Stubborn Treat

  “Almost…got it…” Lissa groaned through gritted teeth as she stretched her arm longer. Her toes were beginning to feel numb from the constant tiptoeing, but she ignored it for the time being. Her lips were tightly pursed; her bright grey eyes sparkled at a delicious apple that was dangling on the branch.

  While she was busy doing her own little ‘mission’, a certain someone was watching her carefully – while standing almost 7 feet away from her.

  He watched as she dropped her hands and sighed heavily. “Lon’qu,” He then saw her turn to face him, causing his heart to skip a beat and his breath to hitch in his throat.

  Unaware of his silent shock, Lissa blew a frustrated groan. “You know, rather than standing there like statue, you can help me get this fruit.”

  Lon’qu didn’t respond immediately, but she swore his frown was growing bigger by the minute. “My mission is to protect you from the assassins that want your head on a silver platter, not harvesting fruits. Besides,” Finally, he sighed, “you already ate 20 minutes ago. Unless you are dying out of starvation, I see no reason for you to eat that apple.”

  To hear such a blatant statement, Lissa felt like throwing her staff at his face. “Geez, thanks for the help.” She stuck out her tongue and turned back to the tree. Once again she tiptoed, her arms stretched and fingers wiggling toward the red succulent delicacy.

  “Also,” She heard his voice, “get down from that boulder. You’re going to fall and hurt yourself.”

  A loud scoff was given as a reply, in which Lon’qu retorted back with silent, obviously irritated grumbling.

  Suddenly, an idea popped into her brain. “That’s it!” Lissa exclaimed in glee, unwarily causing the young man behind her to flinch out of shock. Quickly her eyes dropped to her Steel Axe that was placed beside the boulder. Without another word nor a moment’s hesitance, she squatted to retrieve her axe and stood up straight.

  It was bad enough she was wobbling on the boulder a few minutes ago, but the fact that she was now holding a dangerous weapon with the threat that she might fall… Lon’qu feared that by the time the assassins had found her, she’d been long dead by her own stupid petite hands.

  “Er…Lissa…” He gulped, “Stop being ridiculous-”

  “Shush shush be quiet!” Lissa retorted, completely ignoring his orders or her own safety. “I know what I’m doing.” With one sharp breath inhaled and held inside her lungs, she lifted her axe. Her balance mildly faltered, legs shaking and body arched forward by the heavy weight.

  The moment his eyes were set on her dangerously idiotic situation, Lon’qu swore, this might be the first time he had ever felt scared in his life. “O-Okay stop!” he screamed, tone reaching a high shrill due to the fear that began boiling in his brain. He quickly took a few steps closer to her, but then froze as another fear – one that he unfortunately knew so well – clamped his heart.

  Thankfully, Lissa obtained her balance and was able to stand up straight again.

  Unthankfully, she was stubborn to the very core.

  “Damn it!” he cursed, not caring whether or not the lady had heard him. Out of impulse, he shut his eyes tightly. “Lissa- FINE I’LL HELP!” His right hand went to his throbbing head, mouth hissing an angry grunt as Lon’qu felt a headache coming on. “Just…get down from that boulder and stand a few feet away from me. I’ll get you that damn apple-!”

  “HIYAAH!”

  The moment her voice and the sound of something being cut rang in his ears, Lon’qu snapped his eyes open. His head shot forward, sharp grey eyes widening at the sight of the lady in front of him.

  The branch that had the apple was sliced to a clean cut. Immediately it fell to the ground, right into Lissa’s awaiting hand. A huge smile lit her beautiful face. Her eyes gleamed at the delicious fruit. With pride and excitement slowly swelling up at the fact that she had obtained what she wanted without anybody’s help, Lissa raised her arms and cheered in glee. “I did it-!”

  Unfortunately, her pride and excitement had a price.

  Due to her distracted mind, her balance was lost completely. “W-Whoah!” Her legs wobbled. Her arms quickly spread apart for stability. But alas, all of it was in sheer vain, for her body began to fall backwards, promising her a life of multiple bruises and maybe a broken spine. “AAHHH!”

  Everything happened in a blink of an eye.

  Her eyes were shut tightly, mind hoping and praying for her life. Her lips trembled horribly, muttering a few prayers that even she couldn’t hear. Suddenly, sounds of something – the branch and her axe – crashing onto the ground echoed in her ears.

  As for Lissa, while sadly anticipating for her own body to slam against the hard soil, she felt as something – someone – caught her with perfect ease. Her body acting out of reflex, her hands gripped at anything that she could grasp, then brought herself closer to whoever had saved her.

  A few minutes passed, and wind became their sound of music.

  Her heartbeat was drumming most fiercely, but what startled Lissa more was the fact that she could hear another heartbeat on her left ear.

  As a gasp burst from her lips, she opened her eyes.

  And when she did, the first thing she saw was Lon’qu’s face – who was mere inches away from hers.

  Once again, silence hanged heavy in between. And this time, it was worse than they could ever imagine.

  She saw his eyes, perfectly round and so filled with indescribable fear. She heard his heartbeat, frantically racing, maniacally pounding against his chest as if it bellowed for its freedom. She felt his breath, hitched and uneven, yet gently caressing her face like feathers.

  As her whole mind was brought to a paralyzed state, Lon’qu’s condition was anything but better.

  The moment he realized that the princess was falling for her death – with her damn axe only inches away from piercing deep in her chest, Lon’qu felt as if his whole world had stopped. His rationality diminished like a faint flame. His fear of women faded like a ghost. His body reacted out of his own will. The moment he saw what was happening, all he could ever think about, all he could ever prioritize right now, was to save her.

  All of it happened like a swift dream. Before Lon’qu knew it, he successfully caught the falling girl and easily jumped a few steps away from both axe and branch.

  And now, since all had been said and done, the first thing that registered into his brain was her face.

  Her eyes, her nose, her cheeks, her lips; all of it drawn his attention like a tempting hex.

  His right hand pressed against her back and his left gripped under her knees, holding her carefully. Luckily, her dress was absence of its steel bars, enabling him to hold her safely. Her body was light, as if he was holding a delicate doll. Her body felt warm in his grasps, giving him a rare sense of ease that he had never knew.

  His heartbeat raced faster and faster, and he was far too hypnotized by her to realize his situation.

  “Um…Lon’qu…”

  Suddenly, her own voice breathed through her lips, gingerly caressing his own. And just like that, he snapped back to reality.

  And when he did, this time, he fully realized what was going on.

  “O-Oh…” A breath; a gasp; a choke slithered through his throat. “O-OH…!” Heat burned his face, boiled his brain until it dissolved into mush. “O-O-OH GODS!!”

  And just like that, even though it was obviously unintentional, Lon’qu dropped Lissa to the ground as if she was a sack of bear meat and stumbled 10 – maybe 25 – steps backwards.

  “Ow!” Lissa shouted in pain of her poor buttocks. One hand quickly rubbing the harmless swell that bit her back, she shot a sharp glare at him who, by the way, almost tripped by the branch she just cut. “That hurt, Lon’qu!”

END