I was going insane.

Convincing anyone to let me out of my tent led me to being even more hated. No one would let me out, and it'd been four days. The woman who tried to bathe me was the only one coming in, and she only did to give me scraps of food. At the start, I'd throw the food at her, but now I needed it.

The fifth day went by fast. I woke up, the woman brought me scraps of food, I ate, I stared and drew on the ground, I cursed my luck, then I kept digging the tunnel that would eventually help me escape.

Smart, Arya. I shook the voice away and kept clawing at the dirt. I had until the moon was up to keep digging.

It didn't take too long to hear voices outside my tent. I quickly got up and dragged the basin of water over the entrance of the tunnel.

"Imagine, Ashe. You, me, and a cannon," Rysdan said.

"I'd rather not imagine you with a cannon," Ashe remarked. "You'd blow my nose off."

They both laughed and continued. "You're nose is very beautiful. So smooth and"—there was a pause—"very curvy."

"Stop touching my nose."

I crawled to the entrance of my tent, carefully peeking my head out. Henneh was guarding me tonight. She was always so quiet, and I didn't blame her. I heard wolves in the woods often.

Ashe and Rysdan were clothed in black. They must've finished training. Rysdan was pinching Ashe's nose, and Ashe was swatting him away, laughing. You like the view? the voice said. I ignored.

"You're both ridiculous," Henneh called out to them. "Besides, Rysdan wouldn't blow off your nose. He'd blow off your luscious hair," she said sarcastically.

"Excuse me? What's wrong with my hair?" Ashe started patting his hair down. "Only because Avaloryn decided to burn the tips of my hair. Other than that—"

"You're getting all the ladies, Ashey-boy." Rysdan patted Ashe's back and left.

There was silence. I slowly backed in my head and wrapped my hand around a stone. When I got my head fully in, I dashed to the back end of the tent and lifted the cloth up, throwing the stone into the woods and hoping that it hit something.

Sure enough, the stone hit a bush, causing it to rustle and snap a few branches. "What was that?" Henneh whispered. I brought my arm back in and sat on the ground, pretending to draw like they've seen me before doing.

"You go check. I'll stay here," Ashe mumbled.

Oh, damn this plan. I silently cursed at myself. Best plan ever, Valarya. You really should've payed more attention to Diana and her strategies.

Ashe came into my tent, glancing at me and then the drawing on the ground. "What's that supposed to be?"

I pursued my lips shut. Don't look at the basin, I warned myself. Instead, I smiled and wiped away the drawing. "Nothing now. What were you going to do? Join me?"

"I'm not the best artist," Ashe retorted. "But if you want me to—"

"I don't," I said, smiling.

"You do." Ashe sat down on the ground, crossing his legs innocently. I rolled my eyes, wiping the dirt onto my chemise. "I'm the best artist you'll ever see."

I scoffed and turned away. I heard him huff slightly, then I heard the shuffle of dirt. With the corner of my eyes, I saw him digging his finger into the dirt, tracing his other hand.

"Damn, you really are skilled."

"Didn't know a princess could curse." Ashe chuckled and pulled his finger and hand away from the dirt. "Maybe I'll try to be a notorious artist."

"Oh, the joy you'll bring to people after they find out you're an assassin," I quipped back. I'd be lying if I said I didn't chuckle. Being sarcastic wasn't something I could easily do at the palace.

Ashe stayed quiet and looked at the trace of his hand. "You know," he started, "I wish Prodos didn't keep you trapped in here."

"How considerate of you," I mumbled.

"I think you could be useful," he added.

"And here I was thinking you'd be somewhat kind." I pulled my knees to my chest and rested my head it. My eyes started to stick every time I shut them. "I hate you."

"I didn't kill Manea." He sighed and laid his back onto the ground. "I'm not the bad person here. Your father is a monster who blinded you. You can't see the world around you, but I can. It's a world on fire and your father took the only lake."

I watched him blinking. His eyes was like the ocean at night. Endless. "You should consider being a poet. Or a politician."

"I know you threw a stone into the woods," he said.

I looked at his hands. "What?"

"Don't play coy. It's obvious that you threw a rock. Why do you think I stayed?" Ashe's veiny hands flexed.

We were both startled when Henneh ripped open the entrance of the tent. Ashe sat up quickly and fidgeted with his bracelet. "There was nothing. Must've been the wind."

Ashe and I met eyes as he said, "Close call, then." He turned away and looked at Henneh. "Go get rest. I'll watch her tonight."

Henneh didn't reply as she left the tent.

"I'm not about to talk with you," I mentioned.

"I'm sure you're tired of staying in this tent, right?" Ashe pulled himself up and extended his arm to me. "Come on."

I got up, ignoring his arm. "You're willing to disobey Prodos?" I said, amused.

"I don't usually follow his rules honestly. He's too... politiciany." And a traitor. Ashe held the entrance open, and I got out. The air smelled so different. Was five days really that bad?

Ashe stayed at my side. I kept up with all the turns, which were a lot. The lantern in his hand flickered against the growing darkness. Seemed like Ashe had an attachment to fires.

He stopped at the bank of a river. "I've heard about birdwatching, but fish watching?" I shook my head. I've never seen a river before. I never thought the first time I'd see a river would be with the man that killed my sister.

I bent down to touch the water, but he quickly grabbed my wrist and pushed me away from the water. "Don't touch it. It's full of toxins."

I furrowed my brows and looked at the other side of the river. The bank was filled with dead fish. "What happened to them?"

Ashe went against a tree and sat down. I sat against a tree away from him, but kept my attention at him. "After the war, the gunpowder got into most of the rivers. It killed a lot of fish, and any animal that drank it died within days."

A small part of me wanted him to be lying, but I knew that he wasn't. He couldn't have set this up. There were too many fishes for him to be lying.

"Where do people drink water then?"

"The groundwater systems. They take the water from there and filter it with cloth." He twisted his body to face me.

I imagined it as I turned to my side and looked at him. "But that doesn't take away the bacteria that could make you sick."

"It's the best everyone can do," he whispered back. "The only other freshwater is from a river near the palace, but your father won't let anyone take any. Nylas usually sneaks some here." Look at your precious father, Arya. So generous and so loving.

The wind howled, my hair tangling. I couldn't believe that my father wouldn't give the only freshwater to people.

"There's the River of Cadice, but—"

"That kills anyone who isn't a Cadice descendant. Anyone who touches it dies."

Ashe pinched his nose and got to his feet. "That's what the legends say. I think one of the princesses are of House Cadice."

My throat burned like fire. There was a lump at my throat, clogging any air I could breathe.

"Clearly it isn't you. Your eyes don't change colors. And it wasn't Manea." I shot my head up. Ashe quickly looked down, holding onto his wrist. "I saw her. Everyone did."

"None of my sisters are of House Cadice," I assured him. I wasn't lying—not entirely. My parents hid the fact I was of House Cadice for a reason. There had to be more than just refusing people water.

"Distant relative maybe. I don't know. Odaya would. She's a cousin of yours."

She was? I never knew. Mother rarely allowed family to come. She didn't want to risk it with Father's brothers. How did Odaya know me, and that my hair was blonde? Did she know I was of House Cadice?

I'd find those answers.

"Let's go." Ashe waved me over, and I got up and walked with him. I never thought that Ashe Knightley would be telling the truth—that he would care if people had food and water.

It didn't matter. He killed Manea, and I'd happily repay that debt.