Thief of Hearts ♡

All was quiet save the hooting of owls in the distance, and the rustle of the leaves as they swayed in the light breeze. Hours had passed since the Princess had retired to her tent and Adrian's watch had gone without surprise. Now another of the knights- Sir Meric- Was keeping the watch, his back turned to the camp so he could keep his eyes on the road and any danger that might come that way.


Carefully peeling back his bedroll- he had chosen to sleep under the stars rather then lie under the thin canvas of his tent- Adrian stepped lightly around the other knights tents, careful to make sure he did not cast a shadow in the scant light of the moon and the stars. It was a bright night, the moon hanging heavily in the sky impregnated by the sun, making the stars pale in contrast. It was easy to see where to place his feet to avoid any crunching leaves or sticks that might give him away. Easier still to place himself on the opposite side of the Princess' tent, away from the prying eyes of sir Meric should he turn and look in this direction.


"Princess Anatëruiel," Adrian kept his voice low, hoping that he could awaken the princess without doing anything drastic. He wanted to woo the Princess, not make her believe him some petty pervert. "Are you awake?" He stayed crouched, eyes and ears open for any signs of the Princess or another of the knights stirring. It wouldn't do to get caught whispering through Ana's tent after all.
 
Unfortunately, despite earlier claims regarding the seemingly comfortable cot, the princess certainly was failing to obtain her beauty sleep. Her back, much more used to silk and feather bedding, wasn't accustomed to the uncomfortable inflexibility of the makeshift bed. As a result, Ana was barely asleep, drifting in between the lines of legitimate slumber and mere conscious resting. It was dark in her mind, much darker than it was on most nights, adding to the already restless dozing.


To say Ana had been startled awake was an understatement. She jumped awake with a gasp, nearly falling off of her cot, not used to its small dimensions. Luckily, she caught herself, however, her stomach churned with fear upon realizing that nobody was in the tent; had she dreamed somebody calling her name? Yet another gasp escaped, although much more quiet, when she heard a voice more clearly. There was but one person she knew who could speak her elfish name with such eloquence, excluding her relatives and frequent visiting nobles.


"S-Sir Adrian?" She called out tentatively, oblivious to his attempts at remaining incognito. "Where are you?" Attempting -and failing miserably- to stare through the cloth of the tent, Ana's brows furrowed slightly, still unsure whether she was lucid or sound asleep. Waiting for a reply she could only hope would come, she adjusted her dress absentmindedly, bringing her braided hair to rest over her left shoulder.
 
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Adrian's heart jumped as Ana called out, and he quickly lifted his hand to his lips laying one finger across them despite her inability to see him. He glanced around quickly, checking the other tents for signs of movement- grateful that the only thing he could hear was a light snore coming from one of the tents behind him.


"Shhh, It's just me princess, Don't fret- I'm outside of the tent." Adrian took in a deep steadying breath, trying to calm his jumpy nerves. This was risky- but if he pulled it off he would be that much further ahead. "There was something I thought you might like to see. Though I doubt our other companions would approve of a jaunt through the woods simply to sight-see..." Adrian clenched his hand against his leg feeling the comfort of the dagger strapped there. Even without his armor or sword strapped to his side- Adrian was never without a weapon.


Still, he couldn't help but feel some apprehension. He didn't have enough of a feel for the princess to know how she might react to such an offer. Going out into the woods with him alone? It wasn't something a wise woman would do, especially not one who had so obviously had a restrictive upbringing. Still, this was the only area he knew that this phenomenon happened. Tonight was the perfect night for it- now it was just a question of convincing the Princess.
 
Upon having heard Adrian's comforting words, Ana was able to roll her shoulders back in relief. Better guided, she turned her head in direction of where his voice derived. If she stared hard enough, she could make out a much darker silhouette than the already dark shadow cast over the cloth. Was he . . . crouching? Once more, her brows knit, this time in confusion, as she rose to her feet and sauntered over quietly. Sight seeing? He wished to head out at this time of night? While darkness reigned over the lands? Was he ill?


"Sir Adrian," She began cautiously, the sound of her voice echoed his, merely above a whisper. "Is it not dangerous to journey out of the camp at this time of night?" Surprised by her own words, Nalleth had surely been expecting a phrase of defiance as opposed to a borderline willing one. A flare of rebellion lit up once she realized that this was a choice she could make all on her own. She, Ana, had the absolute choice as to whether she risked her safety for her own pleasure, or choose to make the wiser, safer choice and remain within tent proximity, avoiding all possible dangers. At this point, the decision wasn't all that difficult.


"One moment, Sir Adrian," She spoke before he could speak, already heading to tent's flap. As quick as she could, she slipped on a pair of shoes and finally stepped out, quickly rounding the corner to meet him. Had she been anywhere else with anyone else, she would've chosen wiser. But the immense satisfaction she felt having chosen a more dangerous, more exciting activity with a man who had spent the entire day speaking of wild adventures with his relatives through scars and good humour, well, it was more than enough for her.


Who knew, perchance she'd even obtain her own scar.
 
Adrian had to keep from yelling his triumph as the princess walked out of his tent, she stepped quietly- He wondered if she had ever snuck out of her rooms to have learned to move that lightly. Still, better to be careful then not. He held one scarred finger to his lips, the shadows almost hiding the many marks marring his visage. He looked younger, more alive- in the depth of his element.


"Try to follow my steps as accurately as possible." He turned, each placement of his foot deliberate and careful. He ghosted across the forest floor with a dexterity that was rather surprising for his size, every motion near silent with only the rustling of cloth as a memory of his passage. He moved quickly, not waiting for the Princess to follow- hoping that if he didn't give her enough time to reconsider then she wouldn't think better of following him out of camp.


It reminded him of old times with his brothers, sneaking out of the house in the dead of night. They would head into the city and steal into the houses of nobles simply to play at being of a higher station themselves. Of course, that isn't to say they never stole anything- just that stealing wasn't the main goal of their escapades. Unlike now, where it seemed all he ever did was with the intention of theft. He glanced over his shoulder to ensure the princess was following alright, a small thought nibbling at the corner of his mind. Is stealing all you really hope to accomplish from this?
 
A small, firm nod was the single indication that the princess had understood his warning – stealth was crucial at a time like this. Though she had but not a clue as to where she was allowing a rather recent ally to lead her to, there mere satisfaction of going through the motions her father wouldn't agree with was enough to put her naive faith into Adrian. Moreover, he was a sworn knight to her own kingdom, what princess would she be not to trust a dignified soldier?


The first few steps Ana attempted to mimic would have been laughable had they been in any other situation; the branches seemed to scream due to the otherwise heavy silence. However, once she'd pulled the hem of her dress over her ankles, the task grew easier, and although her footing wasn't nearly feline-like as Adrian's, she managed not to evoke any unwanted attention.


Ana's gaze was trained on the back of his feet with such concentration, her brow knitted together slightly, her eyes trying to send specific signals to her feet to step directly where Adrian had. The one time she lost focus was when she lost her footing for a half second, however, she regained it in spite of having stepped on a dead, crackling leaf. She looked up just in time to meet his eye as he glanced behind him. In assurance, she offered a delicate smile, perchance a little apologetic for her small mishap.


“Where are you taking me?” She asked once she deemed the both of them far enough away from the camp. Her voice didn't perturb the forest's silence as it was soft and quiet, almost timid-sounding.
 
Adrian glanced over his shoulder, shadows throwing his face into high relief. His lips parted in a grin, white teeth flashing in the dim light. He was surprised at her deftness, even with the few small mistakes he had heard. Not many nobly reared young ladies could say as much. Then again, not a lot of noble ladies would like to say they were at least mildly adept at sneaking around in the woods with an unknown knight. In fact the more he thought about it, the more surprised he was that the princess had actually decided to follow him.


"A more apt question would be 'Where am I leading you'. I would like to think that you were following me of your own free will. I don't normally take things I don't intend to." Adrian chuckled softly, his deep tones easily dissipating in the night air. Mixing with the sounds of nightlife and his now audible footsteps. The time for stealth was now over.


"There's a small cave just up here- behind the waterfall. Not many people know of it's existence. I thought that it might be something you could appreciate- of course, I've only ever told one other person about this spot. I would appreciate it if you could be discreet." The last thing he needed was traffic ruining the natural beauty of the cave. This could be a vital step towards reaching his end goals.


They could now hear the babbling of the river over the sound of the leaves and the animals. Beyond that, the dull roar of the waterfall. A sound that could almost be felt more so then heard- like a throbbing from the soles of his feet up. Hopefully she wouldn't mind a little bit of water. Well, he would just have to shield her from the worst of it himself.
 
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A quiet titter sounded from Ana's lips at Adrian's correction of her sentence. “My sincere apologies,” She murmured, mildly amused. She quickly fell into step with him, not wanting to trail behind if she didn't have to. The scenery was pleasant to the eye, to say the least.


“A cave,” She mused, the word strangely foreign to her in terms of sight; she'd never seen a cave if you excluded the descriptions books offered her. “I've never been in a cave.” Nalleth was glad for the darkness, otherwise the pink currently highlighting the apples of her cheeks would have turned a darker, more embarrassed shade. It was odd, not to mention ironic, how insignificant she felt standing beside Adrian. He'd done so many of this and many more of that while this was her first, mature time travelling outside of her kingdom walls.


There were some questions the princess wished to ask, but was much too afraid to ask. Questions such as if all waterfalls had caves hidden beneath their stream of water, or did fauna reside in these secret undermines. “If I may, how did you come to find this cave?” Already she could hear the rumble of the waterfall, a sound familiar to her elven ears. She couldn't exactly remember how it had come to be, but it brought a vague feeling of reassurance and serenity.
 
Adrian smiled down at the princess, his eyes dark in the low light of the forest around them. That she had never been inside a cave before did not surprise him. Allow the princess of the realm to dive into filthy, damp, dank, dark caves? Where danger is a distinct possibility? It was of course something he had taken into account. What he had not expected was how calmly she was taking all of this. Either she was incredibly brave, or incredibly stupid.


So far she had given him no reason to doubt her intelligence.


"Well I hope you won't be disappointed. As to how I found it... Well I literally stumbled upon it. You'll see soon, but the cave roof is open to the sky." Adrian hopped up to the entrance of the cave, kneeling and lowering his hand to help the princess up. She was light and graceful on her feet, and Adrian regretted that he only had a moment to take in the view. He quickly moved to the waterfall, lifting his arm to block as much of the water spray as he could to the entrance of the cave.


"Hurry now- it's cold." The water was cold, and he had to suck in a quick breath as it soaked through the cotton of his undershirt. He could feel the droplets of water chilling his skin, and still there was only a narrow space to walk through to get past the falling liquid.
 
“Oh my,” Ana began, a teasing smile tugging at the corner of her lips. “That is disappointing.” The light and amused tone of her voice nullified the words she'd spoken. She paused in her steps as she watched him hop up on top of what she could only guess was the cave's mouth. It was remarkable how easily he seemed to carry himself despite his height and weight. Where had he learned to be so agile? Ana didn't hesitate in taking his hand when it was offered, grateful her feet hadn't failed her when she stepped on the rock in order to not slip off.


She was taken aback by how quickly he'd blocked the water away from her in order to keep her own clothing dry. At his words, she immediately ducked and stepped through the narrow opening as quickly as she could, a bit of guilt now weighing on her shoulders.


“Sir Adrian,” She said, already untying the loose bow attaching the cloak to her back meant to keep her warm. “Here.” There was no hesitation as she held it out for him to use to dry himself off. It was made to absorb a minimal amount of liquid, but it was offered mostly to keep him warm; the night was chilly and she couldn't imagine remaining soaked in these conditions; it was better to prevent than to heal, that much Nalleth had learned. “I . . . that was kind of you.”
 
Adrian peered down at the offered cloak, lifting his hands not to take the offered fabric- but to curl the princess' fingers back over the expensive cloth. It was much too grand for the likes of him- and despite his best efforts he could still see a few spots of wetness here and there on the princess' clothes.


"Thank you princess. It warms me that you have concern for me. I wouldn't want to soak your cloak however, you may need it for the ride tomorrow." He smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling as it grew into a grin.


"Now I would tell you to close your eyes for the big surprise- but I fear you'll need them to see. The ground's a bit uneven here."


He didn't want to give her the opportunity to protest his taking the cloak, just like he didn't want to give her the opportunity to change her mind when she followed him out of her tent earlier. She was an interesting mixture or propriety and fiery kindness. It was addling him, and he wasn't quite sure what to do about it.


Well, he knew one thing he could do about it. That hardly seemed appropriate in this case, however.


He continued on through the cave, at first it grew darker and he checked frequently over his shoulder to make sure the princess was doing fine. He believed elven eyesight was better then his own- but it never hurt to be safe. Soon the cave began to lighten- a soft blue that seemed to permeate the very walls and floors.


The source, Adrian knew, came from a unique flower that he had only ever seen in this location. Not that he made a habit of diving into caves to find these particular flora- but he had certainly seen his fair share of underground caverns. This place was unique as far as he could tell, a small trickle of water running over the rock walls. Soft emerald green moss running underfoot.


And the focal point, flowers nestled in the center of the moss, glowing a soft blue with the light of the moon. Their petals clear like crystal. His eyes would not be focused on the beautiful flowers though, despite how scarce he had gotten to come back to this particular location. No, he wanted to see the princess' face when the room finally came into view.
 
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