Chapter 11 - Our Hearts

He believed her fine and good. But did he trust the whole situation?

He could answer that easily. No, he did not.

But he had not told Hannah that, he was not going to. The woman had diamonds in her eyes at the possibilities were before them, he wasn’t going to try to take them out of her eyes, and she genuinely looked excited at meeting this woman. He was curious, if he was being honest, and he wanted to share this adventure with her, but more than anything else, he wanted to keep her safe.

He didn't take for granted that she wasn't completely stubborn, she understood his need to keep her safe, but she had a will of her own and not even him could keep her from seeking this woman, he wasn’t even going to try, didn't want to.

"Jasper? You're awfully quiet." She stood tentatively behind him as he took down the tent.

"Just thinking is all."

"She asked me to bring you, you know? The woman asked me to bring you."

He turned to her, his brows drawn together.

"She could have asked me to come alone, if her plan was to hurt. I don't know for sure what her plans are, but maybe, just maybe they don't have to be bad."

He tilted his head to the side and sratched at his beard comically.

"I say you keep your pants on and your hair in a ponytail." He didn't say those words with a smile but she sensed the humor in them, and it made her want to smile, herself.

"I’m Starting to believe you like me more when I look like a guy than a girl." She teased.

"I like you." he said after a while, And just like that the humor was gone, his words were simple, and they didn't strike her as remotely romantic, but they did oh so wonderful things to her heart.

"Yeah Jasper, I like you too." She said lightly, and then turned away from him to move to her rucksack that lay on the ground. As she picked it up she whispered to herself,

"But liking me will never be enough." But he heard her. He heard her and his heart hurt, and amidst the hurt, he found himself yearning for her. He yearned so desperately for her.

"What do you want, milady?"

The question caught her off guard, he could tell by the way her back stiffened, but she soon recovered and turned to him with eyes that shone with unmasked desperation.

"I want my people free of this threat, I want all of this done."

He walked towards her and brushed his hand against her cheek. He was a damned man, he knew it and didn't need nor want anyone telling him.

But what could he do when his heart yearned so much for the woman before him?

"So this is the way of it? We fight together, we bleed together, and what then do we do with our hearts?"

"You tell me, Jasper of Moline... You tell me."

"Is that all you want, milady?" He asked gently, looking intently into her eyes.

"I want you." She said breathlessly, searching his soul with her eyes.

"I want you, Jasper, but you would turn away from me.” she choked out, “ You don't want me back." Her voice broke at the last statement and he heard the hurt in her voice and saw the hint of the pain in her eyes, and they struck him like a whiplash, again and again. Each stroke made him see just how foolish he had been.

He took her hands in his and brought them to his lips.

"Forgive me. Forgive me, milady."

"For what?" she let out in a breathy laugh.

"I've been a fool. I have...I have dealt painfully with you. I haven’t been fair to you"

"Jasper..." She said. her voice was so low, and it made him ache.

"Forgive me." He said again, his eyes pleading with her.

"I forgive you. But... Do you want me Jasper? Do you want me as I do you?"

"Yes, yes I do." A smile lit up her face, easing the ache in his chest, bringing something new and refreshing.

“ And after this threat, will you still want me as I do you?”

He ran his thumb across her cheek. So beautiful, He thought.

“ Yes, Hannah, yes.” she smiled. Warm, bright and true.

"Then that's enough for now."

She rose on her toes and kissed his left cheek and then his right. And with a speed that struck her he brought her face to his chest, wrapping an arm around her and cradling her head with his other hand. She let out a soft laugh.

He did not know how long they stayed that way, but he knew for the first time in a long time that he was happy and completely content. Like his faith waas restored, and he could believe again. And so he prayed, a prayer of thanks to the creator right from the deepest places of his heart. The woman with her head cradled on his chest etched unto the deepest places of his heart.

~~~~

"Jasper?" She said, the word muffled against his chest.

"Aye, princess?"

"Trust me when I say I don't want to ever leave this position, but I think we should get going."

He let out a low chuckle that brought a smile to her lips.

"Yes, perhaps we should." He released her and brought his hands to her cheeks.

"We're in this together. You and I." He said to her, and it warmed her heart to hear him say those words. You and I.

"We are."

He brought down his hands that cradled her cheeks to his side and she placed her hand in his. Her rucksack on her back, as well as his own small bag of clothes on his back, with his sword at his side – they were quite the pair– they made their way to the old woman's cottage.

"Jasper? If all goes well, perhaps we can ask her about the dream that wasn't a dream, what do you think?"

"She may not have answers."

"Well, look at you, positive Peter." He smiled.

"But think about it, she managed to get to me while I was asleep, that must take a special kind of power, don't you think? " He considered her words for a moment with his eyes narrowed.

"You don't trust this, do you?" She said quietly, when he didn't say anything.

"No, I don't. But we're in this together." The words warmed her. He would do this for her, with her. For that she was grateful.

"We are."

It took a while before they finally neared the red cottage, which shocked Hannah a bit. In the dream it had seemed to only take a few minutes. She couldn't really say how she knew the way, each turn, but she knew. As they got closer to the cottage, they spotted the old woman with the long white hair, she stood at the door, as though she had been waiting for them.

As they got closer, Hannah was no longer as cocksure as she felt earlier. Jasper felt her hesitation and squeezed her hand, and she squeezed his right back, a way to let him know she was grateful for him being there right at that moment, because if he weren't there, she probably wouldn't have kept going, whether or not the woman had answers.

"You made it, I have waited eagerly for you both, welcome." The elderly woman said with a wide smile, as soon as they got close enough.

Here we go. Hannah thought to herself.

And she felt Jasper grow tense.