Lewis wasn’t sure how to handle this. In fact, he had no idea how to even feel. The first kiss was almost nothing to him. A sloppy thing done by a drunk woman with no life experience. Yet, something about the first kiss woke something up inside of Lewis. The way she had curled up into him the night before, the way she excitedly looked around the market, the way she gently tended to his wounds…

He kissed her back. Delicately. Sensually. An emotion that made no sense to him stirred in his heart. He wanted more. Simone started to try and take her shirt off, but the buttons were in her way. Lewis smirked, and when she finally tried to ask for his help, she ended up passing out.

At once, Lewis made sure that she was okay. Which, she was. But that brought about a whole lot of different issues. The biggest issue was that she was on top of him and he had no way to really get her off. The second, less important, was the fact that she had teased him, and now he felt quite awkward with her on top of him. That issue, though, was pushed away.

Sure, he wanted more. But he knew better than to do that.

…sorry.

Very carefully, he squirmed underneath her and used his limited range of motion to pull them both into a sleeping position. Her head was resting on his bare chest, and she was lightly snoring. He wrapped his arms around her, and held her close.

She’s warm… Again, Lewis smiled. This felt…nice. He closed his eyes. He had never imagined holding someone like this could be so nice…

—

”Lord Lewis, I demand you chose one. Now. Today is your sixteenth birthday! It is not only your birthright, but it is also a requirement by law!”

“None of them. I choose none of them.”

“That is not an option. The day is upon us. This is the law!”

“Fine. Any of them. I don’t care.”

“Give me a name.”

“…Mirabelle.”

“Your friend from childhood? There are better choices tha-”

“You told me to choose. I choose her. At least she’ll understand that this is out of obligation.”

“…you will understand one day, my child.”

Simone woke up in the morning and she was blushing as she looked at the alcohol. “Did I do something weird?” She crawled off the sleeping Lewis and looked him over. “I… Didn’t do anything too weird?” She got close to him. “What if he really doesn’t like me now?” She seemed to agonize over it.

She picked up her clothes and looked back at Lewis. “I guess he is asleep…” She stripped down and changed into the basic dress. The innkeeper had offered to clean their clothes for them. She put Lewis’s new pants over by him.

Leaving the room would give Lewis to get changed as she came up with some breakfast and more herbs. “I got some stronger herbs. These ones help with breaks in our wings. It’s good for phoenixes and other sorts. It didn’t look like they knew what I was so I took the liberty of playing dumb to get you the herbs you’ll need to heal.”

She meshed the stuff together and hummed while she did it. “I didn’t do anything too bad to you last night, did I? I can’t remember anything past bread making me upset…” She was blushing deeply and shook her head. “I’m thankful for being alive long enough to do something about what happened to my people.”

Lewis woke up briefly when Simone started to undress. She had already taken her shirt off, and he wanted to warn her, but instead he kept his mouth shut and tried to keep his eyes closed as best he could. However, he was young, and after what had happened the night before, a little more than curious. One eye was kept open, just enough to watch her change…

When she left out the door, he took a moment to compose himself, and then started to carefully change into his new clothes. Now that the break was starting to heal, he was in a lot less pain. He still couldn’t move as much as he wanted, and flying was absolutely out of the question, but he could at least take care of himself now.

The shirt that he was given was almost impossible to put on, so he tossed it to the side to wait for Simone. He wasn’t above asking for help when he absolutely needed it. She arrived later, and Lewis was thankful that she had brought stronger herbs for his wing. Hopefully they would help speed up the process.

“You were…okay last night,” Lewis stated, avoiding her gaze. “Just a drunken kiss. Not much else happened.” He was lying, of course, but it was because he wasn’t sure how best to explain it. He sighed. “You tried to take off your top but passed out. That was about it…” Sure, there was the second kiss, but…

Was that even real?

“Mostly you just talked about bread and the tower. Nothing major….” He smirked. “Though you admitted to being a virgin…”

Simone was bright red, “It doesn’t shock me I went for a kiss.” She rubbed the back of her neck before having him sit just far enough up so she could put the paste onto his wings and back. Her face was bright red as she tilted her head. “You don’t appear to be complaining.”

She stayed quiet for a while to process her thoughts and before long she blushed a bit more. “So what? I’m a virgin before the kiss that got me locked up in the tower… I hadn’t even kissed a boy yet let alone hold their hands. I wasn’t allowed to. Like all royalty, I was engaged at sixteen. However, well he didn’t want me. Obviously.”

She finished patching him up and got his shirt. “Here. Let me help you.” She was gentle with him and got him situated. “They said it should be fine for us to take a walk. The storms have died down and there is a pond and stuff not that far from here. Getting outside and getting fresh air would be good for you.”

She spotted the breakfast and leaned against his back. “Please make sure you eat too… And don’t tease me too much.”

Lewis was smirking the entire time. “It…wasn’t a bad kiss. I didn’t mind.” He paused for a moment, thinking. “It was nice, but it’s irrelevant. You were drunk, so I will not hold it against you.” He doubted that she would ever have wanted to if she were sober. Especially with someone like him.

Once he had his shirt on, he smiled a little. The herbs were already working, and he felt strong enough to at least start wandering around like she suggested. “We can go out after breakfast.” When she leaned against him, though, he blushed. Feeling her this close felt good.

“I’ll eat if you do as well. YOu barely touched your food last night…”

The two ate a decent breakfast, though it took some coaxing for Simone to eat a full meal. She was adamant that half was all she needed, but Lewis threatened to skip out on lunch if she didn’t eat.

Soon, they wandered outdoors. The day was beautiful, and the sun was shining as they wandered down the path towards the pond. Lewis learned that the town they had landed in was called Tinsmouth, a small place at the border between the Land of Wolves and the ever hidden Night Phoenix realm. They had only been blown off course a few hours, which was good. The problem, was that it would take a few more days for Lewis to full heal, and walking was not an option.

“It’s a nice day, surprisingly,” Lewis said as they finally neared the small pond. “I’ve heard of this place, but I never had a chance to visit. I’ve always been too busy with my studies.”

“Oh please, like you would ever hold it against me anyways. Why would you want to kiss someone like me.” He could have his pick of any female in his realm she knew this from her own engagement. Though for her it had been overwhelming.

They bickered about for a while until Simone ate well. She was never very good at eating. She put her hands together and looked up at the sky while they walked. “It is pretty.” She looked over at Lewis and made a face. “Studying is for the birds…” After a bit, she started to laugh and shook her head. “I know that too well myself. I wasn’t allowed to travel being the only royal princess at the time. Probably still am.”

Lewis stared at her as she made what was, perhaps, the worst joke that Lewis had ever heard. Yet something about it seemed to resonate with what little sense of humor he had, and he couldn’t help but laugh alongside her. What Simone couldn’t know though that that the prince rarely, if ever, laughed.

“We’re at a time of peace. The Land of Wolves and the Demon Clan Territory are at peace with the elvish nation. And of course, the Night Phoenixes aren’t even supposed to exist. We’re still thriving, but should our existence become known again, it’s possible we could be driven to extinction once more…”

Though, he seemed rather hesitant about that last statement. “At least…that’s what we’re taught. We are so much stronger than we used to be, and Xeik…Rhenakos. As much shit as I give them, they are my friends. The unity that we have…it would be strong enough to come out of the shadows.”

He paused. “There are many who think like I do, but the elders in the council, as well as my father, think that we should stay hidden away forever. That the old ways are still needed for our continued existence.” His smile had long since faded. “I’ve seen the light die from my friends spirit as they are chosen to be bred for the ‘continuation’ of our species. Many already had found love at that point, but the noble males are still allowed their first choice…”

Lewis had a disgusted look on his face. “It’s just as bad as slavery…’

She walked alongside him and thought about it. “It would be good for us to come out and show them that we’re not the evil creatures made out to be.” She picked up a smooth river stone from the water and put it in Lewis’s hands holding them. “Policies and making friends are the best way for a future ruler to hold their people high.”

Closing her eyes she thought about it. “I got my first pick because of my position. However, my pick wasn’t the right one. When we rush these things we make errors and the mates we choose aren’t really our chosen mates.”

She wondered how much Lewis was taught. “The Goddess grants us all mates that fit us that’s what my father used to tell me. He courted my mother unless other Night Phoenixes. Only when he was absolutely sure did he ask her to be his and she was allowed to say no.” She tilted her head and smirked a bit. “He taught me that not all Night Phoenix ways were the right way. I was still expected to follow the laws of our people but he didn’t want me to rush. He hated Jerome but he had charmed me.”

Simone shook her head, “Mating never happened for us as you found out.” She blushed and shook her head. “A war had started with the fey clan. It didn’t allow for someone of my status to think about those things. I wasn’t allowed to be young. So I attended the war councils, studied hard, and made alliances. I made friends with Llywellyn and in turn I got to alliances with his friends as well. We were the first alliance.”

She held up a finger, “When a real chosen pair of Night Phoenixes occurs the skies will light up and all sources of fire will erupt in our phoenix kingdoms. My parents were a pairing that caused this. We thought it was legend until it happened. For us to find our true pairings we need to be able to spread our wings… Forcing them isn’t going to help our infertility rates. Lewis, forcing them is hurting us. My mother was unfortunate… but my father didn’t see it as a curse on our people. Bad things happen to good people that’s what he told me.”

Simone was actually a romantic and she blushed. “I don’t think it’s dumb though. I like the sounds of it. Someone who would love and care for me regardless of fertility… Sounds nice.”

Lewis nodded. What Simone was saying made a lot of sense to him. The problem was that the council and his father will still beholden to the old ways, and breaking that barrier down felt almost impossible. He sighed. “Unfortunately, I won’t be able to stop what happens once we reach the capital. I expect you will be taken away from me…since you are a free woman, you will likely be paired off to someone immediately…”

That thought sent a strange pang through his heart, something that he had not expected. He frowned, and looked at Simone. “But I guess that’s not something you’re concerned with. As long as you find the tractors, right?” He wondered what she would do to end it all.

He gripped the stone in his hand, and closed his eyes. “We should probably find a way to procure some supplies for the trip back as well…”

She frowned a bit at his words and nodded. “The traitors matter to me not my future and not my happiness.” It was sad to hear such a young girl throw herself away. “My people deserved better than what happened to them, Lewis.”

She moved her hand and flicked her finger against his nose with a smirk. “Though it makes it sound like I belong to you.” She chuckled and leaned down splashing him. “Don’t get attached Lewis I’m more like a fleeting moth to the flame than anything.”

Mone walked through the forest looking at everything. She was in love with the flowers and even ended up picking a handful for their room. “We’ll be in the tavern for a bit.”