{MIHO'S POV}
I wake up first. The red-eyed boy is sprawled out next to me, sleeping like the dead. I check his pulse to assure myself that he isn't actually dead.

His body is quite tenacious. Not many people could remain conscious with his level of injuries.

I check and clean his dressings, then go out to gather more blackberries. When I return, the red-eyed boy is awake so we split them.

I notice that he isn't talking a lot. I muster up my courage and open my mouth. "Name?"

It worked? It worked! All the awful memories which prevented me from talking feel so far away that they're merely a dull throb in my heart.

The red-eyed boy watches me carefully. "I'm Aoi."

I frown. That name sounds vaguely familiar.

Aoi-kun sighs, as if he were expecting this. "Go ahead and say it. People always ask why my name means 'blue' when my eyes are clearly red."

"Suits... you." I insist softly.

"And while you're at it, get it out about my eyes too." Aoi-kun continues like he didn't hear me. "The color of blood, an ill omen. I've heard it all."

Aoi-kun and I are more alike than I thought. Just by listening to him speak, I can tell that his unique eyes have brought him the same type of troubles my unique hair has brought me.

Aoi-kun is on a roll now. "Call them revolting. You wouldn't be the first. How about evil, demonic, cursed. I've heard it all. Or even—"

I grab his hand, and Aoi-kun stops.

"Pretty." I tell him. That's the truth. His eyes don't remind me of blood at all. They're the color of cherries and poppies, of garnet and ladybugs, and the evening sky. The color of fate.

Aoi-kun blinks. "Okay, that one was new."

"Was truth." I correct firmly.

Aoi-kun stares at me, confounded. I stare right back. I won't back down on this matter. He eventually looks away and scratches the back of his head, seeming a little bit flustered. "Thanks... uh..."

I point to myself. "Miho."

Aoi-kun grins and laughs. "Thanks, Miho!"

For the next few days, Aoi-kun and I stay hidden in the woods while I treat his injuries. We drink from my waterskin and eat edible plants.

He never brings up the fact that I can't speak more than three words at once. In Wilant castle, everyone only asked me yes or no questions. I would nod or shake my head, and they happily tip-toed around the mute elephant in the room.

Aoi-kun seems perfectly fine waiting half an hour for me to muster up the words to speak. He makes me feel normal. Not pressured to speak, which I find myself doing more and more.

I was right. Aoi-kun can help me express myself. I feel something I haven't felt in a while: hope (not that you'd see it on my face).

I know our blissful ignorance can't last. Finally, Aoi-kun asks the important question. "So Miho, what brings you here? Who are you?"

I've been debating whether or not I should tell him. Aoi-kun doesn't know who I am, although most people recognize me by my strawberry pink hair. But I trust Aoi-kun. I take the plunge.

I point to myself. "Clarines... princess... ran away."

Aoi-kun's eyes widen. He opens his mouth, then closes it. Aoi-kun repeats this process a couple times before grinning suddenly. "You're a princess. Of Clarines. You? Royalty? Really?"

At least Aoi-kun hasn't called me a liar yet. I raise my chin proudly and nod.

"That's really ironic, because so I am." Aoi-kun says, nonchalantly dropping a bombshell on me.

I open my mouth, but no words come out.

Aoi-kun snorts. "Royalty, I mean. I'm not also a princess of Clarines."

"Knew... that much." I deadpan.

"I mean, what are the odds?" Aoi-kun is laughing now. "A princess of Clarines runs away and meets a prince of Zoral who's also on the run!"

Now I realize why his name is so familiar. I read it before, in one of my war books.

Zoral is a highly militant empire on the eastern side of Fortissia. A minimum estimate of 85% of the citizens are involved with the military. Completely land-locked, however it has the most conquered land. Zoral is easily five times the size of Clarines.

Up until the current emperor took power, Zoral was starting wars with surrounding kingdoms, taking the land as part of their goal to unify the entire continent of Fortissia under one flag and emperor.

I saw Aoi-kun's name in a book on Zoral's royal bloodline and lineage. He's the son of the current emperor, the sole imperial prince of Zoral...

"Aoi Fujimiya."

Aoi-kun smirks. "So you've heard of me then. That makes introductions easier."

"Why... run?" I ask. What would the future ruler of the most powerful empire on the continent be running away from like a wounded deer?

Aoi-kun remains on the ground. Stretching out and putting his hands behind his head. He stares up at the sky with a grimace. "If you know about me, you probably know about my father?"

I nod, settling down next to him. Aoi-kun's father is Sei Fujimiya, also known as the Peaceful Emperor. When his own father died and he took the throne, Sei shocked the world by declaring armistice.

He doesn't share his ancestor's ambitions; he's perfectly content ruling the massive amount of land that's already in his possession.

Zoral is flourishing under Sei Fujimiya's rule. During wartime, Zoral would get supplies for their troops by defeating enemies and stealing all their supplies. Essentially, with the way it was before, Zoral was dependent on other kingdoms for food. If they didn't win, they didn't eat. But now, trade routes are opening and the empire is becoming self-sufficient.

"Father was murdered." Aoi-kun says softly.

I blink. "Coup d'état? Who?"

Zoral is an empire that values physical and mental strength. Even a commoner can rise to power if they have the strength to back it up. The emperor is the strongest of all. Therefore, Zoral's imperial family is rumored to be unbeatable.

Sei Fujimiya is—err, was—the most skilled emperor in generations, rather ironically due to his disdain for violence. He was a protector of the people and beloved by all. But based on the state Aoi-kun was in, Aoi-kun barely escaped Zoral with his life.

Sei Fujimiya loved his son. He wouldn't let him be harmed while he was alive. Who would dare to revolt against such an overwhelmingly powerful person?

"It was his younger brother, my uncle, Kenji." Aoi-kun snaps bitterly. "That coward! My uncle poisoned Father in his sleep."

"Now... emperor?" I deduce.

Aoi-kun nods. "Uncle covered it up. Everyone thinks Father's death was natural. Uncle claimed the throne by turning the nobles against me, since I'm a child. He convinced them that I'm too young and inexperienced to rule with proper strength."

Aoi-kun sits up, pulling his knees to his chest like he's trying to wrap himself in a ball to shield himself from all the unfriendliness of the world. It's a posture I'm well familiar with.

"Now the empire is under his thumb. Uncle drove me away. He wasn't able to kill me, because he doesn't have complete control of the court yet. Some nobles helped me escape out of loyalty to my father's legacy, those who don't believe Uncle is fit to rule. I've been running since then. Uncle will fill the court with his blood-thirsty followers and they'll restart all the previous wars, crushing everything Father worked for. Uncle will drive Zoral to ruin!" Aoi-kun clenches his fists angrily. Then he relaxes again, resigning. His head droops. "Uncle was right. I'd be an terrible emperor. I couldn't even fight back against him."

"You'll... stop him?"

Aoi-kun looks at me miserably. "It's hopeless. I heard rumors on my way here. The east is in a tense state. Uncle is forcing the citizens to take up arms against our neighboring kingdoms. My people are suffering."

"Stop... him." I repeat. "Try."

I grab Aoi-kun's hand and squeeze. He looks down at it then up at me. Determination replaces sorrow.

"You're right, Miho. Zoral needs me more than ever. I can't keep running from my fate. I have to take back what's rightfully mine, save my people, and avenge my father. I have to try, even if I'm alone."

His body wilts. It's a lot of pressure to put on the shoulders of a thirteen year old boy. He hasn't hit puberty yet and a whole empire's—perhaps the whole continent's—fate depends on him.

Wait a minute. If Aoi-kun wants to take back Zoral, he'll need to start a rebellion. In other words, a war.

I'm good at war.

Plus, if it's on the other end of the continent, my family won't be drawn into the fighting. Best of all, I can prove myself and help Aoi-kun, which will in turn help me heal. A win-win situation.

Why not? I didn't have a destination before. Now I do. For the first time in my life, I have a purpose beyond my hair being eye candy.

"Not alone." I say firmly, squeezing Aoi-kun's hand harder as the only way I can express my support.

He looks at me, wide-eyed. "You'll help me?"

I stand, pulling Aoi-kun up with me. We face east together; I point in the direction of Zoral, toward the dawn of my new life.

As proof that anything is possible, I speak the longest sentence I have in years: "That is... Aoi-kun's desire... let's... start a... revolution."