MY HEART felt like it was trying to break out from behind my broken ribs. Aislin looked angelic even with tear-stained cheeks. It is beyond me how this woman has stolen my heart without even batting an eye. Her cerulean eyes shone brightly under the stars and were accented by the lanterns illuminating the city of Kavan.

As her eyes clashed with mine, I felt my lungs seize up. She truly was a beauty. Her new short black hair was slightly wavy and a bit messy from the long day. The expression in her eyes at this moment made me almost envy myself.

My heart thumped again and I raised my hand to her cheek, wiping away the mineral residue from her tears. The inexplicable need to protect her at all costs tore through my insides, but I knew she could protect herself, something I've grown to admire.

I am not sure how I didn't see her for what she was from the moment I met her, but I could see it now. And I knew I would never be able to unsee it. She was a survivor and a warrior, but also human.

Like two magnets drawn together by invisible forces, we both leaned forward. I found my eyes focused on her lips. My nerves were on fire. I had never felt nervous to kiss a woman, but Aislin was not just a woman.

I hesitated for a split second and looked back into her eyes. She looked back into mine, confirming my unspoken question, but I asked anyway.

"Can I kiss you?" I asked, my voice coming out breathy.

"Yes." She nodded. Without a second to lose, I kissed her.

The world seemed to disappear around us, leaving us in our moment, leaving us at peace. A fire lit in my stomach as she kissed me back. My heart pounded in my chest and flooded my ears.

She pulled away from me, cupping my face as she stared deep into my eyes. I wanted nothing more than to reclaim her lips with mine, to kiss her until we both ran out of oxygen. I trailed my finger across her jawline, gently placing my lips against hers once more.

There weren't just butterflies in my stomach, there was a whole zoo. I had never felt this kind of attraction before. The world seemed to stand still as I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her closer to my body.

She's mine, and I'm hers.

Reluctantly, I pulled back to breathe, keeping my eyes closed. I placed my forehead against hers. I heard Aislin sigh in contentment as we stayed in silence. I opened my eyes to look at her, but she was already looking at me with a tiny smile.

"What?" I chuckled, a little nervous under her stare.

She shook her head at me in a teasing way, "You're as red as an apple Commander."

I groaned in embarrassment and looked away. Aislin burst into laughter as I felt my ears grow hot as the flush spread.

"Stop laughing at me," I said trying to contain my urge to laugh with her.

I turned to face her again and could feel myself stop breathing. She was so beautiful under the light of the full moon. Her eyes sparkled with mischief and her laughter was music to my ears. I wanted to protect that smile for the rest of our lives.

I realized I was openly staring at her. She looked at me with amused confusion, "What?"

I shook my head in disbelief, "You are so incredibly amazing and I don't know how I didn't see that before,"

It was her turn to blush but she just rolled her eyes with a small smile.

I reached behind me and grabbed the drinks I had grabbed before coming to the lookout.

"Here," I handed one to her.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she took it from my hand, "Where did these come from?"

"I grabbed them when I went back down earlier, but when I got back you were otherwise occupied so I just set them aside for later." I shrugged.

"Oh," she said. Aislin then looked into the cup and swirled it around, "What is this anyway? It's an unusual color."

"I'm not sure. I went to one of the vendors and this was their special drink for the festival," I explained. She brought it to her lips and drank some tentatively. "Is it good?"

She shrugged, "It's not bad,"

I tried mine and was hit with an overwhelmingly sweet flavor followed by a sour sting I wasn't prepared for.

"That's interesting." Aislin rested her head on my shoulder and we fell into a comfortable silence as we stared out at the town.

I wasn't born here, nor did I grow up in Kavan, but this town was my home and I'd do anything to protect it. This kingdom and the people in it saved me. I found my purpose here; become the best I could be. King Kole had saved me and it was about time I returned the favor. I owed him for everything good in my life, including Aislin.

I thought I had the perfect team, but once things got real, they crumbled like crackers. My army was lazy and incompetent. Frankly, I was embarrassed to claim I had trained them. I would never leave any of them behind though. That was the first thing you learned in my line of work.

No matter how dangerous it got, we were family. True family sticks together through thick and thin. True family never abandons each other. The people here were my family now, and their hopes and dreams were worth protecting.

I looked down at the blackhead leaning against my shoulder. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and gazed out at the city lights. For the first time in my life, I knew exactly where I was supposed to be. I wished that moment would never end.

"Oh shoot..." Aislin lifted her head suddenly and moved in front of me.

"What?" I asked half-panicked, my shoulder cold from her absence.

"Where am I supposed to go now?" she asked.

"Go?" I asked.

"We were just talking about this. It's kind of time for me to go home now. To go back to normal, but I don't even know what normal is any more."

"You're still thinking about going back into isolation?" I asked, confused.

"I don't know anymore. I don't think I can go back to complete isolation. I don't think I can walk away from this again. On one hand, I am so tired of fighting. On the other hand, if I stop fighting, I will most likely lose everything." she explained. I reached out and took her by the hand. I pulled her hands up around my neck and wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her closer to me.

"What if you didn't have to fight anymore?" I asked. She looked up at me quizzically. I leaned my head down and rested my chin on her shoulder.

"What if you let someone else do the fighting for once in your life?" I whispered into her hair. My eyelids were beginning to feel heavy. This was the first time in years I had felt complete. I felt like I wanted to let my guard down for the first time in a couple of decades.

I felt Aislin go rigid in my arms and she pulled her arms down from around my neck. I straightened up and looked down at her.

"What's wrong?" I asked. Did she hate the idea of staying here with me that much?

Aislin placed her hands firmly on my chest and pushed herself out of my grip. I stumbled half a step backward. Why weren't my limbs responding to the commands I was giving them?

"Do you feel off too?" I asked Aislin as she tripped over her cast trying to pull a dagger out of her boot. I looked down at my belt where my sword was hung. I reached for it and missed the handle. I tried again and managed to catch hold of the handle just as Aislin managed to get her knife out of her boot.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a figure clad in black sneak out from behind a tree. I drew my sword and immediately dropped it. It was suddenly too heavy for my hand. I bent to retrieve it as more shadowy figures emerged from the darkness, all focused on one target.

"Aislin!" I breathed under my breath as I scrambled for my sword. I felt a sharp pain on the back of my head and the world around me faded to deafening silence and a curtain of black drew over my vision. I felt my face on the grass as I hit the ground and then; my senses completely eluded me.

"Aislin!" I screamed, but the voice was trapped in my head.

×××××××××××××

Author Note!

Hello, My Mickey Mouse Club House Members!!

I'M BACK! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Aaaaaaand while I was away, we hit over 60K I am so happy and thankful for you guys!

I also posted a new book so go check that out if you haven't already <3

Thoughts >

Random >

Not gonna lie tho, their kiss made me blush that whole time, even tho it was short and I didn't even write it. (shoutout to ethereal_ayah )

How is your day today? Was it bad? Good? In between?

QOTD: Are you excited for part three!?!?

Love you all thank you for reading! Xoxox 💋💋

- Mickey ✨