Rhydar lasted all of two seconds of silence before hooking his fingers around her wrist and leaning in to kiss Lily's cheek, then ventured down to her jaw and lingered for a few beats as if contemplating if he should go lower to her neck. He didn't. Instead, he exhaled softly and planted a loving kiss to the top of her head and gently tugged her closer to him, fingers still holding her wrist.
To hell with what people thought about him and Lily. She was his, and he was hers—at least he hoped. There wasn't anyone he could see himself with that wasn't Lily. They just fit together like two puzzle pieces, their flaws and strengths complementing each other to bring out the better and brighter picture.
Lily let out a slightly startled noise as Rhydar kissed her cheek, her face heating up once again when his lips met her jaw and lingered there. She half expected him to keep going, for her neck to be the next place his lips travelled, and she wasn’t sure whether she was relieved or what when he instead pressed a kiss to her head. Her nose scrunched anyway, as she had to admit, any and all kisses from Rhydar were her favorite. He’s my favorite. That’s what it really is. He’s amazing. She smiled up at him, still blushing furiously but happy nonetheless.
It was amazing. Just how comfortable Lily felt with him, how happy just seeing his face made her. Like she had found the other half to a set she hadn't known she’d been a part of. Socks or shoes came to mind, almost making her laugh. Matching socks. Or maybe not quite matching, but socks that went together anyway, the same way she used to never wear socks from the same set at the same time. But they worked, and functioned just the same as a pair, becoming one anyway in her own mind.
He glanced down and smiled at Lily, once again loving her blush and being the reason behind it. It was so easy to fluster her, but it was clear that she liked what he did. She never tensed up too badly or pushed him away, nor did she verbally express her dislike for anything he did. That didn't mean he would wrap her up in a bear hug and keep her there until the end of time, nor did it mean he would put his arm around her waist without asking. It simply meant to him that she trusted him, and that meant the world to him.
His smile made her brighten just a little as she looked forward again, bumping his shoulder lightly with her own. Though she might not be able to tuck herself against his side, to let him wrap his arm around her the way so many other couples seemed to do, she could offer that. It nagged at her fairly often, the thought. Did Rhydar wish he could do more? Did he want someone willing to do better, someone who could handle touch normally, someone just…normal?
Rhydar didn't know where her thoughts had trailed. His smile grew, and he bumped her shoulder back, his grip on her wrist tightening slightly in a sorta-hug. Sure, he hoped to see the day that he could wrap his arms around her without worry of her getting stressed. But that was because that would be the day that she was very near a full recovery. It meant that his Lily was getting better, and just the thought of that made his heart warm.
Rhydar’s shoulder meeting hers put a pause on her thoughts, making her blink. Somehow, that simple gesture was more reassuring than anything she could have hoped for. Like a casual ‘don’t worry, this is just fine’, that made her heart swell with gratitude. Gods, she really had gotten so lucky. It felt like a miracle, stumbling upon Rhydar, who was so willing to wait and take the steps with her, to stand by her as she got better the way he had been. Amazing, wonderful, thank you.
Once again, he wasn't aware of her thoughts, but that didn't stop him from just being Rhydar. He suppressed his smirk as he dropped back so that he was slightly behind Lily. He didn't give her a chance to stop to see what he was doing before his head dipped, and he quickly kissed her neck, his grin on full display as he straightened. "I owed you one," he said in explanation—though he didn't need an explanation beyond his habit of doing something for the sole purpose of flustering Lily.
“Rhydar? Wha-“ Her question was cut off suddenly as his lips met her neck, her eyes widening. If possible, her face managed to reach entirely new shades of red as she stuttered something nonsensical out, her steps faltering. There was her neck kiss. Fitting that he had Waited until she most definitely wasn’t expecting it. If he was looking for a reaction, he was getting it now.
His grin widened, immensely pleased with himself for getting this reaction from her. Her face was multiple shades of deep red and she was unable to form coherent words—all because he kissed her when her guard was the lowest. He laced his fingers in hers, still behind her, and kissed the side of her head. "You're so cute," he murmured against her head, "What did I ever do to deserve you?"
I ask myself the same question about you all the time. She bit her bottom lip, unable to really speak without stuttering. She squeezed his hand though, in some form of response, as she chewed her lip. But all the same, damn you. Probably the most loving ‘damn you’ ever, even if it was only in her head.
"C'mon. I keep stalling strawberry picking because you're so damn adorable," he mumbled, still speaking against her head. He planted one last kiss on her cheek and moved to her side, still holding her hand. He gently pulled her along towards the stables, keeping a steady pace but still making sure that she could keep up with him.
“B-blaming me, huh?” She finally managed, raising an eyebrow at Rhydar as she let him pull her along. Her grip on his hand was loose out of habit, as though expecting him to pull his hand away suddenly. She clicked her tongue playfully, shaking her head as though disappointed.
"Of course I'm blaming you. If I didn't adore how flustered you get with just a kiss or compliment, we'd be on our way to the farm by now." He stuck his tongue out at her in retaliation, ever the child when it came to banter. His grip on her hand was unfaltering but not too tight. He had no plans on pulling away from her without a good reason.
She huffed a laugh, her head shake softening into more of a fond gesture than feigned disappointment. “That’s n-not really my fault. If I could stop myself from getting flustered, I very m-much would.” She said, wrinkling her nose and making a face. Adorable as always, and slightly funny, that she was making a face at her own expense.
"You're still stuttering," he helpfully pointed out with a chuckle, looking down at her with a smile. His wide grin was gone, but he was still happy. Happy with the girl at his side. Happy with how his life had turned. Just…happy—and it all revolved around the one and only Lily. When he saw her scrunched up nose and the face she made, he sighed and looked away, shaking his head and giving her hand a light squeeze. "Keep doing that, and I'll have no choice but to give you another one of your favorite kisses."
Lily’s eyes widened slightly, and she quickly looked away, dropping the expression. While she wasn’t entirely against the neck kisses, they were trying to get somewhere in good time. And she was pretty sure that letting him anywhere near her neck was the opposite of making good time. “I’m stuttering b-because of you. Something that actually is y-your fault.”
"Mmmhmm. I know." He didn't bother denying it, as he constantly made it clear that he enjoyed flustering her. His smirk returned, and his tongue flicked out to brush against his lip ring. The need to fidget was resurfacing, so the fingers of his free hand worked to loosen one of his rings and spin it around. He made sure to keep relatively still where he was holding onto her hand. It wasn't a hugely conscious decision—he mostly did it automatically with barely a thought crossing his mind.
She glanced back up at him, her eyes catching on the movement of his tongue and lingering there for a few moments too long. Then they were on their hands, noting the stillness of his compared to the rest of his body. He fidgeted more than she did, she knew that, so it was surprising to find him holding onto her so steadily. Her thumb moved, tapping on his hand along to a steady rhythm.
His lips twitched up slightly when he felt her tapping his hand to a steady rhythm. He couldn't help his fidgeting, but he could at least spare her that annoying bit about him. He still didn't look down at her, but it was more because they were getting into more crowded halls as they got closer to the stables than him ignoring her.
A few visiting nobles saw him and Lily, raising their perfectly groomed brows his way in question. He simply held her a tad closer and walked pass them with barely a head nod.
Embarrassment and shyness were two things that Lily wasn’t a stranger to, but that didn’t make it any easier when there were eyes on her. Though, they weren’t on her, we’re they? They were on her and Rhydar’s hands. She carefully kept from making eye contact with the nobles, her tapping on Rhydar’s hand picking up in pace just a bit. She’d almost forgotten for a moment that Rhydar was a prince, and a sought-after one at that. And there was that little voice in the back of her head, telling her that he deserved better. But he chose me. That counts for something, right?
Rhydar wished he could've hurried away from them with Lily in tow, but that would've told them something he didn't want circling around the palace. So he kept his head high and that mask of cool indifference on his face. He would never be embarrassed by Lily, but he also didn't want her getting attacked by his enemies—or stuck up snobs like the nobles. Only when they were in the safety of the stables did he let out a breath and let go of her hand, using it to roughly run both of his hands through his hair with his eyes closed.
Lily let out a breath once they were in the stables, her shoulders relaxing from the slight tension that had frozen them. Her eyes flickered to Rhydar as he ran his hands through his hair, her brows furrowing with her slight frown as she stepped in front of him, reaching up and gently placing her hands on either side of his face. “Are you alright?” She asked softly, tilting her head as her frown deepened slightly with worry.
Rhydar froze when Lily put her hands on either side of his face, his eyes opening. He sighed and leaned into her touch, relaxing slightly but not fully. "I–Sorta. Now." He reached up and brushed his knuckles over her cheek, needing some way to express how he was feeling—and to seek some sort of comfort, besides her hold on him. "Don't get me wrong, Lily, I care for you a lot and I always will. But I just…I'm trying, and there are people out there that wouldn't approve… I don't want you to be their next punching bag."
“Rhydar, dear.” Lily started, her voice as soft as her palms on his cheeks. “While I greatly appreciate the worry, I don’t like seeing you stressed.” She said, leaning just a bit closer. Her mind was bouncing between repeating the phrase ‘not good enough’, and reminding herself that it didn’t matter whether she thought she was good enough for him or not. “What’s on your mind? That’s not…not all of it, I can tell.” You can talk to me. ‘Tell me what’s wrong and how I can help’ is what her mother always used to say, what Daisy would say and what she had started to say to her sisters as well. But she couldn’t quite bring herself to speak the words that she associated so strongly with her family, not yet.
He exhaled heavily and closed his eyes, head tilting down somewhat. He didn't really know how to tell her what was going through his mind, as he didn't have a solid grasp on it himself. He didn't want to hurt her or push her away, but he was also trying to protect her from the cruelty of the court. His words might mean one thing to him but mean a completely different thing to her. It was all a balance that he's always had trouble navigating, and this was no different.
It took a bit for him to finally find something to say to her, but he got there. His eyes remained trained on his fingers, which were still running up and down her cheek. "Our worlds are extremely different, Lily. I'm just trying to keep you as far away from mine as possible while keeping it away from you."
She sighed softly, nodding once and being careful not to disrupt his fingers. “Alright. But Rhydar, please, don’t worry yourself too much. You can’t protect me from the world when it’s already had it’s way with me.” That in itself wasn’t very assuring, but her thumb trailing his jawline likely was. She wanted to be of more help, or some way to assure him that he needn’t worry about protecting her, but neither of those was really an option. The former was impossible and the latter wouldn’t work.
"I know," he whined, shifting his weight and finally meeting her eyes. The emerald in them had dimmed a bit with the slightly stressful moment, but a glimmer of light had come back with those two words. He reached up and hooked his fingers around her wrist, thumb brushing over her hand in circles. He grew serious once again, resting his head against hers and closing his eyes. "I know I can't, but I still want you to be happy. Court isn't exactly the best place for that."
“As long as I’m with you, that shouldn’t be too hard.” She admitted quietly, closing her eyes. “Court be damned.” She wanted to apologize. Because it was her fault, for being the kind of person his court wouldn’t approve of. For causing that stress and making him feel like he needed to protect her. Trying to protect her would be near impossible, from anything. That was the price of the life she lived. I’m sorry, I’m sorry I’m sorry- “I’m-“
His lips on hers stopped her apology in its tracks, his cool ring pressed against her skin. He didn't need an apology from her, as it wasn't her fault. No matter what it was, he'd feel the need to protect her from the worst—to take the brunt of it for her so she wouldn't have to worry. It was just how he was when it came to those he loved.
He folded his arms around her—avoiding her waist—and pulled her close, just needing to feel her near and show her that he didn't blame her at all. Words were hard for him, but this…this he could do. Hopefully she understood.
Surprise made her still as he cut off her apology, but the gentleness of it all had her relaxing quickly. Besides, it was Rhydar. She trusted him completely, stressed or otherwise.
She pressed into the kiss a bit more as his arms wrapped around her, her hands still holding the sides of his face. The tension that came with her almost apology and guilt melted along with her, and she was grateful he’d cut her off. Neither of them needed the apology. It was just habit. And some habits were better off kicked.
