Align Ourselves

by Adrianna Schuh

  "That's different!"

  "Yeah?" he said, scooting over to place his lips on her neck. "How so?"

  "I-I was just looking at you," she said, stuttering a little when he bit her ear.

  "Yes, but it was the way you were looking at me. It drives me a little mad, you know?"

  Aria closed her eyes, feeling the heat gather in her belly. It was a little embarrassing; how turned on she'd already gotten by that point.

  "I have a few minutes," he said, kissing her neck again. "Let me touch you."

  "O-okay," she agreed, letting go of his hand and spreading her legs.

  He didn't waste a second before unbuttoning her pants and sticking his hand in her underwear.

  "Someone's a little turned on," he said, feeling how wet she was.

  "Shut up," she said, focusing on how his fingers lazily traced up and down her folds.

  "You like that?" he asked.

  "Mhmm," she mumbled, wishing he'd hurry up and stop teasing her.

  When he slid a finger inside of her, she gasped and gripped his bicep.

  "Lex," she whispered as he took the finger out and pushed it back in.

  "Yeah?"

  "More"

  "Okay," he said, giving her another finger.

  "Faster," she sighed. Her breaths were becoming rapid and shallow, her muscles growing rigid.

  "You know," he mumbled in her ear, his voice deep and gravely, "When I saw you that night, the night you took the palace back? You looked so....so fucking good. So strong, standing in front of all those people with that gun in your hand."

  He slid his fingers out and brought them up to her clit, rubbing it gently at first.

  "I don't think I'd ever been so turned on by you than when I saw you that night. It took all of my strength, all of my will power not to fuck you right then and there."

  He pressed down harder, going faster and faster.

  "And last night? With that nightgown? Fuck. You ruined me."

  He kissed her, biting down on her lower lip before shoving his tongue into her mouth.

  She came with his name on her lips.

  "See?" he said afterward, "I didn't tease you. I'm growing as a person."

  Chapter 54

  She didn't see him for the rest of the trip.

  But as much as she'd wanted to, she knew they both had more important things to worry about.

  When they reached land, Aria was surprised to find out that about 150 people would be staying on the ship.

  "It'll provide shelter," Hunt said, "There's a source of fresh water nearby. They'll have food. Lex's men will stay with them. Most of them are either too young, too old, or too weak to help. So we'll keep them here until we build homes of our own."

  "The rest of you," Lex yelled from the front of the group, "Will be brought to the palace. I will let you rest first, but we will begin building homes as soon as possible. My people will help. Shelter is the first necessity we will tackle."

  The trip back was a little tricky due to the cold. But excitement was in the air. It seemed like her people had finally accepted the fact that this place was real. That they wouldn't have to fight to survive any longer.

  When they finally, finally reached the palace, Aria felt like she would collapse at any minute.

  The ones who had stayed behind greeted them. The new group was ushered inside. They would be sharing rooms with the people who already resided in the palace. But since the rooms were a decent size, they wouldn't be too cramped.

  Aria had managed to stay up, and since it was well into the night, she decided to go to bed, leaving the others.

  She looked around for Lex, but again, he looked busy. Deep into a conversation with Katy, Hunt, and Sam.

  Aria went to their room. She forced herself to take her clothes off to put on something more comfortable before crawling into the bed and getting under the covers.

  She fell asleep in minutes.

  When she woke up the next morning, she was alone.

  She ran a hand down the side that Lex slept on. It was cold. Had he come to bed at all?

  She sat up and looked around, trying to decide what time it was.

  And then she saw him, sitting at his desk, his back to her.

  She crawled out of bed and came up behind him.

  "Good morning," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.

  "Good morning," he said. He reached behind him to run a hand down her leg. "Did you sleep well?"

  "Yeah," she said, "Did you sleep at all?"

  She looked at the papers on his desk. They looked to be drawings of some sort. Long rectangular cabins, it looked like.

  "Yeah. I did."

  "What is this?"

  "The first thing we're going to build. Well, first, they've got to cut down the trees. Use that wood to make these," he said, pointing at the cabins. "Just a few big cabins so that they'll have someplace to stay while we build their homes."

  "Sounds like a good idea," she said. "When do you start?"

  "We're leaving soon."

  "We?"

  "I'm going with them. I'm going to help," he said.

  "You're the king. Don't you have more important things to do?"

  "I need to be there. And no, I don't have more important things to do. Unless you're offering?"

  "Shut up," she said, shaking her head. She let go of him and went to the bathroom.

  When she came back out, he was getting dressed.

  "Do you want to come with us?" he asked.

  "As appealing as the idea of chopping wood in the cold is, I'm gonna have to decline," she said, smiling at him.

  "So, you're too good to chop wood for your people?"

  "I am the queen, after all."

  He smiled at her and took a few steps to close the distance between them.

  "Yes, you are," he said, placing a hand on her jaw. He tilted her head up and brought his lips down to hers.

  She lost herself in the kiss for a few minutes, ignoring all of the things they still had to take care of.

  "I have to go," he said, finally pulling away.

  "Come back soon," she said.

  After he left, Aria made her way to the throne room.

  When she ran into familiar faces, people who had been ushered out of the palace when Warren came, she stopped to greet them.

  And to her surprise, they were understanding.

  She apologized, over and over, for what had happened. But almost every single person told her that they understood that it was okay.

  In the throne room, she ate with her friends. They talked about what happened, about where they'd go from here.

  Eventually, almost everyone in their group got up to leave.

  "Where are all of you going?" Aria asked.

  "We're going to help," Grace said.

  "Wanna come?" Mara asked, "They need all the help they can get."

  "I'll pass," Aria said. Why is everyone so eager to chop wood? She figured that she'd done more than her fair share of work the past few days.

  She was glad to see that Grace and Mara had worked through whatever problems they were having, watching them walk out of the throne room hand in hand.

  She decided to head back to her own room. She wanted some time alone.

  She spent a few hours in her quarters. Relaxing in bed, reading on the couch. The past few days had been so hectic, she still couldn't wrap her mind around all that had happened.

  And somehow, everything just felt right. Like it was all supposed to happen exactly the way it had.

  She still felt guilty about what she did. And not only to the people of the palace but all the other people she'd hurt in her life.

  And she knew that she would never forget about the things she'd done since she'd come here.

  But she thought about Lex. About Katy. About Mara and all of her other friends. They would be there to remind her of all the reasons she'd never stop fighting.

  They'd be there to remind her that despite everything she'd d
one, despite the person she'd had to become, she was loved.

  Chapter 55

  They started building the settlement faster than Aria thought was possible. It all began in the small clearing near the village that resided below the palace. They started by cutting the trees down and using the lumber to make cabins.

  To Aria's surprise, the people in the palace and the village were willing to help.

  Seeing all those people put aside their differences and offer their assistance inspired Aria.

  She decided to do what she could to help. She was the queen; after all, she had to set a good example. The people would look to her.

  Seeing her and Lex working alongside the others gave the remaining people, the ones who were still a bit hesitant, the courage and inspiration they needed to start working with everyone. Together, they built the settlement from the ground up.

  After the first two months, Lex had left the palace to visit the other villages in their kingdom to ask for assistance and check on the others. Since the winter had not entirely passed, they needed as much help as possible.

  Aria was at their new settlement, named Little Pembra courtesy of Hunt and Sam, one early Spring afternoon when she heard someone walking towards her.

  She looked up from her position on the cold ground. Grace had shown her how to weave fishing nets from old rope. She was making her third net; she had decided to give them to her people as a present to take them to the river and fish when the weather warmed up.

  She was a little surprised when she saw Warren.

  They hadn't talked at all in the two months since everything had happened.

  "Those look good," he said.

  "Thanks," she said, going back to weaving the net. It still made her uncomfortable, being in his presence, despite everything Lex had said. Some days she still felt surprised by his decision.

  "Look, I know-" he began. But he stopped to sigh. He sat down across from her and grabbed the other side of the net to work on it.

  "I know that what we did...what I did is unforgivable. I don't blame you for hating me," he said.

  "Good," Aria said.

  "But I'm trying, okay? I'm not trying to justify my actions. I did what I did. And now I have to live with it. I'm not asking for your forgiveness," he said.

  "Then what are you asking for?"

  "Nothing. I just wanted you to know that," he said.

  "Lex, let you stay. That's more than any of you deserve. Saying sorry doesn't change anything," she said, thinking about all the things she'd never get to apologize for. "The only thing we can do now is move forward and try to be better than we were yesterday."

  He nodded, and after that, they stopped talking and made four more nets.

  The anger at Warren, at Edwards, at Brent's mother, and all those people who followed them had dwindled in the two months that had passed.

  There were still nights where arguments and sometimes even fights would break out in the throne room or down at the other village. Aria had thought they would never end. But every single week, there were less than the week before. She had to believe that they would all end, eventually. But she understood that it would take time to get there.

  Lex had kept control of the anger that lingered underneath his calm exterior. She'd get a glimpse of it sometimes, like when he'd go on a rant in the middle of a conversation or grip her hips tighter than usual when they went to bed.

  But every morning, he'd get up and do what he could to help. He got to know the people he'd taken under his wing, and they got to know him. To Aria's surprise, he talked to Warren. And one night, she was pretty sure she saw the two of them laughing about something.

  And every time she asked about it, he always said the same thing.

  "Someone once told me that we do what we must to survive, and the enemy does the same. That it isn't personal," he'd say.

  "And who told you that? An enemy?" she asked.

  "Not exactly," he said, a smile on his face.

  However, not everyone agreed. A few people were still uncomfortable with the whole situation, understandably so. Grace was at the top of that list.

  No words from Lex or Mara could convince the girl otherwise.

  Sometimes Aria would see her watching one of the new people with such anger, such hatred in her eyes that Aria would start to feel a little uneasy. But no matter how many times Grace reached for her sword....she never pulled it from its sheath.

  Ben had left.

  Aria hadn't talked to him since their conversation in her room. She heard from Mara that he went back to the village Lex had sent him to the first time. He said it was because he didn't belong with them anymore.

  She was grateful for it for not having to look at him anymore. Because every time she did, she'd think about how much he had changed. How he had gone from an adventurer to a selfish coward.

  She thought about how much coming here had changed the people around her. The way it made some of them better, like Hunt and Adrian and Mara. And how it made others worse, like Ben and Warren and maybe even her.

  She still wasn't sure if she liked the person she was, but she was learning and growing every day. Below the ground, everything was black and white. You were either a criminal or not. Alive or dead. That was it.

  Things were different up here.

  Aria looked around, watching her people and Lex’s people work together. It made people nicer, she thought, trying to achieve a common goal. It brought people together.

  It was more than she could have hoped for.

  Aria left earlier than usual. She was tired. But more importantly, Lex was coming home.

  "Hey," Grace said, walking up beside her. "Leaving so soon?"

  "Lex's coming home tonight, right?" Mara asked from Aria's other side.

  "Wanna get all nice and pretty? Is that it?" Grace teased.

  Aria rolled her eyes but couldn't help the smile that spread across her face.

  "Yeah, that's it. Isn't it? Gotta get cute for your husband?" Mara said.

  "Shut up," Aria said. "Why are you two leaving?"

  "We have plans tonight," Mara said.

  "Do I even want to know what that means?" Aria asked, raising an eyebrow.

  "Oh, shut up," Mara said, punching Aria in the arm.

  "Ow!"

  "There's going to be a meteor shower," Grace said. "A big one. We're going to watch it along with a few others."

  "Thanks for inviting me," Aria said.

  "We just figured that you and Lex had....other things in mind. He has been gone for like a week, right?" Mara said.

  This time, Aria punched her.

  "What?" Mara exclaimed in between bursts of laughter.

  "Well, you're invited. We're gonna leave just before the sun sets," Grace said.

  They joked about sex and stars on their way back to the palace.

  Once in her room, Aria decided to take a bath to wash off the sweat and dirt from the day.

  And since all she had to do was wait, after scrubbing her skin and hair, she filled the tub back up with freshwater and some of the sweet-smelling bath soap she'd gotten. She searched through Lex's things until she found a book she wanted to read and got back in the tub.

  Eventually, she heard someone come into her room.

  "Aria?" she heard Lex yell.

  Warmth rushed through her. It had only been a week, but she had missed him. Just hearing the sound of his voice made her smile.

  "I'm in here!" she yelled, setting the book on the floor.

  After a few minutes, he opened the door and leaned against the door frame.

  "Hey," he said, smiling at her.

  "Hey"

  "Miss me?" he asked, smirking at her.

  "Not really," she said, "It was kind of nice, actually. I had the whole bed to myself. You weren't there to hog the blanket."

  "Ouch," he said, smiling at her as he took his clothes off. "Mind if I join?"

  "Of course not."

  She slid forward, giving him
room to get in behind her. After he was in, she leaned back onto him while he brought his arms around her waist.

  "I missed you," he said, placing his chin on her shoulder. "I have no idea why," he said as he slowly ran his hands up from her stomach to her chest. "Well, actually, I can think of a few reasons."

  "Wow. Always so charming," she said, rolling her eyes but smiling all the same.

  "I'm all about the fairytale," he said, placing a small kiss on her neck.

  "I can tell," she said, turning her head to finally kiss him. "How was your trip?"

  "Good," he said, leaning back into the tub. "Quite a few people are coming to help. Not just yet, though. They'll be here in about two weeks when the weather warms up a little."

  "That's great, Lex."

  "Yeah, it is."

  She leaned back into him, and they spent a few minutes in comfortable silence, relishing in the presence of one another.

  But then his hands slid a little further down, and the kisses on her neck became longer and wetter.

  When she had enough of the teasing, she turned around and climbed into his lap. He kept a hand in her hair the way he'd learned she liked. She kissed his neck and moaned into his ear the way she knew drove him a little crazy.

  Afterward, he lathered her hair with the soap that smelled like lavender. The one she knew was his favorite. When they were finally clean, they left the room in search of warm clothing.

  "There's a meteor shower tonight," Aria said, putting one of his soft shirts on. "A few people are going out to watch it. Do you want to go?"

  "Yeah," Lex said, "Sure."

  "So," Aria began, turning to look for a pair of pants. "Some of the women have stopped taking that tea. You know the one to help prevent pregnancy," she said, finding it a little hard to look at him, "Since we've begun to build the new village and they've accepted that they're safe and staying here."

  "Yeah?" he said from the other side of the room. She could feel his eyes on her.

  "Should...I mean....you said you wanted kids, right?" she asked, finally turning to face him.

  "I did. And I do. Do you?"

  "Well, yeah."

  He walked over and grabbed her hand, leading her to the couch they kept in their room.

  He sat down and pulled her into his lap.

  "So what are you saying?" he asked.