Corrupt Nature (My last breath x Raitachi)

Ava felt the blush color her cheeks when she caught Edwards glances. Of course it was more then likely a man who chose the dress. She would have been glad to sit down if not for the corset pushing against her breasts more. Instead she would just try to pretend she didn't notice. It was after all the ladylike thing to do. She kept her eyes to ground, so she wouldn't see his glances anymore.

Relieved when he hadn't seemed to know that was crying, when in the bedroom. Using the end of the fork she split open the top of the poached egg. "Oh, uumm, maybe later thank you," she said looking up at him for a brief moment. With her knife she cut of a small piece of the meat, dipping it into the golden center of her egg. At the castle there would have been an array of food put in front of her. It was actually nice only having the two items. She always felt she had to eat everything she was given. Ava would have hated to hurt the cooks feelings. Looking up at him again, with a little surprised confusion. 'Was he actually worried about what she thought of his cooking?' "No... it is wonderful thank you," she offered him a sincere smile. She was also glad that he hadn't completely filled her plate. It was just enough to fill her, with out making her ill.

The rest of the meal passed in silence, until she finished the last bite of egg. She wasn't so pampered she couldn't clean up after herself, she gathered her plate and fork. Washing them in the water filled tub used for just that purpose. Drying her hands on a near by cloth she went to stand in front of the fire. Her skin felt chilled, she almost wanted to retrieve her cape. Without the proper garments, the fire light illuminated her slender frame beneath the muslin fabric. Holding her hands out to the flames, she watched them dance within the hearth.

Edward smiled when Ava told him that she liked the food he'd made, this surprised him, even some of the knights under his command complained about his cooking, but for some reason she not only put up with it, but claimed to actually enjoy it. She had to be lying for fear of him hurting her or something, how could a royal blue-blood like her enjoy the simplest meal made and served in less then 5 minutes when she would have been used to so much better? Then again, she wasn't a typical royal family member, at least not in his eyes.

Over the next few minutes they ate in silence, Edward finished his plate first as he had started eating before hand, occasionally he looked up at Ava, he couldn't help it, he'd been captivated by her since before he'd ever met her, Ava however had her eyes fixed on the floor, causing him to frown a little. Any suspicions that she was lying before were silenced when he suddenly looked up and noticed that her entire plate was empty, she had actually eaten it all. This was remarkable, he brushed of her comments as an attempt to make him feel better, but if Ava ate it all it meant she actually did like it. The relief washing over his mind like a cup of water being poured over his head.

He smiled to himself as she got to her feet and cleaned up her plate, watching her as she sat by the fire. Edward knew that the Princess was an independent person but he had never imagined she would actually clean up after herself. He followed suit cleaning up his own plate before sitting back down in the same chair, subtly admiring Ava from a distance, feeling his cheeks turn red when he noticed the fire outlining the shape of her body, all but completely revealing herself to him beneath the thin dress. The sight caused a familiar feeling in his lower gut, feeling the urge to lick his lips, but he kept his composure forcing himself to focus on the dancing orange and red flames instead, forgetting for a moment that she was his captive, and remembering the dreams he used to have of living in this exact moment with her as his wife.

She really couldn't help it, as much as she tried to push the last few months even the entire last year to the back of her mind it kept resurfacing. His smiles and words had felt so genuine when they sat and talked. She knew he had told her things he didn't tell anyone else, and she shared her secrets with him. That had to mean something to him, she couldn't live with it if every thing was a lie. Glancing back at him when he took his place in the chair, she went back to watching the fire. She was trying to find the right words to say without making him angry. She never had to worry about this before, in fact she was always able to speak freely with him. She giggled a little at some of the words he had taught her, ones they don't tell you in nursery school.

That was about the point she had worked up her courage. Breathing in deeply she turned on him, her hands held in front of her. Her crystal blue eyes found his steel blue ones, and refused to let stray. "Edward, I need you to help me understand," she didn't sit, nor did she take another step towards him. "For the last year, we have sat in the garden talking of numerous things, so many I can't even count them. You laughed with me, you even held me on more then a few occasions." Holding up a hand when he attempted to speak, "I shared things with you my own nurse maid didn't even know." For a moment she seemed to be lost for words, taking another breath. "I would make up random outings and ask for you personally every time. Most of the time they were stupid frivolous things, but I wanted to have you near." A smile played at the corners of her mouth. Then as suddenly as it came, it vanished. "Did...... did it really mean nothing.... to you," she finally looked towards the floor. She wasn't going to cry, she didn't have anything left in her any how. "Do.... I mean nothing more to you then revenge against my father?"

Edward's eyes widened as Ava spoke her words seemingly coming out of no where, listeningly intently to her as finally revealing her the thoughts that she had kept bottled over the last several hours. A lot had happened so he could hardly blame her, it was must have been a lot to process when considering the nature of their relationship before last night and recent events. He remembered back when it was different, when the King was still alive, he was always assigned to look after the Princess, she wasn't lying they had indeed shared a lot of secrets between them, but he didn't share all them. There was a time in which he thought they could one day marry and be together, but that thought was dashed to pieces by her father a long time ago, before and after every outing with Ava he was ordered into the Kings chambers where it was made painfully clear to him that she was off limits and she wanted nothing to do with him because he wasn't a high enough ranking noble. So Edward was forced to abandon any hope of them being together, tortured by the knowledge that no matter how close they got he could never be with her.

Now she was telling him that the reason he'd spent so much time with her in the first place was because she requested him personally. She had wanted to be near him, because she actually liked him, Edward had always thought he was being cursed by God for some reason, which is why he acted so rashly to begin with. But now from everything she'd told him he realised that he had he'd truly been a fool, he began to feel dizzy like he was standing on the edge of a high building with vertigo, his stomach turned as he began to feel ill. Her words had finally gotten to him "I-" he tried to speak but was cut off by her hand movement before he could finish the thought. He had never known any of this before, if he had only a little more faith then he wouldn't have had to sin like this, but then again he would still be working under the thumb of her father. His plan wasn't just about being with Ava, it was about giving his country a better ruler, no, the ruler it deserved, someone that didn't take their role for granted and made the right descisions for the kingdom, not just for himself.

He frowned at her question as his resolve began to slowly return, putting this all in perspective made able to think straight at least. He got to his feet walking slowly around the table as he spoke, more for his own safety then anything as he still felt a little shakey, "Ava I-" he paused realising that he had both addressed her by her name only and that he was choked up by the context of the question "every second I spent with you were the most treasured in my life" he replied looking down at his feet, his voice desperate but filled with sincerity.

Ava watched his expression change, from the confident knight commander to a confused man. She got a little satisfaction from this, only because the of the harsh look he had been giving her since all this began. Was it not enough for him that he took from her something more treasured then anything else. Then again why would he treat her the same as before, she was no longer the virgin princess. Her nurse maid had warned against this. 'Men only want one thing from you princess, and once they get it you will no longer matter.' Refusing to believe this of Edward she shook the nurses words from her thoughts. She couldn't let herself believe this, her heart would break many times over if she did.

When she was done speaking she waited for him to say something, anything. She almost went back to the bedroom when it looked as if he would just walk away from her. Her hand came to her chest as her eyes closed. Just as she was to turn for the room, Edward began to speak. Ava had no idea what she was expecting him to say, but it wasn't the words that came from his lips. "Then... why are you treating me as a pawn for your revenge Edward?" Now she was even more confused, if he felt that way why wasn't he showing it. "I don't understand, your words are always angry when you speak to me. Oh but wait, you said 'were' didn't you?" That one word now rung in her ears, and she thought she understood now. She thought she was done, that there was nothing left, but the tears began to flow anyway. "I was the most treasured, now that we.... " she wasn't sure what word to use, "I think I understand now Edward."

Ava turned from him then, her arms wrapped tightly around herself as if trying to hold herself in once piece. Her steps were slow as she made her way back to the bedroom.

Edward felt his shoulders slump at Ava's question, he knew that's not how he felt about her, but it was obvious that was how it looked to the princess. "No you-" he tried to speak but he was cut off again "I didn't mean-" his frustration was beginning to build, he knew that his plan hadn't granted him the freedom to be nice or considerate but he hated that she felt this way. His frustration grew when it became obvious that the Princess was reading too far into his words, he'd heard from his former knight commander that women, when upset read into your words with their own messed opinion about they meant, although he'd doubted Ava was like that, this was apparently not the case. Her words stung, he wanted desperately to say something, prove her words wrong, but he was torn between what he felt was his duty and his feelings for her.

"No!" his voice raised as he cried out and lunged forward, wrapping his armed around her waist, in a firm but gentle reverse hug, unable to hold back anymore, the thought of her not understanding driving him over the edge. "No Ava you don't understand" he breathed, a single tear falling down the side of his cheek as he rested his head on her shoulder, not wanting to let her go. "There is no were, your father told me to stay away from you, that you were off limits, that you didn't care about me..." his voice trailed off before he gathered himself to speak again "I never wanted to be this hard on you, I just didn't know what else to do because I..." he sighed deeply, hoping she wouldn't push him away "I love you Ava" he finally blurted out, lifting his head from her shoulder "and I still treasure you more then anything in the world" he whispered the last part resting his head down once again.

She couldn't bare to hear anymore, if he continued to talk and lie she would surely die. All she wanted was to escape to the room, where she could regain her composer. Ave jumped and stopped dead in her tracks when he shouted. She wasn't sure what would happen, but her body jumped when his arm wrapped around her. The sob she was trying to hold back escaped of it's own free will, her small hands gripped the arms that held her. She was trying to block him out, she couldn't bare to hear anymore. Edward claimed that her father told him to stay away, but she couldn't see why he would do that. He wouldn't deny her happiness, would he? How could she be off limits, Edwards rank gave him just as much right as any other noble. How could he not see the way she felt for him. Woman of her stature didn't fall asleep in a mans arms, like she had his on a few occasions. The last time only days before under the tree near the pond.

Then suddenly she stopped breathing, to her it seemed like minutes, but in reality it was seconds. She could feel her heart getting ready to break, he said he loved her. She wanted to believe him, but knew that if he lied about this it would kill her. Squeezing her eyes shut, as another sob shook her body. "I... love you too," those weren't the words she wanted to say but it was too late to take them back now. "Please Edward, don't say this unless you truly mean it." Her body relaxed into his, as if trying to get him even closer.

Edward hadn't been lying, Ava's father hated that he was so close with his only heir, even though it never had been his desire before, only ever wanting to be with his daughter, not the princess of a kingdom, but the woman he fell in love with. But the King's intention seemed to be to keep him as far away from the throne as possible, believing he could arrange the perfect husband for Ava that he could manipulate to his will long after his passing. He often spoke in front of the Knight commander about this very issue, presumably on purpose, though it would often sound far more honourable to ears that were not in on the cruel joke.

His heart leapt when Ava replied, both with joy and guilt, she thought he was lying, no, but she was skeptical of his sincerity. He could feel her body relaxing against his, it gave him some comfort to know she was willing to believe him, making a silent oath to never give her a reason to distrust him again. "I do mean it Ava" he replied releasing his grip slightly and turning her around so that she could look into his eyes. He'd dreamt of this moment many times, he never thought it would actually happen though, especially not through criminal acts.

"I really do love you, I would never lie to you about something like that" he continued, emphasising his point, he knew that the princess had no reason to believe him, but he hope she would anyway, this was the first time he'd ever uttered these words to anyone, the first time he'd ever felt this vulnerable.

Ava stepped closer to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. She buried her face against him, afraid that if she let go, he might change his mind again. Her arms tightened a little at the thought. This was the first time she was able to hold him, with out the cumbersome steel plate of his armor. She had found herself day dreaming of just this on many occasions. For the moment the thought of being taken from her home had left her mind. All she wanted was this, Edward, his arms around her.

She was still exhausted though, and she could feel it in her limbs. As tight as she wanted to hold him, her body wanted to go lax. An involuntary sigh escaped her, "Edward.... will you..." she could feel the color rising to her cheeks. "Hold me like you always do by the pond." She hoped her question would come across right. It was always the place she found herself sleeping when he held her.

Edward sighed contently as Ava returned the hug, he was happy that she seemed to believe him, it would make his plan run a lot smoother, but not only because of that, he had all but given up hope of them ever being together, until now. He chuckled at her request, admiring how cute she the princess was when she acted shy like this. Reaching down he sweaped his arms under her legs, scooping her up as though she weighed nothing and cradled her like a small child. "Like this?" he smirked as he turned around and walked towards the fire, slowly pacing back and forth in front of it, he wasn't sure why she asked him to do this, but he didn't exactly hate doing it either.

It wasn't until that moment that he noticed the tired expression on her face, "you can sleep if you want to princess, I could do this for hours" he chuckled softly, enjoying the feeling of her against his chest. He wasn't sure if it was the light from the fire or something but for a moment he Edward could have sworn that he saw Ava blushing, whether it was true or not didn't matter, it still brought a small sense of satisfaction.

Ava wrapped her arms around his shoulders, laying her cheek against one. Even if just for now, she could pretend that nothing had changed. All she had to do was close her eyes, and she wouldn't be far from home. She could be sitting in front of the pond, leaning against him watching the swans float by. His arms holding her close, while he watched intently to the area surrounding them. She could feel safe again, if she just closed her eyes.

He spoke as she began to drift into sleep, nuzzling against him she sighed. "Mmm, can we go to the bed," she asked in a sleepy voice. She sighed again as Edward made his way to the bedroom. Lowering the both of them to the soft mattress, she scooted back against him, fitting herself perfectly to the curve of Edwards body. The warmth from his body let her drift into sleep almost immediately.

Edward smiled down at Ava has she nestled into him, noting that she must have been tired, given she didn't seem to care she was still in a corseted dress as she fell asleep against him. He noted the content expression upon her face as she slept, it was comparable to those times they had spent by the lake, almost exactly like it was right now, except then he was on duty and was required to keep watch, he wasn't allowed the privilege to given in to the moment and fall asleep beside her, often having to resort to carrying her back to her room while she slept. But now it was different, now he could do whatever he wanted, he was free of his duty and was free to enjoy the simple pleasure of falling asleep with the woman he loved, yawning loudly now that the adrenaline had finally subsided, he hadn't realised that it had been more then a day since the last time he slept, his eyes began to get heavy and slid closed, drifting off to sleep.

He woke up just a couple of hours later, noting that the princess was still sound asleep, breathing softly against his chest, judging by the light outside it was still early in the afternoon. Edward lay there for a few minutes longer, slightly watching Ava snooze peacefully, remembering that she had always was a heavy sleeper when she was comfortable. The thought causing him to smile as he reminisced a little more before carefully sliding out from under her, sitting up and reaching down, he gently stroked her cheek, jumping off the bed and walking out into the next room, throwing more wood on the waning fire. Checking the pile near the fire place, he noted that they would likely need more fire wood if they were to keep it going for the entire night. Heading outside he picked up a large, simply designed, wood cutting axe, he wondered if he should wake Ava up and let her know that he'd be gone for a little while, but decided not to and let her continue sleeping instead, not wanting to disturb such a peaceful expression, heading straight out to the edge of the nearby tree line, disappearing into the thick growth as he searched for a good tree to cut down.

Nestled into Edwards arms, she slept soundly, the sense of protection comforting even in sleep. He was able to slip out of the bed with out waking her right away. An hour passed before her body told her she was alone. Her hand reached out for him, finding nothing her eyes would flutter open. From the light being cast into the room there was only a couple hours of daylight left. Ava stretched a little before sitting up in the bed. Slipping out of the bed she padded towards the bedroom door, opening it slightly. He wasn't in the main living area either. A slight bit of fear crept into her a bit at the thought of being alone. She was use to having a number of people around at all times. Finding the pair of soft soled slippers that were brought with the dress she wore, the princess slipped her feet inside.

One last look around she went to the door leading outside. Opening that a crack she looked for Edward, still nothing. She stepped into the last bit of day light. To her right was an herb garden, it was a small one but plenty big enough for the cottage. Picking up her skirts she crouched down to pick a mint leaf. Hearing footsteps behind her, she thought they may have been Edwards. The voice that followed wasn't his though.

"Oi, what 'ave we 'ear then, looks like we caught our selves a forest nymph boys." The man talking had a dark tan, dark hair that fell to his shoulders, and even darker eyes. Those eyes roamed over Ava when she whirled around to face him. Noting the low neckline of her dress first his eyes narrowed on her. Four other men came up from behind, all varying in size. They were between her and the door of the cottage. Ava took a step back, just as the one in charge took two towards her.

"This isn't you home, I would appreciate it if you just left," she had squared her shoulders, trying to look as if she wasn't intimidated. Ava's eyes search the immediate area for Edward, hoping that where ever he was it wasn't far.

"Well, eet sure as 'ell ain't yers either lass," with a few more steps he had his hands on her arms. "We 'ave been comin 'ere to 'ide fer some time now, I must say it will be nice to 'ave a lass around for entertainment." Spinning her around to face away from him, the large male pulled her hard against him. One hand going around her throat first, the other slid up her stomach to her breast. The action worked a sharp scream from Ava's lungs echoing off every tree.

Edward had spent the last hour or so hacking up a small tree that that fallen prior to his arrival into into smaller, easy to carry pieces, before he straightened up, wiping his brow clean of any sweat that was dripping down. He groaned slightly as he rolled his shoulders back, stretching them out and sighing, noting the small puddle of sweat on his chest, back and under arms, evidence of his hard work. He then leaned down to gather up the pile of small logs, arranging them so they were easier to carry, grabbing the axe and resting it on his shoulder, using the same hand to support the weight of the wood as he headed back, noting the sun beginning to slowly disappear over the horizon. He wondered if the princess was awake yet, feeling slightly guilty if she was, if she awoke while he was gone then she might be worried, or even try to run away, even though it would be a stupid idea.

It was then he heard the loud high pitched scream coming from the direction of the cottage, suddenly feeling a heavy panic wash over him, his brisk walk turning into a desperate bolt towards where Ava was. His heart lurched as he laid eyes on what was going on, seeing five strange men surrounding her filling the atmosphere with their sick intentions Ava... No.... They didn't look like Richard's men, for starters they looked far too primitive and unkempt to be knights, also they were groping the princess, seemingly about to rape her. Edward quickly accessed his options looking around, the only weapon he had nearby was the axe in his hand, his sword was still inside and there were too many of them and too little time to risk getting it, they were also far better equipped then he was, all wearing armour and carrying short swords. His only chance seemed to be to try and take them by surprise, maybe in the confusion he could give her enough time to escape at least, maybe even grab one of their swords.

He placed the axe and all but one piece of wood quietly at his feet; it would probably serve him better in this situation then a blunt wood cutting axe anyway, moving forward towards the group, slowly at first but then wordlessly broke into a sprint. He shoved his way past the surrounding men, they seemed far too distracted by what there 'leader' seemed to be doing anyway, they may as well not have been there for all he cared, his mind remained fixated on the one thought of rescuing the princess. He raised the lump of wood high above his head as he approached the man currently feeling his love up, swinging it hard like a bat, making contact with the side of his head, knocking him to the ground, killing him instantly. He panted heavily, as he stared down at the lifeless body of the man who tried to take her away from him, feeling a deep sense of fulfilment before turning to Ava who was now on the ground, her body being supported by the bandit's when Edward knocked him down, his eyes filled with merciless rage.

"Ava get away from here as fast as you can" he ordered turning back to the other 4 guys who only now just seem to realise what had just happened, his tone sounding just as hard as his expression looked. He dropped the hunk of wood at his feet, now covered in a little blood and reached down to the dead man's belt, drawing his sword as the other men did as well, taking a defensive fighting stance. He was concerned about what could happen, he was out of his element, no armour, no shield, a smaller sword then he was used to, four fully equipped enemies, it was certainly nothing to take lightly. The only thing stopping him from running away from this was the thought that he had to protect Ava, it was the only way to keep her safe, otherwise they'd, he shuddered at the thought, his blood boiling again even more. "So you're the thieving scavengers that have been using my cottage to beat each other off while I've been away" he stated, trying to sound confident to make them feel uneasy.