Chapter Fifteen

"Anya." I watched Theodore raise his hand, and I prepared myself to be hit, but he patted me on the head like a dog. "That was a good experience, wasn't it? Get the old blood pumping."

I stared at the place where my mirrored self once stood. The water was now still and lifeless. "What happened to Aerwyna?"

"She tried to help you, I believe," Theodore mused, tapping the side of his face, but even he didn't seem confident. "Faeries make a habit of seducing vulnerable minds with sweet words. I'd recommend you be careful from now on. Not all of them will have the same intentions as Aerwyna."

I hugged my elbows. "What was Aerwyna's intention?" I looked up to him, hoping for a positive explanation.

"She just did what fairies do. She tried to help." Theodore dipped his hat to the pond and turned to me.

I gulped and sniffed, "I'm… I'm sorry, Theodore."

He shook his head, "No. I should have explained things a bit better to you." He kneeled and smiled as he brushed aside my hair. "That is my duty to you, after all." His hand moved from my hair to my shoulders until he had pulled into an embrace. "You are my apprentice. That makes us a family now."

I was surprised at how warm he was, but every muscle in his body was tensed beneath the friendly exterior. Had he been scared?

I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face in the folds of his jacket. "Can we go home now?"

He scooped me up in his arms and held me close. I yelped in surprise as I clutched his coat and looked up to him, "What're you doing?"

"It's easy to get lost in the forest at night. I'll carry you back," he assured, effortlessly holding me at eye level. "To our home."

I stared into his purple eyes, his blindness still not entirely gone, as I smiled and nodded.

The trees seemed to part for Theodore as he retraced his steps back through the forest towards home. I rested my head comfortably against his chest, watching contently at the forest scenery and being lulled into a sense of serenity from his subtle sway. "You're trembling, my dear," he commented, holding me a little closer, "I can't have my future wife be frightened."

I had begun to sleep in his arms, and I felt like he knew this when he said that because it took me a few moments to fully take in what he just said. "Wife?" I rustled in his arms and looked up at him.

"Oh…" He looked bashful for a second before saying, "I really am hopeless at explaining things, aren't I?" He quietly chuckled, "Have I really not told you yet?" I shook my head. "You are my apprentice, of course." He made it to the clearing just beyond the forest line, the spiral in the canopy shining its moonlight down on us as he rested me against his hip with one arm and held my hand with the other as he looked me directly in the eye, and crooned, "But I also hope to make you my bride."

The idea of marrying Theodore made me short of breath. Forming as both a dream and a nightmare as he held our stare, examining my eyes in search of my reaction. I was speechless and only managed to whisper, "Pardon?"

Theodore's smile was the most genuine thing I had ever seen, and I wondered if this moment was what Eloise wanted or ever got. He moved his hand from my own and gently pressed it against the top of my head, "A discussion for another time, my dear," he assured, "For now, sleep." His finger glided down the bridge of my nose until he reached the tip of my face, and a heavy slumber fell over me. I slumped against his shoulder, managing to stay awake long enough to feel his chest vibrate as he chuckled and the lightest of kisses pressed against the side of my head before I fell into a deep rest.

*

I promise, Anya, I will find a way to save you. And this time, I will succeed, Eloise. I will not let her receive the same fate as you.

To be continued.