With her knees pulled to her chest and her gasps ragged and wet from her tears, Alina sat at the bottom of the stairs of the east castle exit, a violet bruise forming on her thigh and arm from where she had fallen down the steps moments before.

She was finally calmed, and the summer air was beginning to take on a slight chill, yet she couldn’t bring herself to move. Even as goosebumps pricked her skin and her limbs grew stiff.

‘Gods… how childish can I get? Running away?’ Alina thumped her head against her knees. ‘I even choked while singing two songs because I got so worked up… How weak can a person be?’

A heavy weight suddenly enveloped her shoulders, bringing with it blissful and enticing warmth. It smelled of the outdoors, and leather… with the faint hint of some other intoxicating wood… Henry smelled like it from time to time.

Looking up expecting to see the very Prince she had run from nearly an hour earlier, Alina was surprised to see that no one stood or sat beside her. Puzzled, she turned back towards her knees, and then realized there was a pair of massive legs standing in front of her.

Lifting her chin, Alina found her gaze needed to keep travelling upwards until it rested upon Brendan Devark’s unreadable features.

He didn’t say anything, only stared with his usual dark gaze.

“I-I’m not in the mood to fight with you." Alina looked away, already feeling fresh tears springing to her eyes.

“Why do you presume I’m here to start a fight?” Brendan’s deep voice was still intimidating, but at least he didn’t sound annoyed.

“You think I should go inside and face everyone, and I’m not going to do that.”

“I’ll make you a promise, Princess, I won’t try to assume your thoughts if you don’t mine.” Brendan’s flat tone had a note of irritation making Alina wince.

Somehow feeling even worse, she let out a small breath of defeat and hung her head. “Sorry. Please just leave me be…”

“I’m out here to ask if you’d like to be stronger.”

Alina’s eyes flew up to Brendan’s once more, her shock making her heart skip a beat.

“W-What do you mean?” she managed to ask once regaining the ability to speak.

“You aren’t a child. You know how to manage your angry emotions and look after others. The only time you falter is when your weakness is exposed. So, that means we need to make you stronger. Perhaps then you will have faith in your own abilities.”

Alina felt desperation well up inside of herself.

Yes. She wanted to be stronger. She wanted to no longer have everyone worrying about how they could take care of her or help her. She wanted to no longer be treated delicately by everyone…

“How… and… why?” the Princess managed to ask, her voice croaking.

“To begin, I believe you need more physical exercise in your daily life. You aren’t ever pushing to grow your breath capacity, and so it remains the same no matter what.”

Alina resisted the urge to wince. Physical exercise never sounded appealing to her…

“You still haven’t said why,” she pointed out softly.

Brendan’s eyes warmed then, and to say it took the Princess aback would be putting it lightly. There was a spark of caring in his eyes that was making her stomach flip…

“I see myself in you.”

Alina blinked. Whatever answer she had been anticipating, it hadn’t been that one. The summer breeze rustled the grass, and made the torches outside the castle exit flicker, and in their light, Alina saw an entirely new expression on the King’s face. One of pain, determination, but also… assurance.

“How do you see yourself-”

“Are all Daxarian women so talkative?” Brendan asked suddenly, his stony mask falling back into place as he folded his arms over his chest.

Alina’s eyes narrowed as she inadvertently pulled his cloak tighter around herself.

“I am not chatty, and you know it.” Slowly, Alina brought herself to her feet using the stone railing, and found that despite standing on the step, she still wasn’t quite as tall as the Troivackian in front of her.

“Are you offering to help me to try and convince me to marry you?” the Princess asked seriously, her expression grim.

Brendan tilted his head- as he often did when thinking about his answer thoroughly.

“I don’t need to convince you. I am as you see me, and if that isn’t what you want then I cannot change.”

“More like you won’t change,” Alina muttered before she could stop herself.

The King took a step closer to her, and in the stillness of the night, his proximity somehow made her forget to breathe as he stood mere inches from her.

“I am alive today because of how I am, Princess.”

Alina couldn’t move her gaze from his. She didn’t know why, but a blush was working its way across her face.

“Are you happy?”

Brendan’s eyebrows twitched to a small frown. “I am a King. My duty is to my people, and not to self-serve my own desires.”

He expected her to look hurt, or angry even, and was preparing himself for when she would inevitably flee to cry again. Only she once again reacted to him in a way that gave him pause.

She looked at him with such tender worry…

“You must’ve gone through a great deal of pain to not even be able to consider having both.”

All at once, Brendan felt his expression darken, and watched the young woman grow wary at the sight.

“I am not a being in need of caring and love, Princess.”

Instead of growing quiet or apologetic, Alina felt a strange anger rise at his words, and a glare of her own shifted across her features.

“King Brendan Devark, a good ruler should need that. Without it, you will never be able to properly understand or care for your citizens.”

“A romantic notion,” Brendan replied coolly.

“One that comes with a perfect example,” the Princess fired back hotly, her mother and father coming swiftly to her minds eye.

“Your parents were the exception not the rule, Your Highness.” Brendan replied as though he had read her thoughts.

Despite her devout beliefs, Alina couldn’t deny she was beginning to feel like a child for arguing something so idyllic… Even so. She would not back down.

“So tell me, Your Majesty, for my own edification, what should I expect from our marriage then? A business venture without an ounce of care or compassion?” she queried with feigned casualness.

Brendan knew he should feel defensive at her question, but he was a little too pleased at her referencing their marriage to be truly irritated.

“A relationship based on respect and a common goal of making our kingdom a better place.”

“That sounds exactly like a business partner. Do you expect bedding each other to be equally formal?”

So flummoxed was he by the innocent lamb of a Princess discussing bedding, that Brendan’s jaw dropped and he failed to hide his emotions for a few moments.

“That isn’t… Bedding is… it is not appropriate for unmarried… persons… to… to discuss,” the King managed though Alina was beyond thrilled to see the effect her words had on the normally unshakable ruler. His cheeks had deepened in color, and his gaze had grown shifty and uncomfortable as even his hands twitched at his sides.

“Why not? It is best to know who I’m getting in bed with as a business partner, isn’t it?” Alina couldn’t help it. She knew she was being wildly inappropriate, but his reaction was so refreshingly… fun.

“Who… who has discussed such things with you that you can speak of it so… easily.” Brendan’s breath was coming out a little faster than normal, and the Princess thought she might laugh aloud.

“My mother of course. She taught me that there is nothing untoward about enjoying intimate times with a husband.” Alina’s smile was a rather vexing mix of radiant and devilish.

Brendan felt a strange emotion seize his chest then as he stared at her, his face still burning from her words, but there was something else powerful building in him.

Leaning forward, his eyes dark with intensity, he could hear the Princess take in a small breath of air at his sudden move.

“As long as you know, Princess, that now you’ve said such things to me, you cannot ever say such things to another man again.”

Alina swallowed with great difficulty, her cheeks burning again. “I-I will say whatever I like to whomever I please.”

“I don’t think you know what kind of invitation such comments make. Especially if I’m the first one you have said such things to. So I am trying to give you-”

“A lesson on chastity?” Alina wanted to sound angry, but instead her voice rasped. Why was her heart beating so hard?! So what if he was only a few inches from her face?

“No. I’m merely saying you said that such enjoyments were reserved for husbands, and you seemed to be taking great enjoyment in sharing such an intimate topic with me.”

“I was not! I was only-”

Brendan’s hand came up then, cupping her face and drawing her closer to him so that her breath could be felt on his lips as his thumb brushed her warm but slightly damp skin from her tears.

Alina had fallen still and her eyes had closed briefly.

Brendan felt his blood roar with the demand to kiss her right then and there. To show her exactly the nature of things she was toying with.

Instead, he took a steadying breath. “Men tend to get the wrong idea when you speak so lightly of marriage and bedding, Princess.”

Slowly he withdrew, and dropped his hand to his side. Her flushed face and shallow breaths with the glow of firelight behind her casting her hair aflame, was making her all too alluring.

“I… I see. Well… thank you for your… insight,” Alina managed, trying to regain her composure.

‘Gods, what was I hoping for there? Did I really want to kiss him?’ she wondered to herself dazedly.

“I shall leave you for now, though I recommend returning soon. The humidity on a night like tonight isn’t going to help your breathing.” Brendan had resumed his normal calm as he moved towards the castle.

When he stepped onto the stair beside her, however, he turned and caught her hazel eyes with his own dark ones. “I’ll see you in the morning, Princess. We’ll go for a long walk before I leave for the hunt with your father.”

Alina didn’t say anything as the King then continued moving up the stairs and into the dark recess of the castle walls, leaving her to catch her breath and calm down alone.

As the void of the night once again engulfed her, the young royal found herself staring distractedly off into the darkness feeling a little too out of sorts for her liking…

*

Brendan rounded the corner of the east entrance to the castle, and without even bothering to pause, addressed the shadowy figure that stood leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed.

“You’re rather adept at hiding in the dark.”

Tamlin Ashowan slowly peeled himself away from the wall, and regarded the King somberly without saying a word.

“I’ll let it go because I know you couldn’t hear anything, but it’d be best not to take to spying on others.”

Tam continued to say nothing as he watched the Troivackian King silently disappear down the corridor. Gritting his teeth for a moment, the young noble forced himself to relax again before turning and walking out the door and down the steps to where Alina stood staring out into the night, completely unaware of her surroundings.

“Shall we go back inside?” Tam offered quietly.

“Tam! When did you… wait… you didn’t happen to… to see anything did you?” the royal asked, wearing a stricken expression that made Tam frown.

“I saw the Troivackian King just leave,” he answered evasively. “Your father is more than a little concerned, perhaps you should go speak with him.”

Alina swallowed guiltily while nodding with her eyes downcast. She knew her father was more than likely beside himself after her dramatic exit.

“Perhaps I should take His Majesty’s cloak. People might start getting the wrong idea,” Tam pointed out as the Princess turned towards the castle door.

Alina blinked, and straightened her shoulders as the realization sunk in that the heavy cloak keeping her warm was in fact Brendan’s…

“Oh… a-alright.” Handing the garment to Tam, she then accepted his arm as they headed back into the castle. Though the woody smell still clung to her neck and something about it made her blush as the memory of his rough hand on her face made a burst of electricity rush from her stomach through to her finger tips…

“Are you feeling better?” the future Viscount asked as they finally reached the top of the steps and he noted the slight limp in her gait.

Alina opened her mouth to ask why would she not be feeling fine, and then remembered her embarrassing performance just over an hour earlier.

Oddly, when arguing with the King, she had completely forgotten about it.

‘He’s so annoying that he distracts me from my problems,’ Alina chuckled to herself and gave her head a shake.

“Yes, I’m fine. I’m ready to face them.”

The Princess fixed her gaze calmly ahead of herself, and missed Tam’s wary glance at her entirely as a result. Though even if she had seen it, somehow, she felt far more sure of herself than she had in a while.