The Fortress in the Clouds

“SO, WHY DID you run away?”

There it was. The inevitable question that Naomi had been bracing herself for since she first ran into Argus in the woods. As much as she wanted to be shocked or surprised at his sudden question, Naomi could not be and should not be. In her head, she had already practiced a thousand different times on how she could answer the question.

A week had quickly passed since Naomi first stepped into the fortress from her childhood imagination. For a week, she lived as one of them. Every party that was thrown for the last seven days, Naomi had attended and was invited to. She did not have to sneak her way in and could proudly walk in as an invited guest instead of a child that only wanted some warm food on a cold night. Seven days in a world of peace, Naomi understood what life was like without hatred and segregation.

It was a haven. It was heaven.

Even though Naomi lived with Argus in his family home, Rayner managed to avoid her the entire span of her stay. He was careful to stay away from her path, purposely switching lanes and directions whenever he spotted her even from a distance away. Naomi tried not to let it bother her and for once, it worked. She was never too used to attention, anyway.

“I never did tell you, did I?” Naomi mused, cleverly evading the question.

“No. But then again, it has been a week and you have not told me your name yet as well. Hence, I cannot say that I am surprised, if I am honest.” Argus shrugged, nonchalantly pointing it out.

Naomi frowned, her eyebrows crinkling and lips turned down just the slightest as she mulled over what Argus said. Had she really forgotten to tell him her name?

“So?” Argus prompted. “Are you going to tell me the reason you left or not?”

“Marriage,” Naomi simply replied. She tried so hard to keep her emotions locked beneath her human skin. However, no matter how hard she tried, she could not help herself but cringe at the thought of arranged marriage being a possibility at all.

“Marriage?” Argus echoed with incredulity. Then, he took a step back to place distance between Naomi and himself. His smile dropped, falling and drifting away with the wind that caressed their faces. “Marriage is a good thing,” he finally mumbled, words barely audible as he looked anywhere but at her.

Naomi was not dull. She knew why Argus was acting strangely all of a sudden. With a sly smirk that danced across her lips and mischief sparkling dangerously in her eyes, she took a step closer to Argus, lightly trailing her fingers over the bare skin of his forearm that had been rested on the railing.

The sun was just about to set, golden sunlight spilling dramatically over every wall and every roof of the fortress. Due to the intensity of it, one side of Argus’s face was shadowed like the dark side of the moon, displaying an impassive appearance. The other that was brightened by the light sparked up in surprise, eyes darting over to look at the area where Naomi had grazed his skin.

Goosebumps formed on his arm before slowly spreading to every inch of his body. There was a sort of electricity that was being passed down from her touch to him, making a blush bloom across the apples of his cheeks. He stuttered, jaw hanging slightly agape and though his arm twitched like he was trying to withdraw them, they still stayed in place.

He was undeniably entranced by Naomi’s actions. The sirens that blared in his head were no match for the siren that was lulling him into the sea and to his death.

“What...what are you doing?” He stuttered, breath erratic and panicked.

“Why are you blushing all of a sudden, Argus?” Naomi taunted, evil coloring her despicable actions. She enjoyed toying with the highlander a little too much and being able to watch him squirm brought her great joy. After all, it was revenge for what he pulled back in the forest. “You are blushing.”

“This is not acceptable! You are engaged, maybe even married, and cannot be... be... fraternizing with—”

Her fingers trailed a little higher, toying with the sleeves of his top. The grin on her lips was now wicked.

“Oh?” Pretending to be surprised, Naomi looked straight into Argus’s eyes to challenge him. Her other hand reached up to comb back his hair, tucking the strands behind his ear before trailing across his skin from his cheekbones to his jaw then his chin. “Good thing it was arranged then. And that I ran away before it could be formally completed.”

Just like that, she withdrew her hands, tucking them back to her sides before taking a few steps back. It took Argus a good second to comprehend before relief flooded him, his eyes softening and shoulders relaxing as he grinned. He ran a hand through his hair, tousling up the dark curls before shaking his head in disbelief.

“You are despicable, lowlander,” he laughed, shoulders quaking slightly.

“It was revenge for what you did back in the forest.” Shrugging innocently, Naomi did not try to back away when Argus took a large step to close in the distance between them. Her expression grew serious, her smile dropping as she thought back to her past. “My mother sold me off to a greasy man much older than I am. I was to be yet another woman in his collection. Not wanting that for myself, I ran away.”

Slowly, Argus’s hands reached out for Naomi’s, holding her smaller hands in a tight yet soothing grasp. He held both of them up to his chest and near his heart, bringing Naomi’s eyes upwards to look at his face.

She had not even realized that tears had now stained her face, leaving a trail of water down her cheeks that glistened as the sun descended into beyond. The sky was darkening, gold and blue becoming an array of purples and pinks before eventually blending out into a midnight blue that resembled the oceans during a storm. The stars were sea foam, dotting white specks across the dark canvas like paint carelessly tossed onto the artwork. All of it was unplanned yet they looked beautiful and in place, like they belonged.

That was all Naomi had achieved. She was unplanned in the fortress but she felt as though she belonged.

“You will never have to go back there as long as you do not want to, lowlander. Your place is here and the fortress will always welcome you.” Argus’s words were barely above a whisper but due to their close proximity, Naomi could hear each word crystal clear. She tried to hide the fact that she clung on every word that left Argus’s lips, desperate to find confirmation that she truly did belong in his world. She was not disappointed.

“It seems too surreal and I wake up every day absolutely terrified that the scene that greets me will be that of my bedroom back at home.”

Gently, Argus’s lips grazed her forehead, pressing a kiss right there before lifting above just enough for him to speak.

“If you desire, the fortress is your home. And I will always be here to welcome you back.”