Page 76 of Mountains of Mist and Magic

She saw Renya and Grayden waiting there together, but when she approached them to relieve them of their shift, the couple parted and another figure appeared behind them.

Phillippe.

“See you later, Esmeralda,” Renya said, giving her a wink. Grayden patted Phillippe on the shoulder as he left.

Esmeralda stood there, trying hard not to look at him. But she had been avoiding him for so long, and she couldn't help but finally meet his eyes.

“Can we talk?” he asked gently, motioning over to the barrels that they had all been using as makeshift seating.

“I guess,” she said, surprised by his tone but also by the ambush. Esmeralda assumed that this early morning encounter had all been planned. She sat down, pulling her shawl tighter around her shoulders. The warmth from the Tidal Kingdom didn't reach the ocean here, and she was surprised at the coolness of the night.

Phillippe seemed to notice right away. He took off his long fur cape, and before she could protest, he placed it carefully over her shoulders.

Esmeralda was enveloped in his scent, and it brought back so many memories of their late-night strolls and stolen kisses in the gardens. For a moment, she lost herself, wishing that she could just forget this foolishness between them and kiss him like before. But she was too embarrassed about her behavior, and too ashamed at the way she'd spoken to him.

Upon reflection, she didn't think she was that angry at Phillippe, but more upset over the fact that Julietta and Triston were together, and she didn't know and neither her brother nor her friend confided in her. But instead, Esmeralda had taken out some of her anger on Phillippe. She opened her mouth to apologize, but couldn't find the right words to say. Like every other moment in their courtship, she struggled to express herself.

“Esmeralda...first off, I'm sorry for not offering to keep watch on your behalf. That was careless of me. Even if we weren’t involved romantically I still should have offered. But more importantly, I'm sorry for walking out on you before. I've been trying so hard to do right by you that I've been holding back, afraid of overwhelming you or moving too fast. I realize now that I've been doing the opposite of what you needed.” He sat next to her, not touching, and keeping his dark eyes fixed on the open ocean before them.

His words hung in the air, and she absorbed them slowly, looking and analyzing for some undertone of meaning. But then she remembered that Phillippe wasn't one for unnecessary complexity or drama.

He was a simple man, with simple desires.

Phillippe looked at her expectantly, so she mumbled the first thing that came out of her mouth.

“Your cloak smells like you.”

He burst out laughing. At first, she was stunned at his laughter, but then joined in. It seemed so ridiculous, both her statement and then their argument. She keeled over, holding her stomach as their laughter carried across the deck and into the night air.

“Oh, Phillippe,” she said, trying to catch her breath. “I'm so sorry for yelling at you. I was upset because Triston and Julietta were together and neither one told me, and they just seemed so intimate whereas we've been taking things slowly—”

His laughter tapered off and he held her hands in his. “Oh my Sea Star. I've been trying so hard to do right by you—which is why I've been so cautious with my behavior. It's because my feelings for you are stronger than any I've ever had. I was afraid of scaring you away with the intensity of what I feel.”

“I should have just talked with you about my feelings—”

“I should have told you how I felt—”

They both laughed as their words crossed.

“You have to be patient with me, Esmeralda. I've never been in a relationship before. I'm bound to get things wrong, and do things that make you angry. But you have to tell me. I have a thick head—but you need to communicate with me so I can fix what's wrong—it's the only way I'll learn how to please you.”

His words stirred something inside of her, and suddenly she wanted nothing more than to kiss him. She looked up at him, noting how long his hair had gotten, and the patchy stubble on his chin. His shoulders were finally relaxed, and for once his broadsword was missing. Phillippe held out his arms, and she rushed into them.

Esmeralda felt deliriously happy, but at the same time, she wanted to cry. Their talk was simple, but oddly cathartic. He hadn't declared his love, but she knew he felt strongly for her, and that was all that mattered to her.

Phillippe tilted her chin up, and gave her a sweet kiss; it was chaste, as usual, but he let his lips linger just a bit before sighing heavily and breaking away.

“Now, you go get some sleep, Sea Star. I'll take the watch for you.”

She smiled up at him, feeling warm in his embrace. “I'll never get any sleep when I'm bunking with Renya's aunt—she snores dreadfully.”

He laughed again, and his deep chuckle put her heart at ease and nearly mended it completely.

“We'll fix that tomorrow,” he said, and then leaned in for another kiss, a bit more desperate than the last.

The night passed quietly, with the gentle rocking of the ship lulling most of the crew to sleep. As dawn broke, a new challenge emerged.

The mist came on them quickly. No sooner had the sun come up, then the ship sailed into a thick cloud of fog, so impenetrable that they could barely see a few feet in front of them. One minute, Esmeralda was watching Phillippe as he made a few adjustments to the ship's wheel, following the maps and instruments her brother had laid out, and the next she couldn't even see him.

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