheet over her. Part of her wanted to remain awake to see Keiran, but sleep won over her instead. Her eyes closed, and she drifted off. By the time Keiran entered the room, she was fast asleep. He closed the door behind him and smiled gently.
Walking over to the bed, he brushed back some strands of her (h/c) hair and noted that she still was wearing his clothes. Her shortened dress rested on top of the dresser. Keiran seated himself on the bed and continued to brush his fingers lightly against her hair. She was so beautiful. His fingers trailed lightly down her face, and she parted her lips subconsciously. A sigh escaped her, and his heart felt like it stopped for a moment. How he wished to kiss her.
Part of him told himself that she wouldn't know. Another part told him to wait until she was awake and accepted a kiss from him. But, she had asked him to stay with her, and she was wearing his clothes when she didn't have to. She did have only one long dress, so maybe that was why, but he'd like to think that it was because she found comfort in wearing his clothes.
A rough sigh parted from him, and he combed his fingers through his dark brown locks. Ultimately, he was unable to resist completely, and he leaned down and placed a light kiss on her cheek. A smile touched his lips when she smiled in her sleep. "I love you, (F/n), more than you'll ever know," he whispered as she continued to sleep.