"I think this is a risky choice," I said walking an arm's length away from Bretrarum as we walked through the forest we once came through.

"I know that Princess." He said treading so silently that it felt he was walking on air.

There was a slight ache in my chest as I was not that far away from him but I didn't say it out loud because that would mean my feelings were getting stronger.

"What if we don't find a cure," I said it more like a thought.

And now he stopped suddenly and I looked up at him to find his indigo eyes glaring at me in the moonlight.

"We will find a cure." He said with certainty and I nodded not to argue with him right now.

And then we kept walking in silence.

After an hour or so, the path where we last left me came into view and painful memory hit me again when he killed the general and was here to leave me at mercy of my relationship with Henley.

"Where do we go from here?" I asked not realizing that my hand was clutching my chest.

"What's wrong?" He asked, his eyes immediately laced with fear.

And I realized my mistake, immediately dropping my hands from my chest.

"I am fine, just too much walking made me tired." I lied.

While he was the masked guarded Prince who has betrayed me once, I can't just let my stupid emotions show.

"The poison is weakening you." He sounded stressed.

"Maybe we should have asked the Queen about the antidote."

"Already tried, she has no clue. She got it from a servant who she naturally got killed."

"That means it is sold somewhere within the Kingdom," I deducted feeling smart after saying it.

"No, that means Queen has been dealing in dark magic and have people deliver her things because poisons and such are only sold in my Kingdom," He corrected me.

"We are going back to Nevarlia?"

"No, we are meeting my right-hand man there, if he is able to buy the cure he will give it or at least he will be back with a location where we can find it."

"You could have called him in the Kingdom and neither of us had to run."

"People from my Kingdom can't walk in that just like that, they have barriers." Even behind the mask, he sounded smug because I knew he can walk in and out without any problems.

"So we will meet him where the barrier ends?"  I  confirmed keeping in mind where the barrier was.

Our Kingdom had one too but that did no good when our Kingdom was attacked.

"You know, we could have just faked my death and ran away from the palace while someone substituted for you. Why the whole bride drama?" I asked a little annoyed for not prewarning me.

"So no one dares messes with you. They will not even dream about harming you knowing that you are my bride." He stated calmly but words like these were not good for my heart.

"I could be used as leverage against you Prince, even though you are pretending to care they might believe it," I said dryly.

He turned sharply and took a large step closer and I gasped in pain that shot through my heart.

He immediately took steps back and said, "I am not pretending to care Princess. For the first time in my life, I actually care."

I wanted to tell him to stop and not say words like these because it was not helping but I just ignored it and kept walking not letting my stupid heart win again.

---

"Sire this is a forbidden spell, even in our Kingdom. I couldn't find the cure anywhere." The Bretrarum's trustworthy soldier said.

"And?" Bretrarum asked in an angry tone because he was not happy to hear about this news.

"You know where the cure and medicines come from." He said bowing slightly.

"I am not going there." And for the first time, I heard a little worry in his voice for going to a Kingdom.

"Then Princess here dies. You very well know only you can go there." The soldier was as blunt as his master.

"You know how she is, I can't put Liahna in harm's way." 

She? Who were they talking about?

"Then don't take her with you Sire." And this got him a deadly glare from Bretrarum.

"She does not leave my side now, I can't trust anyone else with her safety." He declared with a tone of authority.

And my heart thudded inside my chest at his words.

"Then take her in a disguise."

Both of them were talking about me but I was not even asked my opinion.

"Do I have a say in this?" I asked not sure I had anything important to add. I was just annoyed that I was not included in a discussion about me.

"Tell me, Princess, how would you feel about dressing up as a man for disguise." Bretrarum offered and I regretted asking for including me in the talk.

"Why is that?" I asked since I have never seen Bretrarum worried about something like this.

"Well..." He was hesitating and that made me even more curious.

"You, tell me." I turned towards the soldier," Don't you dare threaten him into not telling." I warned Bretrarum just in case.

And I  saw amusement on soldier's face.

"It's the Sorceress of the Mountains, Prince's fiancee." Without even thinking rationally I turned to glare at him.

For that moment he was not the Dark Prince everyone fear or the one that was known as the ruthless killer. For that moment he looked nervous.

"I will leave you two." The soldier said holding back a smile.

"I can explain," Bretrarum said as soon as we two were left alone.

"No need, you can marry whoever you want," I said indignantly.

"You know who I want Princess." He said in a stern tone and I tried not to get affected by this since I have already been fooled but I felt myself melting.

"I wish you knew before my whole body was inflicted with marks of torture."

I felt immense guilt in his eyes as he looked away hurriedly hoping to hide his emotions.

We just stood there awkwardly for a few moments.

"It was a royal wedding pact King made to gain the strongest of the Kingdoms." He said carefully defending himself and I had to smile at these words.

"Has she seen you without the mask?" I asked the important question.

"As the healer, yes. But as a Prince, no one knows who is behind the mask except you." He said and that made my heart flood with warmth and relief.

"So how are you going in as?" I asked pretty sure what plan he had in mind.

"Obviously Healer because Prince is fighting in the tournament, he can't be in two places together," Bretrarum answered and I felt like a fool.

"So why the need to disguise me," I ask not sure if Sorceress would even care since she was engaged to the Prince.

"Apparently when I last met as a Healer, she -"He stopped the nervousness creeping back on him and I felt it was kind of adorable.

"She took a liking to you." I completed the sentence for him and he nodded slowly.

"And she is kind of aggressive in her approach and doesn't take no for an answer easily."

"And you enjoy the attention don't you?" I asked as my eyes narrowed on him and I don't know what came over me.

"You know very well I don't." He retorted and I felt bad for troubling him.

"Then I am going in as a man." I tried to change the topic.

"Yes, so that she doesn't take you as a threat and don't cause trouble." I nodded understanding the plan.

But then he looked at me carefully and frowned.

"What?" I asked immediately feeling self-conscious at his stare.

"I don't think any kind of disguise will work, you are just that feminine and beautiful to be a man." He was merely analyzing me but nevertheless, the compliment heated up my ears thankfully hidden behind my hair.

"I guess it's my turn to be in the mask now." I offered a solution.

"That will work with certain enhancements to alter your voice and figure." He added sheepishly.

I think I died a hundred times in embarrassment at his mention of my figure.

---

If the famous Healer and Prince Bretrarum were standing in the same room, they would definitely look alike but people could never know they were the same person. His persona changed so much that it came as a surprise even though I have seen it before.

But when I saw him lose the mask, it was transformation right before my eyes. The darkness around him lifted, his black clothes were replaced with white ones and his soft brown hair changed to silvery white. He felt more approachable and had a gentleness to him that a Healer should have.

The rough edges of the Prince were gone and he felt like a completely different person.

As Prince, he held a roguishly handsome, raw beauty while as the Healer he was unrealistically beautiful like he was made out of wax rather than flesh.

"I like the other you better" I mumbled to myself honestly forgetting his sharp senses.

"What did you just say?" He asked shocked obviously at my words just as I was saying it out loud.

I was not sane because I liked him more as a Prince maybe because he was the one that held me together those worst months after I lost everything. Or maybe he felt more real and alluring to me. But I do not repeat my words.

 "People are scared of the other me." He said apparently not letting the topic drop.

"As they should be," I added so that he should stop looking for more answers from me.

"And you are not." He answered it himself.

"Why do you think so?" I said as I wrapped the cloth around my face as he usually did.

"The poison in your heart tells me." Without the mask, his face held all the emotion of amusement and smugness along with his handsomeness.

I glared at him for being a smart mouth now covered like he usually is.

He tilted his head and observed me from head to toe and sighed," Even like this I find you attractive."

And I realized this journey is not going to be easy at all because the Dark Prince is a smooth flirt.

---

I love classical twists, LOL.

These two are going for an adventure, how excited are you?

And since he can't touch her, this travel will be a little bit longer as they can't go super speed.

Hope this made your day! I enjoyed writing this one.

NEXT UPDATE: MONDAY !