Doris was dreaming, she had to be. Joseph stood with his brows raised and hand stretched out as if he was waiting for her to take it. Slowly, Doris took off her blankets and grasped his warm hand. He pulled her out of bed and she had her boots on in seconds. Half of her was still positive it was all just a dream.
"Out for a midnight stroll?" Doris whispered in disbelief. Was he insane? Surely someone would see them!
"Shh, the other guards have dozed off and won't be up for quite a while if we're quiet."
"How do you know this?" Doris asked. Joseph held out his arm and she grasped onto him. Her eyes flickered to his belt where his knife and keys were still firmly attached.
"Trust me, I've had many late nights with those men and they stay out until the morning while I keep watch by myself." Joseph said quietly. He gestured for her to stay quiet as they snuck down the hall. She followed him out a back way and she tried to memorize her steps until they were out the back door and into the snow.
As it turned out, her room wasn't very far from an exit-he didn't realize how much he was helping her. Joseph gently closed the door behind them the second they stepped out. It looked as if there was nothing for miles except snow and trees. The sight took her breath away if she was honest. There was nothing quite like the moonlight shining against frosty snow.
"Why did you take me out here? Couldn't you lose your job?" Doris asked quietly as they walked down a path close to the walls of the building just in case someone had peered out one of the windows.
"Yes, I could." He shrugged and offered a crooked smile. "I felt bad that you've been stuck in that room. I know how much you craved some fresh air so I thought I'd help. It's the least I could do."
Doris tried not to feel as touched as she did. Her mind was so far away from her, she almost forgot to enjoy the fresh air. Slowly, she inhaled the air around her and closed her eyes. It smelled like snow and pine which was one of her new favorite scents. When she exhaled, she glanced up to see him watching her. "Thank you. It's truly kind of you, I didn't expect it."
"I told you the rogues aren't as bad as you think." He knocked his shoulder against hers lightly. "Moonlight deserves to be enjoyed by the beauty in life."
Dorris blamed the chill in the air for her blush. She glanced down at his belt again when he turned his face away from her. It would be so easy to run off into the woods-but she had no wolf and she knew it wouldn't get her very far. His legs were much longer than her own.
"I used to walk out here every night when I was on watch. There's a certain calmness that comes only at this time." Joseph said. He slowed his steps and peered around the corner to check for any other guards. When there were none, he guided her forward as if she was a dainty princess.
"It's so beautiful, it truly looks fake." Doris laughed a little. The snow looked like a perfect blanket of ice. It was almost hard to break the softness with their steps but it was unavoidable. If it wasn't so cold, she would have laid in it.
"Isn't there some girl out there you should be taking on these strolls?" Doris teased.
"Ah..." Joseph scratched the back of his head. "Honestly, I haven't had the honor of being around women my age. A lot of them are already married or haven't given me the time of day."
"What?" Doris said, lips parted. There was no way that was true! Many of the men at Life Pharmacy weren't half as handsome as him. "You're cute as a button, I was sure hundreds of girls had you in their day dreams!"
Joseph snorted and turned away his red cheeks. "It's no matter, I haven't met anyone as fine as you."
"Is that wise for you to say knowing I'll be taken home in a few days?" Doris asked.
"I have nothing to lose." He grinned, flashing her his bright teeth. He would be a heartbreaker if he was around more women his age. Not to mention all the maids at the palace. But Doris only saw a flash of blue eyes in her mind like a dream that haunted her more than any other. William's rapid temper and possessive nature made her want to strangle him but a bigger half of her wished he was here to grab her and kiss her senseless.
"I suppose not." Doris rolled her eyes and tried to banish the prince from her mind. He led her to an open clearing and took her hand. "What are you doing?" Doris asked suspiciously.
"I have a prince to compete against and my time is running out. I'm trying to charm your pants off. Well-not literally." He said quickly. Doris laughed and had to bite her lip to keep her voice lower.
"How do you expect to do that?"
Joseph pulled her against his chest suddenly and gripped her waist. For a moment, she'd forgotten how to speak. "Have you ever danced in the snow?"
"I-what? No, I don't dance very well-"
"Nonsense, there's nothing to it." Joseph grinned before he lifted her up until she was standing on his boots. Doris didn't have time to object before he started moving them around the clearing like they were in some ridiculous fairytale. A bubble of laughter tried to escape but she didn't want to encourage him.
"Joseph!" Doris gasped. She gripped onto him tightly and he only seemed pleased with himself. He twirled them around to a melody of music she couldn't hear. Each move was graceful and made her embarrassed that she knew there was no way for her to keep up if he hadn't put her on his toes.
He watched her with a grin and a bit of concentration as he moved. Her hand gripped his shoulder while the other was at his waist. She slowly moved it down the more distracted he looked. Her fingers closed over the cold metal of his keys and she slid them up her sleeve before she held onto him again-not once taking her eyes off of him.
He gripped her waist and spun her around the clearing like she was some sort of free dancer. She allowed herself to enjoy it, if only for a moment. By the time her feet wear back on the floor, she remembered why she was here.
"I didn't take you for the dancing type." Doris breathed. As romantic as it was to dance in the moonlight, he was barking at the wrong heart.
"My mother taught me when I was a young boy." He said with a smile as he led her back towards the building. It was truly the size of a castle, it was almost odd to call it anything but.
"She must have been lovely. I've never learned how to dance. It's not really expected as a maid."
"I would assume it would be if you were a prince's lady." Joseph said, he watched her carefully and the weight of the keys felt heavy in her sleeve.
"I wouldn't have to worry about that. He has a lady at the palace." Doris said. She tried to ignore the bloom of guilt she felt every time she remembered that. Did everyone else see her as a side piece to the prince? Shame was almost worse than the guilt she felt even though she knew she despised Melody.
"Interesting." Joseph said quietly. He snuck her back into the palace and down the halls towards her room. They slipped past a snoozing guard and hurried to the door that was left open just a crack. Doris turned back to him and threw her arms around his shoulders.
"Thank you for a wonderful night." She whispered and kissed his cheek. When she pulled away, he was redder than a tomato, it almost made her laugh.
"O-of course, my lady. Goodnight." He bowed. Doris smiled and closed the door after her. She heard the lock set behind her.
Doris waited about what she guessed was half an hour before she slid the keys out from her sleeve and went to unlock her door.