A Welcome Distraction

They made love over and over again until they were too exhausted to continue. Jasper had collapsed onto Katherine, so he still laid on her chest and stomach as she held him and stroked his hair.

The pressure of his body on hers made Katherine feel secure, and she cherished every moment they spent in each other's arms that afternoon.

After they rested and recharged for a bit, Katherine called to have a meal delivered, and Jasper went into the bathroom to get dressed and hide from the servant who would be delivering it.

Since Katherine could not ask for two meals to be brought, she told them to make her extra and said it was because she had not eaten much at breakfast and was now hungry. That was a lie she knew no one would question, and it had worked in the past for her and Jasper.

Katherine wrapped herself in a robe, and once the food came, Jasper came out of hiding and sat back on the bed with her.

She noticed how just a hint of the sadness from before was back in his eyes, and even a little bit of guilt. She hated how this arranged marriage was the one contract she could not break as the Queen, and she hated how it was taking the one thing that truly brought her happiness.

Jasper scooted close to Katherine, and she brought her hand to his cheek and pulled him close to kiss him. They shared their meal together and put an old sitcom television show on in the background to watch.

Their time together had been the perfect distraction from Katherine's racing thoughts and panic, but now the anxiety around her mom and the rebels was starting to come back.

She absent mindedly started biting her lip, a bad habit she engaged in when she was nervous, and she kept stealing glances at her phone. The waiting around for news was the worst part.

She wished that Eric and the guards would have let her go help in the search. It was too risky with her being Queen though, and even if they all somehow agreed to it, she knew that Jasper would have found some excuse to keep her here where it's safe.

Having had enough, she picked up her phone and sent a text to Eric that asked him if he had heard anything. She stared at the screen and waited for a response, but even after a couple of minutes, one did not come.

Jasper, who could see her anxiety increasing, leaned over and grabbed her phone out of her hands. He turned away from her and placed it on the nightstand next to the bed where it was out of her reach before he turned back to her and pulled her into his arms.

He planted a kiss on the top of her head and asked, "Would you like to go for a walk with me?"

"Yes," she breathed out. Katherine was so grateful for Jasper, and she truly did not know what she would do without him.

She swallowed hard and forced the thought away. She could worry about that once her mom was back in the castle, alive and safe.

Jasper let her go and got out of bed. He walked over to her closet and grabbed a dark blue sundress before he walked over to her side of the bed and handed it to her so that she could get dressed.

She got up and let her robe fall off of her so that she could replace it with the dress. She could feel Jasper's eyes on her, watching her every movement, so she looked behind her at him.

When their eyes met, he smiled at her and took a few steps towards her. Without taking his striking eyes away from hers, he reached for her waist and bent down to kiss her once.

Without a word shared between them, he let go of her and opened her bedroom door for them to leave.

They walked side by side until they made it outdoors. Katherine felt like a part of her was missing when they did that. He was so close to her, but she couldn't touch him or hold him out of worry that someone would see.

Once they walked far enough into the gardens where they were sure no one would see them, not even security cameras, they both reached for each other's hand to hold.

Katherine looked over to sneak a peek at the man she loved, and saw the sadness and guilt was still very much present in his face. She gave his hand a squeeze, and he looked over at her and quickly tried to change his expression.

They walked together until they reached the river that flowed through the lands the castle was built on, and they sat at the edge where the water met the dirt.

Katherine placed her hand in the cold water and watched as the water swished past her hand, leaving a ripple behind.

She had no desire to talk, so the silence between them was welcome. There were no words that could be said that would bring comfort to either of them at that moment. All they could do was pass the time until the armies returned, hopefully with her mom.

When the sky started to change colors from blue to pink and orange, indicating that the day was ending, Jasper stood up and held a hand out for Katherine. She held on tightly to him as he helped her up, and they walked hand in hand until they started to get closer to the castle.

Jasper held the castle door open for her, and they entered to find a shocking sight. The halls were filled with soldiers. The army had returned, and soldiers were grouped up, frantically engaged in conversations as they were bent over devices, looking at the screens.

Katherine and Jasper exchanged a look of worry, and Katherine ran up to the closest soldier she could find.

"What's going on? Did you find my mom?" she asked him.

He looked up and worry painted his face when he saw who had addressed him. He replied, "Your Majesty, come with me. There's something you should see."