Palace of Princes II

Chapter Eleven - Samson's Perspective

Samson nodded dumbfounded.

Gabe took a step back from Samson, bringing his hand up to rub his neck. Light smooth scars were etched all across Gabe’s forearm and elbow. Certainly those weren’t from this past month. No, they looked older than that. Samson grimaced as he realized those scars were only from a few months ago, when Gabe had saved him from a rain of glass during a particularly grueling dual at the palace.

Samson glanced down at his own arms, moving his fingertips across his scars that so closely resembled Gabe’s. Their texture felt smoother than his other skin and a bit raised. While Gabe’s scars remained on his back and arms, Samson’s body was riddled with them. They weren’t too noticeable though.

Gabe cleared his throat in discomfort. “So…how was your trip out here?”

“It was good. How have Roverado and Savannah been treating you?”

Gabe raised his brows, a spark of recognition moving into them from the mention of their names.

“Oh they’ve been great. They’re both kind of giving me my space, though. I don’t know why. I mean, it’s obvious I lost my memory, but I didn’t know that meant I lost my desire to be around human beings too.”

Samson smirked at Gabe’s dry humor. He hadn’t said it meanly, but there was a great deal of sarcasm in his voice that reminded Samson of the ‘old’ Gabe. Gabe studied Samson for a few moments, glancing over his clothes – his shoes, his pants, his shirt and sweater. Finally Gabe’s mysterious gaze rested on Samson’s face.

He squinted his eyes at Samson and then murmured playfully under his breath, “You know, that outfit makes you look like a tool.”

Samson gaped, taken aback by Gabe’s joke. It was so ‘Gabe’ to say something like that. Samson allowed himself to laugh – really laugh – for the first time in over a month.

Gabe had always been able to make him laugh and even though the joke was at his expense, Samson felt his muscles relax and his mind’s worry subside. Gabe would be alright, he could just feel it.

Gabe grinned back at him, pleased with Samson’s approval of his offensive joke. From behind them, Samson could hear Roverado and Ithica approaching, Donovan’s baby babble a welcome change to his wailing cries in the trabule. Ithica came up and stood beside Samson, Roverado leaving her side to approach Gabe.

Gabe’s expression seemed so amused, and Samson could see what he meant when he had said both Roverado and Savannah had kept their distance. Roverado was walking towards him as if he were from another world. Roverado’s eyes scanned over Gabe’s face with caution. What, does he think if he approaches Gabe too quickly that Gabe will get scared, turn the other way, and run?

Samson just didn’t understand.

Roverado was now just a mere foot away from Gabe when he stopped and raised his hands, as if in surrender. Before Roverado could get out a word, Gabe rolled his eyes and smiled in Ithica’s direction.

“You must be Ithica,” Gabe said, extending a hand to her. “Roverado hasn’t shut up about you since the moment I left the palace. Thank God you’re finally here.”

Roverado’s face turned a deep scarlet color before impishly moving aside to let Gabe and Ithica exchange introductions. Ithica readjusted her son against her shoulder and shook Gabe’s hand, smiling at him with warmth in her eyes.

“It’s great seeing you, Gabe. We were all so worried.”

Gabe’s expression turned serious for a moment. It almost looked as if he took offense to the comment. But Samson knew him better than that. In reality, it was his ‘thinking’ face. Gabe was trying to search his mind to place Ithica’s face, doing his best to try and remember her.

Now Samson understood what Roverado had meant when he said ‘go easy on him.’ Gabe’s personality was the same as it always had been, and that made him appear to be mentally stable. But as soon as a personal comment was made to Gabe, a comment which connected him to a past he couldn’t remember, his mind began to unravel.

Samson could see Gabe’s whole body tense and then un-tense as he tried to calm his frustration. More guilt heaped itself onto Samson’s conscious. Poor Gabe.

Interrupting the silence – which was now developing into a moment of extreme awkwardness – the back door to the cabin opened with a soft swoosh. Samson looked up and felt his heart skip a beat. After a month of waiting, she was finally here. His Savannah, walking out of the door with a smooth grace that he hadn’t remembered she had before.

Samson’s chest ached as she moved closer to them. She was so beautiful – so damn gorgeous – it actually made him hurt.

Her long slender legs were covered by tight black jeans, furry black boots covering her feet and extending up to her mid-calf. She wore a curve-fitting white tank-top, with a complimentary blue sweater over it. Her hair was down and braided, her blonde bangs falling casually around her delicate face.

Her hair was longer than he remembered, and even more beautiful than he remembered too. She had done her make-up; her cheeks were pink, her lips shiny, her eyes glowing with the silver colored eye-shadow streaked across her eyelids. Her long dark eyelashes made her eyes hypnotic, and Samson didn’t know whether to cry or laugh at the overwhelming feeling of love he felt as she drew nearer and nearer to him. Savannah’s small pert nose and high cheek bones were the only things about her that he had remembered perfectly.

Perhaps that was because he had touched them, kissed them, so many times. He rained kisses on her the same way Roverado did to Ithica. In fact, the entire time Gabe had been healing during their month trial, Samson couldn’t keep his hands off Savannah. Not because he wanted her sexually.

Well, he did, but it went so much deeper than that. It was as if the only way he could truly live, to truly appreciate life, was if his fingers were caressing her silky hair, his arm linked around waist, and his lips were pressed against her soft skin. He craved her in a way that he knew was more than lust. She was his everything. His soul mate.

Savannah passed by Gabe and Samson moved out of the way, allowing her to run into her sister’s arms like he knew she would. Ithica and Savannah were very close. Probably as close as you and Gabe are…or were.

But Savannah surprised him. Keeping her watery gaze on him, she walked straight into his open arms. Samson wrapped his arms around her small frame, feeling protective and vulnerable all at once. Savannah collapsed her full body’s weight against his him and Samson could feel her sadness and relief.

Her shoulders shook beneath his, and he rubbed her back in an attempt to soothe her. Samson brought his face down, resting his cheek against the top of her head, smelling her scent of vanilla. Bringing his hands up, Samson turned her face towards his and wiped the tears from underneath her eyes.

“There now, much better,” Samson murmured.

Savannah’s voice wavered. “It’s so good to see you, Samson. I’ve missed you so much.”

Samson smiled so wide he thought his lips would burst right off of his face. He brushed the loose strands of hair from her face, pressing a soft kiss on her cheek. He leaned into her, wrapping his arms around her tightly and bringing his lips to her ear.

“Don’t you worry Savannah,” Samson whispered. “I’m not ever going to leave your side again. That’s a promise.”