White Sails

The gates of geaorge castle opened and the four of them rode in. Tired and battle-worn, they could hardly keep themselves from falling off their horses. The stables were nearby but it still seemed like a far stretch away. With each click of their horses hooves, they grew in weariness. With their remaining strength, they led their steeds into the stable. Without saying anything more they collapsed onto the grass patch outside the door. "Grass. How I missed your terrible taste." said Samuel as he lay face first in the cushy greenery.
"It's better than soil, mud and rainwater. Or whatever else we experienced over the last few days." Shane said.
"I'm just thankful that we're not in that forest anymore. I would have died if i spent another minute there." Kyle added while stretching out.
They suddenly heard a strange sound. Like a grunting sow. "Did you let the pigs out by accident Shane?" Kyle asked as he turned to his left.
He shook his head and pointed to Joshua who was fast asleep. Snoring as usual.
Kyle laughed weakly. His body still aching from the battle. "A nap on the grass beneath the brilliant blue sky. Why not?" he said before shutting his eyes and falling into a deep slumber.
Feathers and blue lights pervaded his dream. The glint of a diamond on the King's ring. A butterfly's landing on a rose petal. Then darkness came and consumed it all but light sprung up once again and filled the sky with colour. The sparkle of green eyes. The shine of blonde hair. The sparkle of green eyes...the shine of blonde hair. "Nyd-...." He exclaimed as he abruptly awoke from his sleep, stopping in mid speech as he realised his consciousness.
"Had a nightmare?" Came a voice.
Kyle raised himself and looked up. "Hey Geoff. Long time no see."
"A week to be exact. Let's get you into the castle eh?" Geoff said with a smile, extending his hand to help Kyle up.
The others had left already and it was already mid-twilight. The sun was still shining brightly but was soon to set. "Where'd the others go?" Kyle asked.
"Well, lets just say they had some personal matters to attend to. Like getting a heck of a scolding."
" A scolding? For what?"
"People tend to overact when they worry for another person's life."
Geoff picked a stone off the ground and threw it into the lake. The ripples gave the water a strobe effect as the sunlight reflected onto the rocks around the lake. "A word of advice. Don't let Nydia see you tonight." he said as he tucked his hands back into his pockets.
"And why not?" Kyle asked again.
"I wouldn't be surprised if she kills you for not telling her about the mission you were on. She was falling to bits with anxiety."
Kyle looked at his feet as they continued to walk. "Well you can't blame me. The last thing she said to me was to go and get myself killed for all she cared. Or something like that."
Geoff laughed cynically. "And you took that seriously? Wow."
Kyle looked at him with a frown. "She wouldn't say something like that and mean it. Not to you at least. She really, really missed you while you were gone. To tell you the truth, we all did." said Geoff as they approached the great steel doors of the keep, "I'm glad that you're back my friend."
Kyle smiled and patted him solidly on the shoulder, "Good to see that you're still doing well."
"As much as I'd like you to come for dinner, you'd better not. Let her cool down with the fact that you're alive."
Kyle sighed as he walked up the steps to the entrance, "Great. No grand welcome I guess."
"Relax. I'll sneak some food into your room when they're not looking." Geoff reassured him, "Now, how did the battle go anyway?"
"Come with me and I shall tell you a tale young master Geoff." He said as he put his arm around his shoulder.
Kyle sat alone in his room that night, writing in his log and cleaning the blade of his sword. He was quickly joined by Samuel, Shane, Joshua and Damian however as "It would be safer if they stuck together" in the words of Joshua. They told Damian all about the battle they had fought. He was somewhat thankful not to have gone, after what happened to the fortress but a part of him wished he was at his friends sides. Nonetheless, he was happy too see them once again and the 5 had become a team once more. "So anyway, I knocked three of them down with my axe, and killed one with my dagger. Then they cowered in fear when I charged towards them and they ran away." Shane boasted, taking a swig from the bottle of wine.
"Yeah right Shane!" Damian replied with a hearty laugh.
Joshua leapt onto the bed, causing Shane to spill some wine on the sheets. "Hey! I'm sleeping on that bed!" Kyle shouted.
"Stop wining!" Joshua said, laughing at his own joke.
Geoff soon came in with a platter of meat, bread and fruits. "Keep it quiet now. I had to lie and say they were for Penny."
"You know, that can be seen as treason to your princess." said Damian.
"Big deal. Whats the worst that could happen? A slap on the wrist?"
Joshua guffawed, "Just don't expect us to cut the rope that you're hanging from."
"Pfft.."Geoff muttered as he smiled and took a seat near the desk.
They finally went to bed at about 3 in the morning. Kyle slept on the single bed while the others lay on the floor and on the armchairs. It was about an hour after dawn that Kyle awoke. He was still tired but he couldn't sleep for some reason. The rest of them snored loudly creating a symphony of grunts. He quietly slipped out the door and closed it lightly. He greeted the chambermaids and servants as he walked down the spiral staircase into the hall. Out of the door and onto the grassy fairways of the castle he went and headed for the lake. The lake was a big one, considering that George castle took up an extremely vast expanse of land. The residents of the villages and the castle would use the lake to sail in their one-man sail boats sometimes. Today, three white sails tossed about in the pristene water. They drifted around the lake like the pondskaters, without making so much as a tiny wake. It was quiet and peaceful there. There was no sound of metal on metal and no sound of whistling arrows. Just the bluebirds in the trees and the soft breaking of water against the sailboat's hull.
Kyle took a seat on a comfortable knoll and watched the sailors tack around the rocks and wave to one another as they passed. He was almost lost in the reflections of the water when something grabbed him by the neck from behind. He tried to turn around but the arm tightened around his throat and his head. "You jackass! What the hell were you thinking?" yelled an extremely irritated voice.
He was beinning to lose breath and started to struggle out of the hold. The grip tightened, "How could you just go like that!"
Kyle bowed forward, throwing the person over his head, landing in front of him.
" Nydia, stop it." He said as he panted and coughed.
"Stop it? You're telling me to stop it?" Nydia said as she crawled forward and grabbed him by the throat from the front this time.
Kyle tried to throw her off but she pinned his arm down with her leg and continued the pressure. She exerted all her strength into her grip, "Why did you leave me without even telling me!"
This time, he really couldn't breathe. "Don't you know how you made me feel when you rode out that gate?" she asked, rage filling her face. " Don't you know how much I worried about you?"
Her frown slowly began to dissapear and the fury that filled her green eyes was replaced by tears. " Don't you know how much I love you?" She said once again as a tear dropped from her face onto her elven dress.
She fell back and began to whimper into her hands. Kyle panted heavily and rubbed his throat. What he saw before him was Nydia, the ever strong, ever bubbly and ever wild girl, weeping. The sorrow that filled her heart was poured in by him. By now, his heart felt as if an anvil had been tied to it. His mouth trembled as he scuffed over to and held her tight. Nydia began to cry even louder into his robe as she folded her arms around him in return. "I'm here Nydia, I survived because of the thought of you."
She paused for a while, lifted her head and through her sobs asked him, "Are you going to leave again?".
"No Nydia. I'm going to look after you." said Kyle as he pressed his forehead against her's, "I promise I'll never leave your side again. Never again."
He held her closer and tighter and she did the same. She sobbed and teared some more as she wriggled in Kyle's arms. He rubbed her back soothingly and stroked her hair gently. " I love you alright?" Nydia said as she raised her head again.
"Alright. And I love you too." he said quietly as he leant forward and touched his lips against her's.
They shared that moment of bliss together. If the world had ended in that instance, it would not have mattered at all. The love they shared, was kindled once again. Kyle smiled at Nydia as he stroked her cheek. She rubbed her eyes, still sobbing and smiled back.
The two of them sat there on the grass, with his arm around her and her head on his shoulder. They sat there, together as one as they watched the white sails dance majestically in the lake. Turning and gliding in the morning sun. "I'll never hurt you again Nydia..." he said, "I'll be your white sail when you are stranded. And I know you'll be the wind that'll set me straight, everytime I go limp."