Chapter 74: The woes of fate and destiny II
Ceremus lifted his head to look at him, scanning his face for any trace of dishonesty, but he could find none. He was being sincere.
Seeing the tense expression on his face softening, Hael reached out to touch Ceremus' hand, caressing it lightly. A comforting warmth spread through his palms as he felt the rough, calloused skin against his own. Ceremus stared at their joined hands, recalling the night when they went to the theatre. Remembering his question to Hael, he thought back to their conversation.
A soft smile appeared on his lips as he recalled the memory before it disappeared. Such an earnest and forthright man didn't deserve to be led on and further confused. He deserved to be loved and cherished, respected and appreciated, and Ceremus wasn't confident he could provide that kind of relationship for him—to anyone, for that matter.
His father used to say that though love was important in a relationship, it wasn't enough to keep things stable.
"Take a house, for example. You need a base in order to build it, right? A nice solid base is important, but it also needs bricks, clay and a roof for it to be complete. Without those bricks, you're left with nothing. A relationship requires communication, trust, and more importantly—commitment."
You can never develop a healthy relationship without it. He thought to himself.
Though he felt sad about it, he forced a smile, or what was a semblance of a smile? It was sometimes hard to tell what he was feeling, considering his inability to emote. But it looked as though his smile got through to Hael as he returned a smile of his own.
Ceremus, his guard, and the rest of his crew set off for Trojas the following day. They had stayed in Leacus for seven days, and were about ready to journey back. The king had been away from his kingdom for a long time, and had originally planned on returning within a month, but they got derailed along the way. Ceremus wanted to return to his abode as soon as possible, and bury his worries in a sea of work that would more than likely be awaiting him.
As they said their goodbyes, it was quite obvious that the royal family was sad to see them go—actually, sad to see Hael go, all for different reasons. But Ceremus had no intention of leaving his guard at the hands of the grubby king.