"Tsked"

Evanna blinked and snapped her attention back to the prince. Her lips parted slightly, but she quickly closed them. Arawn had stepped into her personal space and leaned forwards. Her breathing hitched as his face came closer to hers. Arawn's hand glided down her leg and into her pocket, his fingers brushing her leg again as he pulled the handkerchief out. All the while, his eyes were locked with hers as her face once again heated.

Nobody had touched her leg before. Well, outside of combat. This was a light touch, one that made her head feel dizzy as she stared into his striking blue eyes.

"You should not put such a dirty handkerchief in your pocket." Arawn threw it on the ground behind him, where some guards were already lifting the body up. Another guard was placing the head in a basket, covering it with a blanket.

Evanna was staring after her handkerchief, "My hand-"

"I will get you a new one," Arawn said dismissively, "And to answer your question. Yes, the assassin is from the Eleppo mountains."

Evanna parted her lips to question further, but prince Arawn turned on the spot, ending the conversation. He looked back at her, "Come. You have not seen these gardens."

Evanna sighed. The prince was most likely going to interrogate her more, and she honestly didn't know if she could handle that right now.

He took a step then paused after assessing her features intently. His brows drew together, and he looked.. concerned?! "Unless today's events have been too much for you?" His lips curled into a smirk, and his eyes lit up in amusement. The prince was referring to more than what just happened now. She refrained from narrowing her eyes at this devilish prince.

But Evanna was tired. She had spent half her day in Arawn's mind games, fought quite the opponent, kissed him on the corner of his mouth, scouted the palace and then returned to the prince who was adamant on causing her heart to thump chaotically against her chest. Yet, she did not wish to go inside.

Her goal was still to escape. Evanna needed to see as much of the palace as possible before coming up with a plan. She had spent years escaping her palace, there was always a way out, no matter what, and she would find it. There had to be some weakness she could take advantage of.

Plus, Evanna wished to see these gardens the moment she laid eyes on them from the hillside. Her eyes flickered to the cliffside in the distance, the one that if she was closer, the view of the cave could be seen. Evanna's attention slowly went back to the prince's profile, and she smiled subtly, "I am faring well your highness. Thank you for being so considerate, but I wish to spend a little longer outside."

"Very well. Shall we proceed?" Arawn did not wait for her answer and stepped forwards. Evanna quickly caught up to him, but her gaze went down to the blood-soaked ground where the body had been. But she removed her eyes from the ground as they approached the guards keeping the nobles away from the area. They parted for the pair, and the prince and Evanna strolled past them, with a few onlookers glancing at them and whispering to one another.

Evanna straightened her shoulders and tilted her chin up a bit more. Even if she was a prisoner and her identity was a secret, she would still not let gossipers grate at her. She was walking with their prince, so it was to be expected. She glanced back at his side profile, and her eyes lingered on the spot that she kissed before she turned her head away in embarrassment.

Evanna could not understand how so much had happened in a day. Her face flushed even more at what they did in one of the prince's chambers. They nearly kissed! She glanced back at him nervously. Evanna could not understand what was going on in his mind; there were plenty of other punishments he could have chosen. A kiss was certainly not something she anticipated him asking her.

Luckily his attention was on the gardens. Evanna did not want him catching her peeping at him. Unbeknown to the princess, Arawn was very aware of her staring. When she removed her gaze from his features, he glanced down at her and smirked at her rising blush.

They continued to stroll through the gardens full of flowers, bushes and small trees that Evanna had never seen before, but a small smile played on her lips as she gazed at its beauty. Although she was a prisoner, she decided to enjoy the gardens. Flowers bloomed around them as they started walking the path to the curved bridge that circled the whole palace.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Evanna relaxed her shoulders further as she heard the calming sounds of the cascading waterfall. Excitement swelled through her chest. She rushed to the side closest to the water, passing the prince without so much as a word. She leaned onto the wall, overlooking the water. It was so close that she felt the spray of the rushing water flicker onto her face.

She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes and her mind. Her worries swept away from the sound of the water, and she felt at peace with herself for quite a long time. Although, it was very brief, as the niggling thoughts of her situation and her mother's health tried to probe back into her mind.

"Evanna, be careful," Arawn warned her. She snapped her eyes open as she felt his hands slide over her waist, almost stilling her on the spot from shock and forgetting her worries and fascination with the water. Her body was reacting to his touch, his cool fingers sent shockwaves of awareness and heat rippling across her body, and her heart fluttered, picking up its tempo the longer his hands stayed at her waist. Heat radiated off from his body; how close was he to her?

Evanna jolted and turned to face him, only to nearly fall backwards from their close proximity. His grip tightened on her, and he pulled her into his hard chest; her head lightly smacked into him, and she felt almost bruised from the ripples of muscles he had underneath his clothes. Her hands clung onto his muscular arms for stability, and she looked up at him in shock.

Arawn chuckled, "If I release you, do you promise not to fall down the waterfall?" He asked in amusement. Evanna narrowed her eyes at him; she had been a clumsy fool because a man touched her.

Fuming at herself, she gritted her teeth and replied shortly, "Of course, thank you for.." She couldn't finish her sentence.

"Coming to your rescue?" Arawn finished, chuckling at the burning rage behind her eyes. He knew instantly that Evanna was no damsel in distress. Even when he saved her in that tavern, she fought bravely then, even with that man's grubby hands over.. His thoughts and eyes darkened as he remembered the scene like it was yesterday. He did not realise he was releasing a cold exterior and emanated a coldness that made Evanna shiver.

He gazed back at her, letting himself get absorbed in her stunning eyes that reminded him of meadows, almost instantly calming his own rage, and pulled his power back into himself. He glanced away briefly, then returned to see she was still irritated. Evanna disliked being seen as a damsel in distress, and at the moment like this, it appeared she had been one.

But not in his eyes. He merely took advantage of Evanna's positioning to touch her. He had this overwhelming urge to always feel her, but he had to keep finding excuses because of their positions, her being his prisoner.

With a tight smile and her cheeks still rosy from their body's touching. Evanna replied, "Thank you, your highness."

Arawn chuckled once more and released her, stepping back. Evanna glanced to the side and saw a few nobles watching the pair. Some, or most of them were noblewomen, sending her glares. Evanna internally rolled her eyes. If only they knew the real reason she was there, then they would not act jealous.

"* Your highness. *"

Evanna whipped her head back to the voice and saw Garrett bowing his head.

"I need to speak to Garrett. Please bear with me," Arawn spoke politely as he stepped away from her.

Evanna did not mind; she could cool down after being in his arms. Again. She clutched the sides of her dress casually, trying to keep her face from heating up again. She needed to try and control herself. Otherwise, she would be a walking tomato whenever she was near the ice prince.

She roamed some of the paths while she watched the prince and Garrett discussing a subject attentively. It appeared they might be a while, so she started inspecting the flowers she had never seen before. Her hands glided over a few, looking at the array of colours, shapes and sizes.

Evanna bent over and smelled some small lilac-coloured flowers. In the centre of them, the pistil's were coloured a wonderous gold and shone brightly under the bright sky. Her fingers reached out and stroked them tentatively. She could feel the life force of the flower. The energy radiated off it, making her all the more absorbed at the power rushing through her veins.

Her attention then went to the only flower that was not yet blooming. She wondered why. They had so many gardeners, and it was not hidden in the shade. It must be a late bloomer. She gently stroked the outside of the closed petals in a daze; she was oblivious of what she was doing or the zap of power that shot from her fingers.

"My lady?"

Evanna snapped out of her daze and spun on the spot, unaware that the once closed flower had slowly started to open, spreading its lilac petals.