Her throat burned as cold air fueled her lungs like icy poison, but she couldn't stop. Even with the harsh slaps of the wind on her skin, spreading wine on her cheekbones and making her hair blow, she couldn't let the gallop falter, she squeezed her legs against Aurora's sides, and the beast accelerated its pace with a strident neigh, its hooves trampling the snow mercilessly.

Flashes of that day blurred before her eyes, springing like bad crops after deadly weather, uninvited and mournful.

"Your mother is gone."

Her father's words still echoed clearly in her mind, his avoiding gaze still hollowing her chest and the weight of his hand still heavy on her tiny shoulder. Her breath hitched.

Her short legs had carried her straight to the stables. Even with a wet and blurred gaze, she had found her way back there. She had scanned around for a wood stick, dark hair, and the promise of solace in a toothy grin, but all she had found was the ground let out guttural sobs.

Thunder echoed in the stables that day.

Her grip tightened on the reins, the absence of gloves making it harsh against the thin skin of her palm, but she didn't care, for deeper scars were still burning her.

Like that day, the air in her lungs burned, burned for release, for an explosion, for that compassion she needed so much-

"Princess!" She glanced over her shoulder, and her eyes widened. A man was riding in full gallop in her direction, his black hair like the coat of a raven blowing and his dark eyes intense and filled with worry. Lach. He kept calling her loud and desperate. She pulled the reins backward. Aurora's steps faltered until they came to a stop.

Amaya observed the man coming closer, her chest bouncing. His heavy pants reached her before he did. "Princess..."

Amaya blinked the confusion away before apparent indignation tightened her face. "I told you to not stop me." Despite her spiteful tone, it wavered a bit, and Lach searched her gaze. She looked away, wiping the wetness at the corner of her eyes.

"What's going on? "Lach's words were separated by heavy pants, smoking the air. "If there is-"

She jerked back her face to him. "Why did you follow me?" the sharpness in her voice made the man startle. "Why is it that whenever I am trying to do something, someone is trying to stop me and make me do what they want?" Lach opened his mouth, but Amaya wasn't done. "Sun God! I just have enough of all these rules and these people only wanting more and more from me until I have nothing to offer but bitterness." the words danced in a sorrowful litany before they shriveled down frail and miserable. "And then, who will be there?" she tightened her eyes, letting a drop travel down her cheek.

"Your harness," he pointed out. It's broken."

Her gaze panned down to the harness as if noticing the black leather for the first time. "Oh..." She found the bemused look of Lach, and embarrassment burned her cheek. What was she doing, divulging every piece of her mind in such a pathetic way?

"That's why I followed you." Smoke from the two horses' muzzles clouded the atmosphere between them.

Something dull slipped in her gaze. "I see." She wiped her eyes and her. "You must think that I am losing my mind. Please forget everything I said." Her eyes found the white coat expanding all around them. Behind them, the castle and the line of trees starting the forest tiny in the backdrop.

"I don't think you are losing your mind."

Her eyes flickered to him. Lach worried his lips before he spoke again. "I understand. Not really, but-" He frowned deeply, searching his words. "We all do things we don't want to," the sentence was riddled with guilt. "Because of duty."

She sighed heavily. "Duty. Everyone has this word in his mouth."

"I still enjoy my work," Lach said sincerely as he caressed the mane of the horse he had borrowed to follow the Princess, the glint in his smile made Amaya's eyes soften.

"I envy you," Amaya stated. "I wish I could choose my own fate." The words traveled languidly to Lach.

"Choose my own fate," he repeated as if tasting the words. Aurora neighed, trampling the snow, and Lach hopped off his horse. "No duty will be done if you hurt yourself, Princess." He unhooked the other harness from the side of his horse.

Amaya sighed and pulled her right leg next to the left. When she was about to hop off, a hand awaited her, his dark eyes expectant. After a moment, she placed her dainty, soft hand into his calloused and bruised one. The touch was comfortable despite the rugged texture.

Her booted feet sank into the snow, and Lach kept her hand until she stabilized and stopped wobbling. Lach chuckled as he observed her feet.

"What is so funny?" Amaya frowned.

"Those shoes are more appropriate for snow than those tiny shining things you wore last time."

Amaya huffed a chuckle. "Right." That night Lach came to the stable with him, taking her out of that long dreadful bal she never asked for. Lach worked on removing the other harness, calming Aurora with a caress. She had found solace in the stable. He worked his finger to remove the saddle, temporarily leaving it in the snow as he secured the new one. Amaya let her gaze travel to his back, watching the muscles contract. He looked over his shoulder, flashing a smile, and she looked away.

His shoulders slouched down, letting out a sigh. "It's done."

"You always seem to watch over me like a guardian angel."

"It's more about you, Princess, always finding yourself in trouble in front of me," A smirk played on his lips.

A scoff. "You are the one talking."

A chuckle danced between the two before Lach fidgeted with the damaged harness. "Your Highness, I need to bring Aurora back. Otherwise..."

"You will be in trouble. I know."

They hopped back on their horses and galloped back to the stable.

"You finally ride with me," she said, hopping off Aurora.

Lach was about to reply when his eyes widened as he looked behind her shoulder.

Amaya turned around and met the inquisitive gaze of Prince Ezri next to a fidgety Rid.

She took a step away from Lach. "Prince Ezri."

Ezri gave the reins to Rid, who hurried to bring the horse back to its stall. A brown fur jacket hung on him, and a quiver with a bow and arrow sticking up hung from one shoulder. "Your Highness," he stated before his eyes jumped to Lach. "You?" A tight smile spread Ezri's lips, and Amaya could feel the tension from Lach's muscles. "Glad to see you again," he said.

"Your Highness." Lach bowed as he grabbed Aurora's hanging harness and pulled her away, the Prince's heavy gaze following him.

"Weren't you supposed to take the road back to Mias this morning? Like all the other guests," Amaya demanded, and his eyes jumped back on her.

"Well, King Bantu insisted that I join his hunt this morning. I gladly accepted. It's an honor," Ezri said, his hands clasped behind his back. Amaya gaped slightly. It could only mean one thing. "Did you receive my gift?"

Lach's head jerked up in the corner of her eyes. "Gift?" she tilted her head slowly before it hit her. "Certainly. It was very thoughtful of you. Thank you." She stretched a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

A smirk cracked on Ezri's lips. "I am glad, Princess."

A silence settled where both twirled with their hands while Lach and Rid worked in the background.

Ezri finally opened his mouth again. "To be honest with you, I didn't take the route yet because I wanted to talk to you." Amaya's face dropped. "Privately," The Prince glanced at the stablemen. "Can I ask you for a short promenade?"

The young woman blinked for a few seconds. She looked behind her and found the stableman's gaze. "Now? I was about to-," she trailed off.

"It will only be short."

Amaya worried her lips, his expectant honey gaze weighty on her.

"Sure," she looked behind her a last time but this time hadn't found any gaze before following the man outside.

"Oh, Sun God!" Rid exclaimed loudly. "Did you see that?" his eyes were wide. "He is the one!"

Lach's lips tightened as he saw the Prince and Amaya walking away.

**

"So, how excruciating was the company of my father?" Amaya asked as they strolled into the plain white garden. Passing next to statues of the royal family covered in the snow.

Erzi's lips stretched before he answered. "It is an honor to be invited to Ornuv and to spend time with His Highness. He was a great friend of my father in the older days."

Amaya raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"

"War," he said matter-of-factly. Of course, the war. That was why they were in that crisis in the first place. "Father was against the war. He believed it would be the end of the Continent if it happened. He demanded King Bantu to do so but didn't listen." Perhaps her stubbornness was indeed from her father. That was maybe the only thing they had in common. "Mias never wanted to go to war, and when we didn't back up Ornuv's army, we lost our alliance."

Amaya sighed. "I knew Father was in the wrong."

"He wasn't per se," Ezri countered, and Amaya raised her eyes. "Ornuv was the most powerful country of the Continent thanks to the Favor. It was a question of time before armies burst at your door. Your father decided to get ahead of them. It was actually the best move contrary to everyone's belief."

Amaya shook her head. "We still lost the Favor at the end of the day, and I still believe it could have been avoided."

"Perhaps you are right, but this we will never know." Silence settled as brains marinated in thoughts before Ezri cut it again. "As for my Father. He had been very sick for a long time now. His days are counted."

Amaya's mouth opened softly. "I am sorry."

Ezri kept his head up. "We knew for a long time this day would come. He doesn't hold any grudges anymore and hopes to regain Ornuv's trust before he goes to the other side."

"That's why you are here." The disappointment in her voice made Ezri cocked a brow. "You are only here because of the wish of your father." Another embarked on his father's crusade for duty without steering the wheel.

The curious honey gaze pierced into Amaya long enough to make her eyes flutter away. "I do believe that Ornuv and Mias should tight links back. Sure, the Continent is peaceful now, but peace can only last so long."

Amaya's steps stop. "What do you mean by that? Are you talking about another war?"

"We always have to be prepared for war." His eyes softened, "but this is not why I am here." Ezri looked at her. "If it was so, I wouldn't have waited for the Peace Treaty to do so and would have gone to your lands years ago." Amaya's cheeks heat. Why was his gaze so piercing?

She looked away and walked ahead. Silence, giving Amaya the time to think her words through. "How is it there?

"In Mias?" She nodded, and a curve carved the Prince's thick lips immediately. "It is...a wonderful, beautiful land, full of harvest and prosperity where the sun expands over mountains of sands, lakes, and the vastness of greenery and the desert. Colorful fruits taste as good as they look, and animals only rare to our lands roamed free around us. The sun loves our people so much, it drenches them every day of the year, kissing their skin." Awe graced his features.

Amaya's mind tried to taste, see, and feel every word. But she was sure the picture in her mind fell short of its reality. She itched for more. "In passing, how did you like the gifts I sent you? I have made those fabrics specifically for you."

Amaya fluttered her embarrassment away. "These are very beautiful, but-"Her face scrunched up in confusion. "But they won't really serve me here."

Ezri offered a deep and low that sank deep into the Princess's stomach. "Indeed, it is for you to wear when you come to Mias."

Amaya scoffed, "I admire your confidence Prince Ezri. But if I can't go beyond the gates of this castle, what makes you believe I will cross any lands, much less seas," she said before strolling away.

Ezri's eyes followed her momentarily before he stepped next to her again, their steps working together in the same languid cadence. "That's what people say about me." The Princess's brow arched up. "That I am confident." Ezri went on. "That I get whatever I want no matter what." His eyes glinted with determination.

Amaya narrowed her eyes. "Is that so?"

The man shrugged. "I am the only one here with you, am I not?"

Amaya blinked. Cockiness did really inhabit his bones. "It doesn't mean anything." Even though she knew the opposite inside her, she wouldn't let him think otherwise.

Ezri stopped in front of her. "As I said, I am very confident. When I want something, I always get it."

"And what it is that you want?" Amaya crossed her arms.

Ezri smirked. "You will know soon enough," he said, and Amaya sighed before going ahead, and Ezri followed her with a chuckle and wide smile.

Behind them, a silhouette stood in one of the large windows, littering the castle, observing smoke engulfing it.