Midnight Kiss

Amaris stood on a balcony above the guards’ training grounds, safely hidden behind a pillar, cleaning supplies completely forgotten behind her. She watched, fascinated by the elegant movements of the guards as they sparred against one another. Every last one of them had the grace of a dancer, and when they struck, they reminded her of the way a snake pounces for its prey. 

There was one guard in particular that caught her eye. He moved like the caged cat she had once caught sight of when the circus had come to put on a show for the king. It had met her eyes and bared its teeth, slowly prowling forward in its confinement. Even his eyes were the same light amber as the predator’s. 

He had been put up against three other men, and before he stepped into the ring, he pulled off his shirt, revealing muscles and dark tattoos that rippled and gleamed in the sunlight with every movement he made. Her breath hitched as he looked up for a second and caught her eye. He winked at her and sauntered onto the ring. 

She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the guards. She had heard of the guard that had winked up at her. His name was Cassius Hesperia, and he had been a new arrival to the king’s army. He had moved up the ranks relatively quickly and was extremely popular among the maids. The young man was all they gossiped about in the kitchens. And now she understood why. With the way he moved, it was an actual effort to remember how to breathe. It was almost as though the fight was a game to him. He was a blur of golden muscles, weaving between the other three men like he was just a scrap of air, subject to no boundaries. By the time he had the other three men on the ground before him, Amaris was leaning over the railing, trying to get a better view of his movements. She wanted with all her heart to be able to fight like him. Alas, as a woman, she would never be permitted to do so. 

He reached out a hand to help one of the men up off the ground, and looked up at her, an arrogant smirk playing across his full lips. Amaris flushed and darted backwards into the safety of the shadows on the balcony. Hurriedly, she picked up the cleaning supplies she had completely neglected and began scrubbing the floor. The annual masquerade ball was in one week, and all cleaning servants were instructed to have the palace spotless for it. The ball was only called that for the formality of it. Unspeakably scandalous things occurred on that night. It was the only event where servants and nobles alike were allowed to mingle with one another, with no consequences, and this year, she was finally old enough to go. 

~~

She gave her appearance one last look in the mirror on the wall of her small living quarters. As a servant in the king’s palace, as she didn’t have much money to go out, and buy the gowns she always saw the simpering women of the court flouncing in. Not that she particularly liked the tacky frills and lace; they looked like they were drowning in them. But the royal seamstresses wasted enough of it, that Amaris had gotten one of her personal friends to make a simple yet elegant gown for her, in exchange for any extra materials she could gather for her. It had arrived the night before, and she had lovingly hung it on the back of her door. Now she stood in it, dove grey silk hugging her curves in all the right places, before falling to the ground in soft ripples. She had let her hair hang loose, and the black fell in sharp contrast to the paleness of her dress. Amaris had “borrowed” a little bit of kohl and lip rouge from one of the ladies’ rooms she had cleaned in the past week; nothing too noticable, just one of the many clear glosses the ladies hardly ever wore and a small pot of the dark powder they mixed into a paste. She fastened the matching grey mask that had accompanied the dress to her face, and smoothed her hands over her dress, in an attempt to calm her nerves. 

Amaris walked into the dark ballroom, lights flashing over the dance floor, eyes immediately scanning the room for that set of broad shoulders, and confident gait. Feeling slightly disappointed in her glance at the packed ballroom, which had yielded nothing, Amaris turned towards the buffet. And walked directly into a hard chest that smelled faintly of pine and cloves. 

“Watch yourself miss,” a deep voice warned, “wouldn’t want you to get hurt.” She looked up into the towering man’s face, somehow made infinitely more handsome by the mask accentuating the sharp lines of his jaw and cheekbones. 

“Well if you weren’t standing so close to me, we wouldn’t even be having this problem right now,” she replied haughtily before realizing who exactly she was talking to, and just like that, her lungs forgot how to breathe. Amaris stood staring up into Cassius’s beautiful face like a mute, barely registering his bellowing laughter. 

The musicians started up a tune, a slow sweet one, that usually couples danced to and the lights brightened slightly, flashing with less intensity. He composed himself long enough to ask, “May I have this dance my lady?” Eyes narrowing slightly she nodded, and placed her hand into his, the rough calluses of his fingertips brushing hers. 

“I have to be honest with you,” she admitted, “I don’t exactly know how to do this couples’ dance.”

“I figured, we’re barely five steps in and already you’ve stepped on my toes.” She cringed, body stiffening, and her steps slowed. 

“It’s alright. I’ve been hurt worse,” he teased with a wink, “though I’m sure that’s something you’re already aware of.” She flushed at the veiled mention of her spying on the guards’ training.
“Teach me how to fight like you,” she blurted out in a panic, face burning even brighter at her outburst. He paused to consider for a moment, tightening his hands around her waist, before continuing the dance as seamlessly as before. 

“I don’t see why not. But only on one condition.” 

Amaris raised an eyebrow, “And what might that be?”

“You must tell me your name.” 

“That’s all? It’s Amaris Nakoa.” He laughed again, and tugged her closer to him before lowering his mouth to the shell of her ear. 

“Would it have been better if I’d asked for a midnight kiss, Amaris?” His voice was a husky whisper and his breath against the sensitive skin of her ear made her shiver. Amaris pulled back a little and met his eyes, which were gleaming with mischief. 

“When would you like to start?” She breathed, breaking the heat of the moment. 

“Tomorrow at five. Meet me at the side entrance of the courtyard. I’ll take you from there.” 

~~

They’d spent the whole night dancing together, and by the time Cassius had dropped Amaris off to her own quarters, her feet were aching and she was leaning heavily on his side to get up the stairs. She awoke well past noon, a sense of peace and lightness falling over her like a blanket. Last night was already burned into her memories. The way her and Cassius had spun across the floor, coming together and breaking apart, whirling and spinning in tandem with each other. They moved like water, their movements fluid, and burned like flames, the passion clearly evident between them. There was sweat dripping down every part of her, but it didn’t stop her from laughing and lifting her arms up over her head, swaying softly to the bass of the music. Amaris was still in her dress, and it clung to her sticky body as she rolled out of her bed. After a quick shower in the maids’ shared bathrooms, she pulled on her most flexible pair of clothes and plaited her hair into a thick braid. She crossed to her small armoire, and frowned as she peered into it. She had no pair of shoes suitable for training in, and there was absolutely no way she would appear in one of her worn out work flats for Cassius to tease her about. 

In the end she had no other choice than to wear them and pray he didn’t notice, which was highly unlikely. Her only other option was to walk through the filthy stables to the courtyard barefoot, though she seriously debated it for a while. It was a short walk to the small side entrance, and she practically ran all the way there. Cassius was already there, leaning casually against the doorframe, idly twirling a pair of knives in his hands. He straightened when he saw her, a devastating smile breaking out across his face. 

“Did you sleep well?” he asked as she neared.

“I was out the second my head hit the pillow,” Amaris grinned back at him, unable to hide her giddiness, “You?” He nodded, still radiating that adorable contentment, and gestured for her to follow him to wherever he was taking her to train. He led her away from the courtyard and instead made his way over to a different wall in the gardens. He pushed aside the drooping vines obscuring it from view, revealing a small door. Cassius twisted the handle twice to the left and three times to the right to open it. Amaris peered inside and looked back at Cassius with uncertainty. There was a dusty stone staircase that curved and twisted to the side, so she couldn’t tell where it led to. He gave her an incredulous look, sighing when she still didn’t move, and stepping in before her. She tentatively followed him down the stairs, and when they emerged on the other end, she stood with her mouth hanging open. They were in a small, circular chamber that seemed to have been abandoned decades ago. The domed roof was covered in designs too far and old for her to be able to decipher. Pillars with intricate carvings supported the dome, leaving an empty circular space in the center of the room, perfect for training. The walls were empty and it was a windowless room, yet there was still a soft wind blowing through the room. When she asked him, Cassius only gave her a vague response, saying something about underground catacombs that connected it to other parts of the castle. 

“If you’re done sightseeing,” he interrupted, “shall we begin your first lesson?” Absolutely not done her sightseeing, Amaris glared at him, before nodding her head. 

“Alright, first I have to see where your fitness levels are at.” He paused when he looked down at her feet for the first time, lips twitching as he tried to hide his smirk at the thin slippers she wore. “I had no other pair to wear,” Amaris grumbled defensively, “so can we just move past them please?” 

“Unfortunately, there is no way you’ll be able to fight or even run in those,” he chuckled, “for today, just do it barefoot, and I’ll find something else for you tomorrow. Hopefully the snakes in the sand won’t bite you.” Amaris gaped at him, too proud to admit how deathly afraid she was of snakes. Huffing, she pulled off her shoes, and threw them to him. Laughing again, he caught them with ease, and gave her a series of exercises and sprints she would have to complete.  

And so it went. For weeks, Amaris would sneak out almost every afternoon to meet Cassius at his secret chamber, slowly learning to fight like a true warrior. It wasn’t long before she was almost able to hold her own against him in a fight. Almost. He taught her how to fight with as many weapons as possible, sometimes a bow, sometimes a sword. One day he would have her throwing and dodging knives, and the next it was freeing herself from any type of binding he deemed necessary. She was a quick learner, and already her legs and arms felt stronger than they had been before. 

They were in a particularly heated sparring match, when Cassius suddenly feinted left, and hooked his foot around her leg, a move he hadn’t bothered to teach her. She fell flat on her butt, and immediately scrambled back up to her feet. He didn’t give her even a moment’s rest before he was throwing punches at her again. In vain she tried to dodge his fist, not seeing the other one he swung towards her stomach, and by the time she saw it, she was much too late. It connected, the air whooshing out of her lungs, and she staggered backwards. 

“Someone’s in an interesting mood today,” she gasped out. Cassius dragged his hands through his unruly hair, and released a long sigh up to the curving ceiling. He slowly walked towards her, stopping when there were only a few inches of space between them.

“I received a mission this morning,” he began, “I’ll be gone two weeks with four other men. I can’t give you the details, but it’s extremely dangerous. If we fail, it will end with our lives on the line. I leave tomorrow morning.” He inhaled a ragged breath, eyes scanning hers. 

“If anything hap-” Amaris didn’t let him finish his sentence. She’d moved fast, just the way he’d taught her, and pressed her lips firmly to his. His eyes widened in surprise, and he stood there staring at her. 

“There’s your midnight kiss,” she whispered against his lips. She moved to pull away, but his hands snaked around her body, pulling her flush against his body. He deepened the kiss, and suddenly, there was a hard surface against her back. It took her a few moments to realize it was a pillar when they finally parted for air, both of them panting. He leaned in again, but she put her fingers against his lips, “Not yet. I’ll be waiting for your return. You’ll be rewarded with another kiss when you come back and see me,” Cassius groaned, but looked pleased.

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that,” he admitted. Amaris laughed even as she blushed. 

“You still have to teach me that move you just pulled out of your ass,” she complained, rubbing her bottom, “I’m already bruised because of it.”

“I have something for you.” Cassius said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. 

“What is it?” He reached behind him to the waistband of his pants, and pulled out a dagger. It was beautiful, exquisite in its simplicity. She reached out and ran her fingers along the hilt, which was engraved with stars and the phases of the moon. Cassius turned it over and pressed it into her hands, exposing her initials that had been pressed into the other side of the hilt. Amaris looked up at him, every emotion she was feeling written clearly across her face, before she threw her arms around his neck. 

“I’ll miss you Cas,” she whispered, “come back to me.” 

“I will,” he promised and kissed the top of her head, “I will.” 

~~

Amaris spent the next two weeks continuing her training in secret whenever she got the chance to escape from her cleaning duties. She would visit their secret room at night when her mind was no longer occupied by the day’s grueling work; when she felt as though her chest was being squeezed by an iron fist of worry. 

She was in the kitchens, scrubbing the dishes from the night’s dinner, when she overheard the older maids complaining about being one woman short for some sort of return operation. Amaris knew Cassius was to return tonight, and her ears perked up at ‘return.’ She immediately offered, “I can replace her. I mean how hard could it really be? All I’ve got to do is open a door.” The other maids exchanged pitying glances amongst each other, before one of them nodded, “You must be down by the servants entrance by one thirty to open the door for the men. They’ll knock, a sequence of four fast knocks and two slow. Any other combinations, and you don’t open the door.”

“Why not?” Amaris questioned. 

“No one but the kitchen staff use this entrance, and all of them will be asleep. If there’s someone else out there, it’s most likely because our guards were captured or killed,” the same maid explained grimly, “And one more thing. You might see some things you’ll wish you never did. If you do, you mustn’t make any loud noises.” 

She sat in the dark corridor, the firelight from her lamp casting dancing shadows along the walls. It was well past their timeframe for returning, and still she waited, listening intently for the knocks. 

Amaris had no idea how much time had passed, but she jerked awake sometime later to the sound of sharp rapping. The sequence was repeated, this time with more urgency. She jumped up, completely alert. Unable to stop the smile that broke out across her face, she undid the bolt and flung the door open. He’s back, she thought. A handsome young man stumbled in, with his hands pressed against a wound on his side, blood dribbling out through his fingers. Amaris’s smile faltered at the sight of him, and she ran into the kitchen to get towels for him to press against the gash. When she returned, the rest of the men had made their way in, all of them peppered in small cuts and bruises all over their bodies. She paused, completely forgetting about the towels, and counted the men once more. Only four. 

“Where’s Cassius?” She asked quietly. Her disbelieving gaze flickered between the four men, and one of them shifted to the side, guilty tears in his eyes, revealing a makeshift stretcher laid out on the ground behind him. 

“No,” she whispered, knees almost giving out, “Cassius…no.” Somehow she managed to walk over to the men, unconsciously pressing the rags into the gravely injured guard’s hands. She fell to the ground beside the stretcher, barely registering the pain of her knees hitting the stone. It was nothing compared to the pain in her chest.

“You promised,” she sobbed, voice cracking painfully, “you promised.” A cry tore through her lips at the sight of her beautiful soldier’s broken body. She removed her cloak and gently laid it over his body, hiding the gruesome state he was in. Her vision blurred, yet she wouldn’t look away from his face, once so full of warmth and light, now lifeless and empty. The other guards were escorted out of the corridor by the other maids to tend to their wounds. No one spoke to her. Tears streamed down her face, and she didn’t know how long she sat there, before she finally found it in herself to speak. 

“I love you, Cassius,” she weeped, “you did so much for me. Now it’s my turn to do something for you.” Amaris sobbed, leaning over his head to press her lips one last time to his cold ones. She’d never feel their warmth again. 

“You never came back to me,” she whispered against them. Amaris reached into her boot, and pulled out the dagger he had given her before he left for the mission. She sliced it across her palm, and closed her hand into a fist, extending it out over his chest. She let a few drops fall on his chest, before speaking, “This is a blood promise to you Cassius Hesperia. I will find who took you from me, even if it means I have to travel the ends of the earth to do it. And when I do, I will do to them what they did to you.” Her voice was tight with pain, and every word was an effort, but in her eyes raged in a storm of ire and endless vengeance. 

Image credits: https://images.app.goo.gl/ZvsLS6bBvsUVGm3G6