Fantasy I Was Sent To Kill You |Closed|

[Average.]

The three of them rushed outside, and soon Briar took the lead and was practically running down the hall. He knew where the stables were, he didn't need to be led there. Sometimes he would even find himself sneaking out from whatever boring etiquette lessons he was forced to endure and leaving to head out to the stables. The stables were located inside the palace, yet they were inside one of the tallest towers.

Briar hardly seemed out of breath even after running up the spiral staircase which felt like it was miles high. This tower was the only one that was not fully walled in. It was pretty much outside, with only a roof over them. Hippogriffs would be free to fly in and out if they weren't being kept inside their stalls. There were three other hippogriffs inside their stalls, and they hardly seemed to have reacted at all when Briar ran up. Yet the fourth stall was empty.

Three hippogriffs. If these were hippogriffs that belonged to the royal family then two of them must belong to Briar's parents.
And the third hippogriff?
To Briar's brother. There was no one else it could have belonged to. The third one had battle scars on it's beak, and neck. It was missing an eye too. A creature used in war. At least the poor thing survived.

There was a sweet smell of hay in the air. As these stables were located inside the palace, they were fairly well kept. Most of the hay has been swept up into a neat pile in the corner, and there were reins and saddles hung up on the wall. Reins and saddles. So then these hippogriffs have been trained for riding.

The prince calmly headed towards a little box which was stationed in the very corner. He took out a small chunk of raw meat. He didn't seem disgusted while handling it. It seemed like raw meat did exist in Eurus after all. Judging by Yaena's previous dinner with them, Elves seemed to prefer to stick to a more vegetarian diet. However, that did not mean that their hippogriffs were obliged to do the same. Hippogriffs were carnivorous apex predators. They deserved to be treated as such.

The prince neared the edge of the platform, feeling a stronger gust of wind hit against him, weaving through his pale blonde hair. It gave his hair a more ruffled appearance, but he didn't seem to care. He hardly seemed panicked that his hippogriff just ran away and simply waited. He waited until-

Suddenly, a loud piercing screech echoed through the sky, and the giant feathered creature appeared from behind the clouds. It effortlessly flew through the sky, and soon, the creature tucked it's wings closer to it's body and dove straight down. Straight for Briar. Yet Briar didn't move out of the way. He stood and waited for the creature to come.

The oversized-eagle-horse.. thing tackled the prince to the floor with alarming force and immediately tried to snatch the piece of raw meat from him. It gobbled it up greedily before sniffing Briar further as if expecting for him to have more meat to offer. Briar merely laughed and reached up to scratch the side of the hippogriff's ruffled feathery neck. His beautiful royal mantle was undoubtedly ruined, yet once again - it did not bother him. On normal occasion if someone like a noble have accidentally spilled something on his precious clothing; Hell would have been set loose no doubt. However, when it came to his hippogriff there was an exception.

The servant soon managed to catch up with Briar, along with Yaena. Despite Darfin having plenty of experience with working with these large creatures, he still had a worried look on his face upon witnessing how rough the hippogriff was being with the prince. Tamed hippogriffs rarely ever wanted to hurt their owners - they were loyal beasts. However, because of their large size and muscle mass, they often didn't understand their own strength. Hence why it was important for handlers to be so careful around hippogriffs despite them being tamed.

"Your Royal Highness, maybe I should grab another meat chunk for her?" Darfin asked, however Briar ended up ignoring the servant. The prince was.. laughing. His laughter was not nervous or forced at all. No, it... sounded genuine and even cheerful.

Darfin at that point looked completely defeated and just sat down in the corner on the closed box where the meat chunks were stored. The poor man just propped his elbows against his knees and silently prayed that the hippogriff wouldn't accidentally hurt the prince or it would be all on him. It would be all his fault, and then he'd lose his job and probably get banished or executed. Great. Just great. Fantastic.

The hippogriff soon lost interest in Briar upon realising that he had no more food to offer her, and she was about to turn back around to fly out from the stables once more... however her piercing yellow eyes instead focused on someone else. They were now fixated on Yaena.
Naturally, the hippogriff wouldn't care about Darfin's presence. She was probably sick of seeing him every day by now. However Yaena... she was a new scent to her. It was no surprise that she could tell. After all, she was able to smell the raw meat chunk Briar was holding while she was above the clouds, high up in the sky.

The hippogriff soon started to approach Yaena. Her steps were careful, as if she was being wary of the princess. She was wary, yet curious. She wanted to smell her better, to see if she can be trusted or not.

Briar rose his head from the ground and looked up at Yaena. "Stay calm, she won't hurt you." he said, his voice remaining gentle as if trying to comfort the princess upon noticing her apparent fear. He just prayed that she wouldn't freak out and end up making movements that were too sudden.

That... That could be bad.

 

[bambi-under-the-sky]

It was good that Briar wasn’t out of breath because Yaena was winded, she had given up on trying to keep up with him and simply tried to remain in line with the servant. But not only was Yaena a human, she was a human who mostly kept to herself indoors. And she was a human wearing a long gown that trailed behind her. The one thought that was racing through her head was not about Briar or any hippogriffs, it was about how she was praying to whatever goddess that watched over that she was not going to fall on her royal face.

When they finally reached the stables, she didn’t have time to admire the architecture, or even to catch her breath because now she had to be face to face with not one, not two but three hippogriffs. Each of them looking like the royal elves, they were beautiful and dangerous. And that was where her journey stopped.

While Briar walked forward, Yaena remained back only noticing when she smelled raw meat, something that would disgust even humans but made her mouth water. It had felt like forever since she had been able to have it, when she was thirteen, she used to eat raw meat straight from the kitchen. Her mother told her it was a consequence of her finally starting her monthly bleeding (so many subtle changes happened in her life after that). The hippogriffs were no longer the only apex carnivore in this palace.

However, now that she had a chance to breathe both figuratively and literally, she got to look at Briar and finally seeing him when he wasn’t talking to her or his parents. This was the closest she got to seeing the real him (although she thought she was also beginning to understand him when they were in the royal library). Yaena was never able to look perfectly kept even when she tried and it was nice seeing him look ruffled (it was a shame that the groom, in her view was far prettier than the bride).


She wanted to say something until the screech turned her blood cold, she would have laughed at him suddenly getting tackled as the hippogriff had done what she wanted to do, but she would rather play with a million lions than be around these creatures. When her brother came back from the war, he told her about how a hippogriff once ripped the throat out of one his colleagues and then feasted on the corpses of the dead.

Hearing him laugh was such a surprise that she couldn’t look away from the scene, despite still not being overly fond. Yaena found herself a bit sad that she would probably never make him feel as much joy as he did right now. Even at her best, Yaena found that she was a hard person to love. All four of her siblings have at some point told her as much, and while it hurt her feelings more than she would like to admit, she had no evidence that would disprove their points.

Not wanting to interrupt the prince she leaned to talk to Darfin, especially as he seemed so downcast that it made her want to talk to him. “Do these crea…hippogriffs have names?” She whispered but then…

….Yaena was going to die. She was going to pass out in sheer shock, she was going to go down in history of the human sent to the Eurous who died of terror. Her family would never live the shame down, she would set back the rights of women for generations.

The hippogriff was looking at her and walking towards her and she instinctively took measured steps back.

Stay calm, she won’t hurt you.

All she could do was frantically nod.

Now, this was evidence to something that Yaena was trying to convey to Briar during their “garden dispute.” Her problem was not that he told her what to do or that he prohibited a spot of the palace from her, it was that he told her to do something without telling her why, if he had simply revealed to her why the lake was so important to him, than she would have obliged. Yaena was willing to follow the leadership of others, but she would never be blindly led.

In this case, Briar did not have to explain himself.


Yaena was not easily scared, she had seen dead, mutilated bodies regularly. She did not believe that there was any form of magic that was inherently “good” or “evil” but even she was willing to admit that blood magic, dark magic, the magic that she practiced, was not the most…appealing form of magic. However, this hippogriff, this huge, hulking creature was walking towards her and she was terrified, not only was her heartbeat roaring in her ears…she could hear the heartbeat of the hippogriff.

She was short, but this was the first time Yaena looked small, her eyes wide and her hands up in the air. Stay calm, stay calm she urged herself, not making any sudden movements. It was like looking at a lion right? One time a lord showed her and her siblings his pet lion and she was even able to pet him….she wasn’t going to try to pet the hippogriff but she was staying calm. Unlike before, if Briar told her she would have to strip and do a cartwheel she would have done it.

Please have mercy, I’m scared of you, but I respect you she mentally pleaded. Now that she had a chance to really look at the creature, she could at least appreciate their beauty and strength. She always “liked” animals, but she never really got the chance to be around them.

 

[Average.]

The giant beast's chest puffed out slightly with what seemed like pride. Ah, so perhaps this was why hippogriffs were often the chosen mounts of Elves. They were proud creatures, just like Elves. It did not seem to take long for the hypogriff to realise that Yaena was no threat. In fact, was that... was that amusement in the beast's eyes? Amusement at how much fear the princess was showing of course. Amusement, and this ancient wisdom. Wisdom that has been passed down through generations and generations of these creatures. They were around longer than the Elves and Humans. They had a greater understanding of the world than anyone.

Soon, the prince gathered himself up off the ground, dusting himself off, despite that not helping much. His clothes still looked dirty. He removed his royal mantle from his shoulders and let it drop to the floor. He felt lighter without it, and that was especially important for something that he was planning on doing now.

He headed towards where the reins and saddles were hung up and approached the hypogriff, giving her slender muscular neck a firm pat before starting to put the reins and saddle on her. He noticed from the corner of his eye that Darfin was about to stand up to offer his help with equipping the beast, however Briar held out his hand to silently tell him that he didn't need his help. He secured the saddle tightly enough over the hypogriffs back before flashing a broad grin at Yaena. His face beamed with pride, naturally. "Oh, and her name is Talula." he added. "Gorgeous, isn't she?"

He didn't need an answer from Yaena. Deep down, he understood her true feelings of hippogriffs. He noticed hints of fear on her face since the very first day they met, back at the docks when she saw the two hippogriffs who were drawn to the carriage for the very first time. However, her fear honestly made him want to laugh at her. He found it adorable. Yet he could guess where the fear came from. Humans had an entirely different outlook on these majestic creatures. They were mounts of the enemy. Vicious monsters who devoured their soldiers on the battle field with zero hesitation. No second thought. No mercy.

Suddenly, Briar held out his hand, offering it to Yaena. "Come," he said, pulling her gently a little closer to Talula who was now waiting patiently for them. She knew what was about to happen, and she remained perfectly still. He let go of Yaena's hand before grabbing the feathers at the back of the hippogriff's neck and using them as help to pull himself up onto the saddle.
While Talula waited, she lifted her wing slightly and started grooming herself with her beak, spitting out any feathers that ended up inside her mouth. Hippogriffs lost feathers all the time, however they had so many of them that no matter how much they've lost they always seemed to have enough. If the hypogriff was healthy, any lost feathers replaced themselves very quickly.

Once again, Briar held out his hand for Yaena to help pull her up. Upon seeing the undeniable fear in her eyes, he couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Come on! This is probably the only chance you're gonna' get for the next while to ride a fucking hippogriff. If I were you, I wouldn't wanna' miss it." he frowned. He definitely spoke to her a lot less formally now. Perhaps it was because they weren't at risk of getting eavesdropped by someone who actually cared whether he spoke formally or not. Or because he was actually starting to warm up to her.

Maybe she was warming up to him? It felt like nonsense, like something crazy to think about. However, she definitely wouldn't like him after getting dragged out from the safety of the palace on the back of a damn hippogriff.
Still, was that a sacrifice he was willing to make?
Yes. Absolutely.

Briar pretty much had to yank her by the arm up onto Talula's back. He glanced at her over his shoulder. The last time their faces were this close they were staring each other down back at the gardens. Now... they were going to fly. They could feel each other's breaths against their faces, and their noses were mere centimetres from touching. "Just hold on to me. Tight. Wouldn't want you falling." he couldn't help but smirk at her - because terrifying the life out of the princess before the ride was a fantastic idea - before digging his heel into Talula's side. It was enough to let the beast know that it was time.

It was time to fly.

It took merely a second for the hippogriff to spread her massive wings and make a run for it, straight for the platform and over the edge. They were diving straight down for a couple of seconds, wind roaring in their ears before Talula spread her wings apart once more and soared high into the sky. She was flapping her wings frantically, excited to be up in the air again, this time not alone.

The city below them looked like nothing more than a couple tiny specks. In the night it would have been so much more beautiful. During the night the city looked like hundreds of tiny little fireflies from this distance. But while the city would have looked a lot more beautiful in the night, it was a whole other story above the clouds.

Talula continued to soar higher and higher, until finally they broke through the fluffy white clouds and they made it above them.

The sun. It was like a giant glowing eye. They could no longer see the palace, neither Eurus. All they could see below them was a snowy wonderland, beautifully shimmering in the sun's bright rays. Briar reached out a hand as if wanting to touch the clouds. The wind was still strong up here, yet with Talula flying much slower now, it felt calmer.

It was... quieter.

It was a pity that once he became King he wouldn't have time to be doing this as often anymore.

 

[bambi-under-the-sky]

Empathy was not one of Yaena’s abilities, but she could sense something shifted, at the very least she didn’t think the hippogriff was planning on eating her alive right now. Already, Talula was becoming her favorite member of the royal family.

Even though she no longer believed there was an immediate danger, it took Briar walking over to the two of them for her to finally sigh in relief and as a chance for her to move.She hoped Darfin was willing to move over because Yaena wanted to sit down and it would be unbecoming for her to sit on the stable floor.

Gorgeous isn’t she? Have you seen the meme of Daenerys Targaryen scrunching her nose and smiling? That was what Yaena looked like as she wordlessly nodded with a tightlipped smile, not because she was lying, as Talula was beautiful, but because she was still shaken. It was another reminder of just how foreign this place was to her, she was now a part of the enemy (although it was wrong to think of them as the enemy considering she was evidence of the peace pact). The people who for so long used to terrify children and rally patriotism in men were going to be her people and them their queen. It would take more than her learning the language or history for her to truly fit in here.

Distantly she was reminded of another difference in between their people: there was a time when humans had dragons, there was even a skeleton in the dungeon of the palace, but that was nearly a century ago, before even her grandfather was born. But humans wiped them out, there was no better way to describe it, dragons were used against each other more than against the enemy and those who didn’t have such sought to hunt them and now nobody had them. She would defend her people against Briar if called upon, but the preservation of magic was not a point she would be able to honestly defend herself against.

She was so lost in thought that when Briar extended his hand to her, she blinked, surprised and his words didn’t ease that. He wanted her to get close to Talula? He must be able to see how absolutely worried she was, though if the situations were reverse, she would find no shortage of amusement as well. She was intending to keep a respectful distance from such a dignified lady. Although she walked with him, she shook her head subtly, keeping a watchful eye on Talula. Did he just want Yaena to pet her? If so, she could do that her only worry that she would somehow accidentally do the equivalent of groping, and get kicked in the stomach.

Wait..nope, this man wasn’t an idiot, but he was bat shit crazy if he thought that she was going to ride on a hippogriff, she didn’t even enjoy riding on horses. She was so afraid of poisons and knives in the dark that she neglected to think of death by hippogriff. Although she didn’t verbally say no, at risk of offending Talula, she gave him and obvious look of disbelief. “Are you going to push me off?” She asked dryly, she was too prideful to verbally confirm her hesitation so her only outlet was her sense of humor. But she could feel warmth between the two of them, there weren’t romantic partners or even friends yet, but she did not think he loathed her as much as he once did and while Yaena would hate to admit it, she was starting to like him.

She once again looked at the mount’s eyes, as though to verbally ensure that she was okay with Yaena. If her mother saw her right now, she would probably be disgusted. Here Yaena was, about to ride on the back of a killing machine. This was probably exactly what her mother was afraid of.

Tentatively, she reached and put her hand on his and she was blushing. She felt flustered when they first met, but it wasn’t because of him it was because this was her first time talking to a man in anything that could be considered a romantic situation. She would have felt that way with anyone, but now, it was completely because of Briar, he should be very proud. Usually, she had no problem with looking people in the eye, but now she was feeling so sheepish that she had to glance down at the saddle. If someone had seen them, they would be surprised to know that they had an argument in the garden, they looked like two people who chose this life.

She looked down to see if there were any reigns for her to grab, before Briar informed her of course. Of course. She tilted her head and gave him a look of exasperation, before rolling her eyes, it wasn’t malicious or her trying to irritate him, there was still humor in the gesture. If it wasn’t for the fact that Yaena did not want to end up as a pretty splat on the floor, she would have tried to find a way to avoid contact with him. But instead, she relented and when he turned around, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him. Trying to remind herself that she was only doing this because it was a matter of safety.

When the hippogriff’s wrings spread she was getting second thoughts, this was a mistake. But then the wind whipped against her face ands creamed into her ears before suddenly she was in the sky, the pure vastness consuming her, she had never done anything like this and for a moment her fear was taken away with childlike wonder.

Briar has probably done this multiple times, having grown up around the creatures, but this was her first time, it was like taking someone’s child on their first ever hippogriff ride. The kingdom looked so beautiful, so serene from this view, it was hard to believe that this was the same kingdom she had nightmares about. The same kingdom that her brother refused to go to, even for the wedding of his sister.

Now that they were cruising, she was able to look up at Briar (she was still snug up against him), seeing him with the sun light was certainly a lovely sight. “It’s beautiful,” She admitted, a slight laugh in her voice as she looked back down.

 

[Average.]

It's beautiful.

Briar blinked with surprise. In truth, he didn't expect her to speak at all throughout the entire duration of the flight. He expected her to remain silent, so he prepared himself to remain silent too and instead lose himself in the beauty of this new world around them. He felt surprised. Her laugh.. it sounded so genuine. Now he has come to the realisation that this was the first time he has even heard her laugh. It was like a soothing song, a song that carried a spell that brought nothing more than happiness to anyone who heard it.

He felt like a free spirit, allowing the wind to carry him wherever it pleased. This thought of putting his own fate into someone else's hands.. it was frightening, as he never knew if those hands meant him harm or not. However, it was also soothing. It lifted a heavy weight from his shoulders. Suppose not everyone could relate to this; but sometimes he preferred the idea of putting his fate into someone else's hands once in a while. His mother for example, she would never allow it to happen. She didn't believe in such nonsense. She believed that there was a knife in everyone's sleeve, and the only person she could trust is herself. She taught him that too, however overtime Briar found out that he was not that type of person.

He needed someone to trust. Or else he would go insane.
He needed someone to trust more than he can trust himself.

Briar soon reached out his hand again, this time not to try and touch the clouds. No, he wanted to do something else. A faint glow started emitting from his hand. It was cyan blue, exactly the same colour as the glow of the mysterious lake from the gardens. It was no secret that most Elves possessed the ability to do magic, however there was something about Briar's magic that felt different. Where there was magic there was often creation. Magic users often harnessed energy from within themselves. If they were to cast fire, they would make use of their own body's energy to do so. If they used too much of their magic at a time without allowing their bodies to rejuvenate first... then their bodies would take a toll.

Briar's magic was different. He didn't seem to be harnessing the magic from within himself. He was manipulating it from other sources. He was stealing energy from other places rather than making use of his own. However that still did not explain why a cyan glow was emitting from his hand. Magic was a mysterious thing though. Sometimes searching for explanations was a waste of time.

The cloud particles responded to Briar's magic and they came gathering round. He looked like he was concentrating, shaping and moulding the cloud piece into any shape he wanted.

The prince could have formed any shape with the cloud piece. He could have formed the shape of a star, a heart (maybe not, since that would suggest that he was trying to be flirty with her).. literally anything.
But this little shit chose to shape the cloud into a mustache and made it stick over Yaena's upper lip. "Oh my. What a majestic mustache you got there, my lady." the prince gave her a sly smirk.

He seemed to be in a teasing mood now then.

In truth, he wished he could stay up here forever. Only up here did he feel truly happy. He did love his family beyond anything - at least what was left of it. But.. there have been countless of times in his life where he seriously considered just packing his bags and running away from all responsibilites that weighed him down. He was very close to doing it not long after his brother's death too, as he felt that there was nothing left in Eurus that could possibly make him want to stay. His family too; it was like a puzzle that was missing several of it's pieces. A flower that was still alive yet had dried up and lost it's pure beauty from the searing heat that tormented it.

Yet he shoud know better than anyone that he cannot leave.

He remembered his mother sitting him down in his room one day. He was still a young boy back then, barely past the age of six. She sat him down and she told him.
Nobody can find out. No one at all. Or they will destroy you.

Destroy you.
They. Them. Everyone.

It terrified him. He didn't want that. He didn't deserve that.

It were little escapades like these with Talula that kept him from losing his sanity. Yaena may not think so, but to him she was lucky. She was lucky that she had the chance, the freedom to leave her home country and head out to see new things. To know how the world is really like. Sure, he could pick up a book and read about it, but it wasn't the same as actually seeing it with your own eyes.

At this point, the prince seemed distant, and he rested his head against the back of Talula's neck. The brightness from his face has faded.
He watched as they neared the border of Eurus, where the mountain peaks stood. They mocked him. They blocked his view. It was because of them that he couldn't see what was out there.

The hippogriff soon realised that they were nearing the border of Eurus, and she immediately made a sudden turn, changing course. Back towards the palace once more.

 

[bambi-under-the-sky]

Yaena felt weightless, for most of her life she felt burdened, according to people who would know, she was a melancholic child not crying or laughing much. There was a time when her parents were worried that they had given birth to a mute child. In her defense there was always something weighing down on her spirit whether it be mean siblings, blood magic, war, or an impending marriage. Or, that was an excuse, she was so used to having to carry this weight that she didn’t know who she would be if someone took it. Maybe she would be able to walk and live normally or she would just fall over.

This time, Briar was the quiet one and she watched him as much as she watched the scenery around her. He seemed…happy, and she was too. Yesterday, she would have pushed him into that acidic lake and maybe when they landed they would argue again and but that wouldn’t mean that their progress was lost. At the very least, this moment showed that they could have moments where they could enjoy their other’s company. Yaena didn’t have many friends (or any) the few people in the palace she were close with were dead now and for most of her life she was able to convince herself that she didn’t need them.

This was her first times seeing elves do magic and Yaena watched, if this had happened while they were in the library Yaena would have bombarded him with questions. Hers was nothing like that, she didn’t think any form of magic was better than the other, there were simply differences. When Briar used his magic, he looked ethereal like belonged in the clouds and not on Earth with the rest of them. When Yaena tapped into her magic, she looked like a monster, black eyes, a bloody nose, not something she liked doing in front of people. Her hesitance wasn’t because she was insecure, but because she knew how people would react to it.

At his little trick, she tilted her head and by now he was probably used to her peeved off expressions, “Do you really think it’s a good idea to annoy me while we’re up here?” She asked, scoffing, she wished she could have seen herself right now, but she had to just assume that she looked like a moody, raven-haired princess…but with a mustache that came from clouds.

Now that it felt like she could see the whole world, she tried to think if she could see a future in this kingdom. She knew her duty, she knew what her mother told her to do, but she could not help but let her mind wonder. There would be a time when they went from getting acquainted to each other to being…she was not sure yet and she wasn’t sure if she would ever know. When Yaena tried to imagine herself waking up in this strange country, with her strange husband, it seemed like a fantasy.

But did she want that? Yaena was mostly content with her life back in Zhicra. She woke up, had breakfast in her room unless Queen Inka sought out her company and either spent her day in the library, with her mother, or with her master (he would balk at the term but Yaena very much viewed herself as his apprentice). Occasionally, spell-casting would be too much for her but it seemed like a good life, a life where she could do what she wanted, and now she was letting herself become ungrateful because a pretty boy took her flying,

While Yaena was observant, being observant and being socially aware were two incredibly different things, but Yaena could sense the change in him as they reached the mountains. Yaena simply assumed that he wasn’t allowed to fly over a foreign country which made sense to her. The last time he looked like this was the lake and when she asked about it, it led to her threatening to kill him and him calling her a brat.

Ask him what’s wrong, it was what a nice, gentle person would ask. It was what Inka would ask if she were in her situation and she would ask it in such a sweet, charming way that it would ease your troubles then. But Yaena felt like he wanted silence, or maybe she was convincing herself that he did in order to make it easier for her.

Yaena had offered emotional support before (or at least tried to); when her father died she comforted her brothers, when her brother died she comforted Viria to the best of her abilities, and while she was not great at verbal expression if someone was important enough to her she would go to great extents to show her concern in the ways she was adept at.

She thought about squeezing him tighter, but she worried he would think she was flirting with him. On that note, betrothals were so strange, if they were too distant then that was a problem but if they were too affectionate than it would be offensive (though that probably would never be a problem).

“Thank you.” She said it so quietly, and so meekly that she almost hoped that he didn’t hear it or thought that the clouds were telling him it. For the rest of the ride, she would be as quiet as a mouse.

When they eventually did land, even if he or a servant helped her off the Talula like a delightful, charming princess like her deserved, poor Yaena was so unused to flight that the second she stood on solid land her legs nearly buckled and she had to stick out her arms to balance.

 

[Average.]

Briar too remained quiet for the rest of the ride. Deep down he felt slight disappointment that it was time to come back, however if he didn't come back now then he probably never would. He would just continue flying up there above the clouds in circles where no one could find them.

Thank you.

Her voice was so quiet and meek. He could hear her through the wind's howls. He was certain that he wasn't imagining it; he knew the voice of the wind well. He knew whenever it spoke to him. He would accept her thanks, even if he wasn't entirely certain what she was thanking him for. Was it for the ride? Or perhaps was it that he shown some trust towards her? Whatever it was, he felt appreciation. And that was something that he rarely felt nowadays.

Upon landing, he let out an amused chuckle at her clumsy walk. "How about another ride, princess?" he asked jokingly, his smile broadening into a grin. "You seem like you're dying to go up there again!"

Darfin loosened a breath as if he has been holding it the entire time and he hurried over to the two, a small chunk of meat ready in his hand to use it in as bait in case Talula had any funny ideas of escaping again. The hippogriff tilted her head in a bird-like manner and pecked the back of poor Darfin's head when he turned around, however at least she followed him obediently back to her stall where she belonged. She would escape again, no doubt about it. And she was willing to follow wherever her prince went.

Briar scooped up his royal mantle off the floor and threw it over his shoulder. This time at least he for sure wasn't going to run ahead and leave the princess behind like last time, and he waited for her to find her bearings before heading towards the spiral staircase once more.

They headed down, steps slow and relaxed. There was no need for them to hurry. They had time to spare. "Well.. my mother is definitely gonna' kill me when she sees that I pretty much ruined my clothes." he said, looking up slightly into nothing. Though judging by the hint of a smile on his face, he didn't seem to care about that one bit.

It wouldn't be the first time that he was scolded for ruining his clothes for whatever reason. One could argue that Darfin looked more princely than Briar did right now. However, if Briar didn't seem to mind being in a state like this in front of his betrothed, the woman that he was meant to be impressing this entire time... perhaps he understood something about her now. At least a little better.

She wasn't the princess that he expected for her to be. And he bet that he only saw a fraction of what she is really like. To him, that wasn't a bad thing. Yet in a way, it also worried him. Having someone remove their mask piece by piece was exciting. It was like a guessing game of who they really were. However it was also frightening to wonder if the person behind the mask was a demon or an angel.

Upon reaching the end of the staircase, they had to go their separate ways. Once again they had to pretend like they didn't know each other, like that hippogriff ride never even happened - until dinner time of course. Of course, they would be allowed to spend time with each other before then, they would be encouraged to. However, not without prying eyes. And to Briar, that sort of interaction meant nothing. He wanted to get to know the person she was behind the mask. Not who she was pretending to be for the sake of etiquette.

The walls had ears, and in some cases they even had eyes, so Briar decided to bid her farewell exactly like he would if his parents were watching. He gently took her hand into his, bent down lower and kissed her hand. It was almost funny to watch them act so proper while they both looked so unkept and messy. He gave her a soft yet genuine smile. "Farewell, Princess. I look forward to seeing you again." he said before turning around to make his leave.

He desperately needed new clothes. Maybe a bath too. His parents would both duck right underneath the table to hide away in shame if he showed up to dinner like this!

_____

The walls had ears, and in some cases they even had eyes.
That couldn't be closer to the truth.

A young servant girl pulled out the amulet from her dress pocket, holding it up to the light. She allowed herself to take a moment to appreciate the handiwork, of the gorgeous purple gem, shaped like a beating heart. Lady Reina will be happy for sure. The Prince and Princess have just returned from their little escapade. She has made it just in time, then.

She remebered her lady's words very well.
"Elide. Make sure that nobody sees you. I beg of you, this is important. You wouldn't want to disappoint me, correct?"
Yes. She would never disappoint her lady.

As she heard the Prince's steps echoing closer and closer, she quickly hid the amulet back inside her pocket. She watched him pass by, he hardly paid any attention towards her at all. Royalty tended to be like that. They were arrogant, they didn't even acknowledge the presence of servants, despite them being fellow Elves. Why was he more important than her? Because he wore fancy clothes? Lived in a palace? Because he would one day have a crown and a silly little throne to sit on?

"Oh! Your Royal Highness? What happened to your clothes?" Elide gasped, pretending to look surprised and concerned.

Prince Briar rose a brow and looked at her over his shoulder. "Well, riding a hippogriff isn't entirely the cleanest of sports." he answered.

"Ah! If wanted I could prepare a bath for Your Royal Highness?"

"Very well. Thank you." the Prince nodded his thanks before walking off.

 

[bambi-under-the-sky]

Somehow being on the ground felt more unreal than being in the air, because that had really happened, the two had gone flying around the kingdom, she had to hold onto him tightly and they played in the clouds. Twenty-four hours ago, they were at his throats, she must have come across to him as a shrewd, entitled child and came off to her as a cold, aloof snob. But, they were laughing and smiling, maybe the key to this relationship working was for them to not go near the lake.

“Well, may I must say I think your new clothing style suits,” Yaena stated in a mock formal tone, she wished Reina was here to see them right now. Given that she wasn’t tackled by the hippogriff, her dress wasn’t soiled, but she knew the interaction between them but she knew that her instructor would probably still be disappointed in her. Good.

Yaena was thankful for a break away from formality, yes, marriage was a formal institution and she could swallow being a proper princess and a proper queen…as long as she was in public. If they had to speak to each other in stilted language even when they were with each-other, she would not be able to bear it. As pathetic as it was, her mother had been her best friend for as long as she could remember, with everyone else she was either a sister, princess, or student. But with Briar she was beginning to think that they could be more to each other than husband and wife.

She found herself disappointed that they had to split, how many times would they be allowed to be alone? Reina told her that they would have plenty of outings this week, but they were all public with a king, queen or advisor with them and they would have have to dance the line between being informal enough with each other they didn’t seem remote while formal enough that they didn’t betray their royal status. She had never been good at that kind of performance but she was able to tolerate it, now she was dreading it.

Knowing that this was a show for someone’s else’s sake, Yaena gave him a graceful smile (though it did meet her eyes), “Farewell, I hope to be able to spend such a time with you again.” And while she watched him leave, she went into her own room.

When Yaena had entered her room, all she could do was nod when a serving lady offered to draw her a bath. She just wanted to get out of this gown, she was used to wearing gowns. Occasionally, if she was adventuring into the market place by herself or walking in the forrest with her mother, she would wear leather trousers combined with a shorter, more functional dresses. But in elvish gowns, Yaena couldn’t do anything but walk in them. She realized now that she hadn’t even thought about her wedding gown, she was not the most prideful person and she usually didn’t spend much time on her appearance (because she rarely had someone to look good for) but she hoped she wouldn’t look as awkward as she felt on that day.

She walked in the scalding water (she told her servants she liked her baths hot), and she instantly felt cleaner, as though it was burning the dirt off of her. Was this how Viria and Inka felt? Yaena if course had positive interactions with people before but she could not stop smiling, she just looked at the beautiful artwork on her ceiling with a dopey grin.

_______
​

Dinner went well, better than last night. However...Yaena felt on edge, not because of Briar, or even the king and queen but because she did not have her amulet it was the first time since she was thirteen that she didn't have it. She had almost been late to dinner because she was looking around her room frantically, she didn't want to go down without it on. It gave her strength, it made her feel proud of her humanity rather than feeling like it made her lesser than the people around her. She never lost things, she had a near-perfect memory and she remembered keeping her necklace n her bed, and when she stepped out of her bathtub it was suddenly gone.

But, a serving lady told her that she had to leave and because she didn't think anyone else would sympathize with her, she forced herself to get through dinner.

Now, she was in her room, she gave up on finding the amulet today and told herself that perhaps when a servant went to take her clothes, they accidentally took her amulet. She would ask about it tomorrow and she would be calm and collected,. The one thing she had always had over her siblings was that her servants liked her, she was not naturally a pretentious person and she made it a point to learn all their names. She would ask each of them if they had seen her amulet and tell them if they returned it to her, there would be no punishment, mistakes would be made. But, if her necklace was lost...

Her mother would be so disappointed in her, she spent one day in the kingdom and now she lost the amulet she crafted for her and had already been strayed away from her task, you don't look like my daughter, was what she would probably say to her.

At the moment, she had already stripped out of her evening gown, now in a light silk black gown, she had no problem with the servants seeing her as such, however, she asked that they leave her alone for now. She wanted to read her spellbook, while spellbook was probably common in this kingdom, this was not. Blood magic, sorcery was looked ed down and this book was in her family's hands for generations, her mother told her that under no circumstances could anyone ever see her reading it. But, they were going out to the city tomorrow and she wanted to see what herbs the spells required in hopes of obtaining them tomorrow.

 

[Average.]

It took ages. Ages just to find a copy of this goddamn book. Briar was holding it close to his chest as if his life depended on it as he strode down the hall. He was walking as if he was on a mission or something. There was a slight frown on his face, showing clearly his annoyance from before. Annoyance because of how long it took him to find the correct book he was looking for.

He remembered himself back in that library, sliding around on those rolling library ladders from one end of each bookshelf to the other end, throwing book after book over his shoulder and onto the floor upon realisation that the book he picked out was the incorrect one. At least five poor servants were running around, catching or picking up book after book that Briar threw as if they were ducks following and eating breadcrumb trails. Catching books... or simply getting hit by them if they were unfortunate enough to get a book to the head.

"No." toss. "No." toss. "No." toss. "No- oh! I found it!" Briar grinned proudly, waving the seemingly correct book over his head to show the servants.
The servants merely gave the Prince exhausted nods as their congradulations. Some even let out sighs of relief. Their prayers have been answered. The Prince finally stopped making a mess in the library, and they were no longer at risk of getting knocked unconscious by a damned book. Gods forbid if it was a dictionary or something...

And so, upon completing his mission of finding the correct book, step two of his mission commenced; delivering the book to the princess. He promised her that he would find it for her, and he would keep his word!

The prince soon arrived at Yaena's door, and he knocked at the door. It was still early in the evening, so he didn't expect for there to be any problems if he came to give her the book now.
Yet he was wrong.

When Yaena opened the door to him, it took Briar every ounce of his strength to not look down any lower than well... her eyes. Of course, he wanted to remain decent, however all he ended up looking like now was like Yaena did when she tried to let you know that she is paying attention. That intense owl-like stare she had a habit of doing? Now he was doing it. Except he of course was doing it for an entirely different reason.

Briar simply could not afford to let anyone see him with her like this so the dumbass figured that it would be best if he just lets himself in. He pushed past Yaena and fumbled with closing the door. He ended up slamming it shut from how quickly he closed it.

He could expect that Yaena wouldn't be very impressed with that little display, so he jumped to explain himself before she even had a chance of speaking. "Alright look, I can't risk anyone seeing me and you like this because... because..-" he hesitated, eventually pausing, an annoyed frown appearing on his face. "... You know exactly what I mean, don't make me explain it!"
His cheeks; they were red. Or.. reddened. It was especially visible in this warm bright light of the candles in the room.
And the tips of his pointy ears. They were red too.
Was he seriously blushing?

"Anyway," his back straightened and he cleared his throat, as if to try and show her that he did have some shred dignity left in him. "I've brought you what you wanted." Pause. His throat bobbed slightly as he swallowed. "What I promised." he added.

He averted his gaze from her, seeming to find more comfort in staring at the crackling fireplace than staring into her violet eyes right now. He held out his hands, presenting her with the book. It was the exact one she wanted, translated from Elvish.
This awkwardness that he was showing... it wasn't the same as the awkwardness during the very first day they met. This awkwardness felt different. In fact he seemed more flustered than awkward.

Now, it's not like Yaena was standing naked in front of him, so one could argue that him seeing her in her nightgown wasn't a very big deal. Which to most it wouldn't be a big deal at all. However, to someone who was raised in such a strict and rigid environment... it was a big deal. Nobles and royals were publically shamed for less than this. Scandals were ignited simply because a noble accidentally looked at someone the wrong way. Or because they didn't like someone's nose. Whatever it was... this was a big deal. And if they were caught...

Oh.

Oh he would suffer more than an earful from his parents about how improper he is. About how rude and wrong it was for him to visit the princess. In her room. Before marriage.
Oh, the scandal!

 

[bambi-under-the-sky]

They were face to face and Yaena was simply happy to see him and her book, not fully aware of the scandal that would happen if someone saw her (hell if Reina even had a word of this Yaena's life would be miserable). She greeted him with a pleasantly surprised expression on her face, "Oh I didn't expect you at this hour," She said warmly, "Is that.." She was about to ask about the book but this man was staring at her.

She looked behind her, just to see if she had accidentally summoned a corpse or if she had left an embarrassing stain on the bed, both of those were not the case. Yaena was self-aware enough to know that she had a habit of staring at people, but it was her way of showing them that she was listening and while she still didn't know Briar very well he didn't seem to have the same habit. If it wasn't for the fact that she would rather use one of her rib bones as a flute than speak to Reina she would inquire to see if she broke some elvish rule that she was unaware of.

Taking some steps back as he walked inside she respected an explanation of his behavior.

Oh..she looked down at herself as though it was a surprise to her that she was wearing only a night-gown.

Yaena was a bit innocent to the problems, of course, she grew up with lectures of modesty, about how she had to save herself for marriage. She was rarely allowed to be alone in a room with a man unless the man was her brother or one of her guards.. But, up until now nearly everyone accepted the fact that Yaena had no desire for a husband and that Tristan would rather put his energy into governing the country than trying to govern his sister. While she was certainly not a flirt, it meant that her interactions with men felt less convoluted than it did for other women in her situation.

However, it still didn't seem like a big deal. She was simply reading in her nightgown so she simply did not understand what the big deal was. It wasn't even as though he walked into her laying down on the bed. Briar was blushing so much that it was rather endearing, most of the time when she blushed you could hardly notice it simply due to the fact that she had a darker complexion, however, Briar's face was pinker than whit enow, she was sure that if she placed a piece of ice on his cheek it would melt before her very eyes. It was adorable, and now Yaena wanted to walk a line, she wanted to be cheeky without genuinely making Briar worried that she was going to jump him.

"Would it make your royal highness more comfortable if I searched for a robe?" She asked although she herself wasn't particularly uncomfortable even she had to admit that if she had known that Briar would be coming at this hour she would have at least worn a robe.

At the book, her eyes brightened and she gingerly took it she treated her books with as much care as possible and it meant so much to her that he did this for her. She didn't know how long it took for him to find it, but the last person who did an act like this for her was her brother. She looked at the title and smiled, being able to understand it, she glanced at the black hefty book on her bed, deciding that this elvish book was going to be the first one on her reading list. "Thank you," She smiled up at him though he still seemed more focused on her than the books...or more focused on absolutely everything else in this room except for her.

Yaena gently placed her book on the bed so that she could slip on a matching silk robe, tying it loosely, it was probably still scandalous by people's standards but at least less of her sinful legs were showing! This encounter was still not as awkward for her as it should be (but the more he stared the more that may change) so she had no problem trying to strike a conversation with him. While they wouldn't be able to go on hippogriff flights every day they both seemed to have a fondness for reading and she liked that in a person.

"Are there any more books that you would recommend?" She asked him curiously, and she happened to be the first one to mention some part of their respective lives before she came here. "At home," The word felt strange because technically this was her home now, "I practically lived in the library."

 

[Average.]

It was as if Briar didn't even realise that he was staring.. but he was. Oh, he really was. It could be argued that his stare was even more intense than Yaena's when she was listening to someone speak. He prayed that she wasn't noticing anything, but his face felt so hot that he didn't need to look in the mirror to know that his face was probably putting the world's reddest rose to shame right now. Now, he was probably blushing more from sheer embarassment rather than from how flustered he felt.

Would it make your royal highness more comfortable if I searched for a robe?

Yes it really would, he wanted to say. However he was barely able to get any word out. Though he tried to reassure himself, since he could bet his family's entire treasury that if she felt uncomfortable at all right now.. she probably felt more uncomfortable from how intensely he was staring into her eyes and from how odd he was acting.. rather than the fact that she was showing a little bit of arms and legs to him.

So, he inhaled and exhaled deeply, composing himself. As long as nobody found out that he was in here, nothing bad would happen right?
Right?

She asked him if there are any more books that he could recommend, and there were. There were loads. A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth when she said that she practically lived in the library. He could definitely relate to this in a way. As a child, if he wasn't enduring lessons or running around causing trouble with his younger brother; he was in the library, face buried in book after book. Since he was a small boy he already held a deep fascination for the outside world. For what was out there. It was the only way he could at least temporarily quench his thirst for knowledge.

After all, his illness has had him trapped in a cage since the day he was born.

"Hm.." his brows furrowed and he looked down at the carpet - the of course white and gold carpet. This time at least he didn't seem to have averted his gaze - or stare - from her because he was nervous. This time he done so simply because he was deep in thought. Or at least he was pretending to be. He had many books he could suggest to her, however he didn't want to bombard her with too many suggestions just yet. After all; he didn't know how fast Yaena could read through a book yet. If there was some fat brick of a book dropped into his lap right now, he could probably get through it in three nights if it was interesting enough.

"The next time you return to the library- or sorry.. your home," he took the time to pause, an amused glint in his eyes. "Look for these titles; The Oracle in the Storm, The Crowned Giant, Mercury's Spell, The Way of the Betrayed, The Ancient Sage, The Colossus in the Vale and the Angel of Six." he said.

Well. Guess to him a whole seven books didn't count as bombarding her with titles.

"Anyway, that's just a couple that I would recommend." he shrugged as he folded his arms to his chest, ambling his way towards the nearest wall and leaning his back against it. His movements seemed a lot more relaxed now. "You can find all of them translated into your tongue, just ask a servant if you need them to find a book for you." he said. "... Or you can just ask me." he grinned.

Would he try to hide that he genuinely enjoyed spending time with her? No, he would not.
In truth, the longer he spent time with her, the easier it was for him to forget that they were to get married one day. He seemed to forget why she was even here in the first place, and instead of viewing her as his future wife... he viewed her more as a friend?

Could that even be possible? For a Human and an Elf to be... friends? Well, according to many it probably wasn't. He doubted that even his parents fully believed that this marriage was the key to saving their nations from further bloodshed. They felt like it just wouldn't be enough in the end. The hate would never fully disappear.

It would always remain there, engraved in their histories. Permanently written in books for others to read and see for themselves how their nations were once at war.
And those types of books... those were the only types of books that Briar wished he could burn. Burn and eradicate them. Burn and erase them from all libraries of the world.

History was important, however there were many out there that refused to let go of the past. He too was guilty of this, true. However, in a different way. His grief for his brother would be enough for him to do everything in his power to find a way to set out from Eurus and track down whichever soldier was the bastard that struck his brother down on that battlefield - if they still even walked this earth. He didn't care if that soldier was only performing their duties. He didn't care if that soldier didn't strike his brother down it would have been his brother that killed them instead.

He just didn't care.

Soon, an idea popped into the prince's mind. A very stupid idea, to be precise, however an idea either way. "Hey.." his smile soon transformed into a mischievous grin. What was his conniving mind up to now? What could this evil genius possibly be conjuring up in that brain of his? "How about we get out of here?"

It didn't take long for him to realise that he probably should have phrased that a little better. And given more details.

He cleared his throat. "I mean like... get out. Go out to town, you know? It could be fun. Plus you said that you were interested on seeing everything so... why not take the chance?"

 

[bambi-under-the-sky]

Yaena couldn’t suppress a grin when her question hit him; she wondered if it would be corny to ask if he wanted to read with her. Her reading was one of the few ways she was able to bond with the brother she had lost in the war. They were opposites; Yaena was bookish and shy, often hiding when she was at social gatherings, and her brother was all boldness and laughter. However, every week he would visit her in the library would ask her to tell him what she was learning. It sometimes hurt to think of him, especially because she couldn’t help but shake the feeling that she was at fault for his death.

Now it was her turn to stare at him, but it was her usual owl-like gaze as she waited for him to tell her. While they both had a love for reading, she wondered if he would be turned off when he found out her interests. In Yaena’s opinions, blood magic’s healing capabilities were greatly underrated (mainly because while blood magic perhaps had a higher ceiling in this regard, it was also more likely to cause deformities if done wrong). Since she was fourteen, she worked with her palace healer. The journals placed on the chairs in her room were filled with medical diagrams both from her own hand and that she found.

He listed them, and she was thankful for her good memory because he did give her a significant amount of reading material, but she was excited to get started and don’t think she missed his tease. However, would it be that bad if she ended up seeing this place as her home? She had a routine back in Zhicra, and while obviously, it would have to change now that she was here, but maybe she could still craft a livable life for her.

"... Or you can just ask me."

She raised her eyebrows, a small smirk appearing on her face. She was sure that he would love that, not just because they were starting to become friendly with each other but also because it would probably be amusing for her to need the prince to translate. “Are you going to read to me?” She asked playfully. Although she would never admit to anyone (especially another human), she found the elvish language beautiful. She didn’t hear it very much; when she walked by the servants, they tended to stop talking as though they were worried that they would offend the human princess by speaking in a language that she did not yet understand.

Yaena wondered what people expected out of them. If they even thought about how the prince and princess would get along, they probably didn’t. They weren’t betrothed because people thought they would be a functional pair. They were betrothed to symbolize a new chapter in history. But, they were showing signs of compatibility. There were plenty of married couples who had a barely contained loathing for each other, so the fact that they, two people from warring nations and races, were able to bond was practically a miracle.

What would their respective people think of that? Yaena’s own mother was in a position similar to her; she was viewed as a “foreigner,” and as a result, any influence she had on her husband was considered dangerous. Would it be the same for them? While Yaena was not a politically ambitious person, she was not content to be a symbol. She was sure there were times when she would give him her opinion on such matters. Would her humanity be more important than any other opinion she had? And that was even without mentioning any potential children they had and how they would be treated.

“How about we get out of here?”

Pardon me? And Yaena thought she was walking a line with her little robe joke, she looked at him with an expression that could only be described as a shock..and then it was good that he realized how she took it.

To town? She was still surprised but for abetter reason. It just showed how little she knew him. When they talked in the carriage, he seemed like such a posh sheltered man that she didn’t think he would want to go anywhere that wasn’t up to his level of prestige, and now here he was offering her. If she didn’t know any better, she would worry that she had been a bad influence on him.

And now that she realized what he meant, she couldn’t stop herself from grinning, because it would be a good idea. No doubt they would go to town over the course of this week and their lives, but they would be scheduled visits, with very little breathing room, and she wanted to see the real Eurous. Besides, it was a smart decision, right? As queen, she wouldn’t be responsible for the version of elves that existed in her head; she would have to know what things really were like.

“Are you sure you will be able to handle the sketchy places?” She asked before looking down at her nightgown, and his outfit, a change of clothes were definitely necessary. Especially for her, although she had some features that were unique even to humans, she could blend in Zhicran cities by keeping her head down and not calling attention to herself. However, she felt like she stuck out surrounded by all these elves, and it wasn’t like there were really any other humans in this country besides her.

But, she felt excited; she hadn’t felt this mischievous since she spent time with her brother.

“You should probably give me privacy to change,” She added with a grin, wondering if she could make him blush again, “I don’t think it would be proper of me to go out like this.”

 

[Average.]

In response to her playful tone Briar couldn't help but let out an amused laugh. "Well, I can't think of anything better to do. And besides; I acknowledge the importance of the future queen of Eurus learning elvish or else it'll be a little... embarassing." he shrugged.

It was true. If Yaena wanted to have an easy time here as a queen; she needed to learn elvish, there was no way around it. He remembered himself as a child being forced to learn the common tongue - which is the language that most humans spoke. He would protest and constantly ask his teacher about why he had to learn the language of the enemy.
Now, he understood their importance.

However, the common tongue was in fact not the language of the enemy. If it was, it would probably be called something ridiculous like humanish, since his language is called elvish. No, the common tongue was a language that was spoke commonly. Many other races used it too as it was easy to grasp and you pretty much had a guarantee that you can find a handful of people on every continent that could speak it.

It were only the elves that decided to be the special ones and invent a language entirely for themselves. Elves were very isolated from the rest of the world until they started rubbing shoulders more often with humans. It was then that conflict sparked between the two nations - it were their differences that were the problem.

Are you sure that you will be able to handle the sketchy places?

He almost barked out a laugh at that question. Him? Unable to handle himself? She can't be serious!
The prince rose a brow at her. "Really? Of course I can handle them. For your information, I've visited them multiple times." he huffed. "Because I don't know if you've noticed; your first impression of me wasn't a very accurate one. I only acted like that because I didn't know you as well. At all, in fact." Pause. "Also I didn't wanna' get crap from my parents, so there's another factor."

And in all honestly, back then Briar wasn't even interested in getting to know her better at all. His first impression of her has also been poor, however he was glad despite all of these obstacles they were able to overcome them and begin unravelling their true selves in front of each other. Some married couples who even chosen to marry each other didn't get as far as they did.

You should probably give me privacy to change.

Briar's eyes widened and he felt a surge of panic. Panic. Right, of course! He was so stupid, how could he forget about that? "Shit, I'm sorry," he stuttered, soon backing away towards the door. The poor lad almost ended up tripping over a little fold in the carpet. He fumbled with the door handle. "I'll be waiting for you out in the courtyard. It'll be weird if I just stand there outside the door." he said before finally managing to open the door and hurry his way out.

_____

As promised, the prince was awaiting for Yaena's arrival at the courtyard, near the fountain. He changed into more travel-friendly leathers, and he ensured that his hood was well pulled over his head. It was night, hence it was dark. It woild definitely make things easier when it came to remaining unrecognised. The hood cast a perfect little shadow over Briar's face, it would definitely make things easier.

Briar hated the way he looked. Of course, most would think that he doesn't look bad at all. However Briar grew to love his fancy clothes, despite them being itchy and tight sometimes. He preferred himself in them, and if he could sleep in them just so he could look better, he would be willing to torture himself like that. But alas, when it came to a good disguise, formal attire was unfortunately out of the question.

A mischievous smirk appeared on Briar's face upon the sight of Yaena approaching him. There was no need for words, all they knew is that they were going out to have some fun.
Outside of the palace walls they were no longer Prince Briar and Princess Yaena. They were simply Briar and Yaena; two people searching to indulge themselves in the spoils of the city.

The buildings that were closest to the palace were of relatively higher class. Here, the wealthier elves lived and they had no need to meddle with the lower class. It was much like hierarchy in a human town. Many thought that elves and humans were so different from each other, and that may be true... however their way of life was practically the same. At first glance of the city, all that differed were their believes, appearances and language and nothing more.

Briar looked up at the sky, and millions of little stars winked back at him. He inhaled deeply, mouth watering at the sweet scent of fresh pastries. They have passed a bakery, and Briar felt a great temptation to just drag Yaena in there with him. With Briar it was definitely dangerous to go out into town, oh yes.
Dangerous for your wallet, more so.

He wasn't able to resist the temptation and just grabbed Yaena by the arm. It was as if he was a cobra, however instead of getting charmed by music he was getting charmed by the smell of pastries. He wanted a doughtnut, goddamn it. And he would get one! Without a word he dragged her along and into the bakery.
The two exited with at least seven doughnuts, some with filling and others with no filling, all wrapped up in little cute bags.
It was slowly starting to become clear that Yaena might end up just getting dragged like a ragdoll from one shop to the next if something caught Briar's interest.

"Wait," he paused all of a sudden, brows furrowing. "The black market!" his eyes brightened with excitement as if he just gotten the best idea in the world. "Let's go go go!"

Funny that beforehard Briar made it seem like such sketchy places were not a big deal to him at all as he is so well versed in these things. And yet now he was acting like the goddamn tourist. However, while he was happy about being out in town, he was more happy about getting a chance to show Yaena around than anything else.

 

[bambi-under-the-sky]

Yaena couldn’t resist doing one last quick look for her amulet as though it would magically show up just because she was looking for it. It’s okay, you’ll find it tomorrow she attempted to reassure herself. She just felt so wrong without it on, it was as though her wearing it so often made the piece more than just an accessory it had become a part of her and now it was as though she had lost one of her arms.

She was thankful she got to wear lighter, slimmer dresses, Yaena was possibly the shortest woman in the entire kingdom (there were some children who were probably taller than her now), she felt like she as drowning every time she wore one of the more extravagant gowns. She settled on a gown of dark velvet that just covered her feet but didn’t have the train that so many elvish gowns had. Her dark hair was let all the way down, mainly so It would cover her ears, while there were elves on the shorter side, elves with dark hair and elves with brown skin her ears were undeniably human.

Her own cloak completed the look, and this was the most comfortable she has felt since she came to this kingdom, this was how she preferred to dress when she was on her own. It was a mix of insecurity, practicality, and her personal tastes. First, Yaena always felt like she could never look as good as her sister or her sister-in-law in such dresses so why even try? Second, she didn’t go to many balls or fancy banquets either so she never really needed to wear gowns. Third, she simply liked being able to move freely and not draw much attention to herself. She appreciated the craftsmanship that was apparent in the highest form of clothing but she felt it was wasted on a girl like her.

Quietly sneaking out of her room like a shadow, she eagerly tried to find her future husb..her friend. If anyone else found out about this they would probably be lectured, the horror of two highborn people, two people who were to be the future rulers of land were planning on walking the streets as though they were commoners. Even her mother, who had never really cared about who her daughter associated with would give her a good verbal lashing right now.

As they walked through the city, the cold night air invigorated her, making her forget her fears of losing her amulet, being a foreigner, and even her mother (though Yaena would never admit she was afraid of the latter). She felt powerful and new, like she could do anything.

While she was at her most excited, she was still naturally an observant person so she took special care to notice anything that she could. If you had replaced any of the elvish signs with those in the common tongue, then even she wouldn’t have truly noticed the difference.

She wanted to try her elvish, to see if her lessons were already paying off but the only thing that kept her from it was that she didn’t want to call attention to herself. Even if she was taking well to the lessons, she had only learned the language for one day and she could only say simple things and the things she could say had a noticeable ‘human’ accent to them. While the only thing you could note of Briar’s speaking was that he clearly sounded educated even if he was in disguise, if you heard Yaena you would either think she was a foreigner or a remarkably simple-minded adult.

Yaena didn’t now this city as well as he did so she was content with being dragged around, her only complaint was that he was so much taller than her that it was hard for her to keep up with him due to how small her steps were. She only wished that there was a chance for him to go to Zhicra one day, yes it was less important for him to know her own country as he wasn’t living there, but she wanted to show him where she grew up.

She finally spoke when they got to the black market, noticing a tavern, she had never really gone t them because she did not drink, but she also wanted to sit down. First, Briar had her run up the stairs so she could go see the hippogriffs and now she was running through the city like it was her last day of ever being here.

She simply stopped, hoping that Briar would notice and not unfortunately rip off her arm. “She looked at the sign than back to him her idea obviously there, “Do you want to buy me a drink?” She asked teasingly, she felt too prideful to tell him that she needed to sit down or her legs would fall off.

Looking down, she realized they were holding hands, it made sense so that he wouldn’t lose her in the crowd, but it still made her blush.

As far as taverns went, this one was nice, it was still in the city and Briar and Yaena were probably not the first two wealthy youngsters who wanted to see the “real” city. The black market had to run on on someone’s money and that money had to come from somewhere. Even in shoes, Yaena could feel how soft the rug they had brought for a pretty penny was, and while the most dominant scent was of course alcohol, she could smell the sweet floral scent that came from the candles.

She was reminded of another reason she didn’t go to taverns, Yaena was a powerful witch, but she was still very much a woman and even she kept that in mind whenever she went out on her own. Although she didn’t say anything, not wanting to run the moment, she did walk even closer to Briar to show, just in case that it was obvious enough that she was not single.

 

[Average.]

Briar's excitement was evident when they stepped inside the tavern, though he tried to prevent it from seeming too obvious to anyone around them as he didn't want to attract any unnecessary attention to them. They were simply a young elven couple in search of something to drink and nothing more.

Couple. Because that is what they looked like on the outside. Of course there was no need for them to act all affectionate towards each other - not like Briar would be able to maintain a straight face if they had to do so anyway - however playing a set part was always handy in these kinds of places. With them acting as couple it would also decrease chances of anyone wanting to mess with them, however that didn't mean that it wasn't likely to happen either way.

The tavern was possibly one of the more well known taverns in the area. At this hour it was fairly busy, however it was clear that to the community this was more than just a place to sit down and have a drink in. This place was a hub. A literal clusterfuck of negotiations, seduction and just overall bad decisions. The theme of red was very prominent in here which was in direct contrast of the royal family's preferred colour palette - which was mostly black, gold and white. Red sheer curtains and drapery were hung over windows and even the ceiling, which caused any light shining through them to give off a reddened glow. The entire tavern was bathed in red light because of them. Elven waitresses - dressed in red clothing that was a little too revealing - moved and weaved through the tables and customers with great expertise. It was clear that these waitresses were there for more than just serving drinks.
Along with that, there was this constant stuffiness in the air, and the overpowering smell in the air was just a mix of alcohol, scented candles and burning incense. It was so overpowering in fact that it could make someone feel dizzy if they spent too long in there.

Briar of course would be buying them drinks. It was simply an etiquette thing, which has even carried over to his diguised self. Even in elven society, it was mainly men that paid for food and drinks. Etiquette - or chivalry - existed both outside the royal family and within it, however it's importance was just more reinforced and exaggerated in the royal family.
It wasn't the first time that Briar was here - at least from what he said - so he calmly headed over to the bar. It was quicker to order drinks directly from the bar as at least usually the bartender never tried to tempt you into staying inside the tavern longer. Maybe even overnight. And it was not for the drinks.

Once they ordered their drinks, Briar led Yaena to an empty table, somewhere far in the corner where they were less likely to be disturbed. In the corner there was a comfy red velvet couch too, so of course that was more preferable than a wooden chair. Briar said down next to Yaena, letting out a sigh. It did not take long for one of the waitresses to deliver their drinks to them, along with two tankards. The interaction was quick, and the waitress didn't say a word to them or hint anything.They understood when it was important to remain respectful if someone made it clear that they didn't want to be disturbed. Otherwise the tavern wouldn't have as good of a reputation as it currently did in this part of town.

They have decided to order the less fancy drinks of course. In other words; anything that wasn't champagne or any type of wine. They could easily have that in the palace, however his parents generally wanted them to avoid drinking the cheaper commoner drinks such as ale, mead and beer for example.

Briar helped himself to the mead first, pouring himself a tankard and taking a swig from it. Upon noticing that Yaena wasn't pouring herself a drink, he rose a brow. "Don't let your lips get dry. We're here to drink and enjoy ourselves, aren't we?"
Except sometimes Briar forgotten when it was a good time to stop drinking once he started. He was no alcoholic. No, he was more obsessed about caffeine than alcohol. However, just like when it came to money, Briar had a difficult time judging when it was time to ease up a little.

Out here, Briar was completely different than to what he was like in the palace. Of course, he has opened himself up to Yaena a lot more since their first day of knowing each other. However, even during the hippogriff ride he was not acting quite like himself like he was acting out here in town. His movements were so much more relaxed. He had a bit of a slouch to him while sitting, unlike his near perfect posture at the dinner table. He wasn't afraid to slurp a little while drinking his mead, unlike during dinner where he ensures to only take tiny quiet sips from his wine glass instead of full on swigs.

He was just being a person, and not a fake made up image of one.

The alcohol was enough to loosen both of them up a little - even if Briar was drinking way more than Yaena was - and the two were able to have a fairly pleasant conversation with each other through and through.

However, as time went on, Briar's speech started to get a little... slurred. He started feeling hotter, and there was a permanent blush on his cheeks, nose and the tips of his ears. Except this time it wasn't a blush because he was embarassed or flustered. This time it was because...

The fucking bastard was drunk. It was clear as day.

"Guess what. You'll die when you hear this, just wait." Briar soon spoke again before taking a pause as if to think. He soon started laughing, grinning stupidly. His laughter was more of a wheeze, and he slapped his own thigh a couple times. Whatever he wanted to tell her, it must've been hilarious. So very hilarious. "Okay, okay give me a second, lemme' get my bearings."

It in fact took him more than a minute to get his bearings, and he ended up bursting into laughter for no damn reason, taking pauses to even be able to breathe before continuing his laughter- or no, that couldn't be called laughter anymore. He was cackling like some hyena at this point.

"Oh you should've seen it!" he was howling with laughter, as if not realising that he has completely forgotten about even telling her the joke in the first place.

At this point there was probably no talking to him.

 

[bambi-under-the-sky]

If Briar hadn’t mentioned her lack of drinking she would not have had anymore than half a glass. It wasn’t because was a sour shrew (while there would some who wouldn’t disagree) she simply wasn’t someone who drank alcohol unless it was one of the wine bottles that her mother obtained for her or she had to for social reasons. However, there was no fun in being the only sober person so by the end of the night she downed not one, but two full glasses of ale. Which might not be that big of a deal if you don’t remember that shew as both a physically small person and someone who had not felt built up a tolerance to alcohol.

It was clear that even at her warmest, Yaena was a listener more than a talker, if he asked her a question she would answer it as honestly as she could, but she was far more interested in hearing and learning about him. It was corny, but the more she got to know him, the more she liked him and she had already ended up liking him quite a bit.

After waiting patiently to hear the rest of his joke, her face suddenly got flushed, it was as though she had absorbed all the heat in this room and it was now inside of her. Thankfully, she was only tipsy endnote drunk or she would have just flung off her cloak in order to cool off. She had been drunk once before, when her brother died, she and all her siblings ended up drinking a quarter of their cellar that night. A king, a prince, and two princesses all ended up on the floor laughing, it was probably the last time where they were both all together and all happy with each other. This was, for obvious reasons a significantly happier reason to get drunk.

She leaned in and put her hand on top of his, “I’m going to,” She closed her eyes tightly having to steady herself even now, “Get some air, don’t pass out on me okay?” Yaena grinned before getting up and stumbling out.

But what she didn’t notice is that one of the owners tavern and someone who appeared to be his brother (or a partner who simply resembled him) looked at each other and then back at her before they followed after her.

Now that she was alone in the fresh air, her head was absolutely spinning and she laughed at nothing and everything at once. When was the last time she had felt so weightlessly happy? Her life wasn’t all sad, she had her mother, she had her medical lessons, she had business owners who were endeared by her and two brothers who at least seemed to want her around. However, there had always been something there that had kept from fully living life to it’s fullest as though there was an invisible sheet covering everything around her but was only there for her. And now, for a moment, it was gone.

She wished she and Briar didn’t have to leave this place, in the morning they would probably be having breakfast with his parents or she would have another lesson with Reina and at least some of the sheet would go back. Yaena tried to think about whether she wanted to be a princess or not, she was born one and being a princess was the reason she never had to worry about food, shelter, or money. But, she wanted to just be Yaena for as long as she could possibly can.

“Are you okay?” A heavily accented voice came out/

Yaena turned around only to see the owner, the one who had happily been pouring her and Briar (well, mainly Briar) drinks all night. He wasn’t dressed poorly by any means, but she had already gotten used to the fashion of the royals around her. Despite not having to be as formal as a princess, she didn’t want to come across as drunk so she gave him a wide, fake smile, that of course no sober person would ever be able to do. “Ah, yes, I’m fine.” She reassured, laughing a bit, “I will be right in.”

It didn’t necessarily occur to her that he now knew that she was the princess as she clearly was not an elf or she would have been significantly more nervous.

“You know, your friend seems to be in a worse state than you, if you want I can make you something to eat to sober you right up?” He offered.

-
Yaena was in the back of the kitchen, having walked by Briar and drunkenly explained that she was “getting him some food”, she always liked seeing kitchens. Cooking was it’s own kind of magic and she never fully got the chance to learn as her meals were always made for her. She was laying against the wall for stability watching the two spread what appeared to be butter, and a extraordinarily strong-smelling jam on a piece of bread. The younger one, with a wide, eager grin on his face was the one to bring it over to her.





She was so hungry she didn’t even say thank you before she shoved in her face, only looking up with the older one was suddenly so close she could smell his breath.

“Do you mind if I?” He asked, putting his hand on the hood of her cloak before pulling it down, looking at her very human ears.

Everything else was a blur after that, suddenly the younger one took the plate and smashed against her throat, causing her to fall too the ground, her head hitting the floor hard, and then for Yaena at least, it went black.

However, the blackness would come to the “poor” elves later. The older one, the owner kneeled down next to her, prepared to say something boastful when suddenly he was face to face with pitch black eyes, the veins around them protruding. The being there looked like Yaena, they were the same height, and had the same hair but it looked like Yaena the way a wolf looked like a dog. Yaena didn’t usually have knives for teeth, Yaena didn’t have poisonous claws, and Yaena was someone who get out of breath running up the stairs, not someone who could launch and pin an grown man to the ground.

She closed her eyes, the smells of the room hitting her, mainly the blood that was now spilt, it had been al long time since she was able to have meat and in what was merciful for her, she leaned in and sanded her teeth into his neck, the blood tasting as sweet as wine.

Instead of running for help, the younger one was paralyzed in fear, whether it was because of Yaena’s abilities or because he was terrified. “P-please, please, he was the one who told me to do this, I would have never, please.” He was crying, tears streaming down his face and as Yaena stalked on over to him, her hands dripping with blood.
—
Yaena woke up to the smell of jam. The first thing her eyes saw was a plate with what appeared to be bread, strawberry jam, and a cup of something that she couldn’t quite tell. But she was already full, she had never been so fill in her life, and in fact she felt great, she remembered what happened last night. She and Briar had been drinking. How did they even get to the palace?

She looked around and her heart tightened, she had never been in this place before, the floor beneath was mad of wood not marble, the bed she was laying on was small, and barely off the ground, not the opulence she had gotten used to and she could hear people milling about outside…Where was she?

Having no clue how to respond, she got off her bed only for it to be sticky so she looked behind her seeing a stain of blood, was this her time of the month coming? She looked at her hands only to see them covering up in blood too and finally, she looked at the mirror and she screamed at the sight of it.

Meanwhile, the old woman was explaining to the man who she may or not know to be her prince that she was minding her own business when she saw a bloodied woman pass out on the streets. She had worried that she was fleeing from rapists so she asked one of her employees to help her lay down. The stranger woke up, started crying in a language she didn't understand before going back to sleep again.

 

[Average.]

Everything has gone great that night; they were having a great time in town under the stars, drinking the night away and laughing. They were telling jokes to each other and acting as if they have known each other for years and years. Last night was a bliss, a time where they could pretend that they had no responsibilities, where their heads didn't feel heavy because of glittering crowns. Where they felt good.

And suddenly, it has all transformed into a nightmare.

Briar remembered himself waking up this morning, dizzy and nauseous. He felt as if his head was a war drum, pounding relentlessly to the point where he could barely lift his head off the ground. He felt so dirty. Everything felt so wrong.. until he saw the scene before him. The scene alone was enough to cause bile to rise up all the way up to his throat. It was like some sick slaughter house. A elven man with his throat ripped apart, blood pooling around him. His ribs were sticking out of his chest like stilts.

Briar was able to gather himself up off the ground, stumbling forward a little. Upon further inspecting the corpse, he was able to notice these deep wicked claw marks on the man's arms and legs. Who could have done this to him..? Most importantly.. what could have done it to him.

The prince rubbed his head, brows furrowing upon noticing traces of bloodied footprints. They looked like whoever it was... they left in a hurry.
What surprised Briar the most was that nobody moved him. In fact, nobody even dared to touch him. Perhaps they recognised his facial features, and recognise him as the prince. Though it was also possible that they didn't, since they were always so used to seeing him so well groomed, and not like this. Or, perhaps they were too terrified to even touch him, since he was with Yaena...

Yaena.

Immediately, Briar burst out from the back of the kitchen, outside of the tavern, and out into the open streets. He was getting strange stares from bystanders, from everyone. They were staring at him as if he had two heads, as if he was some maniac.

Good. At least it wasn't difficult for him to push through the crowds, as people generally kept a fair distance from him. He was dirty, clothes stained in blood. Doesn't sound like the person you'd want to be near.

He was terrified. His heart was threatening to burst it's way out of his chest it was beating so hard. He could hear it all the way up in his ears, every other noise around him sounding muffled and drowned out. His breath was shaky, and his legs felt like thin brittle sticks.
What if something happened to her? Oh Gods, what if something did happen to her?

He needed to find her.

_____

Now, instead of witnessing a literal horror scene, he ended up in some cute little cottage at the outskirts of town, bickering with some old woman. It was difficult for anyone to take him seriously while being in a state like this - he almost had the door shut in his face so he had to just flat out say that he is the prince and not some crazed lunatic! The audacity!

Of course, Briar attempted to seal the deal with bribery, and he offered the old woman money to keep quiet that the prince himself visited her cottage in this state, however she flat out refused and assured Briar that she wouldn't tell a soul.

It was only then that the old woman allowed Briar inside, and led him straight to Yaena. Briar whispered something to the old woman, and she nodded silently in understanding before leaving the two alone. Perhaps Briar asked her to leave, then.

Briar... he didn't even know where to begin. When he heard the door gently closing shut behind him, he started pacing back and forth. He would stop occasionally, opening his mouth as if he was about to say something, however he would soon close it and return straight back to pacing once more. He would do this a couple more times, before finally he mustered up the courage to even speak to her. "... First of all; don't comment on my appearance, I know I look like a crazed lunatic." he muttered, holding up his hand, index finger pointing towards the ceiling. "Second of all... what the fuck?"

A great way to begin.

Though in truth, Yaena looked even worse than he did. His clothes only looked like they were splattered with blood. She however looked like she was covered in it. Like she bathed in it. It was all starting to come together in his mind. Like finding missing puzzle pieces.

"Yaena..." Briar spoke, his voice containing this cold chill. He stood very still now, expression a mixture between horror, confusion and disgust. "Did you do it..?"

He didn't want to throw blames just yet, as she too seemed horribly confused just like he was. He hated to admit that fear was starting to return to him; a deep seeded dread. However, at the same time, he was slowly starting to feel like there was something... something very, very crucial that Yaena has never told him of. He expected them to both have secrets. He too has a secret that they even gotten into a fight over back at the gardens.. but this...

"Tell me everything." he frowned, his eyes maintaining this harsh coldness within them, however at least it seemed like he was willing to hear her out. "From the top. I want to know everything."

 

[bambi-under-the-sky]

Yaena has done many things that were not necessarily good, she participated in the doctor’s experiments on people, she had done her fair share curses on people she thought “deserved it”, and she has used her powers on people who did not deserve it. However, Yaena was not a murderer she wasn’t the nicest person in the world but she valued human (and) elvish life! Most of the time she had always had a good altruistic reasoning behind her misdeeds but this, she had never done something like this!


The memories were slowly coming back to her, she remembered being in a kitchen and suddenly getting attacked, and then she was walking down the streets looking like a legend to scare children and her last memory was crying and screaming while an old woman spoke to her in elvish. Even before Briar came into her room she was pacing, she could smell the blood, but it made no sense. Not just because Yaena wasn’t a violent person but she had always had control over her powers and her actions, it was the reason why she so rarely drank, it was the reason why she practiced her spell-casting every day. Her powers were her own, she controlled them they didn’t control her.

But, she knew in her bones what happened, she might not remember the worst parts of it but she knew all her life, ever since she had that amulet she had always been hungry but no food ever even came close to satisfying her. Usually meat was the best bet but even that was useless, it was less hunger and more as though there was an aching beast that wanted a chance to sink it’s teeth into something. For the first time since was a child, she felt full, were it not for the absolute whirlwind of trauma that wa snow in her life, she would be feeling good. She was wide awake, her skin was brighter, her eyes clearer, she could probably run up that tower and not need so much as a second to breathe.

Yaena did you do it?

No, she wanted to shout at him, wasn’t it obvious? She could be a little cold, a bit entitled and she had a darker sense of humor but violent? That wasn’t her? Instead she trembled looking him in the eye, before her face crumbled, this being the first time she couldn't handle eye contact. The answer was obvious and Yaena had never in her life been afraid of the truth, unless something truly inexplainable happened, there was only one person who could have done it nd it was her. But she couldn’t believe it, usually when she used her powers against people, she made them feel pain, or she used the blood in their bodies against them, she wasn’t vicious, she didn’t fucking claw at people.


She shook her head, her eyes tightened, as he kept on talking to her, he was scared of her and that hurt even more. When she first came to this fucking kingdom she wanted people to be scared of her, she wanted to be the daughter of demons, she wanted people to speak softly when he was around. But she never wanted to be a monster, and after yesterday she never wanted Briar to be afraid of her. She wanted him to perhaps be the only person who didn’t define her by her mother or her blood magic abilities and got to know what she hoped was a gentle girl with a good sense of humor.

She couldn’t stop shaking her head before she began to sob, “I don’t know, I don’t remember,” She said before she swallowed hard, she had to say it but she couldn’t. “I don’t remember, I swear I didn’t know,” Her words were rambled, they didn’t know each other for very long but it was clear she was just as shocked. It wasn’t even a secret, truly, were her powers a secret? Yes, but if Yaena had known that she could ever do that she would have never wanted to leave her tower.

Yaena would have flung herself into the sea and let the gods take her, because what use did someone like her have?

Her hands went to her face as she sat back down on the bed, he asked her what she remembered, and she was going to tell him, she wasn’t going to lie, she was going to say everything she could recall. God this was a mess, she wished she had at least been able to find out by herself, but now she was finding out with him and it was even worse. This was more important than their marriage, this was her thinking she had a chance at a life and it was taken away from her. This was Yaena thinking she was a certain kind of person for twenty two years and then that person being ripped away from her.

“I-I went outside because I had a headache, a-and the owner told me he could make some food for us because we were so drunk so I went to the back of the kitchen.” The image was slowly clearing up in her mind, she had been so tipsy that she took the jam with her fingers and then licked them, having no care for etiquette (or health). “I was eating and then one of them attacked me,” She winced, she had been sh scared then, “And I was on the floor and one of them, h-he got on top o-of me and..”

No no no, she could remember now, it was like a dream sequence, the real Yaena, if such a thing existed had fallen asleep and the nightmare took control over her body. “O-oh my god,” She stammered before crying again, “O-oh my god.” What did she do?

“And then I woke up here, I didn’t remember anything,” She insisted, “I don’t know what happened, I swear it’s never happened before.” She had so much she wanted to say but she couldn’t, truly if he had offered her a poison she would have gulped it.

 

[Average.]

He has never felt so overwhelmed in his life. His emotions felt like a cauldron that was spilling and bubbling over with hot water, like an enraged sea that crashed into him over and over and over again until he finally drowned. He stayed silent and listened to her rambling, listened to her sobbing. If she remained calmer, more collected.. he would have dared interrogate her further. However upon seeing her like this.. he would never forgive himself if he made her feel any worse than she felt now.

I was on the floor and one of them, he got on top of me and..

Now, the most dominant emotion inside him was rage. He felt as if the very blood in his veins was boiling, and now any pity that he may have felt for those men was all gone. Erased, replaced into nothing but searing hatred.

Before then, he felt frozen. He felt like he couldn't move any closer to her, like he could never look at her the same way. Like every time she would ever try to touch him from now on, he would just recoil away from her. But after listening to her, after seeing her puffed up face, her glassy eyes in a beautiful mix of confusion, regret, fear and trauma... he couldn't fear her. He couldn't hate her. He just couldn't..
She was still the same Yaena that he grew to enjoy being around. He enjoyed her company, and he will continue to.. even if things may never be the same between them ever again.

He watched her tears fall, like pretty little crystals. He was trying to find the right words, however through all this shock he could barely even breathe. He opened his mouth once again, though no words came out. What could he even say to her now? How could even possibly comfort her-

Suddenly, with two quick steps, he closed the distance between himself and her. It was funny, almost. Even before he discovered this dark side of her, he has never been this close, this intimate with her as he was now. And yet now...

He wrapped his arms around her tightly, pulling her into a hug. He could feel her heartbeat hammering against her chest, just like his. They were both beating in perfect rhythm to each other, like birds that have found their song. The world was spinning around him, everything blurred except for her. All care seemed to have been taken from him, and all he could think about was her.
He didn't care how they would explain their overnight disappearance to his parents. He didn't care that they were both dirty, covered in blood, their clothes feeling sticky from it.

Her hair's scent was a mix of shampoo, alcohol and that sharp metallic smell of blood. It looked matted, a couple small strands stuck to her forehead and cheeks from the blood and the sweat. He brushed a couple of her raven black strands out of her face, and he made an attempt to wipe away her tears with his thumb, even if they just continued to fall.

The emotions... it made him want to cry too. He wanted to, yet at the same time he didn't. The last time he ever cried was on the day he found out about his brother's death. He could barely see, his tears were blinding him. He remembered it clear as day. But it felt good to cry, at least sometimes. And right now he just really felt like he needed it too.

So he let a tear fall. And then another. And another.

If anyone was staring at them right now, they would have looked so ridiculous to them. They looked so out of place inside this little cute cottage. All covered in blood, dirtier than the poorest of beggars, just sitting on the bed together while hugging and crying.

He was glad that she couldn't see his face yet. He would prefer if he could get himself to stop crying before they finished hugging. But from what it seemed.. they might remain like this for quite a while. Briar soon lifted a hand and gently stroked the back of her head. He could feel the way she was shaking, even in his embrace. "Hush, it's alright.." his voice was barely higher than a whisper, and he continued to gently caress her. "They... They will never try to harm you again.." It felt so strange speaking. His voice sounded so hoarse now.

Before she spoke he may have thought otherwise, however now he could see... Yaena wasn't a monster. Others may see her as one, but he knew that she was not a monster. She wasn't. The true Yaena was the one he has taken out hippogriff riding, the one he took out to town and had a good time with. The Yaena that she has shown towards those men... it was not the true her. He wanted to believe that, and he would believe that. He continued to hold her tight in his embrace. He didn't care that the monster that was inside Yaena could jump out at him at any second and tear out his throat just like it has done with those men.

Yaena wasn't that monster. It just... lived inside her. It festered inside her, a bloodthirsty creature.
That monster isn't her.

There were still so many questions that he had left to ask. However he didn't want to overwhelm her any further. Answers could come later, when both of them felt less shaken up by everything. For now... words were their enemy. All they needed was a bit of silence.

And each other.

 

[bambi-under-the-sky]

Yaena was not sure what she was expecting. She was being honest when she said she wouldn’t hold any reaction that Briar had against him, he could call her horrible, demand that she be gone from his country by the end of the day and she would accept it. She had absolutely no idea how she would have reaction if the situations were reversed, because what even was this? She wished she had at least an idea of what came over her, you would think if you turned into a bloodthirsty, cannibalistic monster (though was human eating elves cannibalism? That would be a debate for her medical journals) you would have known by now.

Usually, she was okay when people were angry or upset with her, it wasn’t that she enjoyed it but Yaena approached those conflicts in a very cerebral way. Either she didn’t regret her actions and in that case she would have no problem defending them or she made a mistake and she would do what she could to rectify that. But, Yaena didn’t make a mistake it wasn’t like she was trying to heal him and messed up or back at the garden where she acted out bounds, she wasn’t even able to make a choice.

She heard foot steps coming over and she couldn’t help but flinch, worried that he was going to attack her. If you had asked her to list all of Briar’s potential actions in the order of what she thought was most likely to happen, anything that could be classified as affection would be down at the bottom.

But that what happened, when she first felt his arms around her she froze, not trusting that what she did was the truth. The last time she was hugged was when she left Zhicra, her brothers and her mother both embraced her before they saw her off but that was different. She felt so much genuine affection from this man, that it felt wrong. It was as though she had gotten so used to the cold that she was now too weak for warmth.

She wrapped her arms around him , embracing him in return, she could hear his own heartbeat and she grabbed onto it. Using it to anchor her in this moment, she did not receive much affection even in the best of times and not to be dramatic but this was not the best of times. She buried her face, on a minor positive note, both of them were so messed up that there was no worries that her tears would ruin his shirt anymore than it had already been ruined.

Her breathing began to slow, she was by no means calm but at least she was getting stable, she felt embarrassingly the way she did when she was a child looking at her powers for the first time. Her mother had asked her to practice her blood magic on some stray cats and seeing all the kitties in such pain made the five-year-old burst into tears.

She would never harm him, even yesterday Yaena knew that she couldn’t kill him, but now she knew that no matter what she would never hurt him. There was a reason she ran, and it wasn’t just guilt, even in that frenzied state she had enough of her old heart to will herself to run away rather than risk what would happen if she had seen a sleeping, drunk Briar. The emotions she felt for him were too deep to describe, and no matter what happened, no matter if this was the last moment between them and he would never be affectionate with her again, she would never be able to bring herself to hurt him. She didn’t care if that made her a bad human, a bad daughter, or a bad Zhicran.

She could hear his breathing grow ragged and she realized that he was crying too, not many people were willing to cry in front of her. Either because they didn’t trust that she would be able to handle it or they felt like it made them weak, she looked up at his face and a sad, tear stained smile appeared. Yaena wanted to be there for him, not because of any bullshit about it being her duty as a wife, but because she wanted Briar to feel as safe and cared for around her as she did in this moment.

She tentatively put her hands on his face, they were both dirty anyway (oh the only moment of true joy she was going to get would be when Reina saw the two of them). She wanted to tell him thank you, but he already knew so she moved her head back down and buried it in his neck.


—-

“Where in God’s name could she be?” Reina demanded to another servant, in front of the new princess’ room.


Reina wondered if she had scared her off already, she was late and ten minutes turned to fifteen turned to her storming upstairs, prepared to lecture that, bratty, insolent child about how she would have to get a lot tougher if she wanted to ever have a chance at being even a decent queen.

She looked at Eide, while nobody would call her soft with her serving lady, she did hold her above all other servants in this place, “Go to his royal higness’ room, see if the couple have already gotten acquainted with eachother.”

 

[Average.]

The two of them stayed like that for another while, and they would have if the old woman didn't enter the room. Before they left, she gifted them with a basket full of jars, which were filled with freshly made jams of many flavours. She also let them at least bathe, and gave them fresh clothes before sending them on their way. All the two could do was silently nod their thanks towards the old woman for being so understanding and hospitable. It was then that it dawned upon them that... they were gone from the palace for the entire night. Now it was nearly noon, and they still weren't back.

Well, they were dead. For sure.

They were still shaken after what happened, however at least they found the strength within them to begin their slow return back up to the palace. Briar took them through alleyways and the less populated areas of town, simply to increase their chances of being seen by as little amount of people as possible.

Now, they were in Briar's room, still unable to leave each other's warmth and comfort. It would have been better if they went their separate ways, however Yaena still appeared so shaken even after their return to the palace. Briar couldn't bring himself to leave her. So he invited her up to her room, pushing aside all thoughts and worries about how wrong it may seem to anyone that noticed them.

The prince's room was slightly bigger than Yaena's, yet it's luxury was at about the same level. He had his own balcony, a giant king sized bed, and of course the room followed the same white and gold theme as the rest of the palace. However, what stood out the most in his room was this massive bookshelf. Everything else in the room looked perfect, looked good as new. However the bookshelf, it was clear that it has aged. There were a few spots on it where the paint has chipped. It wasn't dirty or dusty; it was just an old piece of furniture. Older than any other piece of furniture in the room, and it stood out.

Briar didn't allow any servant to touch his bookshelf; he even cleaned it himself. For whatever reason, the prince held some sort of attachment to it. An attachment that reached deeper than just the fact that he loved books. Above the bookshelf there was a wooden bow hung up on the wall - it had intricate little designs carved into it, however they were in no shape or form professional. They looked like they were carved by a child. The carvings looked clumsy and improper, and there were many areas in the wood that needed smoothing. Unlike the bookshelf - which was mainly free of dust - the bow had a layer of dust over it, indicating that perhaps it hasn't been touched for a long while.

Briar and Yaena have made an agreement with each other before arriving - they would only spend a maximum of five minutes in here before Yaena would leave and attend her lessons, while Briar would go see his parents. However, those five minutes soon turned into ten. And those ten minutes turned into twenty. Yaena didn't want to leave, and Briar didn't want her to leave. So they remained.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and Briar almost jumped before looking over his shoulder to see who it was. He recognised the face of the servant, however he couldn't exactly recall her name.

...

Before Elide knocked, she had her ear pressed against the surface of the door. She heard the muffled voice of the prince. She could just barely make out what he was saying, in fact all she could hear were fragments of sentences. However, he was speaking in elvish, that she could tell. Or no, he was speaking in the common tongue.

No.. both. First he would say something in elvish, and then he would repeat what he said, however he would say it in the common tongue instead. Was he translating? To who? Could the princess actually be in there? But that was forbidden!

That was when she knocked.

Elide tried not to betray her shock when she saw the princess in the prince's room. They were together. In here. And they weren't even married yet! Oh, just wait till Lady Reina hears of this! She will give them an earful!

They were sitting near each other on the bed, with Prince Briar holding a book in his hand. That was when realisation came to Elide; the prince was reading to Princess Yaena. The book was in elvish, so he would read a sentence as it was before translating it into the common tongue for her to understand.
Why did the prince even feel the need to read to her when it was Lady Reina's job to teach Princess Yaena of their language?

Now, the prince was staring at her in silence, waiting for her to speak. Elide's throat bobbed slightly as she swallowed, before she gained the courage to speak. "Your Royal Highness... Lady Reina has been looking for you." she turned to Yaena. "And.. Prince Briar. She asked for your presence too." she tried not to display any hesitation, however it was difficult. She has never walked in on a scene like this before. It was so strange to witness. These two looked as if they have been best friends for a lifetime. As if they were more than just a prince and a princess that have been betrothed to each other for the sake of peace between their nations.

Briar blinked, glancing at Yaena before looking back at the servant. "Oh. I see." he sounded surprised. Why would Lady Reina want both of them? He understood if it were his parents asking for their presence, and he was dreading his next visit to them. He could already picture it; his parents were going to give them the scolding worth lifetimes.

He didn't want to go, however on one hand he did prefer going if Yaena had to go. If it meant being near Yaena, then he would even be willing to go to that unbearable old shrew.

"Lady Reina awaits for you near Princess Yaena's chambers." Elide stated. "Would His Royal Highness be fine with me heading in to clean his room?"
The room was cleaned not too long ago, however it was as if Elide wanted to go inside and clean up simply because Yaena was in there.

Briar rose a brow yet he shrugged. "If you see it as necessary then of course. Go ahead." he gave the servant a slight nod before leaving with Yaena over to her room, where they knew Lady Reina would be waiting.

Elide flashed a smile at the prince before he left and she watched them until they disappeared down the hall. Once they have disappeared, only then did Elide proceed to enter the prince's room.

 

[bambi-under-the-sky]

“Speak honestly with me, how foolish do I sound?”

Yaena could listen to Briar speak Elvish all day, it was such a pretty, intricate language. Occasionally, if they got a passage it would be her turn to read it out loud in elvish, or at least attempt to. It was not necessarily that the princess’ pronunciation was bad but she had only just learned the language and it showed. After her attempts at mimicking his pronunciations of phrases she would burst into embarrassed giggles. Yaena had learned languages before, but never when she was in the country that spoke the language, and if she happened to have been talking to a foreign diplomat then they would simply be charmed that she took the time to learn.

When Elide came in she was less shocked, and she tried to hide her disappointment. Not only was she enjoying her time with Briar so much, but she would rather clean through the royal family’s trash bin than to talk to Reina right now. She didn’t like the women no matter the occasion, but when she was with Briar she could forget the horror of last night and whens he was around Reina she would remember, she was afraid of her own anger now.

When they reached her room, Reina’s condemnation came quickly.

“What has gotten into you two?” She demanded looking between the both of them with a knife like glare in her eyes, “I asked around and nobody, not even your two guards,” Reina continued saying the last part directly to Yaena, “Had any idea where the two of you have been since midnight? Do you not understand the risks? I expected this from you,” But she then turned to Briar, although se was still disapproving her demeanor changed. Yes, Yaena was technically a part of the royal family now but she would never be a true part of it the way Briar was thus he earned more respect and some form of deference from the noblewoman.

“I know for a fact that you know better to this, not the mention, that you were found in each other’s rooms what were you even-.”

“Reading,” Yaena interrupted dryly, one good thing she could do was pull up her armor whenever people were yelling at her (and she was used to people yelling at her). She wanted to get angry, but until she got more answers she wanted to be cool-headed, not allowing her temper to take control of her. Or maybe it was fear she had to worry about, she was genuinely terrified of the two men at the tavern. She didn’t like Reina, but she had no fear towards the noblewoman. “I wanted to see the city before I went with the group and he obliged me.”

She paused for a few moments, she had forgotten all about her amulet because who would think about a piece of jewelry when you woke up covered in blood in a cabin? However, now that she saw Reina, she was suspicious. The servants here were mild-mannered, they didn’t seem to be the type who would make a mistake such as accidentally throwing away a piece of jewelry, “Lady Reina, I hate to accuse people of such acts but did you take my amulet?”

Reina bristled, “I’m not a child,” She said in a tone that suggested who the child was, “I don’t indulge in acts of pettiness.” However, Yaena could swear that she felt some element of discomfort, “We have a lesson and by the next hour I will be teaching and you will be learning it,” She then looked up at Bear again, “Alone. Imagine what your royal mother’s reaction would be?”

—​

Yaena thought that she would at least get chastised by the queen, in her experience kings did not usually care much about such matters but queens did. Often times, they had to have followed the same rules about honor and modesty and hated seeing someone break the mold. However, Reina was the only one who even seemed to acknowledge that they were gone.

At supper, she had expected at least one of them to bring it up. Maybe it wasn’t such a big deal? Yes it was not proper of them, but it wasn’t as though the king and queen learned that they were partying in a brothel and took their new friends to the palace. However confused she was, she was not going to take her blessings where she got them and she was not going to bring it up. She was just going to assume that the queen knew and didn’t care, maybe she didn’t have an inkling of how close the two have gotten and had no worries that they would “dishonor” themselves.

The betrothed pair were now walking around the palace again, something that they did two days ago but that felt like such a long time ago. Then, she barely knew him and he had just come across as a typical stuffy prince who thought that everything he said was final. He probably thought of her as a socially inept shrew, how their worlds have changed.

When their parents saw them, she linked arms but now they were away from prying eyes she held his hand, not out of romance but it felt more intimate to her. Arm linking was for when her brother walked down the aisle not for walking with her friend.

When they got to the lake, she remained quiet, but her quiet in itself was a statement. She didn’t want to bring it up, because she did not want to argue again so she said nothing. Hopefully Briar could understand that what she was trying to convey was this: remember when we saw the lake and we argued? See, I’m not doing that right now! She hoped he would tell her, he knew her dark secret (that she didn’t even know she had), and she wanted to know of him but she wouldn’t prey.

 

[Average.]

"Honestly? You sound very foolish."

Before Elide's interruption it was all giggles between them. "You just don't roll your r's enough!" he laughed. "Like this; rrrrrrrr." he then proceeded to read on a bit, putting extra emphasis every time he had to roll his r's there was an R in a word. They barely gotten past three whole pages of the book, as most of the time they spent laughing and giggling and making fun of Yaena's pronounciation attempts.

That was of course until Elide interrupted them.

Upon reaching Yaena's room, Briar held back the urge of rolling his eyes upon seeing the disgruntled maw- face.. of their wonderful Lady Reina. Briar had little to contribute to the conversation. It was more of a lecture though instead of a conversation since it was mostly Lady Reina that would just continue yapping on and on and on and oh dear Gods can she just shut up already-

Briar folded his arms to his chest, hardly even paying attention at this point, until Yaena brought up her amulet. He rose a brow and listened in closer, eyes focusing upon Reina once more. He noticed the signs of discomfort on her. Lessons of etiquette were not the only things he has been taught as a child. Those were mostly with his mother or with his mentor, however it was actually from his father that he learned how to read people. Countless of meetings within the royal court and all those boring shenigans turned out to not have been so useless after all. Besides the fact that he's gotten a decent understanding of how politics worked now, he also learned how to read people's expressions and body language. How to tear the masks they hid behind away from them by force if they were hiding the real them. Their true intentions. Some were easier to tear away than others however, but Reina's mask... it was cracking.

He could say nothing to Reina, despite the temptation to press her further about the amulet. The only time where he even noticed Yaena's amulet was when they were at the library. They were still on bad terms with each other, he remembered, however that was when she first asked him about his opinion on the amulet. He shown little care towards it, however now it seemed like Yaena's amulet was more important to her than he thought.

____

At last, the two were alone once again. In truth.. Briar has not planned to bring her here only until recently. They were planning to go on a walk together, however only around the courtyard since it would be fairly quiet at this hour.

However it was only now where Briar suddenly gripped her hand tighter, and they changed course from the courtyard.. into the depths of the royal gardens once more. Once again they found themselves inside a beautiful colour palette. There were bees buzzing around a patch of flowers, birds chirping from the drooping branches of the willows. And the wind. It whispered, causing the willow branches to hiss and sway softly.
He even noticed a hint of white in the bushes, before suddenly it moved and ran out onto the mossy path in front of them before disappearing into the undergrowth once more. A beautiful male peacock, with feathers as white as snow itself. They had peacocks wandering about the garden too, however they haven't seen any the last time they were here. They were a recent addition it seemed.

It was easy to tell from Briar's expression that he appeared.. nervous. His brows were furrowed, his cheerful glow gone. He was staring intensely ahead, contemplating and second-guessing. Only two days ago they were here, and he remembered the day where threats of murder were hurled, and where he called her a brat. He was almost amazed at how much they have changed.
Perhaps he seemed nervous because bad memories of their argument were returning to her, and they were, however that wasn't the reason why he was nervous at all.

Yesterday they have made a discovery together - a terrible monster, that slept inside Yaena. It burst awake when it felt threatened, however like many things, that may change over time. She lost control over herself, and she may do so again.

Yet now, Briar felt like it was his turn to tell her something. It took only two days for Briar to discover a terrible secret about Yaena, and he didn't feel like it was fair for him to keep his own secret from her any longer.

The garden grew more and more quiet the closer they neared the lake. Once again Briar could feel it's energy. It pulsated to the rhythm of his heartbeat. He could see the faint cyan glow from a distance. Even the wind grew quiet now.

They've reached the lake, stopping near it, near the patches of dead soil. Briar took in a deep breath before turning to face Yaena, releasing her hand. "No, we're not going to argue again." he decided to crack a joke, yet the chuckle that followed after felt forced. It felt like a glass that was half empty. "I brought you hear because I... I wanted to tell you something." there was hesitation in his voice, like he wasn't certain if he should continue with this or not.

"Remember when we argued because I refused to tell you why I don't want you near the lake?" he asked, taking a step closer to the lake and kneeling down near it. "I didn't lie that it will hurt you when you touch it." he frowned up at her, before suddenly rolling up his sleeve and dipping his hand into the glowing water. One may think that his flesh would start peeling and burning off his very bones, however it didn't. Nothing happened, nothing at all. "However... it won't hurt me." he said.

He went silent for a moment, in case she wanted to say something, maybe even ask something... yet she remained completely silent. Briar almost smiled to himself - she was still a great listener just as ever, still doing that intense owl-like stare. But he no longer felt like shrinking whenever she stared at him like that. Sometimes it would still catch him a little off guard, however he felt like he could say that he was... used to it by now? He thought so.

So he carried on. "My parents were behind the creation of this lake. Without it.. I probably wouldn't even be here today." he said, standing up and pulling his sleeve back down again. "I'm... how do I explain this... connected to it in a way. When I was born, the nurse told my mother that I would most likely not survive. I was born very sick, and no one could figure out what was wrong with me. They had no cure for me, but my parents refused to accept that I would die. So they turned to magic to keep me alive."

He broke his gaze away from her and turned to stare at the lake. There was... hate in his stare. Almost as if he was staring at his worst enemy. This lake.. this entity that was responsible for him even being alive right now.. he was staring at it with hate. "The secret has remained only between me and my family. Nobody else knows about this yet. You however will become a part of my family, and since you already revealed such a crucial secret about yourself... I thought it would only be fair to finally tell you why this lake is so important to me."

His hands clenched into fist. "Without this lake I'll fucking die. I can't ever be away from it. If I'm away from it, the sickness will return and it will start killing me." he almost growled. "It hates all other forms of life. It kills anything else it touches, except for me. And I hate it." there was anger in his eyes now, building up slowly like a volcano getting ready to explode. It just wasn't fair. He wanted to travel too. He didn't want to be dependant on this thing to live. He wanted to live by his own terms; he wanted to live like he wanted.

"I fucking hate it, Yaena. I don't want to only read about worlds outside of Eurus. I want to go to them! I want to see them for myself!"

 

[bambi-under-the-sky]

For a moment, Yaena wondered if peacocks made Briar nervous. She had never seen peacocks before but she assumed they were a common sight in the kingdom and he looked so stressed out, as though he was swallowing an ice cube.

I wanted to tell you something.

And of course, she tried to be a good listener, Theo only thing preventing her from it being that she was so curious that there was a part of her that wanted to ask him to clarify everything he told her. She almost forgot about her curiosity of the lake because of everything that happened these past few days but now that she saw it, she wanted to know everything. Not just because she was curious about all things magical, but because she had a feeling that learning about the lake would let her learn about him.

She was surprised that he didn’t lie that, mainly because it seemed too perfect to be true. An annoying human is asking about why she can’t go near the lake? Just tell her that if she went in it then she would be turned to burnt skin and bones. The only reason she hadn’t dipped her hand in to see if he was correct was because she would have been so embarrassed if her petulance had caused her to become grievously injured. Because he said he wasn’t lying when he reached out to touch it she put her hand on his shoulder as though to tell him he didn’t need to prove anything her.

It won’t hurt me.

The more she listened the more things made sense, on her first night here she had tried to theorize why the lake was so important. Her first theory was that it was a place of religious significance, in Zhicra they had what was called a blood tree in their forests, if the situations were reverse and she had been showing Briar around her home she would have asked him to not touch it unless he was with her. But no, most people had no problem explaining religion to others, it had to have been personal.

At him explaining the circumstances of his birth, how the lake saved his life, she kneeled down so that she could be next to him. Her dress was such that sitting was difficult but it was worth it. Before, she couldn’t stop staring at the lake because it was beautiful and so obviously filled with mystery, but now she couldn’t help but feel some form of reverence to it. Without it, Briar wouldn’t have been here and her life would be worse for it.

What stuck out to her wasn’t the story of the lake, it was fascinating but not unheard of, she was the daughter of a sorceress she had seen enchanted items before, it was how much he seemed to resent its very existence. It was strange to see someone so resentful towards something that kept them alive, it was like being angry at the air or…

…Being resentful towards one’s own mother.

With that realization, she realized she entirely understood his emotions. Of course, their situations were different, her mother was of course the reason she was alive but she didn’t “save” Yaena’s life. However, what kind of person would Yaena have become if she had a mother like Inka or even Viria (her sister-in-law and her sister). Her mother was the reason behind some of the traits that Yaena took pride in (her intelligence, her questioning of social norms and until this morning she was proud of her powers), but how often had she spent her days afraid?

She felt humbled with the reveal, honored even moose than this morning. Yes Briar had learned her secret this morning but truthfully, Yaena had no choice in that fact. Yaena had learned her secret that morning as well, but Briar could have gone his entire without telling her of the lake but he made the choice to let Yaena in. He saw Yaena as part of his family and it would be impossible for her to put into words just how much that truly meant to her.

I fucking hate it Yaena.

She put her legs out so that she was sitting comfortably now, wrapping an arm around him. She wasn’t even sure what to say in this moment, Yaena was fortunate, at least he wasn’t sobbing and covered in blood during his reveal but she still wanted to say something important. She could say she was “sorry about that” or express her sympathy and while there was nothing wrong with that, in her opinion that was what anyone would say and she didn’t want to just be anyone.

“I understand,” She admitted without getting into why she understood, not wanting to reveal too much and shift the conversational topic towards her. She moved so that she was on her own knees, how many of her dresses was she going to stain by the end of this week? “And I wish I could do something for you, take it away.”

The feelings have been growing in Yaena since the hippogriff flight, but she never fully realized that they weren’t just friendship until now. Yaena didn’t have many friends so she wasn’t always sure to know what friendship felt like nor did she fully know that friendship and romance were not contradictory and it was in fact a beautiful thing to feel so much for someone.

She put her hands on his face, “But I can thank you for telling me this, for letting me in,” She said quietly, “Nobody’s ever put as much trust in me as you have,” And that included even the brother that she missed terribly and the brothers who she was closest with.

Yaena stared at him, but it wasn’t her owl-like stare the one she put on to show she was actively listening or that she was curious about something. It was softer, and despite worrying that she was ruining their betrothal by potentially having unreciprocated romantic feelings, she leaned in to kiss him softly. If people saw them it may be a scandal, but she didn’t fully care. The only servant who seemed to ever take offense at their actions was REina’s personal one.

 

[Average.]

I understand.

Immediately, he wanted to burst out and say that she didn't. He wasn't angry at her, after all it wasn't her that has cursed him with this terrible illness. But it was still frustrating to him that he was here, shackled to this place. Yaena never wanted to leave her home, he knew this, however at least she had a choice. She had a choice whether she could leave or not, and now here she was, discovering lands that were new to her. It was that choice that Briar wanted more than anything.

Nobody's ever put as much trust in me as you have.

It was then that Briar's expression softened, and he tilted his head a little towards the palm of her hand. Towards her touch. The last time he has ever put so much trust into someone was when his brother was alive. He and his brother were inseparable, and whenever something troubled them they would always tell each other. After that, Briar doubted that there would ever be anyone in his life ever again that he could trust. Not even his parents were trustworthy to him. While yes, he did love them, he couldn't help but feel distant towards them.

His parents served as mostly teachers throughout his life, and while he was grateful to them for the lessons that they taught him... he rarely found any comfort in them. His mother, and especially his father.. they never wanted to support him in that way. Even when Lhoris died, they hardly even seemed upset. It distanced him from them more than ever.

He felt the need to say something to her, and he wasn't entirely looking her in the eye.. until now. No words were able to come out when his eyes locked with hers. Her stare... was he hallucinating or did it seem a lot softer than he was used to? Of course, her intense stare no longer brought him discomfort, however seeing her staring at him so softly.. it caught him off guard a little. It was nice though. It was nice seeing this side of her, where she didn't feel such a strong need to let him know that she was listening.

"Yaena I-" just when he was able to bring himself to speak, just when he has managed to soothe his thoughts.. he felt her lips on his. And his mind just went blank.

The storm of thoughts that was inside his head cleared up, not into a sunny clear blue sky, but into nothing. The world felt like it was spinning around him, and his eyes grew wide. He was frozen, not kissing back at all, not moving in to touch her at all. He was just sitting there like a mindless, dumbstruck fool.

When she pulled away slowly, he was still staring at her, his shock visible in his eyes. It wasn't the same shock that was in his eyes when they were at the cottage. No, not at all. This shock felt different. He just seemed.. overwhelmed rather than horrified.

He was no longer acting like some blushing school boy upon seeing a little bit of his crush's bare legs. He wasn't blushing, he wasn't acting flustered.

He didn't care anymore. All his worries of who would see them were just thrown out the window. All his thoughts of the lake, of marriage, of his future coronation, of Lhoris' death.. that entire cloud of thoughts evapourated into nothing. Nothing else mattered right now except for her. The entire world seemed blurry, like it was all some illusion since the very beginning. Like it was never even supposed to matter in the first place.

The only thing he heard was his heart hammering wildly before he just leaned in to kiss her once again. His kiss was different than Yaena's. It felt hungry, like he wanted more of her, like he needed more of her. He wanted to feel more of her soft, warm lips.
His eyes were now closed. He was drowning. Drowning in the moment, drowning in her.

He never realised his feelings until now. They were buried under a heap of anxiety, this whole entire time. He has failed to notice them grow in him, ever since that hippogriff ride. And now, she has once again showed him another side of himself that he didn't even know he still had within him. He never thought that he would ever be able to love someone like this.

Now, he couldn't help but question whether this was all a lie. Whether this was all some sick joke, some illusion. He hasn't known her for very long. It wasn't that he doubted his feelings towards her; he felt like he understood the line that existed between love and infatuation.
But the last person that he was close with was taken from him. He couldn't help but fear that Yaena would be taken from him too.

Yet for now, he would try not to think about it. Once his mind was perfectly clear, he felt so at peace. He would savour this moment while it lasted, he wouldn't allow for it to get tainted by negative thoughts that tormented him daily anyway.

Without even noticing, he sound found himself leaning over her a bit more and more, until he was on top of her. They were laying halfway on the soft grass, and halfway on the dead soil. He had one elbow braced against the ground on one side of her, while his other hand trailed slowly along her ribs, soon stopping at her hips.

Another outfit ruined then. Not like he cared, he could just purchase to have the same exact clothes made for him again - however with how quickly he was ruining his clothes this week it honestly made him wonder if he would even have anything proper to wear by the end of the week. Oh well.

Suddenly, Briar could hear rustling in the bushes, and before he could move, one of the albino peacocks that were running around jumped out from the bushes and stopped to stare at them. Briar cracked an eye open to look up at the peacock, brows furrowing a little with annoyance that the bird was essentially disturbing them and their moment.
The peacock tilted it's head in a bird-like manner before suddenly ruffling it's feathers, displaying it's beautiful snow white train to them. Each quill looked like it was covered in a thin layer of frost.

Briar couldn't help but let out a little chuckle of amusement at the peacock before looking down at Yaena once again. "I think he likes you. I'm jealous." he smirked.