David listened to her speak of her father. Her words carried a lot of weight and he learned a great deal about her from the handful of statements. He continued to hold her close. The man had heard general things about the neighboring king, all bad, but it appeared his daughter had learned of worse things. To her words, he had little comfort words could give, so he just kept his warm body close to hers and listened.
When she said "I do think your past makes you more than what you think." It seemed there were so many ways it could be taken. Was is a statement toward her father meaning he could never fix the wrongs he committed? Or was it about her, meaning living with the man her whole life may have possibly tainted her? David didn't believe that one, but Elena certainly thought she was responsible for his sins. Then the final meaning came to him. Was it directed toward him? He had no past exceeding two years ago. Perhaps she was saying there is more to him than a peasant or a laborer. David looked down, thoughts pulling him in deep. He desperately wanted to know who he was and where he came from. Living with no recollection but the near-present made him feel foolish and useless. He struggled to shove the thoughts aside, and soon they did.
His pondering faded quickly as he leaned in to steal another kiss from the princess. She provided him the perfect distraction. Soon he pulled a few blankets over their bodies to keep warm during the winter storm outside. That warmth along with the exhausting orgasms pulled David deep into sleep. The entire night he held onto the beautiful woman and when the morning sun came through the window, he felt refreshed as ever.
She was still asleep, so he laid there for a while watching her. But after some time, he slowly move out of bed and got up to stretch. David splashed some water on his face and then re-entered the bedroom. At that point, he saw the journal she had given him the night before. Taking a seat in a large cushioned chair, he opened to the first page. The writing was in an ivory ink and done clearly and concisely.
Sitting comfortably, he began reading. The first few pages were speaking of the overthrow of the royal city. Princess Elena's father, the now King Grefin, rained volley after volley of flaming arrows into the city during a drought. The siege ensued while King David was on the edge of the kingdom in negotiations with neighbors. Word was sent to him, but it was too late.
When the journal wrote of Grefin breaching the walls and storming in, David could feel his grip tightening on the leather-bound journal. His heart beat fast with rage and his vision narrowed like a hawk. The man could not explain why he felt such a burning hatred right now but it was consuming him and he couldn't let go.