something churns deep within the belly of the monster.
his hand pulls her closer — closer to him ( to where she belongs. ) he can’t stand the way she looked at him, spoke to him too. this was a girl full of hope, this was not the queen he knew. it struck a chord within him and a long drawn out hum of ‘ hmmmmmmmm…. ‘ came from him. for him, mary was the easiest book of all to read.
much better than any of the literature she had in that shoddy run down shack she came from. “something is off, mary.”
“now what is your ragtag group of wannabe heroes planning?” he wanted to spend time with her but the resistance in her was alarming. “you know better — are they feeding you nonsense again?”
she feels her body stiffen unwillingly; she does not want to give him an inclination of discomfort, give him a reason to doubt her when she is working so hard just to stay here without wanting to be rid of him. but the proximity, and the way he pulls her closer, mocking an intimate gesture of love- or his casual statement that hints that if she strays too far, she will meet only hurt.
just smile. just smile, and play along. play queen, and maybe you can go home tomorrow.
she lets a loose smile sit on her lips, hope it reaches her eyes, and she even goes as far as to loosely wrap her little arms around his frame. “nothing.. they aren’t planning anything.. i’m just.. tired today..”
she pushes her face into his chest, hoping that hiding it there will mean that even though her smile fades, he won’t be able to say anything about it.
“i know, i know.. no point listening to them..”