Oh My, I Messed Up the Story

Everyone thought Blaise was crazy for wasting nine silver pieces to travel all the way to Annalaias. He may have given most of them the impression that he was being paid for his services to avoid embarrassment but Hugo saw through that in an instant.

"You're really going to leave right after passing the lowest tier exam for a foreign girl? We don't know anything about her! She might have terrible intentions," he scoffed.

They had run into each other right as Blaise was finishing up obtaining permission to go. The Warrior class wasn't exactly like a formal military. Your credentials allowed you to do a variety of jobs, only some of which were directly related to military procedures.

Warriors could also be private guards, politicians, and tasked with enforcing public safety. Phrasing this situation like it was his first bodyguard job had allowed him to get away with it.

Hugo's concern wasn't entirely unwarranted. He planned to advance through the ranks so someone like him leaving was stupid. But the lowest tier of Warrior was perfectly capable of guarding merchant caravans or ships so Blaise had no further ambitions beyond that.

"After living with her for a few months I believe you would know what her intentions are better than most," he replied coldly.

His acquaintance sighed. "Look, Blaise. All that girl cares about is finding a sister I'm not even sure exists. I feel sorry for her but doesn't she come across as a little bit crazy to you?"

Abby didn't come across that way at all to him. He found her stories about her homeland and her sister delightful. Her casual way of speaking and linguistics weren't always comprehensible to him but he still enjoyed listening to her talk.

Originally he had been too dumbstruck by her rare beauty to say anything to her. But she had been so friendly, always calling him over with a smile that it was impossible to feel uncomfortable around her for long.

Blaise had decided to go because he was worried about someone so inexperienced in this part of the world making it on her on. He rationalized that it would give him a chance to become familiar with merchant ships and the customs of Annalaias so it would be good practice for his future.

But that justification was weak. He really did it because he didn't want to be parted from this unusual girl. He hadn't realized that until he saw her get swept out to sea.

He would like to say that he would have jumped overboard into rough waters for anyone but all he had been able to think in that moment was "not her!" He hadn't been able to breathe properly until she was safely back on the ship in dry clothes. contemporary romance

Abby came to come find him by knocking on the door of the quarters he was sharing with three sailors. He led her out into a storage area so they could talk away from prying eyes. It still wasn't safe above deck.

She seemed slightly shaken by her near death experience but the fire in her eyes hadn't died. Good. Blaise had been a bit worried that this would weaken her resolve. Traveling by sea could be quite dangerous and she had only just realized that.

"Thank you for saving me," Abby said quietly. "Jumping overboard like that must have taken a lot of courage. I couldn't have done it."

A lump formed in his throat seeing her look at him like that. "It was my honor to save you, Miss Abby. I am your personal guard and it is my duty and obligation to see you safely to the Kanta Mountains."

"But I can't even pay you. You could have died! I would understand doing that for a paying client but why me?"

Her beautiful blue eyes were pleading with him. She didn't understand his motives and desperately wanted to. But how could he tell her? It would be far too embarrassing to admit he had come all this way because he was worried about her when they were merely acquaintances.

Blaise had never met anyone like her. Even the traveling merchants who stayed at the inn weren't so interesting. All he wanted was to spend a little more time by her side. That would be enough.

"I could not bear to see you die. Not when I could prevent it," he confessed without further elaboration.

Abby pursed her lips but didn't have anything to say to that other than to thank him again. He made to return to his quarters after a few minutes of silence but she stopped him.

"Wait…I just realized that I don't know anything about you aside from the fact that your parents run an inn and you want to travel. I would like to know more about the man who saved my life. What are your hopes and dreams? Favorite foods? Hobbies? If we are going to be friends I will need to know these things."

She wished for them to be friends? Blaise hadn't expected their relationship to deepen on this voyage; he only wanted to be sure she made her way safely and perhaps hear a few more of her fascinating stories on the way.

Her interest in him was surprising. Abby had never asked him these sorts of questions before in their weeks of eating lunch together.

To be fair, he was usually the one asking the questions. A single question could spark a series of tangential stories and he enjoyed listening to there was no need to talk about himself in that time. It was better to let her go on.

But now she was gazing at him so intently, waiting for him to speak. No one had ever expressed such interest in him before. Blaise had always been a man of few words so his family rarely expected him to express an opinion on anything.

It wouldn't hurt to tell her about himself so he did. There really wasn't all that much to say—his life hadn't been terribly exciting thus far—but Abby found the right questions to ask to keep the conversation flowing.

done.co